Category: F-League

F-League 2015 Preview

The F-League season for 2015 is about to kick off and once again the Boomerangs will be competing in both the Men’s and Women’s divisions.

Boomerangs are one of only three clubs that have competed in all previous seasons of the F-League (four for the men, and two for the women). The men’s team have finished in fourth place in the past three seasons and played in semi-finals in the past two (seasons 2011/2012 had no finals series). The Boomerangs women have made it all the way to the Grand Final in the only two seasons of the Women’s F-League played so far, going down both times to the Sydney Scorpions.

Boomerangs Men

The 2015 men’s competition consists of nine teams including previous F-League competitors Dural Warriors, Vic Vipers, East Coast Heat, Capital FC and South Brisbane; new clubs include Bayside Pirates from Victoria, Galaxy FC from the Queensland Gold Coast and NSW Premier League stalwart club, Inner West Magic.

The Boomerangs men’s team have lost a few players in the off season, with veteran keeper Angelo Konstantinou and Daniel Bennett signing up with the Magic and Daniel Fulton committing to East Coast Heat. Several additional senior players (Cattanach, Flannigan, Ross-Magee) have retired from this level futsal (focussing on NPL Football) leaving the Boomerangs with one of the youngest teams in the league.

The team consists of (current Futsalroo) Cal Smith, Michael Reeve, the hard working and under-rated Jason O’Dwyer, the ever reliable Kristian Collins and shot-stopper Keiran Stroh forming the core of the senior players. The highly successful Boomerangs Youth team of the past few years contributes a number of players who will be asked to step up to the mark this season – something that is certainly on the cards as they have been given good court time at this level over the past few F-League seasons. The highly talented youth roster includes Jake Wilsener, Jono Ciminelli, Ben Basser, Daniel Giovinazzo and keepers Nick van Aalst and Zac Sorenson. A new signing this season is Brad Sawyer (played 2014 with Capital FC) who will be a welcome addition to the team as will rookie Grant Barlow. Nik Popovich also returns to the team after a year off F-League.

A top four finish is again the target as is the opportunity to play finals futsal for the fourth year in succession, and to grab a Grand Final spot for the first time.

Stiff competition once again should come from Dural – even without Seeto (to the UK) and Basger (to Magic), Magic – who have recruited aggressively, Vic Vipers and East Coast Heat building on their successful 2014 campaigns. South Brisbane, Capital FC and Bayside Pirates will also be tough match ups as will the mostly unknown Queensland Galaxy.

May 10 sees a home game at mPowerdome to kick off the season against top flight débutantes Bayside Pirates.

Boomerangs Women

The Boomerangs Women’s team has undergone a fairly decent make over for season 2015 and brings back a number of players who were key contributors in the 2013 season.

The 2015 season sees seven teams participate including three Sydney teams Dural, Magic and East Coast Heat (up from two teams in 2014), Melbourne team Vic Vipers and Queensland’s South Brisbane. Capital FC is also back for their second season in the F-League.

Back for season 2015 are the experienced Michelle Aurousseau, three Beckys – Watts, Roche and Collins, Sabrina Spinapolice and Michaela Day. Added to this is a bunch of young stars, some already with F-League and NSW Premier League experience, including Erin Clout, Nat De Marco and Olivia Gurney and a couple of the best young shot-stoppers in the country in Sophie Rolfe and Jess Giovinazzo. Included in the mix are some sensationally talented rookies – and stars in the making – in Alex Martens, Rachael Corbett and Mikayla van Deyk – makes for a team that can once again challenge for the title in 2015.

The move to Magic of four previous Boomerangs players, Palombi (x2), Gill Raymond and Maddy Whittall – whilst a definite loss of some serious talent – has been compensated for by the introduction of some terrific up and comers, who should blend well with the more experienced squad members.

On paper, the Magic look the women’s team to beat this season, but South Brisbane were a tight unit in 2014 and could again put up a solid challenge for the title. Vic Vipers need to build on their consistency, as will the Dural team, who came close in 2014. East Coast Heat may well be the season’s surprise packet, with a solid roster that includes many former Sydney Scorpions (and one former Boomerang), and Capital FC may well cause a few upsets.

The women’s season will commence for the Boomerangs on May 23 when the South Brisbane ladies come to mPowerdome.

The F-League has a new website which will provide up to date information on the competition as it progresses through season 2015. Make sure you check it out at http://thefleague.com.au/

Bairnsdale Futsal Challenge 2015

POST TOURNAMENT UPDATE

After an early departure from Canberra on Anzac Day, the travelling men’s and women’s teams arrived in Bairnsdale around 1.15pm.

The Boomerangs Women were scheduled to take on Bayside Pirates Sapphires at 2.30pm in a very much shortened Challenge for them (one game only), due to the withdrawal of the Vic Vipers Women’s team, and the unavailability of an Untouchables Women’s team to participate in the competition.

The Women’s team took out the match against the Bayside Pirates Sapphires 12-1 with an excellent performance by all of the small (and young) travelling squad.

The squad consisted of:

– Sophie Rolfe (GK)
– Erin Clout (C)
– Natalie De Marco
– Olivia Gurney
– Rachael Corbett
– Mikayla van Deyk
– Christina Drew

The win gave the girls the title of Women’s Champions of the inaugural Bairnsdale Futsal Championship. Let’s hope there are more teams participating next year in this well-timed pre-season competition.

In the Men’s division, four teams competed, Boomerangs FS, the Untouchables (also from Canberra), Vic Vipers and Bayside Pirates.

The first match for the Boomerangs travelling squad was at 4.00pm Saturday against local ACT rivals the Untouchables (a team which mostly constitutes the Capital FC F-League team). A hard fought local derby saw the Untouchables come out on top after leading 4-2 at half-time. A scoreless second half saw an improved defensive effort from the Boomers, but they could not register a goal of their own.

