Photo courtesy of 'photos by loopii'.
Twelve ACT Boomerangs teams entered… One hundred and fifteen players selected… Thirty coaches and support staff… Hundreds of parents, grand parents, brothers, sisters and other supporters… Sixty plus pool games played… Two quarter finals and seven semi finals made… One Grand Final contested.
[For photos of the week’s matches, please visit the Boomerangs photo site and the FNSW Official Facebook page.]
Yet another massive effort by the Boomerangs club, working in conjunction with the ACT football federation, Capital Football, to assemble 12 teams to participate the annual FFA Futsal Nationals in Sydney from January 4-8, 2016. In addition, Capital Football sent its representative AWD team (athletes with a disability) to compete in the eight team AWD division, which was well supported by the travelling ACT contingent.
For the second year in succession, the ACT Boomerangs and the best available crop of ACT players trooped up the highway to contest the annual Championships hosted by Football NSW (FNSW) on behalf of the Football Federation of Australia (FFA).
The Championships were once again well run by FNSW – and aside from the need to reschedule a raft of matches due to rain entering into several venue courts after three days of persistent and heavy downpours – the FFA Futsal Championships ran smoothly and efficiently.
The ACT Boomerangs teams that contested the 2016 Nationals were:
U12 Girls, 14 Girls, U16 Girls, Youth Women
U12 Boys (Blue), U12 Boys (White), U13 Boys, U14 Boys
U16 Boys (Blue), U16 Boys (White), Youth Men (Blue), Youth Men (White)
Of the twelve ACT Boomerangs teams that competed during the week, seven made finals appearances – up from four in 2015 – including all four female teams and three of the eight male teams. In addition, the Capital Football AWD team, also made it to the semi-final stage of the competition.
– The U12 Girls played in a semi final against eventual Champions, Queensland Metro.
– The U14 Girls were narrowly defeated in a semi final thriller against NSW Lightning.
– The U16 Girls played a tough semi-final against NSW Thunder, the team that won the Grand Final.
– The Youth Women narrowly lost their semi final to eventual Champions NSW Lightning.
– The U12 Boys (Blue) lost their quarter final to eventual Champions Solomon Islands.
– The U13 Boys won their quarter final against NSW Lightning and were defeated by the strong Victoria Magic team in the semi final.
– The Youth Men (Blue) won their semi-final against NSW Lightning and appeared in the Grand Final playoff – the third for the Youth Men in as many years – narrowly going to down to arch rivals NSW Thunder.
An overview of the week’s team-by-team efforts:
U12 Girls
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | ACT Boomerangs | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Queensland Metro | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | Victoria | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
This team finished the regular round matches second on the ladder with three wins, a draw and two losses. This lined the girls up in a semi final contest against Queensland, a team they were narrowly defeated by in the final pool round 2-3.
Unfortunately the Queenslanders lifted their game substantially in the semi final and made it very difficult for the ACT Boomerangs team to be effective in the front half of the court. From a lead of 2-0 at half time, the Queensland team powered away to take the semi final match 7-1. A disappointing end for the youngest ACT girls team, who had the potential to take the competition to the final match.
The team was well coached during the week by Mel Luksa.
ACT Boomerangs FS 6 – 0 NSW Country
(Goals: Emma Ilijoski 4, Alexia Forner, Josephine Dubbert)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 4 NSW Thunder
(Goals: Leah Geale, Jordan Ujdur)
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 3 FFSA
(Goals: Emma Ilijoski, Alexia Forner, Jordan Ujdur)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 0 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Leah Geale)
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 2 Victoria
(Goals: Josephine Dubbert, Alexia Forner, Jordan Ujdur, Other)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 3 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Carla Di Fronzo, Alexia Forner)
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 7 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Alexia Forner)
U14 Girls
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 6 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | NSW Metro Lightning | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 15 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | ACT Boomerangs | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Victoria | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
After a big loss in the opening round of the Championship against NSW Thunder, the girls settled into their routine and displayed their qualities in the remaining pool rounds. Four wins and three losses saw the team finish third on the ladder and set up a semi final re match with NSW Lightning, a team that defeated them 2-7 in the earlier pool round.
