In an exciting coup for this Sunday’s highly anticipated Grand Final between Blacktown City and Sydney United 58 FC is the news that PlayStation4 will beam the match live to all its consoles and network from around the world.
Joining in on the Live Stream produced by VPA Productions which will be commentated by leading Australian football pundit Mike Cockerill along with the very experienced Adam Santarossa to be beamed on Facebook Live and YouTube, has come the news that PlayStation4 will also assist in further promoting what will be a fantastic match.
The application is now live and functioning and will be online from 2:30pm on Sunday.
Purchase tickets to the Grand Final of the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s
Archives for September 2016
Stavroulakis down but not out
Sydney United 58 will face a familiar foe in Blacktown City FC in the big finale this Sunday at Leichhardt Oval for the right to be crowned PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Champions but one man that won’t be involved in the match will be club Vice-Captain Nick Stavroulakis.
‘The Little Warrior’ dubbed by his teammates, picked up a yellow card in the dying stages of the first half against the Bonnyrigg White Eagles in their epic 3-2 victory last Sunday, ruling him out of the biggest game of the season.
It was his second card in successive weeks after receiving one in the Major Semi against Blacktown City FC.
It’s not foreign ground for the combative midfielder, having suffered the same fate with the Sutherland Sharks in 2010 where he experienced the pain of missing a Grand Final.
It didn’t deter Stavroulakis from putting in a Roy Keane-esque performance, helping lead his team into the 2016 Grand Final, much like Keane helped Manchester United on a number of occasions during his time as a footballer.
Nevertheless, it hurt the United 58 midfielder.
“It was the first challenge I made in the game and there was no malice intended – I thought the yellow was harsh.
“It played on my mind for a couple seconds, I reacted…yelled and then got on with the job I was there to do for the team.
“I’ve been in these situations before; I hate missing any football game so it’s really upsetting, but it’s happened and we move forward not backward.”
Mark Rudan’s men had a stern opposition in front of them in the Bonnyrigg White Eagles and one of the most experienced coaches in the league in the opposing dug out, Brian ‘Bomber’ Brown – a face only too familiar for Stavroulakis.
“Playing against Bonnyrigg, I’ve always felt that fierce competition, especially against my old coach ‘Bomber’ who I experienced a number of good years playing under his guidance.
“They’re a tough team to play, no matter where or when because Bomber’s teams never give up and they have a knack of winning games late.
“The feel of a Sydney United 58 v Bonnyrigg White Eagles match has a little more of an edge than any other matches I have played – it was a real buzz being part of such a spectacle.
“But in the end we got the win and I was happy for the team.
“I was upset that I was set to miss the Grand Final but the boys are there so it was a massive positive to take from the emotion of missing out.”
Turn back the clock a year and 2015 was a season to forget for Stavroulakis who suffered a horrific head injury that required emergency surgery during a Westfield FFA Cup Preliminary round match against the APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
He showed fantastic character to come back when it looked as though he would not play football again.
“The first thing I said after I woke up from surgery was I wanted to go and play straight away.
“People thought I was nuts.
“Once I got the all clear I got straight into it.
“Football has given me everything in my life, my mates, work, contacts – everything – I love the sport and I’ve been blessed to be able to play it.
“I was lucky I had such a strong support group around me during that tough period, my fiancé, my brother, parents, close friends, Mark Milligan, all these people did a lot for me.
“I also had the backing of the entire football community which was something I will never forget. This sport has something no other sport has, when one of their players are down and out, we always help our own in times of need.
“Then my physios at Jubilee Sports, Kieran Rooney and Michael Gabriel and of course my conditioning coach Christian Miranda all played a crucial role in getting me playing the game I love once more.”
Despite not being available for Sundays game at Leichhardt Oval, Stavroulakis stressed his team would fight tooth and nail to lift that Championship trophy – which could well be their third piece of silverware this year after picking up the Premiership and Waratah Cup thus far.
“We couldn’t have mapped it out like this and it has been a massive year for myself and the team.
“I think on Sunday we will lift the trophy.
“I have confidence that if we are switched on we will win.
“There is no room for errors. I think we unlocked a key in the semi on their method and we know how to do the job on them.
“When we play football and to our strengths, we score goals and dominate, as long as there are no silly mistakes or bad calls we will win.
“I think we deserve it and have been the most consistent side throughout the whole season – a lapse in concentration or a bad call can undo everything in a final which I know the boys will be very weary of.
“Blacktown City will no doubt provide a massive test for us, they have some quality players so it will be a spectacle not to be missed by anyone.”
It has been a long and arduous season for Stavroulakis, playing over 30 games after having almost a whole season off in 2015, but the body has adapted once again to playing the sport he adores.
“I’ve missed three games all year.
“We try to take semi-professional football to a professional level by training right and taking care of our bodies.
“I have an old school mentality and put in 100% all the time and give everything I have in the tank and I’ll be like that till I finish my career.”
The season isn’t over yet for the combative midfielder, despite missing Sunday’s Grand Final, the 31-year-old will play a pivotal role in Sydney United 58’s PlayStation4 National Premier League Finals Series match up against South Australian Premiers Adelaide City on Sunday 18th September at the Sydney United Sports Centre (2pm kick-off).