The second Boomerangs Men’s match was 11.00am Sunday morning against the F-League debutants, Bayside Pirates. The boys were down at half-time (2-3) to an enthusiastic and energetic Bayside team, but rallied to take out the match 6-4 after a goal scoring spree resulted from a terrific 5-6 minutes of play soon after the resumption which saw three quick goals netted.

The final match was against the Vic Vipers, who had won their previous two games (both 8-0). A tiring young Boomers squad worked to keep the strong Victorian outfit fairly quiet in the first half and went into the half-time break only two goals down 2-0. The wheels fell off though in the second half as the Vipers lifted the game intensity and pressured higher up the court. A diminished defensive effort in the second half saw a total of nine goals scored – seven by the Vipers and two by the Boomers to see the final score at Vipers 9-2 Boomerangs.

The Vipers took out the Bairnsdale Futsal Challenge by winning all their games, scoring 25 goals and conceding only two. The remaining three teams – including the Boomerangs – all finished with a single win and two losses each, and amazingly an identical goal difference.

The travelling Boomerangs Men’s team consisted of:

– Jason O’Dwyer (C)
– Zac Sorenson (GK)
– Nick van Aalst (GK)
– Jonathan Ciminelli
– Jake Wilsener
– Ben Basser
– Daniel Giovinazzo
– Brad Sawyer
– Grant Barlow
– Kristian Collins (Player/Coach)

Photos of the weekend’s matches are viewable HERE.

As part of the 2015 F-League pre-season preparation, Boomerangs FS F-League men’s and women’s team will be heading down to Gippsland this coming Anzac Day weekend to compete in the Bairnsdale Futsal Challenge.

Teams from Untouchables, Vic Vipers and Bayside Pirates will also compete.

The UPDATED draft draw for the Challenge is as follows.

Draw

Saturday 25/4

1.00pm Vic Vipers v Bayside Pirates (M)

2:30pm Boomerangs v Bayside Pirates (W)

4.00pm Boomerangs v Untouchables (M)

Sunday 26/4

9.30am Vic Vipers v Untouchables (M)

11.00am Bayside Pirates vs Boomerangs (M)

2.30pm Bayside Pirates v Untouchables (M)

4.00pm Vic Vipers v Boomerangs (M)

These matches will be a great opportunity to fine tune F-League preparations for the 2015 season starting in just a few weeks.

We will post updates and scores via Facebook and Twitter as the weekend progresses.

F-League 2015 Draw Released

The draw for the 2015 F-League Season has been released by Football NSW.

The competition for 2015 consists of nine men’s teams and seven women’s team.

Boomerangs FS men and women will play all their home games at mPowerdome (eight for the men and six for the women), and away games will be held in various locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The majority of the games are scheduled for Saturdays to minimize conflicts with outdoor/football (NPL) matches. There will be two Friday night ‘local derbies’ against the Capital FC teams and two games on Sundays mornings against visiting teams.

The men’s season kicks off with a home game against F-League debutants Bayside Pirates on Sunday morning 10 May (11am) and the women kick off a fortnight later on Saturday 23 May when South Brisbane bring their men’s and women’s team to mPowerdome.

The season has scheduled several weekend away trips for the Boomerangs to Sydney for matches against East Coast Heat, Dural Warriors and Inner West Magic, and two major away trips – to Melbourne to take on Bayside Pirates and Vic Vipers in June – and to Brisbane (Galaxy FC and South Brisbane) in early July.

The final weekend of the regular season – before finals – will see the second ACT derby on the Friday night (17 July) followed by a home game against Vic Vipers (18 July).

Semi-Finals and the Grand Finals will be held in Sydney the following weekend (25/26 July) at Valentine Park.

Follow Sporting Pulse during the season to keep up to date with the schedule, results and the ladder.

W/E	Date	Women	Men	Home Team	v	Away Team	Venue
1	Sun, 10/5	–	11:00AM	Boomerangs	v	Bayside Pirates	Mpowerdome
3	Sat, 23/5	6:00PM	4:15PM	Boomerangs	v	South Brisbane	Mpowerdome
3	Sat, 23/5	–	7:45PM	Boomerangs	v	Galaxy FC	Mpowerdome
4	Fri, 29/5	6:30PM	8:15PM	Capital FC	v	Boomerangs	AIS Training Hall
4	Sat, 30/5	Noon	2:00PM	EC Heat	v	Boomerangs	Valentine Park
5	Sat, 6/6	Noon	1:45PM	Dural Warriors	v	Boomerangs	Dural SLC
5	Sat, 6/6	4:00PM	5:45PM	Inner West	v	Boomerangs	Valentine Park
6	Sat, 13/6	–	10:30AM	Bayside Pirates	v	Boomerangs	Vic Futsal Centre
6	Sat, 13/6	12:15PM	2:00PM	Vic Vipers	v	Boomerangs	Vic Futsal Centre
7	Sat, 20/6	11:00AM	12:45PM	Boomerangs	v	Inner West	Mpowerdome
8	Sat, 27/6	11:00AM	12:45PM	Boomerangs	v	EC Heat	Mpowerdome
8	Sun, 28/6	11:00AM	12:45PM	Boomerangs	v	Dural Warriors	Mpowerdome
9	Sat, 4/7	–	10:00AM	Galaxy FC	v	Boomerangs	Logan Metro ISC
9	Sat, 4/7	11:45AM	1:30PM	South Brisbane	v	Boomerangs	Logan Metro ISC
10	Fri, 17/7	6:30PM	8:15PM	Boomerangs	v	Capital FC	Mpowerdome
10	Sat, 18/7	10:30AM	12:15PM	Boomerangs	v	Vic Vipers	Mpowerdome

The full men’s draw can be found HERE, and the women’s draw HERE.

