As a fantastic season of football draws to a close, the biggest annual match in Australian youth football has arrived. The battle for the 2009/10 National Youth League Grand Final plate will be contested by second placed Perth Glory and fourth placed Gold Coast United, after their victories against Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners last weekend.
High flying Glory will go into the match as favourites, following their outstanding second season. Glory missed out on the Premier's Plate on the last day of competition, needing a win to wrench it from the grasp of Central Coast Mariners. Despite their disappointing last round loss to Newcastle Jets, Glory bounced back with a solid performance in Adelaide. The side has been decimated with injury in recent weeks and currently has five players unavailable due to injury. Nevertheless, the side will be looking to compensate for their A-League outfit's early finals exit and finally prove Glory can live up to their name in the A-League era.
Gold Coast, on the other hand, have had an up and down season in terms of success on the pitch, however, their morale-boosting win over the Mariners last weekend will give Glory something to worry about. They'll be helped by the likes of James Brown and Tahj Minniecon who, while under A-League contracts, have been key members of the GCU youth team since day 1. The loss of Golgol Mebrahtu to a hamstring injury may be a key factor in determining their fortune, however, apart from him, coach Mike Mulvey has a full squad to choose from.
Key Player: Glen Trifiro (Perth Glory) - After last season's stint with Central Coast Mariners youth, Trifiro's venture to Perth has more than paid off. The quick young midfielder has been a standout for Glory all season and, as well as setting goals up, he's proved he's capable of scoring them too.
FourFourTwo tip: Perth to win it, but both sides to score. With such attacking firepower on display, I reckon there's a few goals in this game.
National Youth League Grand Final: Perth Glory v Gold Coast United
Saturday, 20 March 2010 at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off: 3:00pm (AEDT)
The match will be broadcast live on 990am information radio in Perth, with coverage starting at 11:30am (WST).
Gold Coast United Youth squad: Jerrad TYSON [gk], Steven TOPALOVIC, James BROWN, Ben WEARING, Zac ANDERSON, Callum HARE, Steven LUSTICA (c), Chris HAROLD, Rueben WAY, Koh SATAKE, Ben HALLORAN, Mitchell BEVAN, Tahj MINNIECON, Josh BRILLANTE, Tim ANDERSON [gk].
Unavailable: Golgol MEBRAHTU (hamstring injury - indefinite).
Perth Glory Youth squad: Tommy AMPHLETT, Ludovic BOI, Tim DOYLE (gk), Hayden DOYLE, Dean EVANS, Howard FONDYKE, Hanafi GHAZALI, Steve HESKETH (c), Mario MARCINKO, Sam MITCHINSON, Sebit OYET, Alex PEARSON (gk), Ryan PEARSON, Joshua RISDON, Glen TRIFIRO, Reece VITTIGLIA, Steve WALMSLEY?*two to be omitted*
Unavailable: Million BUTSHIIRE (knee - 1 week), Cameron EDWARDS (foot - 10 weeks), Brent GRIFFTHS (hamstring - 3 weeks), Andrija JUKIC (groin - indefinite), Anthony SKORICH (foot - indefinite).
