Qualifying Final

Dapto Dandaloo Fury vs Wollongong United

Macedonia Park

Kick-off: Sunday, 2:30pm

Referee: Andrew Naylor

Dapto Dandaloo take on Wollongong United in the Illawarra Mercury Premier League Qualification Final on Sunday.

The Fury were in the hunt for the League Championship all the way up to the final round but were beaten out in the end by Bulli.

A mid-season hiccup knocked the club off the pace but they carry good form into the finals and interim boss Noel Spencer is excited to take on finals football again.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead,” said Spencer.

“This group’s been together for quite a while and a lot of the senior guys know what to expect in semi-final football.

“We’re pretty immune to the finals campaign and we want to amend for [missing out] last season and try to get some silverware back at the Dandy.

“United are a very strong side and they’ve got some guys in the front third that can hurt you so we’ve got to be on our game defensively.

“I managed to cast an eye over their game against Port Kembla on Saturday so we’ve got a fair idea of how they line up but it’s going to be a really tough game.”

During the season the two sides played out a pair of 1-1 draws but this time a draw won’t cut it with both clubs hoping to get a run at League Champions Bulli.

Dapto Dandaloo had the competition’s second best defence this season but they will have their work cut out for them when they go up against United.

Wollongong’s diminutive striker, Robbie Shields, scored a phenomenal 26 goals in the league this season and the Fury defence will have to be at the top of their game to stop him.

The former Leeds United player won’t be their only concern, however, with players like the experienced Johnny Martinoski offering a separate threat in attack.

Wollongong United overcame a slow start to the season to launch themselves into the finals picture and head coach Oli Vrtkovski has his players well prepared for the finals.

“It’s what you play for all year,” said Vrtkovski.

“How can you not be excited? The boys are jumping out of their skin to play finals football.

“Preparation is going as good as can be, we’ve got pretty much everyone back from injury.

“Guys are now willing to play through injury and work to recover because you only get one chance at finals football so we want to give it a good crack.

“The Fury are a tough team to break down because they’re very structured in the way they play and a well drilled football side.

“It’s going to be tough, all the teams in the finals are quality outfits so we’ve got our work cut out for us.

“We’ll just be looking to create our own luck and do what we can during these finals.”

The game could come down to a bit of luck with the two sides proving to be an equal match this season. 

 

Julian Keith 

FSC Reporter