The semi final was a cracker of a match and required extra time to separate the teams after they were 1-1 at full time. Both teams had a player sent off during the tense extra time period, and a last minute miss of a penalty kick by the ACT Boomerangs added to the anguish felt by all on the sidelines.
The team was well coached during the week by Mark Dowling assisted by Alex Martens.
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 10 NSW Thunder
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 1 Queensland Regional
(Goals: Isabella Tammaro 2, Stella De Marco)
ACT Boomerangs FS 5 – 0 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Stella De Marco 2, Elissa Youill, Isabella Tammaro, Lily Martens)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 0 NSW Country
(Goals: Stella De Marco, Olivia Riddel)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 7 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Alex McKenzie, Cec Matic)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 6 Victoria
(Goals: Lucy D’Arcy)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 1 FFSA
(Goals: Alex McKenzie, Cec Matic)
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 3 NSW Lightning
(Goals:Stella De Marco, Cec Matic)
U16 Girls
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | FFSA | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | NSW Metro Lightning | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | ACT Boomerangs | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 16 | -13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
The sixteen girls would likely be disappointed with their efforts at these Championships, even though they made the semi finals.
A solitary victory against NSW Country (5th) and a draw with Queensland Metro (6th) was enough to get them into the business end of the tournament – however the team’s inability to bother the scorer often enough meant that they had difficulty against teams with more solid defences. The semi final match up was a repeat of the final pool match and saw the ACT Boomerangs 16 Girls go down the NSW Thunder 0-5, an identical scoreline to that just 24 hours earlier.
The team was coached by Kristian Collins and assisted by Erin Clout.
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 1 NSW Country
(Goals: Ashlyn Garrity 2)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 1 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Sonia Pasquariello)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 6 NSW Lightning
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 3 South Australia
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 NSW Thunder
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 NSW Thunder
Youth Women
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | ACT Boomerangs | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | NSW Metro Lightning | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Victoria | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
The Youth Women cruised through the pool round, losing only to NSW Thunder in the final pool match. This team was highly effective defensively and even though they won their three pool matches by the narrowest of margins, their defence held firm each time it was put under significant pressure.
After such a strong pool round, it was disappointing that they were eliminated by NSW Lightning in the semi final, a team they defeated in round one of the pool matches. After the teams went into the half time break all tied up at 0-0, the Lightning surprised the Boomers Youth Women with a goal within just two minutes of the recommencement. The ACT Boomerangs had several decent opportunities across the rest of the second half and mounted significant pressure on Lightning, however they could not penetrate the defences. A second goal to Lightning in the dying seconds put the result to bed.
The team was coached by Jason Farrell and assisted by Michael Sydney.
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 3 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Nat De Marco, Alex Martens, Ruth Kravis, Olivia Gurney)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 0 Victoria
(Goals: Alex Martens)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 1 South Australia
(Goals: Nat De Marco, Amelia Turner)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 1 NSW Thunder
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 2 NSW Lightning
U12 Boys (White)
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solomon Islands | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 11 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | FFSA U12 Boys | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 23 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Victoria Magic | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | NSW Metro Lightning | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 21 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 7 | ACT Boomerangs White | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 80 | -65 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The 12 Boys White played in Pool 2 of the U12 age group.
This team was made up primarily of 10 and 11 year olds and were entered to provide experience and opportunity to play at national championship level. The youngest of the ACT Boomerangs (the ‘Baby Boomers’), struggled with the speed and level of the competition, especially against eventual finalists.
They did though score a number of classy goals, had a top match up against Queensland Regional and had the opportunity to play an ‘international’ futsal match against the Solomon Islands U12 Boys team. Something they will be able to look back on in years to come.
A great effort of leading these young boys and reinforcing the positives by Paulo Romero and Ben Rolfe.
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 12 NSW Country
(Goals: Zac Ilijoski 2, Nicholas Pratezina, Other)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 14 NSW Lightning
ACT Boomerangs FS 5 – 7 Queensland Regional
(Goals: Zac Ilijoski 2, Thomas Barbatano, Cristian Baressi, Nicholas Pratezina)
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 19 FFSA
(Goals: Leo McGill 2, Cristian Barresi)
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 14 Victoria Magic
(Goals: Cristian Barresi, Thomas Barbatano, Other)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 14 Solomon Islands
U12 Boys (Blue)
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Queensland Metro | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 10 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | Victoria Colts | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | ACT Boomerangs Blue | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
The 12 Boys Blue team was the stronger of the two youngest Boomerangs teams at this Championships and were expected to do well. A slow start to the tournament (and they were not the only ACT Boomerangs team to start slowly) meant they needed to lift their rating to qualify for finals.
