FSC All Stars Men’s Team raring to go

The Illawarra Premier League’s elite are gearing up to kick off the season in style at the FSC All Stars event at Crehan Park.

Some of the competition’s best players will represent the FSC All Stars as they take on the South Coast Wolves in a showcase event for football in the Illawarra.

“It’s really exciting to bring all this talent together and test ourselves against the best team in the region,” said Dapto Dandaloo and All Stars midfielder Sam Munro.

“It’s always a little bit of an honour to make an All Stars game, there’s a lot of great players in the Illawarra Premier League at the moment”

“The game itself will be a great way of seeing how you go against a higher level of competition.”

16 of the competition’s best will be coached by Bulli’s Ben Smith in an event that marks the beginning of the 2015 season.

The All Stars concept offers a reward to players who put in consistent performances last season and Munro, who helped Dapto Dandaloo to a Grand Final victory in 2014, is excited to work with other great players from the league.

“It’s great to be selected so you can say, ‘I’ve had a good little season last year’ and it keeps you motivated because at the end of each season you hope you’re in that team again so you can show the Illawarra what you can do,” said Munro.

“We’ve all been speaking and we’re all really excited to test ourselves against the Wolves and play in the same team together.”

“There’s a lot of mateship in the Illawarra Premier League, I think most of the players are friends with each other and this is a great chance to get together and have a game.”

The Illawarra Premier League boasts some fine footballers, including a number of former A-League representatives, but they will have their work cut out for them when they take on the NSW Premier League’s South Coast Wolves.

South Coast United’s imperious defender, Greg Valic, is no stranger to the Wolves setup and is relishing the challenge as well as the spectacle.

“I was lucky enough to play for the Wolves a few years ago so I understand some of the qualities you need to play at that level,” said Valic.

“This is a good opportunity for the guys who haven’t had a chance to play at that level to see what it takes.

“Every player loves getting recognised for a good season and I’m just really looking forward to playing under lights at Crehan Park against some really high quality opposition.

“This is a great way to kick off the season, it’s a good advertisement for local football and hopefully we get good support for what should be a really competitive game.”

This season’s representatives are all aware that last year the All Stars went down 3-1 to the Wolves and make no mistake, they very much want to win this game.

“Obviously the Wolves are that next level of competition up, but I think a lot of guys in this All Stars team are just about at that NSW Premier League level, so it’ll be a great test for both sides,” added Munro.

“Last year the All Stars lost this fixture and this time everybody is really up for it because we’d love to turn that result around.

“Nobody likes to lose, so we’ve definitely got that winning attitude.”

Story by Julian Keith