Thanks lad. It was a very spiteful game, tough for our lads and next week against Oakleigh may be a bridge too far considering our injuries, losing key strikers to overseas transfer and now injury and to top it all off refereeing like that of Aleksander Liber below.

Take a look at this two footed studs up scissor challenge from behind on our Bennie, broke the young lads ankle and was waved away, not even a free kick let alone a card of any colour..... FFS I know you all think Im biased but this didnt even get a free kick????? Our MOM (against Avondale) left back out for the final and we have had to play Morgan (who did an AMAZING JOB -well done young man) from the reserves because, unlike Oakleigh, we are not allowed to make any signings during the finals series.

https://twitter.com/SMEMUFC/status/1566319599117029376

To top it off the final next week has not been scheduled as they are debating where to play it (AAMI park is not an option according to FV as it is too expensive). It was scheduled for Lakeside regardless of who was in the final but apparently a certain ex Hellas FV stooge proposed to our president to "flip a coin" whether the game will be played at Lakeside or Jack Edwards!!!!!!!!!! 

Anyway, so proud of Esteban and the lads, FORZA HELLAS you mighty mighty blue and white dynamite.... ONE MORE MATCH lets do this thing despite the head of FV sleeping (I assume, although they must have a steel reinforced bed frame) with Western United's #1 ticket holder?

we’ll are least western us building something even if it’s a steel reinforced bed frame.

grand final is a different game so anyone in the 11 can lift for the occasion good luck 

:)  Thanks mate.... Its gonna be a looooooonnnnnggggg week.

Hi Mono. Congrats so far mate.

I can see how it might be waved away at the time if the ref wasn't really paying attention - at least in terms of the distant view we get and the appearance of getting to the ball - until you actually concentrate on the planted foot by your defender.

He has gone right through him on his planted foot to get to the ball. Quite sickening. Question is - why was he doing that tackle other than to wipe him out? Had he succeeded in doing it cleanly he would have converted a throw in for his team into a goal kick for yours.

Thanks matey :)
Short answer is "no idea". He had the defender boxed in, had no where to go even if he did miraculously come away with the ball, it was just clumsy (I dont want to say malicious but studs up from behind????) Yeah the ref had a howler but 4th official was 50 meters away directly in line with a clear view as was the lino on the other side...... Djiba now has a badly broken ankle I hear ..... Oh well, thats football I suppose ...... hope Benny is alright, wonderful youth player and these last 2 seasons has really cemented his right back position ... will be sorely missed next week.

Been a succesful season in anycase MSC despite the wrongs, thats football week in week out.
Your guys will dig put in huge effort as MCG mentions.
The double is coming :)

Had a look at this and if the young bloke has a broken leg that's horrible. Looks bad but the video is from so far away it's difficult to see whether he got the ball first. In any case the problem here is the ref is not side on to the challenge which is where you are supposed to be to get the best view anywhere else on the field. BUT in situations like this it is impossible to get side on unless you are Usain Bolt and even then you'd struggle. (To be absolutely fair, he is in exactly the position he should be for play in that area.) 

Now here's the issue. The ref is 20m away looking through the back of the bloke in green about to tackle blue. He's unlikely to have actually even seen the feet contacting the player and the ball when contact is made. So given he hasn't had the best view he has probably guessed based on the ball going in the direction of the bloke doing the tackling and assumed he won it fairly. Did he see something different? Only he would know. 

This is a perfect example of being hung out to dry by video, players, commentators and supporters when you don't have a thousand replays and are forced to make a split second decision from a less than perfect position. The ref can't conduct a medical and then make his decision. It's either a foul or not a foul based on that 1/10 of a second interaction.

To make things worse his AR is on the other side so couldn't help him.

Take it from me you get no joy from getting these wrong. 