These Finals Series matches alone mean a lot to the former Australian youth international for a number of personal reasons and goals.
“I’m really excited about the PS4 NPL Finals Series, it’s really like the Champions League for State League football across Australia.
“We are facing a very tough and well drilled Adelaide City side and the last time they mentioned a match that involved Sydney United and Adelaide City was way back in the National Soccer League days.
“Then when you look at the bench, it’s two guys that used to play against each other on the pitch now taking on each other from the dugout in Mark Rudan and Damian Mori.”
On a personal level, winning the PS4 NPL Finals Series would be the icing on the cake for the tough tackling midfielder.
“I’ve won everything there is to win in the league in NSW bar the PS4 NPL Finals Series. There’s been four Waratah Cups, two Premierships and One Championship.
“This will be my first PS4 NPL Finals Series match and it’s certainly something I have very high on my list of goals and objectives and I will do what I can with the team to achieve this.”
Season 2016 is something that Stavroulakis will remember for the rest of his life, giving him so much and allowing him to take a different approach to the game he loves.
“I looked at it week by week and never further than that.
“It’s helped me so much and I’ll take it till I finish up, it’s important that I’ve concentrated on me first and then my job.
“It was a real eye opener of how lucky I am to be able to play this wonderful game still and to do it with some of the best friends I have made for life.
“This game is my life and just that buzz you have when you play it with your mates as well as that rush you get when you are in the dressing sheds with your teammates along with the banter that flows is something I will miss terribly when I finally hang the boots up.”
Stavroulakis has not closed his chapter on football just yet.
Only a year ago when many thought that was it for him, his will-power, spirit and determination spurred him on to conquer and achieve something more powerful than any Championships and Premierships won and that was living life to its fullest.
-By Nikola Pozder
Purchase tickets to the Grand Final of the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s
Grand Final Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s
The biggest game of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s season has arrived and months of blood, sweat and tears will culminate with what is set to be a blockbuster clash of the titans.
After 22 rounds and three weeks of finals, Blacktown City and Sydney United 58 will go head to head to decide who is this season’s PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Champions.
Blacktown and United 58 have played in some of the season’s best matches and it is only fitting the top two sides can settle the equation of who is the true champion on grand final day.
Neither side is a stranger to the big stage.
Blacktown City is the reigning PlayStation®4 NPL champion as the best state league club side in Australia and will be contesting their third straight PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Grand Final. The Mark Crittenden coached side has had an incredible run in this season’s Westfield FFA Cup and are set to face A-League side Sydney FC in the quarter finals later this month.
Sydney United 58 on the other hand has been the benchmark this season. Finishing the season on top of the premiership ladder to secure the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Premiership as well as a win in the Waratah Cup final, Mark Rudan’s squad is playing for an incredible treble of titles in 2016.
On the park both teams have squads bristling with talent with neither side possessing any glaring weaknesses.
Rudan’s squad was in inspired form this season to notch the Premiership three weeks before the end of the season. The Reds had the best defence in the competition conceding only 21 goals including a four game run without a goal scored against them. Their attack wasn’t too bad either, tying with Manly United for the highest scoring offence in the competition with 58 goals. Striker Chris Payne is the competition’s golden boot with 22 goals while teammate Panny Nikas is not far behind in second with 18 goals.
While Sydney United 58’s stats are impressive, Blacktown City’s efforts aren’t to be scoffed at. The Seven Hill’s based outfit has the second best defence in the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s with only 26 goals conceded while their attack finished third in the rankings with 46 goals in the regular season. Unlike Sydney United 58, Blacktown shared the goal scoring load with six players scoring six goals or more.
The key match-ups of the match will feature some of the league’s biggest stars going head to head.
Can Tomislav Uskok and the Sydney United 58 defence hold out the relentless attack of Blacktown’s quartet of Joey Gibbs, Patrick Antelmi, Mitch Mallia and Danny Choi.
Will Travis Major be able to continue his impressive form in his new found defensive midfield position against the tricky Glen Trifiro and Panny Nikas?
How much impact will the absence of Sydney United 58’s formidable midfielder Nick Stavroulakis, who will miss the game through suspension have on the match and can Peter Triantis fill the big shoes of his inspirational team mate?
In four matches this season, Blacktown City lead with three wins to Sydney United 58’s one including an incredible 6-2 flogging in the Westfield FFA Cup.
While the record between the two sides so far this year is against Mark Rudan’s side, United 58 have been the benchmark with only two losses in the regular season.
Whatever the outcome this afternoon, goals, excitement and entertainment seem likely.
However when it’s all said and done, only one team can be Champion.
All eyes will be fixed at Leichhardt Oval this Sunday, be sure not to miss what will be one of the best spectacles this state has ever seen at NPL level.
Purchase tickets to the Grand Final of the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s
Match Details
Sunday 11th September
Leichhardt Oval
Blacktown City v Sydney United 58
3pm kick off
Mark Robertson says farewell
After the best part of a decade leading Hakoah Sydney City East FC from strength to strength, Mark “Robbo” Robertson is bidding farewell as head coach to pursue a growing work career in the UK.
