Minor Semi Final
Kanwal v Southern & Ettalong
It’s do-or-die for both of these sides who have plenty to prove entering the 2024 Finals Series. For Kanwal, the Bulls will be determined to show their quality which earned them the Club Championship award in 2024. For Southern, they will be out to prove they can show up when it matters most despite their previous history in Finals.
It has been a historic season for Ryan Walker and his squad who wrapped up the Club Championship award last weekend, a week after having all three grades qualify for Finals which is no easy feat for any club.
Walker spoke on the achievement and what it means to him and the club as a whole. “For us winning the club championship is a massive achievement, we came up to the top league seven years ago and for the first few years we were lucky to survive and now to see how far we have come as a group is pretty special.”
Walker also took some time to reflect on his journey as head coach and if he ever envisioned this success in all three grades when he initially got involved. “If I am being honest, this year I was unsure how the competition would play out from a first-grade perspective as we did lose a few players from the previous year.”
“We just took it one game at a time and the longer the year went on the more confident we grew as a group that we could push finals. However, with reserve grade and third grade, I was always pretty confident we would be in the finals mix as we have always worked hard on development in our young ones and building a solid foundation”
Kanwal last played finals in 2022 after Walker’s side finished in second place, however, the Bulls went out in straight sets after picking up defeats against Killarney and Terrigal.
Although the team has changed quite a lot from two years ago, Walker is a lot more confident his side will be able to compete with whoever they come up against this time around. “For me personally in 2022 we had not done well in the year against any of the top teams so I always thought it may have been a stretch for us to go far in the finals.”
“However, this year we have competed well against the other top four teams so hopefully that fills the boys with confidence.”
Despite finishing in third place, Kanwal were still a chance of being crowned League Champions on the final day of the year if they could beat the O’lads and have other results go their way.
Kanwal secured a dominant 4-1 win over last year’s grand finalist Terrigal and will be hoping to do the same this weekend against the side Terrigal knocked out of finals last year.
Despite entering the weekend with an even record against the Lions, Walker voiced those results mean very little as they need to be at their best come Saturday. “I think it is very hard to try to work out how the game is going to go based on results of our previous meetings as the first game Southern put us to the sword and the second game we did the same to them.”
“In my opinion, Southern are very clinical on set pieces and love a long throw so we have to be on our game defensively to nullify those threats. It’s a lot easier said than done but we need to limit our mistakes defensively and be clinical in front of goal.”
Finals have been a mainstay in Southern’s seasons recently, but with a new head coach Matt Page at the helm this year it was never a certainty as a new coach can sometimes take time to get his style across.
Nonetheless, Page has taken this team to new heights and hopes they can be rewarded for their efforts at the end of the season. “It’s always the aim to make the finals.”
“At the end of the day, we got the required results to leave us as one of the four remaining sides with a chance still to win the big prize. And after such a competitive regular season, I’m really proud the boys have given themselves this opportunity.”
For whatever reason, Southern hasn’t been able to shine when the lights are the brightest come Finals in recent years, but Page is hopeful that experience will help them overcome any challenges they may face this year.
“Every year is a new season, with different opposition and different challenges. Though you always do pick up things from playing in finals games, so I think the experience a lot of my guys have had over those last few years will only help them be more ready to confront the challenges this time around”
Southern & Ettalong enter this weekend as the only side in the top four who are coming off a defeat on the final round of the year. Although a finals spot was already secured, the Lions hosted Killarney at James Brown Oval in round 18 as the Terriers came from behind to win 2-1.
Despite that result not having any effect on this weekend, Southern will enter the clash without Nathan Baker who received a red card in that fixture and may have played his last game for the Lions in 2024.
Having beat Kanwal 5-0 at home, then losing to them 5-1 away just a few weeks later, Page is gearing up for an intense battle with the Bulls come Saturday. “We learned that Kanwal are a good side at both ends of the field. They are a tight defensive unit and can punish you when given opportunities in front of goal.”
