Goals: 1:0 Mathew J Sanders (26.); 2:0 Graham Hockless (32.); 3:0 Steven P Burton (Penalty, 82.)

Gully dominates the Alanic Victorian Premier League Grand Final

The Green Gully Cavaliers have defeated Richmond in Saturday night's Alanic Victorian Premier League Grand Final, 3-0, at AAMI Park.

A sluggish and out of sorts Richmond never really looked in the match, and were beaten by a more experience and slicker Green Gully Cavaliers team.

Played at Melbourne’s amazing new football facility, AAMI Park, the Green Gully supporters came out in force and dominated the crowd, cheering their team to victory.

Green Gully had a week off and they appeared faster and more skilful from the first whistle, while Richmond’s five day break was evident, struggling to back up from their taxing Preliminary Final against Hume City on Sunday.

Graham Hockless won the Jimmy Rooney Medal for the best player in the Alanic VPL Grand Final, and he was amongst the action early on, shooting at Richmond’s ‘keeper, Stjepan Gal, for Green Gully’s first shot on goal in the ninth minute.

Richmond’s usual play makers, Daniel Visevic and captain Dimitri Tsiaris hardly touched the ball early on, while Cameron Drake and Brent Fisher were brilliant for Gully in the first 20 minutes.

Green Gully scored their first goal in the 26th minute, thanks to a great piece of team play that ended with a Mathew Sanders goal. Gully was able to string four or five passes together, and with little pressure from the Richmond defence, Sanders got a clear shot away.

About five minutes later Gully extended their lead. Graham Hockless’ skills were on display when he received the ball in the box, got around his defender and dribbled a low shot to the right corner, inches past a diving Gal.

Richmond’s coach, Michael Chatzitrifonos, made a change at the half time break, bringing on Michael Catalano for Erhan Karahan, who was still struggling with injury. Richmond had the first shot on goal after the half time break, but they provided little resistance to Green Gully’s dominance for the rest of the half.

In the 80th minute a dubious tackle by Richmond’s Tomislav Milardovic on Andy Vargas in the box earned him a yellow card, and Gully were awarded a penalty. As he has done all year, Steve Burton stepped up and put away the goal, the icing on the cake for what was a dominant display by the Green Gully Cavaliers.

Green Gully’s coach, Paul Harris, said Gully’s great start carried them through the match.

After that initial 15-20 minutes we just got a little bit of momentum going, I know momentum is a key word, we scored a goal at the right time, it was probably the best bit of football that we played...and you know we had four or five passes, through passes, (and it was a) nice finish by Mathew (Sanders), Harris said.

“I think once that (happened) their heads went down, slightly, and then we got the second, which, Hockey (Graham Hockless) wouldn’t admit to it, but it was quite a soft goal, but I think the momentum had swung then and we came it a 2-nil half time and we thought all we need to do now is just focus, and just the first 10 or 15 mins just a little bit of consolidation and I think we looked quite comfortable in the second half.”

A disappointed Michael Chatzitrifonos was shocked at how profoundly his team was beaten.

“We got beaten by a far more committed team, from start to finish,” he said.

“They looked far fresher, stronger, sharper, all the parts of the game that you need to be on top of they certainly were, and they were by far the better team on the day.

“I think it’s unfair to say we didn’t turn up, I just felt that we were flat...fatigued from the week before. I didn’t think we’d lose as convincingly as that, that surprised me.”

Green Gully Cavaliers: 1. Nikola ROGANOVIC, 2. Daniel JONES, 3. Steven BURTON, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE (19. Jonathan Munoz, 83’), 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 12. Mathew SANDERS (6. Michael ANDERSON, 74’), 16. Mile MEDJEDOVIC, 17. Andy VARGAS, 18. Brent FISHER, 20. Cameron DRAKE (4. Dean FAK, 87’).

Unused subs: 11. Nicholas ROBINSON, 23. Kyriakos GEROHRISTODOULOU

Goals: Mathew SANDERS 26’, Graham HOCKLESS 32’, Steven BURTON 82’

Yellow cards: Jason Hayne 21’, 16. Tomislav MILARDOVIC 82’, Red cards: 16. Tomislav MILARDOVIC, 84’

Richmond: 1. Stjepan GAL, 2. Andrew VIOLA (23. Mate ETEROVIC, 77’), 3. Erhan KARAHAN (14. Michael CATALANO, 45’), 6. Dimitri TSIARAS, 7. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 10. Daniel VISEVIC, 11. Michael FERRANTE, 13. Antun KOVACIC, 16. Tomislav MILARDOVIC, 18. Steven TOPALOVIC, 19. Davey VAN ‘T SCHIP (9. Milos LUJIC, 60’).

Unused subs: 5. Stefan PIORKOWSKI, 12. Mitch BISSINGER

The 2010 Alanic Victorian Premier League season is proudly sponsored by Alanic.

Match report courtesy of FFV.