The 12 boys competition had 14 teams and was split into two pool. The Blue team played in Pool 1. At the end of their six pool matches the boys sat in fourth place of their pool, meaning a cross over quarter final with the top placed team in the other pool – Solomon Islands. And like the 12 Boys White team, the boys relished the opportunity to play an international team, however in this instance the Solomon Islands – eventual Champions of the 12 Boys competition – were too good for the ACT Boys.
The 12 Boys Blue were coached by Zac Sorenson and assisted by Ben Basser-Silk.
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 4 NSW Thunder
(Goals: Noah Dowling)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 Queensland Metro
ACT Boomerangs FS 7 – 4 Victoria Rangers
(Goals: Odhran Traynor 2, Jak Matic 2, Noah Dowling, Seb Woods, Callum Cook)
ACT Boomerangs FS 7 – 3 WA Black Swans
(Goals: Noah Dowling 3, Seb Woods 2, Riley Brown, Jordan Gillogly)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 4 Victoria Colts
(Goals: Odhran Traynor, Seb Woods)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 2 FFSA Development Squad
(Goals: Noah Dowling 2)
QUALIFYING FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 8 Solomon Islands
(Goals: Riley Brown, Seb Woods)
U13 Boys
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria Magic | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 6 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | NSW Metro Thunder | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3 | ACT Boomerangs | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Queensland Regional | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 27 | -14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
This team was one of the ACT Boomerangs teams that was expected to do well at these championships. However, a slow start to the tournament, with significant losses to Victoria Magic and NSW Thunder, meant that the boys had to dig deep to qualify for finals.
This they did with solid wins against Queensland Regional and NSW Country, which saw them lined up in a qualifying final with NSW Lightning (from the other 13 Boys Pool), a team which had lost only one of its pool matches. A fantastic qualifying final saw the ACT Boomerangs play some outstanding futsal – and when it most mattered – saw the irrepressible Zac Barbatano score a hat trick, with his third to seal the match with just two minutes to play, after Lightning had themselves performed a comeback of sorts with two goals midway through the second half to tie it up.
The semi final saw them back up against Victoria Magic, the eventual Grand Final winners – and an exceptional team. Much like the earlier pool match, the 13 Boys had no answer for the strength and ability of the Victorian #1 team.
The team was well coached throughout the week by Jake Wilsener with Grant Barlow his able assistant.
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 10 Victoria Magic
(Goals: Zac Barbatano 2 Murphy Shaw, Olly McCarthy)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 7 NSW Thunder
ACT Boomerangs FS 5 -2 Queensland Regional
(Goals: Zac Barbatano 3, Luca Gagliardi, Other)
ACT Boomerangs FS 9 -1 NSW Country
(Goals: Brandon Davids 3, Zac Barbatano 2, Stefan Vucic, Leon Michl, Oliver McCarthy, Luca Gagliardi)
QUALIFYING FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 3 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Zac Barbatano 3, Murphy Shaw)
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 10 Victoria Magic
(Goals: Leon Michl, Zac Barbatano)
U14 Boys
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 11 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | Victoria | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | Queensland Metro | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | Solomon Islands | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 8 | ACT Boomerangs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 49 | -40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The 14 Boys looked a reasonable team on paper before the Championships. However, it is on the court that games are won, and these lads – although they tried their hardest all week – were no match for their opposition. A heavy schedule of seven pool games in three and a half days left no time for recovery and recalibration after a couple of heavy defeats on Day 1 (NSW Country and Thunder).
The next three matches (NSW Lightning, FFSA and Victoria) saw much improved outcomes, but alas, whilst the lads lifted their work rate, they could not conjure up a win. It’s back to the drawing board for the 14s with the hope of much better results next year.
Coaches Nick van Aalst and Daniel Giovinazzo will be keen to see these charges further develop and imporove.