F-League 2015 Teams Announced

From Football NSW

F-League 2015 Season Announced

Football NSW has officially announced the participating teams for the 2015 F-League season for both the Men and Women’s Competitions.

In 2015 the Men’s Competition will feature nine (9) teams, while seven (7) teams will form the Women’s F-League Competition.

The teams involved in the F-League Men’s Competition include:

· Boomerangs FS (ACT)

· Capital FC (ACT)

· Dural Warriors (NSW)

· East Coast Heat FC (NSW)

· Inner West Magic FC (NSW)

· Galaxy FC (QLD)

· South Brisbane FC (QLD)

· Bayside Pirates FC (VIC)

· VIC Vipers (VIC)

The teams involved in the F-League Women’s Competition include:

· Boomerangs FS (ACT)

· Capital FC (ACT)

· Dural Warriors (NSW)

· East Coast Heat FC (NSW)

· Inner West Magic FC (NSW)

· South Brisbane FC (QLD)

· VIC Vipers (VIC)

Established in 2011, the F-League was initially a six (6) team Men’s competition with teams from ACT, NSW and Victoria participating across three (3) weekends on the east coast of Australia.

In 2012 it expanded to an eight (8) team Men’s Competition, again with teams from ACT, NSW and Victoria participating across five (5) weekends (three in NSW, two in VIC and one in the ACT).

2013 saw the Men’s Competition remain the same, while the inaugural F-League Women’s Competition was introduced. This saw an eight (8) team Competition which was played over three (3) weekends (one in NSW, one in VIC and one in ACT), with teams from NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD.

In 2014 the Men’s Competition remained as an eight (8) team competition, with teams from NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD, while the Women’s Competition saw six (6) teams competing from NSW, ACT, VIC and QLD. However the format of the competition was revamped with a hybrid home and away format being introduced, which allowed teams to capitalise on their home court advantage.

The Dural Warriors were crowned 2014 F-League Champions in the Men’s Competition after defeating the East Coast Heat 3-1 while the Sydney Scorpions edged out Boomerangs FS 3-2 in the Women’s Competition.

The F-League provides a pathway for elite futsal players, enabling them to pit their skills against the best players from other Member Federations in a club competition environment. The Men’s F-League Competition has, and continues to be, Football Federation Australia’s identified program to select the nation’s qualifying team for the AFC Futsal Club Championships.

In 2015 the F-League will continue with the hybrid home and away format that was introduced in 2014, with the competition expected to commence in early May and conclude in August.

The 2015 F-League is endorsed and supported by FFA.

F-League 2014 Season Review

The F-League season is over for another year: another roller coaster year for the Boomerangs club, for many of the other players and teams and for futsal in general. What is pleasing though is the stability and incremental improvements being made to the F-League as each season progresses.

Boomerangs FS
2014: A season of competing well, gaining some terrific results; but also, perhaps some losses that could have been wins, that might have made a difference at the end of the season. A top four finish for both teams was a satisfactory accomplishment, but the goal must now be to win championships and to win Grand Finals – and 2014 fell short on both counts for both the men’s and the women’s teams.

For the MEN — a terrific flying start to the season with four straight wins on the two opening away trips to Melbourne and Brisbane (and one at home), including a thrashing of St Albans and a confidence-building early season victory over Vic Vipers. Then the horror stretch of five losses in a row – both at home and away, before winding up the season with three wins, a draw and a single loss from the final five games. Against the other top four contenders the record was mixed. Two losses to Dural, a draw and a loss to the Heat, and split results to the Vipers and Scorpions. These are the games that need to be won to become a championship winning team.

After all was said and done, seven wins, a draw and six losses was (just) enough to secure fourth spot — for the third year running (2013 with eight wins, one draw and five losses and in 2012 eight wins and six losses). The problem with this season though was that this meant a semi final against the rampaging Dural Warriors, a team that scored a massive 87 goals across their 14 games, and conceded a miserly 25 — far less than 45 conceded by next best Vic Vipers. For the record, the Boomerangs scored 68 (4th highest) and conceded 53 (equal third least). And unlike the 2013 finals series, where the semi-final against eventual winners Vic Vipers was a close and highly competitive encounter, the semi final in 2014 was not. Dural flexed their muscles and barnstormed their way into the Grand Final at the expense of the Boomers.

The squad though, developed nicely in 2014, with only one new addition to the 2013 playing group, and a slightly smaller squad of 16 (compared with 19 in 2013). Rookie Ben Basser-Silk did all that was asked of him during the season in his few opportunities to gain court time and experience and looks a real prospect for the future. The back bone of the team though remained Cal Smith, Michael Reeve, Jason O’Dwyer, Glenn Smith, Kristian Collins and Daniel Bennett and protecting the net, veteran Angelo Konstantinou. This core squad was ably backed up by youth players, Jono Ciminelli (who had a breakthrough season), Jake Wilsener, Tom Zeitlhofer and backup keeper Nick van Aalst. Guest appearances were made by ACT representative regulars Robbie Cattanach, Trent Flannigan and Keiran Stroh. And Daniel Fulton also suited up for several appearances after his necessary new-father duties early in the season.

Goal scorers were spread around, but it was Daniel Bennett (16 goals) who came out of the box firing to lead all scorers in the early rounds – including a stunning five goal haul against South Brisbane. Michael Reeve (9 goals) was also on fire early, but injuries to both these players stalled their goal-scoring momentum (and it could be argued, the team’s). Tom Zeitlhofer was the next most prolific with 8 goals and Jason O’Dwyer on 7, with the rest evenly spread.

