Fernhill are the first team through to the 2024 Illawarra District League Grand Final after their late winner on Sunday, while Gerringong Breakers will shoot for the final spot against Oak Flats Falcons this weekend.
The Finals Series continued to provide ample entertainment, with ten goals across the two matches.
Shoalhaven FC 1 (Logan Connell 40’)
Gerringong Breakers FC 4 (Richard Kessling 18’ 58’, Joshua Hawker 38’, Joaquin Riquelme 68’)
Gerringong carried on their free-scoring finals run with a 4-1 victory over Shoalhaven on Saturday afternoon at PCYC.
Richard Kessling had the team up by a goal within 20 minutes, and Joshua Hawker doubled this advantage in the 38th minute.
Logan Connell halved Shoalhaven’s deficit two minutes later with his 17th goal of the season as the teams went into halftime.
Kessling scored his second just before the hour mark as Joaquin Riquelme made it four in the 68th minute.
This result builds on the Breakers’ 4-0 victory over Thirroul Thunder in the first round of the Finals Series.
This is Gerringong’s second year in a row making the Preliminary Final, and Coach Brad Boardman says the Finals Series helps his team find another gear.
“We want to get to WIN Stadium,” Boardman said.
“If we can continue to create and finish like we have been doing… we’ll go a long way.
“The boys, after the game on Saturday, had this inner belief that we can get there.”
Boardman said he was impressed with how his team approached the last two matches, with good training preparation offering a springboard to matchday.
“We approached it very professionally, and the boys had the same mentality as when we approached Thirroul,” Boardman said.
“The last three weeks, training has been exceptional.
“We’ve all turned up, we’ve all put in a solid couple of sessions and I’m a big believer in ‘you train the way you play’.”
Gerringong face Oak Flats Falcons this weekend for a shot at a place in the Grand Final in only their second-ever year in the District League.
Boardman said Oak Flats provide a challenge different from what his team has experienced so far in the Finals Series.
The Breakers lost both prior encounters with Oak Flats in 2024, conceding eight goals.
“Oak Flats are a beast. They’re a really tough side,” Boardman said.
“We’ve got to be really dialled in.
“We’ll get to training tomorrow [Tuesday] and Thursday and put in a solid two sessions and make sure we are ready.”
Oak Flats Falcons FC 2 (Bojan Caric 3’, Shotaro Iwamoto 90+1’ penalty)
Fernhill FC 3 (Daniel Djukic 32’, Aidan Breslin 79’, Brendan Pattman 90+5’)
Fernhill prevailed in a dramatic 3-2 win over Oak Flats Falcons at Keith Bond Oval on Sunday, earning their place in their second successive Illawarra District League Grand Final.
The Falcons flew into the lead within three minutes through reliable striker Bojan Caric.
Fernhill coach Dale White said his team failed to match the Falcons’ intensity early on.
“We started off really slow. Oak Flats came out of the blocks firing,” White said.
“Bocky got one early. He’s a big threat for anybody.”
It was Caric’s 23rd goal of the season and his second against the Foxes in 2024.
Fernhill fought back into the game just after the half-hour mark through their marksman Daniel Djukic, who now has two goals in his last three matches.
The teams went into the sheds, and after the break, the match hit a tense patch with a wait until the 79th minute for the next goal.
Full-back Aiden Breslin could not have picked a better time to fire home his first goal of 2024, giving the Foxes the lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
As it looked like Fernhill would see out their third win against Oak Flats this campaign, the Falcons were awarded a penalty early in stoppage time.
Shotaro Iwamoto took responsibility and stayed composed to dispatch the spot kick, getting the league champions back into the contest.
However, as extra time looked inevitable, Brendan Pattman stepped up for the Foxes in the fifth minute of additional time to send his team through.
Coach White said that in the absence of captain Jordan Hughes, Pattman’s integrality to the team extended beyond his on-field heroics on Sunday.
The now-holding midfielder took the armband in the absence of Hughes, and White said his leadership was a difference-maker for the Foxes.
“Brendan Pattman was huge yesterday,” White said.
“He doesn’t really say much, but when he does, the boys listen.
“For the boys to then get that out of their minds straight away and continue to push on and find that winner, it was a really special moment.”
White said that the prospect of finishing his tenure at Fernhill with back-to-back grand final wins is driving him and the team.
Fernhill won the District League Grand Final in 2023 with a 5-3 thriller over Shellharbour.
“The disappointment of the minor premiership is quickly lost now,” White said.
“We’ve got to fully focus on this grand final.
“To go back-to-back for a club like Fernhill, I don’t think we’ve done that.”
Fernhill will play the winner from Gerringong and Oak Flats this weekend in the big dance.
Review by Tim Gibson
