Final football descends on Canberra this weekend as the final four meet in knockout football and, with both games being played back-to-back at the Riverside Stadium in Queanbeyan, there is sure to be a feast of football as one team will progress to the Grand Final, and one will see their season end.
The Elimination Final will be first up as Canberra Croatia take on Canberra Olympic with the winner to progress to next weekend’s Preliminary Final. The repeat of last week’s Canberra Classico will surely take on a different complexion though as Olympic will welcome back players who missed the 8-1 trouncing at Deakin Stadium.
The likes of Nicholas Subasic, Callum Smith, Luca Macor, Nik Popovich, and Elie Darwich were all absent from the capitulation to their old foes, a result which saw Olympic drop from second into third and lose the second chance. This means it’s do-or-die for both giant Canberra football institutions.
Croatia enters the game brimful of confidence and under a swathe of goals. The former League Champions have netted an incredible twenty-seven goals in their last six National Premier League matches and are finding form at exactly the right time of the campaign.
Stephen Domenici led the way in Round 21 with a scarcely believable six of his own, in stark contrast to their opponents who have only managed three goals in their last four NPL fixtures, albeit they have only failed to score in three NPL games this season.
Attention will then switch to the top two, O’Connor Knights and Gungahlin United, battling for a place in the Grand Final, the loser being forced to take the circuitous route via the Preliminary Final against the winner of the Elimination Final.
The League Champions will, justifiably albeit perhaps very narrowly, be adjudged slight favourites. How else could it be for a team that has now stretched its unbeaten run to fourteen matches and has a squad that has gelled together, has silk and steel, and boasts the best defensive record in the division?
The Knights have won the last two matches played between the two teams, but Gunners won the first this season, knocking Knights out of the Australia Cup Qualifying Round at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval in a fixture that feels like it was played eons ago.
League action saw the Knights clinch the title with a 1-0 success over the Gunners at the AIS, James Driscoll scoring, whilst the previous two matches produced no fewer than twelve goals at an average of six per game. More of the same could be on the cards as the Gunners, boasting Golden Boot winner Maxx Green, eye off a Grand Final place.
FIXTURES
ELIMINATION FINAL
Saturday 9 September
Canberra Olympic v Canberra Croatia (Riverside Stadium, 16:00)
QUALIFICATION FINAL
Saturday 9 September
O’Connor Knights v Gungahlin United (Riverside Stadium, 19:00)
TOP SCORERS
21 Maxx GREEN (Gungahlin United)
20 Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Croatia)
14 Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
12 Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
11 Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic)
10 Josh GULEVSKI (Tigers FC)
9 Own GOALS
8 Philippe BERNABO-MADRID (Gungahlin United)
7 Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Clancy HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC)
6 Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
5 Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4 Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Lewis MCKINNEY (Tuggeranong United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Patrick SHORE (West Canberra Wanderers), Regan WALSH (O’Connor Knights)
3 Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Micheal JOHN (Monaro Panthers), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Luca MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Ed MCCARTHY (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Adam NEOU (Canberra Olympic), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), George TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), Jason UGRINIC (Canberra Croatia)
2 Riley ANGELOSANTE (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Julian BORGNA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), FERNANDO Jorquera (Gungahlin United), Franc GRECO (Canberra Croatia), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Beau HARVEY (Monaro Panthers), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Tyson LIVERMORE (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Monaro Panthers), Tom MCLACHLAN (Gungahlin United), Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Jackson PAESLER (Gungahlin United), Kaz PATAFTA (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas ROUFOGALIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Kyle SENIOR (Tigers FC), Callum SMITH (Canberra Olympic), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Hristjan TANOSKI (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Canberra Croatia), Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia), Doug WOODIWISS (West Canberra Wanderers)
1 Badreldin ABBAS (Gungahlin United), Joaquin ABOT (Tuggeranong United), Angus BAILEY (West Canberra Wanderers), Dylan BERKREY (Tuggeranong United), Jake BISHOP (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Lachlan CAMPBELL (O’Connor Knights), Kofi DANNING (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Dom GIAMPAOLO (Gungahlin United), Patrick HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Adrian MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Tony MADAFFARI (Tigers FC), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Max MELLICK (Canberra Olympic), Misko NAUMOSKI (Gungahlin United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic), Harrison PALIC (O’Connor Knights), George PAVESE (West Canberra Wanderers), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Jayden RIPPON (West Canberra Wanderers), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (West Canberra Wanderers), Liam VICKERS (West Canberra Wanderers), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United), Joshua YOUNG (West Canberra Wanderers)