Just went online to see if I could find the ref fee for these matches. Couldn't find Victoria but Football NSW is $260 for the centre and Qld is $200.

https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2148-Circular-2022-Football-NSW-Competitions-Referees-Fees-1.pdf

https://footballqueensland.com.au/referee-fees-for-2022-season/

Hey Muz, they life of a ref is not an easy path and I agree, hanging the bloke out to dry like this is unfair.... Im a biased supporter totally agree with you but the lino had a side on view and ref didnt even glance in his direction. Also the 4th official ran over to chat with the ref (both almost standing over a poor boy with a broken ankle) and after a few friendly smiles both trotted away satisfied..(the butcher wasn;t even sommoned to hvae c hat too.. Cards seemed to be fairly easily distributed after that incident though, mostly to players wearing blue.... make of that what you will.

Jesus!!
That is a disgusting tackle.
I assume there's no measures in the NPL for retrospective punishment like in the a-league?
Maybe because it's not televised with as many angles?

I don't really blame the ref as there's no VAR etc and I can imagine in real time and from a distance it was harder to see but yeah....I know soccer and I know tackles and my blood boiled instantly Mono. 

Always note the way the perpetrator piss bolted from the scene as well once he realised the ref wasn't going to instantly card him

Thanks brother..... Weve got alot going against us this weekend.

https://twitter.com/footballvic/status/1566690219424116737

After 2 years of no finals due to COVID, 26 gruelling rounds of which we finished each round on top of the league (to be fair to Oakleigh they chased us down all year) the biggest day in the Victorian Football calendar is going to be played at a council ground with 240 seats??????? A game that in 2016 got 7 thousand people at Lakeside will be played at a ground that cant hold more than 2.5k because the GM of Oakleigh is married to the CEO of Football Victoria and KNOWS his shitty little club wont have a chance to win anything in front of 6.5-7k thousand South fans....  I cant bring my kids or my parents now (only 240 seats) let alone all the poor older fans and young kids that have come to EVERY SINGLE GAME ALL YEAR... Player's parents and granparents that would be honoured to watch their boys play (from both sets of players btw) now cant come because of this clusterfuck of a decision... Oh well, I guess this will help with the "no interest in a NSD if they cant get more than 2.5k to a NPL final" argument....
 Fucken play it on the moon if you have to you corrupt dogs. Ill still be there on Sunday FORZA HELLAS

No video review as far as I know mate but, yeah I get Muz's point about the ref's viewing angle and absolutely agree that my reaction was one of rabid fandom... I was in the stands, side on to the tackle and obviously a lot closer than TV angle.... absolute butcher job, AND on purpose..... I hope the instruction from coaching staff wasn't to hurt Djiba but it was definitely a tactic to exploit the left wing on a younger full back that plays dangerously high sometimes...... 

Not sticking up for anyone here but the lino would be about 60m away so view would be limited. (Possibly view obscured by GK too?) Ref could've have checked with him but that would have been unusual.

As a ref you can't call what you can't see.

I had something similar to me happen while reffing. Defender was trying to clear it, attacker trying to shoot, defender cleared the ball a split second before the attacker got there. Attacker hit the defender's foot/ankle and wiped him out. I blew the whistle and gave the bloke a yellow for a late hit. (And it was marginally late.) Attacker blew up, I was trying to get the ball etc etc. Called for attention because the bloke was in all sorts.

Ambo comes in, match abandoned and then a couple of days later I hear his leg was broken in 6 places. 3 in tibia, 3 in the fibula. Here's the thing, not a single bloke anywhere blamed me for getting that wrong, (should have been a red), because it happened so fast. Half the players didn't even think there was a foul. 

I don't know what the point of this story was except shit happens sometimes despite your best efforts.

You're within your rights to blow up if you were right there and saw it clearly. I get that. That's football and expected. 

Nothing worse than when some butcher hacks down one of your own players. Worse when the ref doesn't even see it.

I know where you're coming from. I'm a player and a fan too. 

:D:D

The NpL grand final not being in the south East is a disgrace 

I saw that too - he never said anything to the bloke on the ground or checked on him - just scuttled off quickly. That says a lot about intentions and guilt.

