GRAND FINAL PREVIEW
Saturday 13th September
Belconnen United v Canberra FC
(Deakin Stadium, kick-off 5pm)

For the seventh time in the history of Canberra football the Grand Final showdown will be between Belconnen United and Canberra FC. The two heavyweights of the local game meet in the National Premier Leagues: Capital Football showdown at Deakin Stadium aiming for glory and the silverware to cap off the season. The teams know each other exceptionally well but the desire to come out on top will no doubt be prevalent as the Blue Devils aim to add this trophy to the Federation Cup which they collected by defeating Canberra FC earlier this season.

It’s been a strange old season for Canberra FC. The dismissal of Ray Junna earlier in the season saw the appointment of Andy Bernal into the hot seat but a run of four successive losses heading into the finals had many writing off the hopes of the 2013 League Champions. And yet they are made of stern stuff down FC way. A remarkable 3-2 Minor (Elimination) Semi-Final win over Canberra Olympic, a match in which they certainly rode their luck on occasions, was followed by a stellar 3-0 defeat of League Champions Cooma Tigers, a result glossed by two late goals as the Tigers pushed for an equaliser.

They have match-winners in their squad, of that there is no doubt, but after the experiment of blooding a number of young heads throughout the regular season it has been noticeable that come the crunch it’s the old heads that have seen the club into the Grand Final. Defender Matt Grbesa in particular was a colossus in the defeat of Cooma, breaking up attacks and striding forward with intent. His influence could have a major bearing on the result.

So what of their opponents? Belconnen United enter the game on a wave of success having cruised through their Major (Qualifying) Semi-Final with a memorable 6-0 hammering of Cooma Tigers. The Blue Devils were in coruscating form in that match at McKellar Park, ruthless in front of goal and playing with a desire and determination to keep a clean sheet, no matter the cost. They have tremendous skill and athleticism throughout their ranks with Tom McLachlan, in particular, enjoying arguably the best season of his career to date.

Form notoriously goes out of the window on these occasions but for what it’s worth the teams have met four times this season. FC romped to an 8-0 NPL Pre-Season Cup victory against a Blue Devils team made up of PL20 and PL18 players whilst Belconnen gained revenge with a 3-2 Federation Cup Final triumph. In the NPL itself the match at McKellar Park ended in a 2-2 draw whilst the Blue Devils were triumphant at Deakin Stadium claiming a 2-0 win. 

Canberra FC has won four of their previous Grand Final meetings. Will it be a nap hand for the Reds or will the Blue Devils make it a hat-trick of wins over their old nemesis? What we can be sure of is that come the final whistle we will have plenty of talking points as we draw the curtain on the Winter Season with the big showdown. 

PREVIOUS GRAND FINAL MEETINGS

1987 – Croatia Deakin 4 Belconnen United 1
1996 – Belconnen United 1 Canberra Deakin 0
2007 – Canberra FC 5 Belconnen United 4
2008 – Belconnen United 4 Canberra FC 1
2009 – Canberra FC 2 Belconnen United 1
2010 – Canberra FC 6 Belconnen United 0

PREVIOUS MEETINGS 2014

17/05/14 – Round 6: Belconnen United 2 (Michael Taurasi, Jason Ugrinic) Canberra FC 2 (Philippe Bernabo-Madrid, Josip Jadric)
03/08/14 – Round 15: Canberra FC 0 Belconnen United 2 (Tom McLachlan, Jack Green)