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 11 NSW Country
(Goals: Ryan Edwards, Will Manalo, Connor Bill)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 11 NSW Thunder
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 5 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Will Manalo)
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 5 FFSA
(Goals: Ryan Edwards 2, Anthony Voudouris)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 6 Victoria
(Goals: Will Manalo, Connor Bill)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 6 Solomon Islands
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 Queensland Metro
U16 Boys
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 6 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Queensland Metro | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | FFSA | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 4 | NSW Metro Lightning | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | ACT Boomerangs White | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | ACT Boomerangs Blue | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 36 | -20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Victoria | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 29 | -21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
U16 Boys (Blue)
The U16 Boys Blue team comprised mostly of players that play regularly with the Boomerangs in the NSW Premier League 2 competition. These lads had a tough time of the championships, winning one game on the court, and a second match as a result of an overturned loss due to NSW Lightning playing an ineligible player.
So with two wins and four losses, the Blue 16s finished 6th in the preliminary pool rounds to miss out on finals.
The team was coached by Adam Exposito and Ryan Treddinick.
ACT Boomerangs FS 6 – 0 NSW Lightning
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 12 NSW Thunder
(Goals: Parsa Tabatabaei )
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 3 Victoria
(Goals: Ryan De Vries 2, Connor Falusi, Conrad Piccirillo)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 8 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Jack Williams, Ryan De Vries)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 9 ACT Boomerangs FS (White)
(Goals: Parsa Tabatabaei 2)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 4 FFSA
(Goals: Ryan De Vries)
U16 Boys (White)
For a team that comprised few players that have played futsal regularly at the highest level, the 16 Boys White team did very well indeed. Two solid wins and a draw – including a win over their stable mates, Boomerangs Blue, showed that these players knew how to win matches and to compete at the National Championship.
In addition, their losses to eventual finalists were generally by narrow margins – an indication of how competitive this team was over the six pool matches – and resulting in them narrowly missing the cut for finals.
The team was coached by Eugene Exposito and Brett Forward.
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 4 Queensland Metro
(Goals: Harry Williams, Pat Oduro)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 1 South Australia
(Goals: Jake Hampson)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 2 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Jake Hampson)
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 NSW Thunder
ACT Boomerangs FS 9 – 2 ACT Boomerangs FS (Blue)
(Goals: Elie Darwich 4, Patrick Oduro 2, Jayde James-Ward, Rylie Young, Other)
ACT Boomerangs FS 5 – 2 Victoria
(Goals: Jayde James-Ward 2, Harry Williams, Jake Hampson, Other)
Youth Men
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | NSW Metro Lightning | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | ACT Boomerangs Blue | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | FFSA | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 20 | -7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | ACT Boomerangs White | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 22 | -18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Youth Men (White)
The Youth Men (white) team was always going to struggle in this competition given that there were two withdrawals from an already smallish squad for this championship.
No doubt the highlight for this team though was Day Three which saw them perform creditably against the more fancied Boomerangs Blue team, and later that evening defeat South Australia in an absolutely brilliant come-from-behind victory over the finals-bound FFSA team.
The SA match was incredible for the fact that the lads were down 3-0 with but eight minutes remaining in the match – and their tournament – and they lifted to incredibly score their only four goals of the tournament in those eight minutes. This victory allowed the Boomerangs Blue Youth to slip into third position and have an easier route (via Lightning) into the Grand Final.
An exceptional effort by these seven lads against all the odds to perform at the level they did all tournament, and to not give up at any stage. True grit and determination at its best.
The team was excellently coached by Grant Davoren with able assistance from Jason O’Dwyer.
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 5 NSW Lightning
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 8 NSW Thunder
ACT Boomerangs FS 0 – 6 ACT Boomerangs FS (Blue)
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 3 FFSA
(Goals: Nick Dahl, Abraham Kemp, Daniel Fabrizio, Nick Faust)
Youth Men (Blue)
The Boomerangs Youth Blue were of course expected to perform well at these Championships being the reigning Youth title holders, even though the team comprised only three of last year’s victors and lacked some of the experience from the 2015 squad.
A poor start to the week saw them trounced by FFSA on Day 1, pipped narrowly by Lightning and outplayed by Thunder on Day 2, and have their only pool victory on Day 3 against their Boomerangs White club mates. And incredibly that single win, plus a favourable goal difference, put them in third position on the ladder, behind the strong NSW teams.