And finally, for the men, national selection for team captain Cal Smith – a just reward for an outstanding last couple of years in futsal. Additionally Michael Reeve was also invited to train with the Australian Futsalroos (as Jake Wilsener was in 2013). This, is in addition to current Australia shot stopper Angelo Konstantinou and previous national representative Daniel Fulton. It is pleasing to see these Boomerangs players in the mix for National selection. May there be many more!

For the WOMEN — as with the men – season 2014 panned out much like the inaugural season 2013 (although the league was a smaller six teams in 2014, compared with eight in 2013). The team though, was significantly changed from 2013 with several players opting for the new Capital FC team and several others opting not to participate and prioritising their football commitments. This initial shortage of players though, allowed for several Sydney-based players to suit up for the Boomerangs (this also occurred in the men’s 2012 season). The overflow of surplus Sydney based players of F-League standard was due to that city having only two representative teams in the league in 2014, as opposed to the four in 2013. It was fortuitous that the Boomerangs could offer these quality players the opportunity to play in season 2014.

At the end of the regular season though, six wins and four losses was enough to put them in third place and into the relatively easier semi-final. The season started not-so-well for the women though with two losses from their first three games; and with only ten games (home and away to the five other teams), every game was critical. Some solid mid-season form had them winning five from six before losing the final match of the season to South Brisbane at home to relinquish top spot on the table and indeed the Premiership.

Revenge against South Brisbane came soon after in the semi-final where the women played superbly to eliminate the Queensland team from the finals. A Grand Final rematch against the strong Sydney Scorpions outfit saw the Boomerangs women lead for most of the game and almost come away with the silverware. The second half of the match though saw the momentum swing back to the Scorpions to allow them the slenderest of victories 3-2 — which was a much improved result on the previous Grand Final result of 0-6. The players though, recognise that although they put their heart and soul into the match, it may well have been a victory they let slip from their grasp.

An outstanding effort by the Boomerangs women across the two finals, most notably Doris Osman, Nikola Orgill, Georgia Plessas, Maddy Whittall, Hayley Buckingham, Nicole Somi and between the sticks, the flying Chloe Avgoustou and Sophie Rolfe. Others to suit up for the women during the season included Michaela Day, Nadia Nisbet, Clare Munro and Michelle Aurousseau. Taijana Curic also showing real promise in goal before succumbing to injury early in the season.

Top goal scorers for the Boomers women were Doris Osman, Hayley Buckingham and Nikola Orgill all on seven goals for the season, with Georgia Plessas close behind on six. Maddy Whittall needs special mention for two cracking goals in the Grand Final — goals that any of the world’s elite players would have been pleased to have scored.

It would be nice to report on national selections in the women’s futsal sphere, but alas, there is not yet an Australian representative women’s team. However if there was, clearly several of the Boomerangs players would be featuring.

Other teams… In the men’s the Scorpions were the under performers this season based on their highly competitive 2013 – although they were only ousted from the finals on goal difference – with the season’s most improved; East Coast Heat. Dural Warriors again set the benchmark, and Vic Vipers seemed to have lost a little of their bite from last season – but remain a quality team. St Albans remained just out of the top four – a spot they are all too familiar with, and the new teams, Capital FC and South Brisbane, found their rookie seasons tough work.

For the women, again it was Scorpions as the benchmark team… South Brisbane improved from their maiden season in 2013, and could be genuine contenders in 2015. Dural were certainly a much improved unit, and the Victorian representative club still needs a bit of improving to make finals. A promising start also to Capital FC in their first year in the F-League.

The format… The general consensus across the league was that the move to the new home and away format was a success. Rather than playing 2 or 3 games across a weekend once a month (or 5/6 weeks), and having regular games, allowed for a more regular planning and training regime for teams. In addition, having seven home games (and five for the women) allowed for better promotion of the games and improved opportunity to boost crowd attendances. Ideally the home and away format lends itself to two teams in each city, however this may not fit neatly with where the futsal player talent is at present. And ideally also, a return to eight teams in the women’s competition would be preferable (perhaps making it mandatory for all clubs to enter both a men’s teams and a women’s team…. a radical thought perhaps)

The Boomerangs look forward to F-League 2015; but in the meantime, have preparations underway for the NSW State League and ACT Premier Leagues….

Grand Final Review Women’s F-League 2014

The following is from Dan De Nardi of Football NSW.

Grand Final

Sydney Scorpions take a bow after becoming the first hummel F-League club to successfully defend their title following a scintillating 3-2 victory over a gallant and hapless Boomerangs at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday morning.

Boomerangs only had three on the bench but wrestled the ascendancy when Maddy Whittall struck true in the fifth minute and they held their nerve to take a slender 1-0 advantage to halftime.

A persistent Scorpions finally leveled through Renee Tomkins just after the break only for the Territorians to reclaim the lead moments later with an acute Whittall strike.

Sydney struck back with eight minutes left when Laura Donnelly bobbed up for a sharply-taken goal, and Donnelly really made a name for herself moments later with another good run and finish that sent Scorpions ahead for the first time – the premiers holding their nerve for a gritty come-from-behind 3-2 win.

While the Sydney-siders capped a tremendous year winning the premiership-championship double, Boomerangs were excellent value with the game in their grasp twice and a self-belief that instantly banished last year’s 6-0 grand-final demons.

Sydney were full of running early but, with vocal goalkeeper Chloe Avgoustou marshalling well at the back, Boomerangs came back into the contest and on five-minutes Doris Osman passed across goal for Whittall to slot home a 1-0 lead.

A busy Scorpions keeper Tani Rosekelly held an excellent Orgill freekick moments later and she blocked well with her legs seconds later to deny Osman a chance to advance the Boomerangs cause.

