Part five of the ever-expanding narrative that is Gungahlin United versus Canberra Croatia will take on an even greater purpose as the two clash again, this time in the Preliminary Final with a place in the National Premier League Grand Final up for grabs.
The pair have been toe-to-toe in three NPL matches, as well as a rip-roaring Australia Cup Qualifying Semi-Final, with the fixtures featuring a scarcely believable twenty-five goals so far, Croatia having the best of it having won the Cup match and the league encounter at the AIS.
Gungahlin will take heart from their ability to force goals past a Croatia defence that has been less than solid in some matches in 2023, and indeed the Gunners came from behind three times to earn a draw in a sensational 3-3 stalemate in Round 12.
The most recent clash was in Round 20 where a brace from Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu was added to by goals from Tony Spaseski, Stephen Domenici and Ryan Keir as the hosts flexed their muscles with a 5-2 win on the way to finishing fourth on the table via a vastly superior goal difference to Monaro Panthers and Tigers FC.
Croatia showed their mettle again in the Elimination Final, a penalty shoot-out success in the ‘Canberra Classico’ ending Canberra Olympic’s involvement in the finals’ series, goalkeeper Sam Brown saving a trio of penalties, one from Thomas James in regular time and strikes from Luca Florez and Cale Brown in the shoot-out.
Gungahlin meanwhile led the League Champions O’Connor Knights in the seventh minute, Maxx Green finding the net for the 28th time in all competitions, before the Knights hit back to score twice, once either side of half-time, and seal a Grand Final spot.
In the last few years this fixture has bubbled along with an undercurrent that has seen a spate of red cards, goals aplenty, and incidents galore, enough to feature in a whole book of their own. This latest chapter promises to be another incredible entry into that cannon, and one that will give the victors the spoils and the vanquished a ticket home.
FIXTURE
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Saturday 16 September
Gungahlin United v Canberra Croatia (Riverside Stadium, 19:00)
TOP SCORERS
22 Maxx GREEN (Gungahlin United)
20 Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Croatia)
14 Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
12 Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Canberra Croatia), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
11 Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic)
10 Josh GULEVSKI (Tigers FC)
9 Own GOALS
8 Philippe BERNABO-MADRID (Gungahlin United)
7 Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Clancy HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC)
6 Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
5 Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights)
4 Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Lewis MCKINNEY (Tuggeranong United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Patrick SHORE (West Canberra Wanderers), Regan WALSH (O’Connor Knights)
3 Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Micheal JOHN (Monaro Panthers), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Luca MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Ed MCCARTHY (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Adam NEOU (Canberra Olympic), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), George TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), Jason UGRINIC (Canberra Croatia)
2 Riley ANGELOSANTE (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Julian BORGNA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), FERNANDO Jorquera (Gungahlin United), Franc GRECO (Canberra Croatia), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Beau HARVEY (Monaro Panthers), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Tyson LIVERMORE (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Monaro Panthers), Tom MCLACHLAN (Gungahlin United), Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Jackson PAESLER (Gungahlin United), Kaz PATAFTA (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas ROUFOGALIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Kyle SENIOR (Tigers FC), Callum SMITH (Canberra Olympic), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Hristjan TANOSKI (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Noah VANDERPOL (Canberra Croatia), Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia), Doug WOODIWISS (West Canberra Wanderers)
1 Badreldin ABBAS (Gungahlin United), Joaquin ABOT (Tuggeranong United), Angus BAILEY (West Canberra Wanderers), Dylan BERKREY (Tuggeranong United), Jake BISHOP (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Lachlan CAMPBELL (O’Connor Knights), Kofi DANNING (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Dom GIAMPAOLO (Gungahlin United), Patrick HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Adrian MACOR (Canberra Olympic), Tony MADAFFARI (Tigers FC), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Max MELLICK (Canberra Olympic), Misko NAUMOSKI (Gungahlin United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic), Harrison PALIC (O’Connor Knights), George PAVESE (West Canberra Wanderers), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Jayden RIPPON (West Canberra Wanderers), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (West Canberra Wanderers), Liam VICKERS (West Canberra Wanderers), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United), Joshua YOUNG (West Canberra Wanderers)