SOCCER
PENINSULA Strikers head coach Scott Morrison has called on Football Victoria to protect the integrity of State League competition. Morrison claims that the lack of alignment between the end of NPL and State League seasons is being abused by cashed-up clubs and making a mockery of promotion and relegation throughout the leagues.
“Right now the NPL season has two games left while the State League season has five games left,” he said. “And amateur players at NPL clubs could still be registered with State League clubs up until last Friday. “Non-contracted NPL players with nothing to play for can be lured by huge payments from State League clubs while at the same time lowering the wage bill of their NPL club. “That means that State League clubs pushing for promotion or struggling to avoid relegation can exploit the rules by giving these players a payday for a handful of games.”
Strikers are pushing for promotion from State 2 South-East but at the other end of the table Greater Dandenong has taken advantage of wealthy backers and the current transfer rules to raid the NPL in a big way. It’s believed that the bottom-of-the-league club has signed six NPL players and was trying to sign a central defender from Kingson City prior to the 2 August transfer deadline.
“It’s a joke and I really feel for clubs like Skye and (head coach) Phil McGuiness who has done an excellent job with the resources at hand but now has to look over their shoulder at Greater Dandenong which was down and out but is bringing in a bunch of players to save it from relegation like they tried to do last year in State 1,” Morrison added. “They’ve brought in Mohammad Rahimi from Kingston City and he’s scored four goals in two games to earn them four points already and put a lot of pressure on Skye (third last) and Doncaster Rovers (second last).
“It’s not dissimilar to our situation where (ladder leader) Bayside Argonauts have made a mockery of the league this year with the outrageous money they’ve spent and I heard last week they were looking to get even more in the door and exploit that transfer window.”
A difference in playing budgets is part and parcel of competition throughout the leagues something that Morrison acknowledges while also taking a none-too-subtle dig at his Bayside and Greater Dandenong counterparts. “Coaching is about building your team, developing a united group with no egos, then putting trust and faith regardless of age or résumé into those players to achieve what you set out to achieve. “My number one priority when we sign players is to find out what kind of person they are, do they fit our culture, are they here for the right reasons and if they tick those boxes then I look at their ability. “I’d take any of my boys any day of the week over these mercenaries who jump clubs for dollar signs. “If we achieve what we want this year it will be very special, but I’ll know we did it out of pure hard work and a belief in each other as a group not because we splashed stupid money on guys who don’t care about the club.”
So what can FV do to address this situation and clamp down on player movement at the business end of the season?
Morrison says the solution is simple. “It’s an easy fix mate, just close the State League transfer window at the halfway point of the season except for players 21 and under whose window shuts after round 17. “That way youth can still be given a chance and clubs will have to promote from within.”
Morrison’s words ring true for Skye boss McGuinness who shares his rival coach’s view of team development “without throwing money at it” and admires the way Strikers have assembled a squad based on a mix of experience and youth. “You definitely need experienced players to get you over the line but you don’t need a full team of them,” McGuinness said.
“I think Strikers have done an excellent job in recent years recruiting experienced players and developing their young ones without throwing massive amounts of money at it and I really hope it pays off for them at the end of the season. “They’ve got a good squad, a good club and a great coach so I wish them all the best.”
Skye is one of the local clubs buoyed by last week’s surprise announcement from FV that only one club will be relegated from State 1, State 2 and State 3 competitions this season. Currently Skye has a five-point buffer over Greater Dandenong and faces a pivotal moment in its season when it hosts Doncaster Rovers on Friday night. McGuinness’s men then play fourth-placed Knox City away, second-placed Hampton East Brighton at home, Greater Dandenong away and sixth-placed Bentleigh United Cobras at home.
Another local outfit that has welcomed FV’s announcement is Mornington who started its State 1 South-East season as one of the promotion favourites but finds itself third last.
The bottom club in the league is Casey Comets with no hope of buying its way out of its predicament but had the usual relegation protocol remained of sending the bottom two clubs into State 2 this would have been a genuine threat to Mornington’s league status. Head coach Adam Jamieson was understandably relieved about the new relegation rules. “Well from where we are at the moment there’s a definite sense of relief because it’s been a pretty difficult year,” he said. “There’s obviously a bit of work to do yet but yeah it takes a little bit of pressure off I guess.”
Reflecting on Mornington’s fortunes this year Jamieson points to a number of factors that had a direct bearing on team performance and scuppered the Seagulls’ NPL ambitions. “Probably injuries, suspensions and not much luck had an impact on say the first five or six weeks then after that we had to make some important decisions on players,” he said. “You could say football politics played a part but we just had to get our house in order. We did that well last year but we didn’t get it right this year so we had to address that and it was big thing.”
The other local club staring down the barrel is Frankston Pines which has sat in last spot in State 3 South-East for most of the season. But Pines have been thrown a huge lifeline by FV as they are just a point behind second-last Elwood City and those clubs meet in the final round of the season at Elwood Park.
In other news last weekend’s State League catch-up round saw just two local clubs in action. Skye lost 2-0 away to Berwick City on Friday night while Mount Eliza continued to build on an impressive season in State 5 South by thumping Barton United 5-0 at Barton Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Ray Amiri opened the scoring in the 10th minute running onto a through ball and striking a low shot past Barton keeper Suliman Fazel. In the 15th minute Fazel did well to block an Austin Mcewen attempt with an outstretched leg but a minute later those two were in the thick of the action again with a different outcome. Fazel’s poor clearance went straight to Mcewen who summed up the situation instantly and lofted the ball over the stranded keeper to make it 2-0.
Yodishtra Jagatheson and Nickel Chand were controlling the midfield and in the 36th minute Jagatheson put Amiri through. The big striker cleverly baulked Fazel then ran into an unguarded goal and made it 3-0. Just before half-time Harris Battison was fouled just outside the area and was forced to come off. Chand hit the far post with the resulting free-kick and Mcewen had a tap-in from the rebound to give the visitors an insurmountable lead. The final goal came in the 61st minute.
Amish Chandra on the left sent the ball into the six-yard box where it was headed out to Jackson Tossavainen.
His thumping shot forced a superb save from Fazel but he could only knock the ball to Chandra who had no problem completing the rout. Barton’s woes continued after the final whistle when referee Craig Lyall was forced to show Shukrullah Sharifi a second yellow card.
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Friday 9 August, 8.30pm:
Northcote v Langwarrin, John Cain Memorial Park
Skye Utd v Doncaster Rovers, Skye Recreation Reserve
Noble Park Utd v Frankston Pines, Parkfield Reserve
Saturday 10 August, 3pm:
Old Scotch v Mornington, HA Smith Reserve
Berwick City v Peninsula Strikers, Jack Thomas Reserve
Mentone v Chelsea, Mentone Grammar Playing Fields
Baxter v Brighton, Baxter Park
Endeavour Utd v Somerville Eagles, Reema Reserve
Aspendale v Seaford Utd, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Endeavour Hills Fire v Mount Eliza, Power Reserve
Bunyip District v Mount Martha, Bunyip Recreation Reserve
Saturday 10 August, 6pm:
Casey Panthers v Rosebud, Prospect Hill Reserve