240 seats and 2.5k capacity at a grand final reeks Mono. Everything is stacking against you except for how your team plays football and motivation - as if you would need any more motivation than the grand final.

Hope you beat them soundly.

Play with heart
Play with pride
The white and blue
Won't be denied!

Unless they are asking to join our national comp of course - then they can get stuffed ;)

Hahahahaha thanks RoarIMB .... made me laugh dude. Will be cheering on the mighty Hollandia on my 1 hour drive to farkin City Vista on Sunday (one of the boys will have it streaming on the way to our match for sure) lets hope both of us have a great Sunday :)

Dont care where it is played (within Melbourne would be preferable) but have at least 2000 seats FFS my 10 year old daughter and 87 year old father in law cant stand at the fence for 90 mins.....
Dopey Oakleigh have bitten of their nose to spite their face..... a match that could have had 5-7 thousand fans (conservatively) will now struggle to get 2000.... 1/2 of those will be Hellas fans watching from outside the chainlink fence btw, I have spoken to a few and we all think the right thing to do is to stay outside the ground to let any of the families, parents and grandparents of these wonderful lads and lasses (the womens NPL is on before hand) have a seat and enjoy .......  what a disgrace

I'd be surprised if that fence isn't covered by then.

And there's only 288 seats apparently anyhow

Way ahead of you........ I assume the flares I am bringing along will do just nicely to burn the Western United tarps hung over the back fence :)

Lets light this mutherf_cker up boys!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahah

The biggest club match in the state relegated to ‘Pitch 1’ of a ‘Recreation Reserve’ out in the middle of nowhere, Caroline Springs. The NSW NPL grand final was at Commonwealth Bank stadium as a comparison.. No public transport and parking mainly in neighbourhood streets infested with gangs. It stinks of FFV corruption and nepotism. The thing that runs the FFV is married to the thing that runs Oakleigh. They want to take the crowd out of the equation. Oakleigh will bring mums, dads and the relo’s, South would probably bring 4 or 5 thousand. This venue has never been used for an NPL senior mens match. It is simply not worthy, not fit for purpose and an insult to the game, members and fans. I hope the South board tell those fuckers at FFV to stick that venue up your arses, we are not turning up there. Pride and dignity are more important than a grand final here. Yep it’s been shit following South the past 15 or so years but enough is enough in this instance. The club should not be bent over by a bunch of incompetent and vindictive lowlifes. 

Not a Vic but reading this from the outside what Mono and you have said is amazing. Is there anything on facebook etc where they're trying to defend this decision?

Radio farkin silence from Football VIC mate...... 5 days out from a GF that many of us have been gagging for for years and nothing!!!!! South hasn't even announced the final location, such is our disgust I suppose..... last NPL VIC GF (Avondale v Bentleigh) was played at AAMI Park in front of 2 thousand (seated) fans and they serve US up this shit........ 
If it wasn't for the playing lads I would boycott in disgust too. Whats another trophy?  We've got hundreds of them in our cabinet anyway, but Ive still gotta go and cheer the magnificent Hellas boys on, they deserve it this year especially .... fuck Oakleigh and fuck Football Victoria.

Football in Australia is like a bad cocktail 

add some incompetence little of greed a bit of nepotism and shake

Was looking forward to the game on sunday, decided to find some forums to see if anyone is talking about the game. Instead all i find is south melbourne fans whinging and throwing insults. It's no wonder they aren't allowed in the A league, pretty pathetic really. 

Go fuck yourself you malaka. Your club is a bunch of fat $2 poutanes. 

Come on mate, no need for that. It's just community soccer...

I dont hate south melbourne the club, just some of the fans seem abit feral, i guess you are case in point.

And for the record, i agree, the final shouldn't be played in the middle of nowhere. Maybe something neutral that has a nice ground like Bentleigh greens ground.