Warilla Wanderers booked their place at the WIN Stadium for the WGC Cranes District League Grand Final, beating Corrimal Rangers in a penalty shoot-out after the sides ended 120 minutes of football tied at 3-3.

Goalkeeper Bradley Hunter was the hero at the end, making two saves to give his side a 4-1 advantage on penalties. His heroics between the sticks took the limelight away from Warilla’s hat-trick hero Luke Greathead, who added a fourth with his own spot kick. But the Wanderers owe their victory as much to the resolute defending of John Hagenaar and Jason Goldsmith, who kept Corrimal’s 52-goal pairing of Save Treneski and Mark Picciolini at bay for the full 120 minutes.

For the Rangers, it was a question of missed opportunities. Paul Guido and Gavin O’Brien twice gave their side the lead, and they went 3-2 up courtesy of Adam Martin’s own goal in extra time, but their normally ruthless attack just couldn’t get the ball on target often enough to take this tie today. They must now beat Fernhill Foxes next Saturday for a chance to seek revenge in a rematch against Warilla at the WIN.

It was the League Champions Corrimal who settled first in tricky windy conditions at Wetherall Park.

By the seventh minute, they were a goal up thanks to Guido’s curling header from the edge of the area that flew into the top corner out of Hunter’s reach in the Warilla goal.

And Luke Picciolini almost doubled that lead in the 10^th minute, firing a shot against the crossbar after picking up a loose clearance just outside the box.

Warilla’s best early chance came direct from a corner, as Chad Keating used the swirling wind to send the ball goalwards, forcing Mitchell Blowes, the Corrimal gloveman, to punch clear of danger.

Midway through the first half, the Wanderers drew level. Ryan Hunter sent a header square into the area, finding Greathead with his back to goal, but the Warilla striker knew exactly where the target was and sent his backwards header looping into the top corner to the delight of the Warilla fans.

When he got the ball, Corrimal’s joint top scorer Save Treneski looked dangerous, twisting and turning to find space for a shot. All too often Hagenaar was there to block any attempt on goal, though on the half hour mark it was Bradley Hunter who produced a reflex save to deny the Rangers striker.

But as half time approached, Corrimal really raised their game. Treneski was twice denied by Hagenaar as he powered forward inside the area, winning a corner down the left on the second attempt. Luke Picciolini swung the ball in and O’Brien rose to meet the corner with a deft header that flicked neatly wide of Hunter for Corrimal’s second in the 44^th minute.

The momentum was definitely with the Rangers as the sides went in for the break, and there was further bad news for Warilla as the teams reappeared for the second stanza: the Wanderers had to continue without their centre forward Caric, who had picked up a knock earlier in the match.

Substitute Nicholas Del Turco quickly slotted into midfield and was soon moving into goal-scoring chances himself, twice testing Blowes from inside the area.

Clear-cut chances were thinner on the ground for much of the second half. Greathead sent a free-kick just wide of the upright, but that was the nearest Warilla came to equalising, and as the game wore on, it was Corrimal who began to look more likely to score again.

Mark Picciolini twice fired off target before brother Luke smashed the ball against the woodwork again, and then Luke sent in a perfect cross aimed at Treneski, who powered in at the far post and was just beaten to the ball by Bradley Hunter. With five minutes remaining, Mark Picciolini must have thought it just wasn’t his day as he saw yet another effort cleared off the line.

And then with two minutes of normal time remaining, Warilla nicked an equaliser again.

It was substitute Toni Anastovski who did the hard work, holding the ball up inside the box before laying it off to Greathead. He turned and drilled the ball through a crowded area low to Blowes’ left to set up extra time as the scores were tied at 2-2 after the 90.

Corrimal substitute Christian Plakias picked up where Luke Picciolini left off, playing provider for Treneski and then having a go himself. Bradley Hunter’s fingers must have been getting warmer as he first had to parry a close-range Treneski shot, then make a save from Domenic Magill, before making his best fingertip save of the match from Plakias and the first period of extra time was barely five minutes old.

Treneski was having a torrid time of it in front of goal, creating countless chances but just not able to convert them. But his constant threat led indirectly to Corrimal’s third. Warilla defender Adam Martin was surely aware of Treneski’s presence behind him when he sent Picciolini’s cross into the back of his own net in the 109^th minute.

There was still time for one more miss from a luckless Mark Picciolini, flicking the ball over from close range.

And then, with two minutes left on the clock Greathead struck again. This time Martin was up front to play provider and make amends for his own goal earlier, but it was Greathead’s superb finishing from a tight angle that kept Warilla in it.

With the scores locked at 3-3, the game went to penalties.

And Warilla held their nerve with four strikes out of four, while Bradley Hunter earned his side that coveted Grand Finals slot with his two saves. When Hagenaar fired the ball into the net for Warilla’s fourth, it was game over.

Warilla coach Barney King was pleased to be heading to his 10^th Grand Final in twelve years coaching (at Berkeley and then Warilla): “We really had to dig deep there, but what character we showed in sticking to the job and fighting back time and again. Credit to Corrimal, they had heaps of chances, but I have to say John (Hagenaar) and Jason (Goldsmith) did a fantastic job marking their front two. We’ve got a couple of injury worries in Bojan Caric and Luke Everingham, but hopefully the week off will help us there.”

Corrimal coach John Fleming was also upbeat after the match: “If you’re going to lose a game, then penalties is the way to go. We’re still positive because we dominated for much of the game and had at least 20 good chances that our strikers would have put safely away through most of this season. But we live to fight another day and now need to do it all again next week if we’re going to make the Grand Final.”

Corrimal Rangers FC – 3 (Guido 7’, O’Brien 44’, OG 109’)

Warilla Wanderers FC – 3 (Greathead 22’, 88’, 118’)

Penalties

Corrimal Rangers – 1 (Stevanovski)

Warilla Wanderers – 4 (Greathead, Hunter, White, Hagenaar)

Saturday 10 September 2016

Wetherall Park

Referee: Tony Bosevski

Assistant Referees: Aiden Crawley, Greg Reid

Fourth Official: Nathan Wotton

Corrimal Rangers: Mitchell Blowes, Vasko Mitkovski, Andrew Nanos, Nathan Belsito, Gavin O’Brien (Kolan Hmda 72’), Paul Guido, Fabian Cappetta, Domenic Magill (Chris Stevanovski 111’), Mark Picciolini, Luke Picciolini (Christian Plakias 88’), Save Treneski (subs not used: Melih Yilmaz, Nicholas Purdevski)

Warilla Wanderers: Bradley Hunter, Ryan Hunter, Adam Martin, John Hagenaar, Jason Goldsmith, Luke Everingham (Toni Anastoski 86’), Adam White, Chad Keating (Stewart Robertson 75’), Bojan Caric (Nicholas del Turco 45’), Luke Greathead, Martin Castelli (subs not used: Jaiden Heathcote, Blake Pusell)

 

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo courtesy of Kiah Hufton