Sydney were fortunate Rosekelly was on her game to defuse several Territorian raids, but she copped a yellow card for barging Osman off the ball near the sideline to stop another Boomerangs attack.

At the other end Boomerangs player Nicole Somi threw herself in front of multiple Scorpions shots and Rosekelly and Avgoustou went into a mini-challenge as to who could out-save the other as both sides traded barbs.

The game stopped momentarily for treatment to pivotal Scorpions player Renee Tomkins following a tough knock but the defensive intensity didn’t drop for a second as every player showed great commitment to intercept passes, make decisive tackles and deny good opportunities at both ends.

But it was the goalkeepers who shone brightest, Avgoustou snatching the ball off Donnelly’s bootlaces, charging out to block Claire Walsh at the edge of the D, and bending Matrix-style to edge Logan Garard’s clever flick up in the air and smother the rebound before tipping a terrific Garard strike over the bar seconds later.

Rosekelly was just as brilliant in keeping out Georgia Plessas then producing an even more outstanding save with her legs to deny Plessas again just before the break.

The visitors showed determination early in the second term as Orgill laid off to Plessas who smashed it just right of the post, but you could feel a Scorpions resurgence as Jo Anne Saliba waltzed into the D and shot low-left to level the scores minutes after the restart.

Boomerangs weren’t shy about coming forward and Plessas had a good shot tipped over by Rosekelly and another from range whistle past the woodwork, Somi also finding holes in the Scorpions defence and her incisive pass to Whittall just inside the D opened an inch from a tight angle over Rosekelly’s arms to push Boomerangs ahead again on the half-hour.

Sydney held steady and only some desperate defending kept the score unchanged, and with eight minutes remaining a crisp Walsh probe found Donnelly on the burst behind a tiring Boomerangs defence and her delicate tap under Avgoustou restored a 2-2 deadlock.

The ACT-side was having none of it and kept coming at the favourites, Plessas with a good attempt blocked down by Rosekelly, but minutes later it was the Scorpions who threw down the gauntlet when Garard passed to Saliba on the right who thread the ball to Donnelly alone in front of the net and she nudged in for a belated 3-2 lead.

Rosekelly then denied Orgill a leveler from the restart and Osman, who had an outstanding match, was also denied by the red-hot Sydney custodian, Scorpions hanging on for a superb 3-2 victory.

Sydney captain Melanie McCauley sat out the grand final after shattering her collarbone in her first season of outdoor football and could only watch on nervously as her team-mates rallied from behind twice to win an exciting decider.

“That was intense… but rewarding in the end,” she said. “Boomerangs were excellent and made us work hard for it; we just had to stay patient and play to our potential to get back into it.”

“The competition this year was heaps better. Games played practically every weekend was a great idea and there were upsets all the time. I think the league being so good and so even is what makes winning this title even better [than last year].”

Boomerangs coach Kristian Collins shook the anxious sweat from his mane following an epic game that was there for the taking.

“Congratulations to Scorpions… but we should’ve won it,” he said. “Over the balance of play I think we had the better chances, but we’ve got a lot of young players and it was just a lack of maturity and being clinical when it mattered most that cost us in the end.”

“Scorpions have a lot of experienced players who’ve played these big games before, and that’s what ultimately got them over the line. What a terrific season, though!”

Extended report of the finals weekend on the Football NSW website.

F-League semi-finals beckon!

Both the Boomerangs men’s and women’s team have finished in the top four to secure their spot in the finals for season 2014.

The Women’s competition went right down to the wire, and any one of three teams (Scorpions, South Brisbane and Boomerangs) could have taken the minor premiership at the opening of the final round. As it panned out, South Brisbane out-gunned both the Canberra teams on Saturday, and the Scorpions did exactly enough to hold on to the top spot. The remaining finals spot was decided on Sunday with Dural pipping Vic Vipers.

Saturday sees top spot Scorpions take on fourth placed Dural Warriors and the Boomerangs will have another shot at South Brisbane in order to determine the two teams to match off on Sunday in the Grand Final.

For the Men, Dural Warriors had already sewn up top spot, and the interest was around whether they could go through the season undefeated – which they duly obliged by soundly beating both Sydney Scorpions and Vic Vipers. The other point of interest of course was whether the Boomerangs could steal fourth place from the Scorpions who started the weekend three points ahead, and with a significant (12) goal difference advantage.

As it was, the Boomerangs spanked the hapless Capital FC on Friday night to the tune of 14-3, while Scorpions went down to the powerful Warriors 0-6. With the goal difference issue sorted, all the Boomerangs needed to do was to record a solid win over South Brisbane, and it would not matter whether Scorpions defeated the Vipers in their final match for the season. As it was the Boomerangs 7-4 victory, did enough so that the 3-1 victory by the Scorpions meant that fourth place was sealed by the Boomerangs – with a great deal of credit going to the Friday night 14 goal romp.

So with both teams back into familiar territory playing finals futsal – for the second year in succession – the teams now go through the planning process of how to turn around earlier results to earn victories. It’s gratifying to note that only Dural Warriors and the Boomerangs have both their men’s and women’s teams playing finals for season 2014.

For the women, they have not beaten South Brisbane in two games this season (although they did defeat them twice in season 2013); the matches though have been close, and with some tactical adjustments, and a lift of intensity to ‘finals-level’, the game is definitely winnable and would see the ladies make their second successive Grand Final. The Boomerangs have the experience from playing a semi-final and Grand Final last season, while the South Brisbane team have yet to encounter the pressure of finals futsal at this level.

For the men, a semi against top spot matches last year when they were only narrowly defeated by eventual champions Vic Vipers. The Boomerangs have yet to defeat the Warriors in any F-League match over four years, however they can take some solace from the fact that in Round 1 of the 2013/2014 FNSW Premier League, they did defeat the strong Sydney team 3-1. They know they can defeat this team, and with the final not being played at Dural, it removes the home court advantage that Dural have recently had in finals.

