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Dandaloo clinch the Illawarra treble! Grand Final 
 (Dandaloo, Illawarra Champions for 2009 - BOTN Photo by Peter Rowney)
Dandaloo’s status as the heavyweights of the Illawarra Football Association was confirmed in today’s Grand Final after they comprehensively brushed aside Bulli’s challenge to the tune of 4-0 on a blustery but sunny Crehan Park in front of more than 3,000 spectators.
Surprisingly, Dandaloo had never been in a Grand Final before despite clinching four Premier League Championships in their short but highly illustrious 5 year history. But finally 2009 was the year of the Lions as they added the Grand Final silverware to the League Championship and Bampton Cup as well. A remarkable achievement for a club so young but so vastly experienced on the field.
Bulli had finished 2nd in the Premier League, and so nearly snatched a win over Dandaloo in the Major Semi-Final 2 weeks previously (after fighting back from a 3-0 deficit to go down 4-3 to a late Dandaloo goal in extra time).
The stage was set for a cracking game and the vocal crowd were roaring from the start as Bulli did a lot of the early running and some strong challengers were made as players asserted themselves. However, it was Dandaloo that opened the scoring as early as the 2nd minute when Alvin Ceccoli found the top left corner of the net with a nice strike from a free kick outside the box.
Bulli, the comeback kings, came back at Dandaloo strongly and in the 9th minute a Bulli free kick which beat the wall, was desperately cleared off the line by Ceccoli as Bulli striker Anthony Guido just failed to get a touch to the ball with an outstretched foot.
Three minutes later Guido was back in the action after Lions keeper Joel Lockhart failed to clear a back pass properly. Guido was there to pick up the crumbs but his shot just went wide of the right post.
Against the run of play and with Bulli threatening to equalise, Jason Kencevski pounced on a loose ball in the Bulli defence, beat Bulli keeper Alan McLeish and slotted the ball into the net for Danadaloo’s second in the 23rd minute. Early days indeed but many in the crowd would have wondered if Bulli had the ability to stage another comeback against the Lions. In the 31st minute Dandy’s David Reid struck a long-range thunderbolt that went just wide.
2-0 down at half-time, Bulli had a lot of work to do and in the 52nd minute Matthew Bailey forced Lockhart into making a full stretch diving save from a free kick outside the box. How Bulli could have done with a goal then!
As the 2nd half wore on Dandaloo started to take total control and their passing game is a a credit to their success. In the 67th minute Kencevski was on the scoresheet again after making a barging run in the Bulli box in which he rounded 2 defenders and shot past the keeper from close-range.
With 2 minutes left on the clock Kencevski bagged his hat-trick in almost identical circumstances to his 2nd goal. Unfortunately for him, his name hence went into the book for some over-exuberant celebrating as Dandaloo knew they had the game completely in the bag with a 4-0 lead.
Dandaloo thoroughly deserved their victory and Bulli will be rueing some wasted chances early in the game; when the game seemed evenly poised.
MATCH STATS: Crowd: abt 3,000
Dandaloo Lions FC
Subs not used: tba
Coach: Rob Birkin
Yellow Cards:
tba Bulli FC Subs not used: tba
Coach: Adrian Alston
Yellow Cards:
tba
Referee:Bobby Mazevski tba/10; Assistants: Tomas Royall, Michael Seaborn; 4th Official: Tony Bosevski
Pitch: tba/10
Game: tba/10
Best players: tba
Match Report by Mark Taylor; Stats and photos by Peter Rowney  (Christian Cevenini Dandaloo turns inside Bullis Rohan Daley - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney)  (Dandaloo keeper Joel Lockhart just keeps out Matthew Bailey's free kick - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney)  (Matthew Bailey, Bulli's captain - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney) (Christian Cevenini, Dandaloo, turns inside Bulli's Rohan Daley - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney)  (The Bulli faithful maintain their spirits - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney)  ( Chris Jackson leads the charge - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney)  (Alvin Ceccoli collects the Scott Chipperfield Medal for Player of the Match - Photo for BOTN by Peter Rowney) Preview - 2009 Grand Final Day
Illawarra Mercury Premier League Grand Final
On Sunday 11 October, 2009 - 3.00pm Kick Off
Dandaloo vs. Bulli
 (David Reid (Dandaloo) tussles with Matthew Bailey (Bulli) - Photo courtesy of IFA)
This coming Sunday we have the showpiece of the Illawarra Football Association playing calendar when Dandaloo will clash with Bulli in the Illawarra Mercury Premier League Grand Final.
In what promises to be a real spectacle with many quality players on show, the match will be decided between the two best teams in the competition this season.
A few weeks ago, Dandaloo captured their third League Championship in four seasons when they finished nine points clear of Bulli in second place. To go with their league title, Dandaloo had already won the Bert Bampton Cup so they are now shooting for the treble in what will be Dandaloo’s first Grand Final appearance. Ironically, the last time treble was completed was in 1995 when Adrian ‘Noddy’ Alston was in charge at Port Kembla. Alston is now in control at Bulli who are in their third Grand Final in four years after previously finishing runners up to Dandaloo on the other two occasions that ‘The Dandy’ won the league. They also were runners in the two Grand Finals so they will be keen to make amends.
Dandaloo will go into the Grand Final as one of the shortest favourites in history on the back of their star studded line up which includes the likes of Noel Spencer, Alvin Ceccoli, New Zealand International Chris Jackson, David Reid, Paul Harries and Jason Kencevski to name a few.
However, Bulli will take great heart going into the big game as two weeks ago in the major semi Bulli pushed Dandaloo all the way before losing a seven goal thriller, 4-3 to a Kencevski 119th minute winner.
In that game Dandaloo were coasting at 3-0 with only twenty five minutes left of normal time when Bulli produced a rousing comeback to get back to 3-3 and had the opportunity to snatch a memorable victory in the last minute with a gilt edged opportunity going begging.
Bulli will be looking to Matthew Bailey (2008 NSW Premier League Grand Final Winner with Wollongong Wolves) and in his fourth straight Grand Final to drive them forward and the team will be full of confidence after scoring ten goals in the final series on the road to the big one.
Dandaloo on the hand could be short of a gallop after only playing the one game (against Bulli) in the final series leading up to this weekend. On top of that, their form leading into the final series was not great with two losses and a draw in their last three competition games after comfortably winning the league.
All in all this game has the potential to be a classic with both sides capable of scoring heaps of goals and should be full of entertainment for the big crowd that is anticipated.
Don’t miss any of the action on Grand Final Day with the full program as follows:
10-00am Division One – Balgownie Rangers versus Bulli
12-15am Youth Grade – Port Kembla versus Tarrawanna
3-00pm First Grade - Dandaloo versus Bulli
 (David Reid (Dandaloo) left - Photo Peter Rowney)
 (Paul Harries (Dandaloo) left) - Photo Peter Rowney)
 (Noel Spencer (Dandaloo) - Photo Peter Rowney)
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