The Dockerty Cup semi-finals, drawn earlier today, will see Heidelberg United face off against South Melbourne, while Hume City will host Oakleigh Cannons.
All four teams are also first time entrants on the national FFA Cup stage, with the shot at taking on an A-League club on the line. The following are the reactions of the players to their respective clubs’ Cup runs:
Griffin McMaster (Heidelberg United)
“The [FFA Cup] is more exposure as a player, but it’s not just about the individual, it’s the team, and it’s good to be at that stage.”
“It’s all well and good competing, but you’ve got to win games and progress as well. We’re out there to win games of football and try progress in the tournament.
“To know that footballers at NPL level and below can be competitive in a national competition is very good for grassroots football.
“We’ve had a very lenient run, all respect to the other teams, we’ve played in games we should win. It gets serious now, and we have to be ultra competitive
“We’ll need some luck in the draw. It’s not going to be easy. I like to think we’ll get in the top 8.
“I want to say [we get drawn] a home game, because we’ve got a great ground, spent lot of money on lights as well – it looks like daytime at night – and against an NPL side of another state I think would be great. Hopefully we get a result and progress.”
Michael Eagar (South Melbourne FC)
“It was something we missed out on last year unfortunately, so at the start of the season it was one of our objectives, of qualifying, doing well in that cup as well, and also winning the Dockerty Cup which we’re looking forward to in two weeks’ time as well.”
“It was good for Victorian football, for teams in the state to do well, and to show how well prepared teams in the state are, but it was frustrating because we lost to Knights last year and had a little bit of a dip in form, which was one of the few blots on our season last year.
“Luckily this year we’ve rectified that, we’re looking forward to the challenges of having the Dockerty Cup, the FFA Cup and the league going ahead for us over the next month or two.
“Especially since we’ve qualified there’s been a lot of chatter of who we may get, obviously with the chance of playing either an A-League team, or an interstate team home or away. I know we’ve got a bit of a get together for [the draw], and are looking forward to see who we get.
“I think at home against Melbourne Victory would be great, you know for the club, for the fans, for the players, also it clashes with the cultures to an extent too. I think that probably it would be the ideal draw. “
John Honos (Oakleigh Cannons)
“It’s exciting for the team. These kind of competitions give a lot of exposure for the team and for the players who want to play higher.”
“We’re excited to be through and we’re just waiting for the draw now to see who we’re going to draw up against.
“[When I played in Greece] the competition was pretty high, we played against top division teams [in the Cup].
“It’s a one off game, it’s not like a league where you can make up points the next week, it’s one match and you’re out. You’ve just got to concentrate and play it out just like you would any other game.
“Anything could happen. We’ll give it our best shot and hope for the best.
“Hopefully [we get] a team interstate, so we get to travel to the Gold Coast maybe.”
Nick Hegarty (Hume City)
“After last year, getting to the same stage and failing, obviously getting the success this year has been massive for the club.”
“You didn’t really know what to expect the first time it’s been run. You feel a bit gutted, but just to see football getting a little bump on the Victorian stage and the national stage was something that you want to get involved in, so this year we’re really excited.
“It’s everything they’ve been working towards since the beginning of the season.
“We got to the final of the Johnson’s paint trophy one year [Grimsby vs MK Dons], 57,000 at Wembley, but unfortunately we finished runners up. It’s what everything’s about when you get to those stages, when the clubs, the fans, the families can all get involved in a good trip out, a good day, then its about whether we can get a result on the day and make everyone happy.
“I’ll take Perth SC away, I’ve got a family friend who’s a coach there, so I’d take a little trip to Perth.”
Image Credit: Matt Johnson