The Football NSW hummel F-League Reviews for Round 10 are now online.

Men’s Review click here: http://goo.gl/qNicME
Women’s Review click here: http://goo.gl/RMYvWq

F-League Final Round

Round 10 of the 2014 hummel F-League season happens this weekend, and will see 13 matches played across both Sydney and Canberra that will determine the men’s and women’s teams that will take part in this season’s finals series, and determine the women’s season premiers.

Already in the Men’s competition, Dural Warriors have the top spot sewn up – and with it 2015 qualification for the Asian Futsal Champions League. They will no doubt be continuing their quest for an unbeaten season.

In the Women’s competition the Sydney Scorpions can wrap up the number one spot with a couple of wins or a win and a draw from their final two matches at Valentine Park. The Boomerangs could sneak top spot with two wins, and having the Scorpions not gain a point from either of their two matches (against Dural Warriors and Vic Vipers). The Boomerangs women though themselves have a couple of tough matches to get through — against two teams they have lost to already this season – Capital FC and South Brisbane. The final outcome of the women’s top four is as unpredictable as it could be, with all teams capable of a top four finish. A cracking way to finish the regular season.

The men’s competition sees a far simpler equation. With Dural having already sewn up the minor premiership, and East Coast Heat and Vic Vipers having secured the next two positions (but in what order, we don’t yet know), the only unknown is whether the Boomerangs men can win both their matches (against Capital FC and South Brisbane), AND have Sydney Scorpions not secure a win from either of its final two matches (against Dural Warriors and Vic Vipers). Definitely a tougher road home for the Scorpions, but they are a fighting team and will leave no stone unturned in their effort to grab the fourth finals place.

A second place on the table will equal the Boomerangs women’s results from last season – the inaugural season of the Women’s F-League. A fourth place for the men will see them also match the results of the last two seasons, where they also finished in fourth position after the regular season. Not finishing in the top four would be extremely disappointing for the lads.

A tense weekend of futsal beckons with it kicking off on Friday night at the AIS and at Dural, and continuing throughout Saturday and Sunday at the AIS, Dural and Valentine Park.

By late Sunday the finalists will be known – with the semis and final to be played the following weekend at Valentine Sports Park.

Futsal ready to make its mark in Australia

The following is an OPINION piece posted on the FFA website….

Futsal made its mark at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. On the opening day, Oscar scored for Brazil against Croatia with a “toe-poke”, a skill taken directly from Futsal.

Some purists of outdoor football may think this technique is a little crude, but it’s not viewed that way in Futsal. It’s a highly valued skill that unleashes a powerful shot in tight confines with little backlift.

I’m using Oscar’s Futsal-inspired goal as a point of reference for the place of Futsal in Australia. It’s played everywhere across the nation, but maybe we don’t appreciate its potential, just like the often-derided toe-poke.

Under the management changes made by CEO David Gallop, FFA has a renewed commitment to the national development of Futsal.

It’s important to make the distinction about “national development”, because there’s no denying that Futsal has flourished in the suburbs and schools across Australia. There are many Futsal people who deserve our thanks for the healthy state of Futsal participation.

But without a national strategy, the important role Futsal can play in the development of the game won’t be fully realised. That was the topic of a recent National Futsal Forum held in Sydney under the auspices of FFA.

Our ambition is to plant the seeds that will lead to Australia growing into a world force in Futsal.

FFA long ago identified Futsal as a growth area and a fantastic way to development football skills from a young age for boys and girls.

The latest edition of the National Football Curriculum holds that Futsal and other small sided games as ideal ways to fast track the development of technical as well as the decision-making skills for all footballers.

To get there, we need a specific Futsal coach education pathway from the Community to the elite levels. It goes without saying that with better Futsal coaches we will be able to produce better Futsal players.

The recent successes of our Men’s National Futsal team, the Futsalroos, at AFC tournaments and the FIFA Futsal World Cup shows that we can be very competitive on the world stage.

Our aim is that with further development and co-operation between all stakeholders, Australia could eventually become a world force in Futsal.

As a show of intent, the National Futsal Forum involved representatives from the nine Member Federations, the Australian Sports Commission and key Futsal stakeholders.

The length discussions and planning covered the following points:

• The role that Futsal can play in the development of talented players as demonstrated by leading Football nations, including Brazil

• The role Futsal can play in the growing participation at the grassroots

• The opportunity to continue to invest in the Talented Player Pathway, which includes the Australian Men’s National Futsal team, the Futsalroos, and growing the F-League (8-team interstate competition involving teams from NSW, ACT, VIC & QLD). This includes a greater focus on developing the female pathway, and the introduction of a Women’s National Futsal team over time

• Marketing and promotion of Futsal at all levels.

The key outcome of National Futsal Forum is that FFA will now organise a National Working Group, which will include representatives from each stakeholder group.

FFA has also announced that Football NSW will host of the annual FFA National Futsal Championships for the next three years. The 2015 edition of the FFA National Futsal Championships will be take place from 5-9 January and will be played across four venues (Valentine Sports Park (Open and AWD), Dural Sport and Leisure Centre (16 Years and Youth), Hawkesbury Indoor Stadium (12-15 Years) and Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre (Finals)).

Football NSW have demonstrated their commitment Futsal through the management of the F-League, which is starting to attract the most talented players from across Australia.

We have an ambitious view of what Futsal can be in Australia. Who knows? Maybe one a Futsal-inspired toe-poke will carry the Socceroos or Matildas to a World Cup victory, just like Oscar in the match against Croatia.

