Saturday 18 February at 5:15pm, the Boomerangs men’s team will be up against the Enfield Rovers in the finals of the 16/17 Football NSW Premier League 1 competition. Considered the paramount competition in NSW for futsal, this match represents a terrific opportunity for the men’s team to make a mark upon the competition.
The competition ladder at the end of the season had the Boomerangs finish in fourth position on 17 points, ahead of Mountain Majik on goal difference alone. This weekend’s opponents, Enfield Rovers finished in third position on 22 points. The top two teams, Inner West Magic (34) and Dural Warriors (31) will battle out in the qualifying final for entry directly into the Grand Final.
Whilst the Boomerangs men’s team did not have as many wins this season as would have been desired, they consistently played very well against teams higher than them on the competition ladder. Indeed, having a season with only five losses from fourteen matches is a positive outcome. Against Minor Premiers Magic, the results included a draw (3-3) and a single goal defeat (1-2). Against Dural Warriors the lads managed a draw (3-3) in the first match of the season and a solid 4-1 win in the return match in Canberra. And against the Rovers, the honours were split at one win a piece, with a 1-6 loss away at Riverwood and a 4-3 victory at home.
The Boomers men know they have a tough challenge to progress in the final series, but have as good a track record as you could expect against these top teams throughout the season.
The match up against Enfield Rovers – led by veteran Lachlan Wright – is a good one and the speed and agility of the young Boomers is a significant advantage. The return of Michael Rinaudo to the roster this weekend will be a bonus, to add to the significant strength across the entire playing roster.
The men’s semi-final matches will be played concurrently at The Centre at Dural and will cap off what will be an entertaining first day of futsal finals for the PL1 competition for this season. The lads are certainly up for the challenge and assuming a win, will be just as confident coming up against the loser of the Magic/Warriors qualifying final seven days later.
