Rarely does a squad ousted in a do-or-die clash so swiftly get the chance at redemption, but for South Melbourne, Sunday afternoon’s Dockerty Cup Final marks the perfect opportunity to rid the demons of a hellish FFA Cup encounter.
While they battled and toiled for 120 plus minutes in their FFA Cup Round of 32 clash against Palm Beach Sharks on Wednesday, they ultimately came undone via the lottery of the penalty shootout.
They’d earlier enjoyed the lead, courtesy of a first half Milos Lujic header, but soon after conceded a penalty, which Florian Matik converted.
From there they dominated, doubling their opponents shot tally, and enjoying 65% of the possession, but it mattered little as they weren’t able to convert pressure into a result.
“It definitely wasn’t easy losing the game on Wednesday. There was a somber mood in the rooms afterwards and a lot of the boys took it pretty hard,” South Melbourne full-back Tim Mala said.
“The positive is that we have experienced that loss now and can regroup and focus all of our energy on Sunday’s big one [against the Oakleigh Cannons].
“I’d love it if [the trip to the Gold Coast felt like] a holiday but it most certainly wasn’t. The 120 minutes took a toll on our bodies. We have just been doing everything we can so our bodies are right for this weekend.”
It was a cruel exit to a campaign that had garnered so much interest across Australia and with the Oceania Club of the Century’s return to the national stage on ice – for now at least – their focus remains on claiming the title of “the best in the state”.
Mala admitted that this Sunday’s clash is just as important as their mid-week FFA Cup fixture, as they now battle on both the league and domestic cup front.
“I think everything [NPL, Dockerty Cup and FFA Cup] is just as significant as each other. There isn’t preference when it comes to winning. When you’re out there, you just don’t want to lose. If that isn’t the case, then you probably shouldn’t be playing competitive sport,” he said.
“With finals again this year, it means these games towards the end of the season in the league are still worth playing to the best of your best ability to set your team up coming into the finals and give yourself the best opportunity [of success].
“The cup means a lot. You’re the best team in the state. After all those qualifiers and all those teams have been through [the qualifying rounds] just to have a shot and you’re the last team standing? That’s a pretty big achievement.
“It’s a massive achievement to make it this far and everyone is hungry to get that silverware. If you were at our Semi-Final, it was easy to see that it meant a lot to both teams and the passion was well and truly alive in that game.”
That passion was fuelled by consecutive come-from-behind victories in the Cup; staring at 1-0 defeats deep into games against Melbourne Knights (Quarter-Finals) and Heidelberg United (Semi-Finals) and coming away with two wins in regulation time.
That test of character will stand them in good stead for the Final on Sunday.
“Funny you ask that. I was talking to one of the boys about it the other week. During the Knights game, we probably weren’t playing the best and didn’t have the better of the chances.
“But during the game, I felt as though it was only a matter of time before we scored an equalizer. We’ve got a great group of boys and can dig deep when we have to, so I’ll always back us to be trying up until the final whistle goes.
This year has seen opponents Oakleigh endure somewhat of a rollercoaster season, with the two sides locked at a win a piece during the NPL Victoria season to date.
Their Round 1 clash ended in victory for South Melbourne in a game that Oakleigh arguably deserved to win, before then suffering a 2-0 loss at Jack Edwards Reserve.
“It’s a cup final. Past results, recent form and any other stats you want to look at don’t really count for much. We saw that with South Springvale last season in the cup when they almost did the job on the Knights in the final,” Mala said.
“We know Oakleigh are a great side and can play some attractive football. They have a good coach and the players to match, so we won’t take them lightly at all.
“We owe it to ourselves to go out there and get a result on Sunday. As much as we hate losing and are hard on ourselves, I know the playing group particularly gets disappointed when we let the fans down.
“So it would be nice to give them something to cheer about with some silverware on the weekend. Especially after the turnout they provided us with up in the Gold Coast.”