• The FFA National Futsal Championships had previously been hosted by Capital Football for the past 26 years. FFA would like thank Capital Football for their commitment and leadership towards the growth and development of Futsal in Australia during their hosting of the tournament.

Tuesday, 29 July 2014 – Emma Highwood, FFA Head of Community Football

F-League Week 9 Review

The following from Football NSW.

Men’s hummel F-League Week 9 Review

Dural controls Men’s hummel F-League

A double Dural Warriors victory keeps them in command of the Men’s hummel F-League premiership, with only East Coast Heat and Vic Vipers a chance of running them down to the title.

Dural Warriors beat Boomerangs FS 5-4 and Capital FC 8-1 to move five points clear of East Coast following their 11-3 win over Capital FC and 3-3 draw with Boomerangs FS. Vic Vipers defeated South Brisbane 14-1 to stay in the trophy hunt.

Dural Warriors (30) leading East Coast Heat (25), Vic Vipers (19), Sydney Scorpions (19), Boomerangs FS (16) and St Albans Strikers (16).

Fernando De Moraes (Vic Vipers) leads the Golden Boot race with 18 strikes, two ahead of Jose Portillo (St Albans Strikers) with Mark Symington (Sydney Scorpions), Chris Zeballos (East Coast Heat) and Jarrod Basger (Dural Warriors) all on 14 goals for the season. Daniel Bennett (Boomerangs FS) has 12, Danny Martinez (Sydney Scorpions) 11 and Michael Rinaudo (Capital FC) 10.

Warriors nip Boomerangs

Dural Warriors kept their unbeaten run with a 5-4 win over Boomerangs FS at the AIS Training Halls on Saturday morning.

Dural Warriors took a 2-0 halftime advantage through Bruno Pivato and Tobias Seeto. Callum Smith pegged one back from Boomerangs FS in the second half before Chris Polkinghorne, Jarrod Basger and Daine Merrin extended Dural’s lead to 5-1. A Robbie Cattanach hat-trick for the home side and red card dismissal of key Dural player Greg Giovenali put Boomerangs FS back in it in the final stages of the match, but Dural Warriors hang on to claim a 5-4 win.

Boomerangs FS haven’t beaten Dural Warriors since 2011.

Boomerangs FS 4 (Rob Cattanach 3, Callum Smith) Dural Warriors 5 (Jarrod Basger, Chris Polkinghorne, Tobias Seeto, Daine Merrin, Bruno Pivato)

Heat sizzle Capital

East Coast Heat burnt Capital FC 11-3 at the AIS Training Halls on Saturday afternoon to notch up a sixth straight win and keep a bit of pressure on leaders Dural Warriors.

Remarkably the score was 1-1 at halftime, with both sides opening up in a defence-free second term (12 goals scored) that finished with East Coast well on top, Chris Zeballos and Michael Loupis bagging hat-tricks and Diego Bellardo and Jun Arima collecting a brace each.

Capital FC 3 (Michael Rinaudo 10’, Aidan Brown 27’, Richard Moon 38’) East Coast Heat 11 (Chris Zeballos 22’, 22’, 33’, Michael Loupis 19’, 31’, 38’, Diego Bellardo 28’, 33’, Jun Arima 24’, 38’, Lev Lewis 21’)

Dural claim Capital

Dural Warriors disposed of Capital FC 8-1 at Canberra’s AIS Training Halls on Saturday afternoon to make it 10 successive victories, daylight and five points clear of anyone else.

Dural Warriors led 5-0 at half time through a brace from Chris Polkinghorne and goals to Bruno Pivato, Jarrod Basger, Kaan Kilinc.

Brad Sawyer got Capital FC on the board in the second half however Basger completed his hat trick to see Dural Warriors win 8-1.

The result equal’s Dural’s 10-game unbeaten run from when they won the 2012 premiership (a hummel F-League record).

Capital FC 1 (Brad Sawyer) Dural Warriors 8 (Jarrod Basger 3, Chris Polkinghorne 2, Bruno Pivato, Kaan Kilinc, Tobias Seeto)

Boomerangs, Heat draw

Boomerangs FS battled out a dramatic 3-3 draw with East Coast Heat at the AIS Training Halls on Saturday evening.

Boomerangs FS were a little rattled by their earlier 5-4 loss to Dural Warriors but responded well to open the scoring in the 7^th minute through Jake Wilsener. However Chris Zeballos and Jamie Amendolia took East Coast Heat to a 2-1 lead at half time with goals in the 10^th and 17^th minutes respectively.

Daniel Bennett leveled things up at 2-2 in the 30^th minute, before Harley Da Silva gave East Coast Heat the edge in the 31st minute. However this was short lived when Michael Reeve leveled things up again in the 32^ndminute. The teams shared a 3-3 draw, which leaves East Coast Heat trailing Dural Warriors by 5 points.

Boomerangs FS 3 (Daniel Bennett, Jake Wilsener, Michael Reeve) East Coast Heat 3 (Chris Zeballos, Harley Da Silva, Jun Arima)

Vipers wipe Brisbane

Vic Vipers racked up the goals in a 14-1 romp over South Brisbane at Eagles Sports Complex on Sunday morning.

Fernando De Moraes bagged five, Miguel Barrigos three, Gavin Schipp a pair, and Ange Fusca, Adam Cooper, Matthew Vragovski and Vinicius Leite all added to the scoresheet to turn a cruisy 6-1 halftime buffer into a dominant double-figure win.

It was the hummel F-League’s second-highest winning margin behind Dural’s 20-1 victory against St Albans in 2012, and it kept the defending premiers in with a slight chance to reign in leaders Warriors, who they trail by 11 points with five matches remaining (two of them against Dural).