When Hakoah Sydney City East FC began its journey to once again become a competitive force in football in 2011, its success hinged on bringing in a head coach that was charismatic, competitive and lived and breathed football.
Robertson has these attributes on all fronts, and along with assistant coach Hayden Foxe, Hakoah Sydney City East FC won the Grand Final and missed out on promotion by the slimmest of margins in their maiden season.
Following this Hakoah Sydney City East FC won promotion in every year it was offered, and went on an unprecedented run from the fourth tier to the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s.
However, it is not just his contribution to the success of the club at senior level in which Robertson has left an indelible mark, he has also been a huge influence on every young man that has come through the ranks at Hakoah Sydney City East FC .
Robertson has been a presence at every junior match he could attend, and this approach is one of the key reasons behind the unique culture and atmosphere at Hakoah Sydney City East FC where boys of all ages join the senior team in walking onto the pitch and singing the team song.
Looking ahead to the future, the club is very excited to announce the appointment of Gavin “Guv” Rae as the new head coach for 2017.
Rae came to Sydney from a two-decade professional career in the UK which included playing for Scotland, captaining Glasgow Rangers and playing in an FA Cup Final.
Despite his glittering career, Rae was the hardest working man in the team as soon as he joined Hakoah Sydney City East FC in 2014, and has been an integral part of the club since.
This is not Rae’s first foray into coaching, having won promotion to the Scottish Premier League with Dundee as player/coach in 2013 and also working as Robertson’s assistant coach at Hakoah Sydney City East FC.
Rae has an exciting vision for 2017, and the club look forward to seeing him continue to drive the club’s success in the coming years.
In addition, the club welcome new U20s coaches for the 2017 season.
Paul Hubbard coached the Sutherland Sharks 18s to Grand Final success in 2014, and six players in that squad went on to play in the Hyundai A-League National Youth League and three to represent Australia Under 19s, showing the focus on development.
Paul is an FFA ‘A’ licensed coach, with UEFA level 3 diploma, UEFA ‘B’ licence and FA Youth modules 1, 2 & 3, as well as having his NSCAA national diploma from USA.
His assistant Andy Norman played under the likes of Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis at AFC Bournemouth’s Youth Academy, before embarking on his coaching career with Paul.
The club are very excited to see what these two men can do in regards to both 2017 success as well as player development.
-Hakoah Sydney City East Press Release
Grand Final Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s U18
The 2016 season has been one of indifference for both Hakoah Sydney City East and Wollongong Wolves but the two standout teams from the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s U18’s competition are out to ensure they end the campaign with silverware when they clash at Leichhardt Oval.
Both sides have enjoyed stellar seasons with Hakoah claiming the Premiership from the noses of Sutherland Sharks – whom the Hensley Athletic Field outfit comfortably dispatched 2-0 in their preliminary final last Sunday at Seymour Shaw.
Having finished 11 points behind the Premiers at the conclusion of the regular season, Wollongong have timed their run through the finals series to perfection, overcoming both Hakoah and Sutherland on their path to the Leichhardt Oval.
The James O’Rourke coached side have prepared for the edgy, tense nature of finals football with impressive aplomb, keeping five consecutive clean sheets en route to state football’s biggest day.
Wollongong also find themselves undefeated against Hakoah this season – the only club yet to be defeated by the Premiers, with the South Coast side sharing on the points at WIN Stadium on the opening day before notching 1-0 victories in Round 12 and in the qualifying final in late August.
The Wolves custodian is quietly optimistic his charges can maintain their undefeated streak against their more fancied opponents.
“We’ve beaten all the teams in front of us and around us this year so we’re feeling confident”, says O’Rourke.
“Hakoah are a similar side to us in how we play, they play with a togetherness, and they’re a very solid unit and one that is hard to break down.
Mark Gannon’s Hakoah conceded just 19 goals over the course of the regular season, a feat that the former Sydney University manager says has laid the platform for his side’s success in their Premiership winning campaign.
“We built a good back five from day one.
“I’ve always tried to build from the back and set up a good defence first and try and educate the lads to defend first.”
With both sides openly declaring their considerable defensive strengths prior to the match, the stage is set for a fiercely contested Grand Final – one Gannon needs no further motivation for.
“They’re the only team I haven’t beaten, so I’m looking forward to going in against Wollongong.
“The likes of Jake Trew will hurt us if we give him time, and they’ve got a couple of good holding midfielders who get on the ball and control the game.
The Wolves starlet has caught the eye of many throughout an impressive 2016 campaign that has seen the forward deputize for Jacob Timpano’s first grade side, including a late cameo in Wollongong’s FFA Cup Round of 32 meeting with Sydney FC.
“The U18 boys have been shining lights for the club this year”, says O’Rourke.
Match Details
Sunday 11th September
Leichhardt Oval
Wollongong Wolves v Hakoah Sydney City East
10am kick off
Purchase tickets to the Grand Final of the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s
-By Jacob Windon