Gold Coast Knights and Olympic FC meet with fire in the 10th edition of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland Grand final
Road to the final:
It's been a return to form for Gold Coast Knights after a dismal 2021. Having missed out on the finals for the first time in their NPL tenure, the appointment of Scott McDonald as head coach paid instant dividends.
The ex-Socceroo ushered in a clear out at the Carrara-based club. Eight additions salved seven departures, resulting in their equal best league position in their NPL history. Knights' lost five times over the course of the season, earning the epithet of the league's tightest defence with 27 goals conceded.
Heading into Sunday's semi, they had only lost twice to top four opposition, a stat augmented by a 6-3 dismantling of premiers Lions FC in March. Knights' proved that Peninsula Power were no exception to the rule with a statement 3-1 win.
Max Brown fortuitously opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, while former Power-man Ante Poljak doubled the advantage at the restart. Pasquale De Vita dispatched a penalty six minutes later, with Power's Cronin consolation a mere footnote on a Gold Coast masterclass.
Olympic FC entered into the semi-finals off the back of a five game winless run. Suffering the ignominy of a fourth consecutive Grand final defeat in 2021, it was a season of consolidation for Olympic.
With some shrewd additions complimenting a strong core contingent, Olympic picked up where they left off in seasons past, securing their prescribed place in the top four. At times looking like world beaters, their season was marred by a few flaccid performances against the bottom-half.
Having lost twice to Lions' this season, they were ostensible underdogs in their Saturday semi-final at Richlands. Olympic proved that no script can write them off come finals time. They were twice pegged back after goals from Shannon Brady and Takeru Okada, before substitute Zac Kierpal struck a 91st minute winner that sent Lions' packing.
Head to Head:
These sides met in the 2019 edition of the NPL Grand-final, with Knights running out 2-1 winners on the day, consigning Olympic to their second of what would be four grand final defeats.
They have met seven times since then, with Gold Coast coming up trumps just once since their maiden Championship. Olympic have recorded wins in four of their past fives games, highlighted by a 4-1 win demolition in June.
Their most recent meeting was a 2-2 draw in August. Mitch Nichols' came back to haunt his former club with the opener for Olympic. Janiel Da Silva and Max Brown fired back for Knights before Okada equalised at the Gold Coast Croatian Sports Centre.
32 cards have been issued across their previous encounters, with Knights' sharing the bulk with 21 yellow cards. Discipline could be an issue come Saturday, with six players being shown yellows in their semi-final win.
Nichols, Brady and Cian Cuba are no strangers to Knights. The former two were part of their 2019 Championship squad, with Nichols crossing the divide as recently as June. Knights have their own turncoat in Jean-Philippe Lasm. Earning cult status during his spell at Goodwin Park, he has been integral in the engine room since signing in June.
Key players:
Shannon Brady has been a boon for Olympic. Instrumental in their semi-final win, grabbing his 13th goal and 8th assist of the season, he is fast becoming the NPL Queensland's big game player.
Brady is no stranger to Grand finals, having won the Y-League Championship with Brisbane Roar Youth in 2019. He went on to be a part of Gold Coast Knights' 2019 winning squad, while his appearance in last year's big dance was cut short due to an ankle injury.
The vivacious winger has taken Olympic's attack to another level since his arrival in 2021. His combinational play with Daniel Leck has been key to unlocking many a defence, with Ben Cahn hoping his star man can pay dividends on the weekend.
At the other end of the pitch, Gold Coast custodian Josh Langdon has been stealing the highlights on their Grand final run. The 23-year old has made 74 consecutive appearances for Knights as he's established himself as one of the best shotstoppers Australia-wide.
Knights' fantastic defensive record can be owed largely to Langdon, with his saves oft proving the difference. Langdon has been nominated for Save of the Month four times this season and is tipped to pick up the Golden Glove at season's end.
Nullifying Olympic's attack will be no easy feat for Knights, but they can rest easy knowing that opposition attackers will have to negotiate a brick wall if they are to score.
Details:
Gold Coast Knights v. Olympic FC
7:30pm 10th September, 2022
Perry Park, Bowen Hills
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