Sharks Swim Into History With Victory At Seymour Shaw
utherland Sharks FC made history on Saturday afternoon, securing their first-ever place in the Australian Championship whilst cementing a top six spot with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over St George City in front of another bumper crowd at Seymour Shaw.
The result also secured the Sharks’ place in the NPL Men’s NSW finals, capping off a remarkable turnaround after a difficult start to the season.
Sutherland started the faster of the two sides in front of a packed Seymour Shaw on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Seung-Joo Choi almost bent a corner directly into the goal early on, only for St George City goalkeeper Jack Kenny to turn the effort over the crossbar.
The hosts continued to push for the opener, with Jamie Percevski wriggling free inside the penalty area before craning his header over the crossbar.
St George City had a few half-chances of their own, with their best opportunity falling to Spencer Webster in the 12th minute, although his effort skewed wide.
Sutherland eventually made their pressure count in the 28th minute.
A well-delivered cross was stood up perfectly for Yianni Nicolaou, who rose to nod home and give the Sharks a 1-0 lead.
The visitors looked to respond from a set piece, but Lucas Bedleg was unable to trouble Sharks goalkeeper Danijel Nizic with his effort.
Sutherland continued to swarm forward in search of a second and were rewarded in the 42nd minute.
A slick team move opened up the St George defence before mid-season signing Diego Bonilla swept the ball home to double the Sharks’ advantage.
There was one final opportunity for St George City before the break, with Brodie Clarkson taking on a volley that fizzed wide.
The Sharks came out strongly after the restart and almost added a third when a quick move inside the penalty area ended with Ryley Hollingdale seeing his effort strike the post.
St George City rang the changes at half-time as they looked to find a way back into the contest and set up a grandstand finish.
Webster came closest to providing the breakthrough when his effort took a deflection and went narrowly wide.
The Sharks continued to search for a third goal that would have settled the contest, with substitute Richard Shoueiki teasing a cross towards Percevski, who headed over in the 78th minute.
St George City eventually found the back of the net in the 81st minute.
The visitors worked the spaces well before substitute Paolo Mitry fired into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The final stages were nervy as St George City pushed desperately for an equaliser.
Substitute Tariq Ercan flashed a header wide before the contest produced one final moment of drama.
Sharks goalkeeper Nizic was penalised under the goalkeeper counting rule, giving St George City one final corner.
The resulting set piece caused chaos inside the penalty area before Sutherland eventually managed to bundle the ball away and secure the victory.
The final whistle sparked huge celebrations at Seymour Shaw, with the Sharks securing three precious points and, in the process, claiming their place in both the Australian Championship and the NPL Men’s NSW finals.
Post-match, Sutherland Sharks coach David Perkovic reflected on the huge achievement for his side.
“It locks in the Australian Championship for us, which is massive considering how we started the season. It is a massive accomplishment,” Perkovic said.
“I am proud of every player who contributed to this season, but we’re not done.”
On the record crowd that packed Seymour Shaw, Perkovic added:
“Our community backs us. It is a big moment for the club and the community, and I am glad they back us.”
St George City boss Mirko Jurilj was frank in his assessment of his team’s performance.
“It wasn’t good enough in the first half. We undid everything we did in the last month in that first 45 minutes and I guess it reflects our season,” Jurilj said.
For Sutherland, however, the focus now turns towards the NPL Men’s NSW finals and a first-ever Australian Championship appearance — a significant milestone for the club and its passionate community.
Match Stats
Sutherland Sharks FC 2 (Nicolaou ’28 Bonilla ’42)
St George City FA 1 (Mitry ‘81
Saturday 22 August 2026
Seymour Shaw
Referee: Rowan Fisher
Assistant Referees: Daniel Cornofsky & Liam Smith
Fourth Official: Wael Arabi
Sutherland Sharks FC: 1. Danijel Nizic, 3. Yianni Nicolaou, 4. Thijs Van Amerongen, 5. Jordan Perez, 6. Ryley Hollingdale, 11. Seung joo Choi (10. Tariq Maia ’63), 14. Matthew Jurman, 15. Jamie Percevski, 19. Diego Bonilla, 21. Nicholas Olsen, 22. Tye McGowan (17. Richard Shoueiki ’70)
Unused subs: 2. Lachlan Macdonald, 7. Takumi Ofuka, 12. Samuel Smith,18. Gian Fiorese, 40. Lucas Webber
Yellow cards: nil
Red cards: nil
St George City FA: 1. Jack Kenny, 4. Solomon-John Monahan-Vaiika, 8. Stefan Rossello (10. Paolo Mitry ’45), 9. Lucas Bedleg (5. Lewis Miccio ’45), 11. Ben Giason (27. Matthew Jackson ’45), 17. Mason Tatafu, 20. Theph Theph, 25. Brodie Clarkson, 33. Louis Khoury (16. Yohn Pederson ’68), 35. Spencer Webster, 47. Bassam Sabbagh (6. Tarik Ercan ‘82)
Unused subs: 3. Benjamin Berry, 13. Franklin Jan
Yellow cards: nil
Red cards: nil
By Justin Davies
