District League Conference
Coniston v Fernhill – Kick off 12.45pm @ Memorial Park

Coniston FC have perhaps surprised everyone except themselves. They achieved promotion from Community League and not a lot was expected from the club this year however, they have started the season with a bang. Whilst all eyes will be on new signing Dinko Terzic, the likes of James Stewart and Adrian Nikolovski are also major threats. At the other end, Coniston will possibly miss the reliable Alex Makin in goal who is ruled out through injury.

Coniston won all three group games 1-0 against Oak Flats, 3-0 against Bellambi and 2-1 over Helensburgh. They were expected to be tested in the semi-final against Warilla Wanderers however they took them apart cruising to a 6-2 win on the road to the Final.

Their opponents Fernhill FC, are one of the favourites for this year’s League Championship however they only made the semi-finals by virtue of finishing as the best second placed team. They got off to a good start defeating Wests Illawarra 3-1 before thumping Kiama 4-0 however they were dealt a bit of a setback when they went down 2-0 to Thirroul. Other results however went their way and given their superior goal difference, Fernhill managed to scrape through and were ironically drawn to play Thirroul again in the semi-final only a few days later. This time, Fernhill put on a dominant display winning 4-1.

With Kolan Hmda, Marc Sergi and Andrew Paine pulling the strings in midfield, they set a solid platform for their go to players in Andrew Keep and new signing Ilija Prenzoski. They have a solid defence highlighted by the Hunter brothers.

This game is sure to include goals and it pits the two current form teams in the District League competition. Fernhill are just starting to hit their straps and probably start as slight favourites in this game.

Referee: Greg Reid
Assistants: Caleb Blanch and Emajen Crawley

 

Premier League Conference
Corrimal Rangers v Wollongong United – Kick off 3.00pm @ Memorial Park

Another of the promoted sides features in the Premier League Final. Corrimal stormed through the District League in 2016 and although their results so far have been admirable, life is a lot tougher for the Rangers. They have refined their squad from last year with some interesting pickups however they will mainly be relying on Mark Picciolini particularly in Save Treneski's absence (suspended) to spearhead their attack.

Corrimal are likely to be missing several of their key players as they battle early season injuries and a lot will depend on just how deep the club is prepared to go in this one. In saying that, Corrimal have been very stubborn defensively and will be hard to break down. If they can grab an early lead, they may just go on with it.

The Rangers started the campaign with a gritty 1-0 win over Tarrawanna before turning it on in a 5-1 demolition of South Coast United. They then faced a talented Albion Park White Eagles side in what effectively was a Quarter Final match. Corrimal grabbed the only goal of the game to send the White Eagles packing and book themselves a semi-final place where they faced Port Kembla. In a match that ebbed and flowed, the Rangers snuck through on penalties. After winning the District League Fraternity Club Conference last year, they give themselves a chance to win the Premier League Fraternity Club Cup. Regardless of what happens on Monday, Corrimal can hold their heads high.

Wollongong United on the other hand are the defending Fraternity Cup champions and the club thrives on attaining silverware, so one can expect United to be fired up for this game. They have threats all over the park however the one thing that may work against them is their current schedule of games. They are still in the FFA Cup and still have season catch up games to play. Their depth will also be tested although with an abundance of quality players, they will be hard to beat. United found themselves in a very difficult group but they started their campaign with a confidence building 2-1 win over Kemblawarra Fury before snatching a late equaliser at Port Kembla 1-1. They completed their group games with a comfortable 2-0 win over Cringila. United were sweating on results to go their way. With Port Kembla doing the job on Fury coupled with other results, it was looking likely Wollongong United would be edged out. Ironically though, it was their opponents that did them huge favour when they scored late against the White Eagles allowing them to sneak through to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Wollongong United perhaps put on their best performance of the year when they outclassed Bulli on the day 3-0.

This one will depend a lot on who scores first although United will start as heavy favourites to go back to back.

Referee: Nathan Wotton
Assistants: Steven Bozic and Brendon Fotheringham

 

In the earlier and U18 Preseason Cup Final, Wollongong Olympic take on Corrimal Rangers. Olympic downed hosts Wollongong United 2-1 whilst Corrimal Rangers edged out Tarrawanna in the semis earlier this week.

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