Bonnyrigg and Rockdale City head to Penrith for decider

Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Rockdale City Suns will contest the NSW NPL Grand Final at Penrith Stadium this afternoon.

The biggest game of the IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Men-s 1 season will head to football-s Western Sydney heartland on September 15 with Bonnyrigg White Eagles set to go head to head with Rockdale City Suns at Penrith Stadium for the 2013 Grand Final.

The match will be a historic occasion as the first ever NSW National Premier Leagues Grand Final with two in-form teams facing off in what should be one of the matches of the season.

It will be a massive day for football fans with four grand finals taking place as well as plenty of action off the field at Penrith Stadium including giveaways, entertainment, A-League representatives and much more

Football NSW CEO Eddie Moore was looking forward to the marquee clash and believed Penrith Stadium was the perfect location to host such an important day on the Premier Leagues calendar.

“Sunday-s Grand Final is shaping up to be a wonderful day of football with some of NSW-s best talent on show,” Moore said.

“Bonnyrigg and Rockdale have worked hard to reach the final of the IGA NPL NSW Men-s 1 competition and I wish both teams the best of luck.

“Penrith Stadium is an impressive venue with superb facilities and will provide a fitting ending to what has been a fantastic year in our top tier Men-s competition.”

Bonnyrigg go into Sunday-s match as the favourites after finishing third on the ladder and earning direct entry to the Grand Final with a penalty shoot-out win against Sydney United 58 FC in the Major Semi-Final a fortnight ago.

With an extra week to prepare for the decider White Eagles coach Brian Brown believes his squad has what it takes to secure its most important victory of the season.

“I am very excited about the Grand Final because we have made it into the match in three of the last four seasons and it is long overdue we go on and win this,-- Brown said.

“It will be pretty much what I say all the time and that is to win the battle and win the game. “But we also have to remember that grand finals don-t come along very often so we have to enjoy the occasion as well.

The Branko Culina coached Rockdale City Suns will be hoping to continue its fairy tale run with grand final success.

Despite being taken to penalties in all three of its finals matches, Rockdale has dug deep and are determined to get the job done against Bonnyrigg.

“Once you get into the finals you want to make sure you go as far as you possibly can,” Culina said.

"We-ve got a squad of players that believe in themselves and believe in each other

“I know this team and they will give maximum effort.”

Other grand finals on the day will see Marconi Stallions take on APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the 20-s, Sydney United 58 FC going up against Blacktown Spartans in the 18-s and APIA Leichhardt Tigers will play Sydney Olympic in the 16-s decider.

After a massive first season as naming rights sponsors of the IGA NPL NSW Men-s one competition, IGA NSW/ACT marketing Manager Angela Borelli was looking forward to an even bigger finals series.

“IGA is proud to support Football NSW who has successfully delivered an innovative program, capturing the hearts of youth across NSW at grass roots level,” Borelli said.

“The season has shown us the heart of players, the undying support of fans and of course, great moments in football.

“IGA looks forward to the passion on the field during the Finals and to see who will be crowned the inaugural champion of the NPL.”

Tickets can be purchased on the day at the gate - $15 for Adults, $10 for concessions (kids under 16 free).

A small presale will be made available for fans of both Bonnyrigg and Rockdale on Wednesday and Thursday from their respective clubs. Please contact the clubs directly for more information.

IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Men-s 1 Grand Finals 2013

Sunday 15 September 2013 Penrith Stadium - Ransley St, Penrith

1st Grade: Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Rockdale City Suns, kick off at 4:00pm 20-s: Marconi Stallions v APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Kick off at 1:30pm 18-s: Sydney United 58 FC v Blacktown Spartans, kick off at 11am. 16-s: APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Sydney Olympic, kick off at 9am.

The NSW Premier League grand final will also be streamed online from 3.45pm. View the feed here.