A massive semi final saw the lads come from a half time 2-1 deficit, to take the match 4-2 on the back of an incredible Ben Basser Silk second half hat trick. This was another momentous victory for the Boomerangs Youth Men’s (Blue) team that will be remembered as long as the Grand Final victory of 2015.
The Grand Final then saw a re match of the 2015 game against NSW Thunder. But this year however, it was the Thunder boys who walked away with the trophy. At 0-0 half time, the lads were well in it after they had dominated possession and court position across the first stanza. The second half though, saw the Thunder power into top gear, while the effects of the tough tournament – and the emotion of the semi-final, were brought to bear on the Youth Blue lads.
A second victory was not to be, but three Grand Final appearances in three consecutive years shows just how good this bunch of players are.
The team was coached by the excellent Grant Davoren who guided and motivated these talented lads. Grant was assisted by Jason O’Dwyer.
ACT Boomerangs FS 3 – 7 South Australia
(Goals: G Barlow 2, Zeitlhofer)
ACT Boomerangs FS 2 – 3 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Nicholas Rathjen, Nikolas Popovich)
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 4 NSW Thunder
(Goals: Michael Rinaudo)
ACT Boomerangs FS 6 – 0 ACT Boomerangs (White)
(Goals: Ahmed Ugool 2, Ben Basser-Silk, Nicholas Rathjen, Nikolas Popovich, Other)
SEMI FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 4 – 2 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Benjamin Basser-Silk 3, Nicholas Rathjen)
GRAND FINAL
ACT Boomerangs FS 1 – 3 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Nicholas Rathjen)
Capital Football AWD Futsal Team
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | B | FF | FA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSW Metro Thunder | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 6 | 55 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | ACT | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 3 | Queensland Metro | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 51 | 15 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | FFSA | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 26 | -5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
The Capital Football ACT AWD Futsal team is a formidable unit and has had a terrific record of results over the last few years – including being National Champions in 2014.
These Championships proved to be no different for this talented group of players. And outstanding pool round of five wins and a single loss (Day 1 to Thunder), included a hugely exciting final pool game against Queensland which saw them come from behind to take the match by scoring three goals in the final four minutes.
Unfortunately, the Queenslanders would have the last laugh in the tough semi final which saw the Capital AWD team bundled out by the Maroons, eventual Champions, 4-1.
A terrific effort by this great bunch of players.
Capital Football 0 v 8 NSW Thunder
Capital Football 7 v 5 FFSA
(Goals: Adrian Araya 2, Cameron Gudgeon 2, Andrew Hoatson, Shaun Gower, Mark Olivieri)
Capital Football 5 v 2 NSW Lightning
(Goals: Liam O’Donnell 2, Andrew Hoatson 2, Glenn Panell)
Capital Football 7 v 1 Tasmania
(Goals: Mark Olivieri 2, Andrew Hoatson 2, Glenn Pannell, Adrian Araya, Shaun Gower)
Capital Football 10 – 4 Victoria
(Goals: Cameron Gudgeon 3, Mark Olivieri 3, Adrian Araya 2, Andrew Hoatson, Glenn Pannell)
Capital Football 6 – 5 Queensland
(Goals: Adrian Araya 2, Mark Olivieri 2, Christian Valeri, Andrew Hoatson)
SEMI FINAL
Capital Football 1 – 4 Queensland
A huge thanks also to the very capable physio help for the week from Michaela Day who performed many running repairs to aching and stressed Boomerangs players bodies.
Thanks also go to the raft of volunteers who helped with the organisation and co-ordination of such a huge effort. It is tremendous to see the growing numbers of players and supporters who now call the Boomerangs their futsal club and who look to contribute both on and off the field.
And finally, a thanks to our uniform sponsor, JOMA Australia.
So with that, a Nationals is done and dusted. One that for the second time had the Boomerangs Club representing the ACT. The club hopes to be able to continue its productive relationship with Capital Football and once again be involved in the 2017 Nationals which will again be held in Sydney.
For photos of the week’s matches (most, but not all of them), please visit the Boomerangs photo site and the FNSW Official Facebook page.