Dapto Dandaloo 4-2 Tarrawanna

Two goals from Man of the Match Cody Waller and a goal apiece for Carter Madden and Jake Gates gave Dapto Dandaloo victory in the Under-18s Division 1 Grand Final. This was the first time Under-18s had been included in the Football South Coast Seniors Grand Finals, and it proved an entertaining addition to the Grand Finals Sunday.

Tarrawanna were far from outplayed, having taken the lead early on through Captain David Goldman and giving their opponents a fright late on with a second goal from midfielder Dony Merci.

At the end of the presentations after the match, Tarrawanna coach Patrick Marin acknowledged his side had been beaten by the ‘attractive, attacking football’ of Dapto Dandaloo, but he warned: “Next year, we’re coming back to get you.”

Tarrawanna settled first in the opening stages, with Dony Merci looking comfortable in the middle of the park for the Blueys. So it was no surprise when they took the lead in the 17^th minute.  Goldman’s free kick found its way through a crowded area into the back of the net, though it was Lucas Pereira who stepped aside to let the ball through and unsighted Blake Coad in the Fury goal in the process.

Dapto Dandaloo quickly responded, though, when Jake Gates did well to meet a probing ball into the area and fired home from close range to equalise.

As the first half wore on, it was the Fury Under-18s who were in the ascendancy, top scorer Waller in particular peppering the Tarrawanna goal with shots.

But the two sides went in at half time on level terms at 1-1.

The Fury upped the tempo after the break, though, and took the lead in the 53^rd minute, when Waller struck his first with a left foot drive into the bottom corner.

Luke Bellamy in the Tarrawanna goal kept his side in it for a while, but could do nothing to stop Dapto Dandaloo’s third goal in the best move of the game. Gates got things moving with a sharp pass out to Waller who steered the ball quickly into the path of Madden who fired home from close in.

In the 67^th minute, Tarrawanna pulled one back when Merci got up highest to meet a corner and steered his header into the top corner off the woodwork. Merci then kept his side in the game with a clearance off the line with five minutes left.

But it was Waller who had the final word, with superb ball control to fire home the Fury’s fourth with two minutes remaining, a fine left foot shot from a tight angle.

In his post-match interview, Fury coach Ian Connelly said: “This was a tough game and full respect to our opponents Tarrawanna today. We didn’t perform in the first half as well as we had hoped, but we had a chat at half time and the boys were fantastic in the second half. We won it in the top third with our pace, and the forwards were lethal in front of goal.”

Story by Simon Duffin and Photo by Pedro Garcia.

“I’d like to see the experiment continued and even to see every Premier League side with an under-18s side in the future.“