“We had a good win over them at home and they returned the favour a couple of weeks later, so I expect this match to be a tough battle between two good sides. We will need to play our game and play to our potential if we want to be successful this week and move on to the prelim. The lads are itching to get into it and give it their best shot”
Match Official – Jasper White
Major Semi Final
Woongarrah v Berkeley Vale
The two most consistent teams of the 2024 MPL season will meet on Sunday night as League Champions Woongarrah look to keep their tremendous form against the Wombats and book their place in the Grand Final while Berkeley Vale looks to avenge their only losses of the year.
It is hard to put into words exactly how special last Sunday was for Luke Rogers and his side. Heading into the fixture the Wildcats knew they needed to claim victory against East Gosford to be crowned first-grade league champions.
Although the Rams put up a fight, Woongarrah claimed an emphatic 6-2 victory to create history, claiming their first MPL title in the club’s history as well as being the first team ever to take out those honour a year after being promoted from Division 1.
Rogers expressed what that moment was like and how much it meant to everyone at the club. “When the final whistle blew it was a very special moment for the players, coaching staff and everyone one involved.”
“It’s never easy to win a League Championship and if you look through the history books not a whole lot of clubs have done it, but the First one will always be very special.”
Their run of results leading up to this moment has been nothing short of phenomenal, claiming 12 wins out of their last 13 games.
However, to get to this point this side had to suffer through a lot of outside noise, especially when they found themselves in last place after the opening three rounds.
With the quality of players Woongarrah brought in over the off-season, it was only a matter of time before things clicked and the team has truly exceeded all expectations put on them at the start of the season.
With one piece of silverware now officially secured, Rogers and his men turn their attention to the next task at hand which is defeating Berkeley Vale for a third consecutive time this season and securing their spot in the Grand Final.
Rogers had high praise for the opposition who they have shared some close battles against this year. “Berkeley are a well-coached side and have talented players all across the park.”
“They play a good style of football and are hard to beat, which shows with their results in only losing two games all regular season.”
Rogers also added, “To win on Sunday it will have to be a collective effort, like I said before they are good side all over the park.”
“Both times we have been beating them this year we have come from two or more goals behind, but I feel we can’t afford to give them a head start this upcoming match.”
Despite starting the year as competition favourites, Berkeley Vale will enter Sunday’s important clash as underdogs as Mark Pratt’s men will look to decipher the only puzzle they have not been able to solve this season and that’s defeating Woongarrah.
It was a dream start to the year for the Wombats who showed their attentions at the start of the season by setting a high standard in pre-season by winning the 2024 Association Cup and having an applaudable Australia Cup run.
Berkeley Vale finished the year just one point shy of first place Woongarrah with a record of 12 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses. Looking back on those results two fixtures stand out the most which are draws against relegated sides Woy Woy (0-0), and Avoca (1-1).
A win in either of those games would have seen the Wombats finish above this weekend’s opponents on the ladder, but Pratt insists morale within his side is rock solid ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
“We are in a good space, to be honest, we enjoy the way we play football, and the group is tight and enjoy every minute that we all spend together.”
Pratt also reflected on the year as a whole and what it means to make Finals again. “We are obviously happy with making the semifinals but that’s never the goal at the start of the year we look to try and improve on where we were last year, and we have managed to do that.”
Dissecting their two previous meeting with Woongarrah this year, Berkeley Vale led by two goals in both matches before the opposition was able to come back on both occasions to claim the win.
Berkeley Vale’s rock-solid defence has again been a standout in 2024, only conceding 23 goals in their 18 fixtures throughout the regular season which is a competition best.
However, when it comes to the Wildcats, Berkely Vale have conceded 35% of their total goals in the two matches they have faced the newly crowned league champions.
Their backline, boasting veteran goalkeeper Steven Grimmitt and enforcer Nick Trengrove, will need to be at their best on the weekend if they wish to have any success against a side scoring for fun lately.
When reflecting on their encounters with the Wildcats, Pratt stated, “They beat us on the two occasions that we played them, and they deserved to be minor premiers and favourites for the final series.”
“We will need to be better than our opposition all over the park for the full 90 minutes of the game.”
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley
Semi Final Fixtures –
