Illawarra Mercury Premier League Grand Final Qualifier

Dapto Dandaloo Fury vs Port Kembla

Crehan Park

Kick-off: Sunday, 2:30pm.

Referee: Bobby Mazevski

Dapto Dandaloo take on Port Kembla for the chance to face Bulli in the 2014 Grand Final this weekend at Crehan Park.

The Fury were beat 3-0 by Bulli in last weekend’s semi-final but after finishing second during the regular season they have a second shot at winning the trophy.

“We find ourselves in the situation where we get a second bite of the cherry and we know it’s backs against the wall now,” said player-coach Noel Spencer.

“We’ll be putting everything we can into this game on Sunday and hopefully we can be there on the final day of the season.

“Port have certainly hit their straps at the right time of the season.

“We know what to expect, it’s going to be a very tough game and Stuart will have his boys fired up and they have a lot of experience from the last couple of seasons.

“Whoever turns up on the day and whoever has the right attitude will get the win.”

Dapto Dandaloo have a number of players carrying injuries after the long season and finals series has taken its toll on the squad; those players will be assessed on Saturday morning to see if they can play.

It’s been a patchy finals period for the Fury who have been doing it tough with a late win over Wollongong United followed by the loss to Bulli.

Meanwhile, Port Kembla have been in stellar form since the halfway mark of the season turning an undefeated run of 11 games.

Port overcame rivals Wollongong United 1-0 last weekend to continue their run and earn a shot at the Grand Final.

“We seem to be coming good at the right time of the year and we’ve got no injuries and no excuses now,” said Port boss Stuart Beedie.

“I’m sure the Fury will be disappointed with their effort last week, no one would’ve thought they would lose 3-0 to Bulli, so we’re expecting a bit of bounce back in terms of their performance.

“It’s the game you don’t want to lose, nobody remembers who got beat in the qualifying finals so you want to be committed and get through it.”

Last season Port did the League Championship and Grand Final double and this year, after a shaky start, they’re looking to their experienced players to add some silverware to cap off 2014.

When the two sides met earlier this season Dapto Dandaloo managed a tight 2-1 win but played out a draw last month during Port’s impressive turn of form.

 

Julian Keith

FSC Reporter