May 20, 2013
By Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
The 2013 Evolution Solar Presidents Cup Finals on Saturday all turned out to be thrilling, close games.
Nanango was heavily tipped to win in all three grades because its teams have all remained unbeaten since last season.
But the day’s action didn’t go entirely to script for them …
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The competition started with the Second Division Final between Nanango and Gunners.
Gunners dominated the first half of the game while Nanango relied on counter attack.
Gunners had plenty of opportunities to score early in the match (through Christian Langford, Kevin Barnes and Tin Truong) but some good keeping and indifferent finishing kept Nanango in the game.
With a little bit of possession and a mix-up in the Gunners’ defence, Nanango went ahead in the 33rd minute through Ayden Connolly and remained in the lead until half time.
Nanango improved in the second half and gained a larger percentage of the possession.
In the 60th minute, Nathan Ballinger put his side 2-0 up.
With five minutes remaining Gunners missed a great opportunity to pull a goal back.
Gunners found more urgency in their game and in the 78th minute Kevin Barnes scored to give the team a slim glimmer of hope.
In injury time, Gunners almost snatched a draw with a late shot, but in the end Nanango prevailed to win the match 2-1.
Best for Gunners were Kevin Barnes and Brendon McCarron while for Nanango, Ayden Connolly and Clarence Rolley were stand-outs.
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The second match of the day was the Women’s Final between Nanango and Wests.
Last weekend Nanango narrowly defeated Wests 1-0 in a regular competition game, so this match was always going to be close.
During the week Wests had signed sharp shooter Kahlie Rauert, who is making her return to football after a year’s break, but were without the league’s top goal scorer Jacqui Trace.
The first half of the match was a real battle with neither side having many scoring opportunities and most of the game contained to the midfield.
And the second half was just as tough, with both sides playing quality football.
But ten minutes into the second half, Wests were awarded a penalty after a player was brought down in the box. However Kahlie Rauert failed to convert and the match stayed scoreless.
Then in the 56th minute – after having more possession – Kahlie Rauert atoned for her previous miss to give Wests a 1-0 lead after a fine individual run.
The goal seemed to spur Nanango on, and in the 62nd minute they equalised through Kerri Thompson.
At the end of 90 minutes and 20 minutes extra time, the match remained a stalemate and some very tired girls had to face the prospect of the dreaded penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.
But the winner was decided quickly, with Wests scoring from all their dot shots and Nanango missing their’s, allowing Wests to win 3-0 on penalties.
It was the end of the Nanango women team’s unbeaten run since last year’s Grand Final, and marked the first goals scored against them in 2013.
Best on the park for Wests were Michelle Hunter and Danielle Maudsley, while Raegan Campbell and Cassie Kelly were Nanango’s pick.
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The last match of the day was the much-awaited clash between Nanango and Gunners in 1st Division.
Nanango had not lost a game since the end of 2011.
In previous matches this year, Nanango walloped Gunners 7-0 in their first game, while the second encounter was a closer 2-0 win.
To the surprise of many, though, Gunners’ usual midfielder Peter Collins started in goal while regular keeper Reise Braund started in the striking position: a calculated gamble by coach Debbie Ovens.
The game started off with Gunners holding the upper hand and keeping possession, but Nanango had the first chance through the well-known combination of Justin and Kieran Mangan.
The rest of the half was battle of attrition in the midfield, with both sides having few opportunities due to some very tight defence.
Gunners stamped their dominance of the game when Ike Sililat gave his team the lead in the 58th minute … the first goal scored against Nanango this season.
Both teams pushed hard in the second half and while Nanango desperately looked for an equaliser, the stoic Gunners’ defence held their ground.
After a short break after coming off after a head clash, Reise Braund gave Gunners a 2-0 buffer with only seven minutes to go.
Gunners had worked hard and had beaten the odds, ending Nanango’s incredible winning streak.
There should be some more great football between these teams throughout the remainder of the season.
Best on the park for Gunners were Bailey Raines in defence, while Sam Murray once again impressed in the midfield and Torren Anderton had his best game of the year.
For Nanango, Elliot Mangan was great in defence while Steve Johnston worked hard in the midfield.
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Results
- 1st Division: Gunners 2 (Ike Sililat 58th, Reise Braund 83rd) defeated Nanango 0
- Women: Wests 1 (Kahlie Rauert 56th) defeated Nanango 1 (Kerrie Thompson 62nd) – Wests won 3-0 on penalty shoot-out
- 2nd Division: Nanango 2 (Ayden Connolly 33rd, Nathan Ballinger 60th ) defeated Gunners 1 (Kevin Barnes 78th)
2013 President’s Cup Teams
