Battle on for Geelong soccer's heavyweights
| March 4th, 2011

NORTH Geelong Warriors and Geelong SC face off in the pre-season cup final tonight, having already underlined their status as the region's top two clubs.

There has been a marked gap in class between Warriors and Geelong and the other competitors in the City of Greater Geelong Cup, raising expectations of a high-quality, entertaining final at Stead Park.

Both teams will consider it timely to hoist the trophy after tonight's match. Warriors, which won the competition seven times in a row in the 1990s, hasn't won the cup in six years while Geelong, playing on home soil, had its last success in 2008.

Will Talev, football operations chief at Geelong, said the club was fired up for the final, regardless of its status as a friendly.

"Any final is a big occasion, no matter what competition that is," he said. "There's a lot of prestige there and a lot of bragging rights."

Vinko Buljubasic, North's coach, said he was hoping for an attractive contest, following two bruising encounters, with Surf Coast and Geelong Rangers.


"I hope it's a more tactical game with good football than a physical contest," he said.

"Geelong plays a good brand of football, like us. Vince (Ierado, the Geelong coach) has assembled a competitive side and they've done well so far.

"The players are excited about the final, especially the younger boys. We're probably favourites as we're in State League 1 and they are in State League 2, but I think it will be a lot closer than people think."

North has a full-strength team to pick from, while Geelong will be missing Troy Hardy through injury and Scott Davidson, who has announced his retirement.

"The door is open to him if he wants to come back, but it was his decision due to family and work commitments," Talev said. "We can't stand in the way of that. Obviously family comes first."

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