Cholakian focused on Saturday’s big finale

Ahead of the NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final, we spoke to Rockdale Ilinden maestro Brendan Cholakian on their qualification campaign, the season so far, and what winning the Championship would mean.

After defeating Blacktown City on Wednesday night, Rockdale made the big dance with a 2-1 victory over reigning Premiers NWS Spirit to make their second consecutive Grand Final.

“It was probably a really exciting game for the neutral, and to be honest, it was a really enjoyable game for us as a team” Cholakian said on the Semi-Final.

“I thought we played some really good football, I thought our intensity was really high and I thought we were the better team on the day and deserved the victory.

“It was a really enjoyable performance and it fills us with a lot of confidence going into the Grand Final.”

Rockdale have endured a mixed season, finishing short of their sky-high standards in fourth in the regular season, but have found form at the perfect time after their strong results in the finals series so far.

“To be honest, I think we started decently, we weren’t at our best, and then we went on a really good run throughout the middle of the year,” Cholakian said.

“Then we sort of dropped our standards and dropped our intensity over the past several weeks, which was disappointing for us, but something that’s really kept the group together.

“It’s a credit to the culture that we have in the sheds that, despite not having the best results over the past few weeks, we stuck together and kept focusing and backing each other, and now we’re on a good run of positivity and good performances going into the Grand Final.”

Rockdale will be taking on APIA Leichhardt in a blockbuster fixture, and for Cholakian, the route to success is to focus on what’s been working for his side over the last few seasons.

“APIA are definitely one of the stronger sides in the competition,” he said.

“But in truth, there are so many really good opponents in this league – if you played anyone on any day, any result is possible.

“But we’re just really focused on ourselves, because we’ve got that strong belief that if we play our best football on the day, we can beat anyone, and that’s always been our motto throughout the year.

“We just focus on our footballing style and our actions and intensity, and we’ll let the result take care of itself.

“We’re really looking forward to the occasion, a Grand Final is always a special opportunity, and an opportunity that I know all of our team want to take with both hands.”

Meanwhile, after Rockdale fell short last year, with the 2024 Premiers going down to Marconi Stallions in the big dance, Cholakian believes his team have learnt their lessons as they strive for the Championship this season.

“I think it would mean the world to us,” he said.

“Last year, disappointingly, we didn’t get the victory in the Grand Final, but I think that taught us a number of lessons and it obviously wasn’t our time last year.

“We’ve got the firm belief that this year is our time.

“You’ve seen the support that we get at all our games so it would mean absolutely everything to the supporters that come week in week out to support us.

“It would mean so much to the club and, importantly, this group of players who have been working so hard not just this year but across the past few seasons to get to this Grand Final.

“We’re going to do absolutely everything we can to make sure we come away with the trophy.”

Rockdale and APIA will face off at 6pm at Jubilee Stadium on Saturday, with the match also available live and free on Football NSW’s YouTube Channel.