South Brisbane 1 (Rhys Pope 7’) Vic Vipers 14 (Fernando De Moraes 8’, 12’, 14’, 15’, 40’, Miguel Barrigos 21’, 23’, 25’, Gavin Schipp 3’, 28’, Angelo Fusca 33’, Adam Cooper 24’, Matthew Vragovski 32’, Vinicius Leite 20’)

Next Games:

Some key match-ups next weekend will provide a closer outline to the finals outlook with Vic Vipers hosting Dural Warriors in a much-anticipated 2013 grand final replay at YMCA Derrimut Health and Aquatic Centre on Saturday (12pm), St Albans Strikers having a crack at Dural Warriors at the same venue later in the afternoon (3.30pm). On Sunday at YMCA Derrimut Health and Aquatic Centre it’s Vic Vipers against East Coast Heat (12pm) followed by St Albans Strikers versus East Coast Heat (3.30pm), while South Brisbane battle Capital FC at Queensland’s Eagle Sports Complex (2.45pm).

Womens hummel F-League Week 9 Review

Last two standing in Womens hummel F-League

High tension in the Women’s hummel F-League as Dural Warriors fell 2-1 to both Boomerangs and Capital FC in the ACT, and South Brisbane battled out an enthralling 4-4 draw with Vic Vipers up north, which has set up an exciting race to see who will make it through to the Women’s hummel F-League Semi Finals.

With two weekends left to play Sydney Scorpions (17) head Boomerangs FS (15) at the top of the table, Dural Warriors (9), South Brisbane (9), Vic Vipers (7) and Capital FC (6).

Dural Warriors, South Brisbane, Vic Vipers and Capital FC all have three round matches remaining, while Sydney Scorpions and Boomerangs FS only have two, which sets up an exciting top-four sprint and race to the premiership.

The 2014 Golden Boot is also a tight fit with Gabrielle Marzano (South Brisbane) and Caitlyn Jarvie (Sydney Scorpions) leading the pack with seven goals, just one ahead of Doris Osman (Boomerangs) who has six, with Najwa Allen (Capital), Dominique Caridad (Warriors), Filiz Urkanci (Scorpions), Jo Anne Saliba (Scorpions), Hayley Buckingham (Boomerangs) and Nikola Orgill (Boomerangs) all on five goals each for winter. This is closely followed by Georgina Bridges (South Brisbane), Nadia Nisbet (Boomerangs), Georgia Plessas (Boomerangs), Laura Donnelly (Scorpions), Renee Tomkins (Scorpions) who all have four each.

On another note, Capital’s Olivia Gurney became the F-League’s 99^th women’s scorer over the weekend (for a total of 434 goals in 81 gripping contests), who will be number 100?

Boomerangs outdo Dural

Boomerangs FS sweated hard to win 2-1 against a spirited Dural Warriors at the AIS Training Halls on Saturday morning.

Hayley Buckingham and Ariella Cabezas traded first-half strikes and an exciting and tense second term was only broken by a second Buckingham goal to hand Boomerangs full points and move them two behind leaders Sydney Scorpions.

Boomerangs have now won four on the trot against Dural Warriors, three of them close-call one-goal victories, and Buckingham has now scored four goals in three games against Dural Warriors.

Boomerangs are still the F-League master of the close-call having won all seven contests decided by a goal.

Boomerangs FS 2 (Hayley Buckingham 10’,31’) Dural Warriors 1 (Ariella Cabezas 12’)

Capital withhold Warriors

Capital FC accounted for Dural Warriors 2-1 at the AIS Training Halls on Saturday afternoon to stay right in contention for a maiden hummel F-League finals position.

Dural Warriors opened the scoring through Dominque Caridad in the 15^th minute, before Olivia Gurney pegged one back for Capital FC right on half time.

Capital FC then took the lead through Najwa Allen in the 25^th minute and Capital FC held on for a terrific 2-1 win and move three points behind joint-third Dural Warriors and South Brisbane with three games still to play (two of them against the Queenslanders).

The hapless Dural Warriors sure know how to break a heart, half of their total 10 losses in the last two hummel F-League seasons have been decided by the narrowest of margins against them.

Capital FC 2 (Olivia Gurney 20’, Najwa Allen 25’) Dural Warriors 1 (Dominique Caridad 15’)

Brisbane, Vics draw

South Brisbane and Vic Vipers fought out an entertaining 4-4 draw at Eagles Sports Complex on Sunday morning.

The sides went at each other tooth-and-nail to take a 3-3 draw into halftime, the crowd and tension at fever pitch as traded second-half blows ended with the game still locked up at 4-4.

Natalie Tathem, Georgina Bridges, Nichole Laws and Sarah Amorim scored for the home team and Sienna Fogarty, Jamalia Hull and Elaina Vatcky hit the back of the net for Vics, leaving the teams one goalscorer short of the hummel F-League high-eight in a 9-1 Sydney Scorpions win over Dural Warriors earlier this winter.

After eight straight interstate losses Vic Vipers have now taken points from their last two outings, the result the closest the Vics have come to beating South Brisbane in four hummel F-League meetings.

The 4-4 deadlock was also South Brisbane’s sixth hummel F-League draw in total (equal high with Sydney Scorpions), enduring an amazing five stalemates in their past 11 games.

South Brisbane 4 (Natalie Tathem 7’, Georgina Bridges 9’, Nichole Laws 19’, Sarah Amorim 25’) Vic Vipers 4 (Sienna Fogarty 8’, Jamalia Hull 11’, Elaina Vatcky 24’)

Next games:

A couple of big games next weekend as Vic Vipers meet Dural Warriors at YMCA Derrimut Health and Aquatic Centre on Saturday afternoon (1.45pm) and South Brisbane tackle Capital FC at Eagle Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon (1pm).