By ROY WARD
BRILLIANCE and agony both made appearances in Dandenong Thunder’s preliminary final win over two-time champions Green Gully in the Victorian Premier League on Saturday
The Thunder won the match 4-1 and will face Oakleigh Cannons in the VPL grand final at AAMI Park this Sunday. The Thunder will be going for a treble after winning the minor premiership and the State Knockout Cup this season.
With the game on a level pegging midway through the first half, Thunder star Luke Sherbon tangled with a Green Gully player in the box and was felled. The referee awarded a penalty.
Sherbon stepped up and smashed the ball deep into the right bottom corner to give the Thunder a 1-0 lead. Moments later, the Thunder went forward again with Sherbon taking the ball on the edge of the box before turning to goal and hitting a low shot into the same right corner to make it 2-0 and set off delirious celebrations.
After each goal Sherbon lifted his jersey to display a message, Hope for April, spotlighting an initiative to help find a missing five-year-old girl in his home country, Wales.
The Thunder took the 2-0 advantage into half-time but just nine minutes into the second stanza fell into crisis as left-back Andrew Mullett was red-carded after he was adjudged to have fouled a Green Gully player as last man left in defence.
On 60 minutes, Green Gully pulled a goal back after Roddy Vargas headed home a cross. Four minutes later, the Thunder lost leading defender Craig Elvin, who landed on his head after going for a header with a Gully opponent.
Elvin was knocked out and had players on both sides worried before coming to and being walked from the field with a heavy concussion and a sore neck.
Elvin was replaced by forward Sean McIlroy, who moved into the vacant left-back position and the Thunder remarkably held out several Gully attacks before winning a free kick outside the box.
Defender Bryan Bran smashed a bobbling shot at the Gully keeper, who could only parry the ball down in front of himself and into the path of Thunder winger Liam Kearney, who steadied himself and smashed home a shot from close range to make it 3-1.
Gully defender Jeff Fleming was sent off late in the match for a second yellow card. In the closing stages Thunder won a penalty and Sherbon converted it to earn a hat-trick and the 4-1 victory.
Thunder coach Chris Taylor said celebrations were subdued after the game as the prospect of Mullett, Elvin and injured midfielder Matt Theodore all missing the final weighed on the players’ minds.
“Sometimes circumstances decide games. Today, it was that first penalty,” he said. “I’m not sure whether it was a penalty but Sherbs thought he was dragged down. Finals games are getting decided by decisions and not the players, which is disappointing to me.”
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VPL GRAND FINAL
Who: Oakleigh Cannons v Dandenong Thunder
When: AAMI Park, Sunday 5.30pm
Players to watch: Oakleigh — Ricky Diaco, Lambros Honos, Rasmus Festersen; Dandenong — Luke Sherbon, Nate Foster, Liam Kearney.
Tickets: The VPL final will be a double-header with Melbourne Heart’s first home game of the A-League season. Special tickets that cover both the Heart’s clash with Wellington at 3pm and the VPL final at 5.30pm are available from Ticketek. Supporters can use the promotional code, FFVGRANDFINAL2012, for access to a discounted price.
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