The Football South Coast Men’s Premiership championship weekend kicks off on Saturday at WIN Stadium with the three deciders in The Fraternity Club District League.
District League new boys Gerringong are represented in Second Grade and Youth Grade, with the Breakers playing Oak Flats and Thirroul respectively.
The final match of the day will be the First Grade contest, where league champions Shellharbour face Fernhill.
THE FRATERNITY CLUB DISTRICT LEAGUE SECOND GRADE
Gerringong Breakers v Oak Flats Falcons
Saturday 16th September, 10am @ WIN Stadium
The weekend kicks off with Gerringong taking on Oak Flats with the former enjoying an outstanding inaugural season, claiming the league championship with a nine-point advantage over any other team.
The Breakers dropped points just four times in the regular season, including a 1-1 draw against Oak Flats on the opening day.
Key to Gerringong’s success has been Dan Layson, who has scored 16 goals in the second-grade competition, including a four-goal haul against Picton Rangers in round 13.
Oliver Dale has also been impressive for the Breakers, scoring 12 goals in 2023 including one against University in the major semi-final.
Oak Flats finished the season in third, registering some solid results in the latter parts of the campaign.
Brenton Burke’s team have won four of their last five matches, demonstrating a strong defensive record in that run, conceding two goals, while keeping four clean sheets.
Young gun Chase Allchin is a standout up front for the Falcons with 11 goals, and goalkeeper Chris Jarman offers an experienced presence at the back.
The Falcons have an extra incentive on Saturday, looking to rectify two grand final defeats in a row.
Saturday’s early kick-off promises a great start to the grand final weekend, between two teams with points to prove.
Match officials
- Referee: Hayden Michlmayr
- Assistant Referee 1: John Ruscica
- Assistant Referee 2: Steven Payne
- 4th Official: Mick Agim
THE FRATERNITY CLUB DISTRICT LEAGUE YOUTH GRADE
Thirroul Thunder v Gerringong Breakers
Saturday 16th September, 12.15pm @ WIN Stadium
League champions Thirroul are seeking to do the double in back-to-back seasons when they take on Gerringong at Saturday lunchtime.
Thirroul were all but faultless in the regular season for a second year running, losing once over the 20 rounds.
That defeat was to the Breakers in round 14, when they suffered a 2-1 defeat.
Besides that result, Thirroul have flown through the season, scoring 75 goals – 31 more than the next-best top scorers.
Attacker Stuart Forbes offers Thirroul’s main threat with 24 goals this campaign, while Euan Riedy and Cael Gallagher have 26 goals between them.
Gerringong finished in second place in the youth grade season, accumulating 41 points.
The side had the second-best defensive record behind Thirroul this season, conceding 23 goals.
They’ve responded to three defeats to end the regular season with two hard-fought wins to make the big dance.
Lucas Zerafa is an important source of goals for the Breakers with nine in 2023, including a hat-trick in the minor semi-final against Balgownie.
Matthew Graham and Elijah Dabelstein have also been among the goals for Gerringong, scoring eight and seven, respectively.
Thirroul have looked unstoppable for most of 2023, but Gerringong were the only team to stop them in the league campaign, setting up a fascinating clash on Saturday.
Match officials
- Referee: Casey Flemming
- Assistant Referee 1: Sam Hall
- Assistant Referee 2: Byron Lawler
- 4th Official: Damien Dennelly
THE FRATERNITY CLUB DISTRICT LEAGUE FIRST GRADE
Shellharbour FC v Fernhill Foxes
Saturday 16th September, 3pm @ WIN Stadium
Live Streamed via Football South Coast Match Centre on Facebook
Shellharbour face off against Fernhill in the main event on Saturday.
Shellharbour claimed the league championship in a tight first-grade season, finishing six points ahead of the Foxes.
Rod Williams has assembled a squad filled with talent, particularly in attacking areas, which is reflected in their top-scoring tag of 69 regular-season goals.
Three Shellharbour players have finished with double digits for goals – Michael Tajkovski (17), Tommy Markovski (14) and Elvir Catovic (11).
Plenty of Williams’ 2022 grand final-winning Unanderra Hearts squad is back for another chance at glory this time around.
Goalkeeper Blake Coad is a vital presence between the sticks, while Luke Debrot, Valentino Mexhushi, Lachlan Martin and Robert Delbanco also seek back-to-back grand final medals.
The Foxes, for a while, looked like it could be them taking out the league, but the relentless Shellharbour stole the spoils, so Fernhill come into this one with extra motivation.
Coach Dale White was a District League double-winner as a player in 2019 with Bellambi and has the chance for his first silverware in the dugout on Saturday.
His 2023 Fernhill team has quality all over the park, with Kurt Foulger, Aiden Breslin and Shayne Ardle important members of a solid backline.
Former Illawarra Premier League premiership winner Brendan Pattman is also crucial, with his playmaking capable of turning the grand final in the Foxes’ favour.
The side boasts a lethal forward lineup of Kyle Del, Daniel Djukic and Mitchell Turner, whose creativity and goalscoring prowess are at the heart of Fernhill’s success.
Those three have 41 goals between them this season, but captain Jordan Hughes also provides crucial leadership and technical ability off the left.
These teams couldn’t be separated in the regular season with a couple of entertaining and high-scoring draws.
The major semi-final clash took on a different tone as Shellharbour blew Fernhill away 7-2, with Markovski notching four goals.
The Foxes didn’t let that result distract them the following week, getting up in a confident 2-0 preliminary victory over the Gerringong Breakers.
Despite that big semi-final defeat for Fernhill, they need only look to last season’s big dance.
Williams’ Unanderra lost 7-3 in the semi-final before they went on to hand Helensburgh Thistle their first defeat of the year in the grand final.
This matchup has provided goals aplenty, making Saturday a must-watch battle between two highly competitive teams.
Match officials
- Referee: Jay Walpole
- Assistant Referee 1: Caleb Blanch
- Assistant Referee 2: Brendon Fortheringham
- 4th Official: Steven Bozic
Previews by Tim Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
