TWENTY-NINTH edition • season 2013/14 SEMI-FINAL Vs CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE SEASON 2013/14 LA ROCCA vs Montgomery LEGEND OF THE WEST: Mark Schwarzer Wanderers: More than football PARRAMATTA: The Home of finals football

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Visit wswanderersfc.com.au & SIGN UP to THE WEEKLY WANDERER THIS WEEK ... Follow US @wswanderersfc 05 From the ASSISTANT COACH... 21 Spot the Difference Assistant coach and Western Sydney legend Can you spot the five differences this week? with his thoughts before his final home match at Pirtek Stadium 23 tAKE FIVE WITH ... Dean Heffernan takes some time 07 News AND VIEWS out with The Wanderer Tonight’s match at a glance with on this day, score wrap-ups and more 24 Parramatta: Home of Finals Football While Pirtek Stadium started life as a rugby 08 Se ason 2013/14 league venue it is often forgotten that it was A second place finish, Champions League debut Sydney’s major football ground for many years and finals football: what a season it has been 26 bringing your football back 13 Players to watch NRMA Insurance are proud to be associated Iacopo La Rocca and Nick Montgomery with the Western Sydney Wanderers and the Western Sydney region 14 legend of the west: Mark Schwarzer Mark Schwarzer’s journey from Western 28 # WanderTweet Sydney junior to Socceroos legend is a Thanks for sending off #Ono21 in style! fascinating story of a local boy come good 16 to day's Match The views in this publication are not necessarily the Brought to you by Amart Sports views of the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers FC. Material in this publication is copyrighted and may 18 wANDerers: More than football only be reproduced with the written permission of the The Wanderers are built on a foundation that is NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers FC. All more than simply what happens on the field photography courtesy of Getty Images, George Suresh, Steve Christo, Sydney Olympic FC and Football NSW.

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It’s another big game for us at home where we’ve got a great record against our friends Central Coast Mariners who we played in the Grand Final last year.

e’ve had a good couple of weeks in both Asia and the Hyundai A-League and everyone knowsW what’s on offer today; a trip to the Grand Final. After the disappointing performance in last year’s showpiece it’s a good chance to make amends and confirm a successive appearance which is what this group of players deserve. We won’t need any extra motivation for the match as we always focus on ourselves first and foremost. We’re in a good space at the moment with no injuries, the group training well and everyone focussed and high on confidence after our recent results. There’s no better way to finish off our home season than with a victory in front of our fans. I’m extremely proud of the two seasons that I have spent here. We all know as a start- up club how difficult it is to get not only a team ready but a whole club ready. The way it’s all come together with the infrastructure in place; the staff working well and the Westfield W-League and Foxtel National Youth League teams that we brought together means we’re in a good way looking forward and qualification to Asia for next year is another stepping stone to making Wanderers bigger and better. Even though I’m leaving, Western Sydney will always be the club I support.

Ante Milicic Assistant Coach

WSWANDERERSFC.COM.AU SPOIL MUM THIS MOTHER’S DAY ALL HER FAVOURITES ON ONE CARD Sunday 11 May

Cards Pty Ltd ACN 113 171 663. 07 NEWS & VIEWS ROUND On this day... SPOIL MUM THIS MOTHER’S DAY Courtesy of Andrew Howe @AndyHowe_statto WRAP-UP 26 April 1998 saw what was to be the last ever NSL finals derby between the two biggest Western Sydney rivals Marconi and Sydney United (Croatia) at Parramatta Stadium. Marconi took the honours in the two-legged 1997/98 Hyundai A-League Sat 5 Apr Elimination Final with Francis Awaritefe scoring a goal in each match and Round 26 Pirtek Stadium ALL HER FAVOURITES goalkeeper Ante Covic keeping two clean sheets, the Stallions taking out the tie 2-0 on aggregate. Over a total of five NSL finals matches between Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Juric 61’) the two rivals from 1985 to 1998 Marconi won all but one, including the unforgettable 1988 grand final at Parramatta Stadium. The 1988 NSL Brisbane Roar 1 (Miller 31’) decider finished 2-2 after 120 minutes with Marconi winning the shoot-out. Round 26 Sat 12 Apr ON ONE CARD AAMI Park Melbourne Heart 2 (Engelaar 34', Hoffman 72') Western Sydney Wanderers 3 Sunday 11 May (Topor-Stanley 27', Santalab WE HAVE AN ALL TIME 81', Hersi 86'') AFC Champions Goal difference of League Round 5 Group Stage AT PIRTEK STADIUM Tue 15 Apr Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium Ulsan Hyundai 0 IN THE HYUNDAI Western Sydney Wanderers 2 +13 A-LEAGUE (Bridge 61', Santalab 80') Guardian Funerals Wandercrew Member of the Week: Chris Zakhary and Amanda Eskander

i, our names are Chris Zakhary and Amanda Eskander and we are a part of the Guardian HFunerals Wandercrew. We were informed by our uni (University of Western Sydney) that the Wanderers were looking for volunteers and we thought what a fun and enjoyable way to gain experience in our field of Exercise & Sport Science. We were right as being part of the Wandercrew this season has been both fun and exciting! With Chris being a football player and Amanda loving everything sport, volunteering for the Wanderers this year has been something to look forward to each week. There's only one team we sing for, WANDERERS! Proudly brought to you by

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WANDERERS FC VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 09 Season 2013/14

Story by Stan Uzunov @StanUzunov

Tonight’s semi-final clash against Central Coast is a mammoth occasion on many fronts for the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers.

eaching this stage for a second successive fourth-placed Central Coast at Pirtek Stadium. season after the maiden season’s dream Still hurting from last year’s 2-0 Grand Final loss and Rrun to the final speaks volumes of the quality unable to exact revenge on the Mariners in Round One, of the coaching and playing group. Wanderland braced itself for a night of epic proportions. The fact that Pirtek Stadium is once again hosting a The home faithful were not left disappointed as sold out semi-final demonstrates the growing love story a brilliant Tomi Juric goal and strike by Youssouf the club shares with the people of Western Sydney. Hersi downed the Mariners – now led by Phil Moss Such feats come hand in hand with an ongoing following ’s departure to Japan. adventure into the Round of 16 in our maiden The memories of the night at Allianz AFC Champions League campaign* and a bright Stadium were well behind the Wanderers now horizon looming in terms of club ownership. as they eyed off Brisbane’s top spot. All these serve as evidence to the stability, Juric continued cementing his reputation as one continuity and ambition of the club. All are of the most promising young strikers in the league ingredients making up arguably one of the soundest with a mesmerising scissor-kick goal while Wanderers sporting institutions currently in Australia. record at Pirtek Stadium stretched to 11 matches. What a season it has been for the A hard-fought 1-1 draw at Melbourne Victory followed Western Sydney Wanderers. but the New Year kicked off in the worst way possible. On the park, the start of the home and away Everything that could go wrong did in a disastrous season very much reflected our first year in the last half-hour of the match against Wellington Phoenix competition – a quiet yet steady beginning who overturned a Mark Bridge goal to score three backed up by a blistering run of form. times in a late smash and grab job at Pirtek Stadium. Round 1 served up a repeat of last year’s Grand It was a rude awakening to the hopes of defending Final, but this time debutant Tomi Juric’s late equaliser the Premiership against a rampant Brisbane denied the Mariners a second successive victory. and one from which Popovic’s boys bounced That was backed up by another 1-1 draw back from spectacularly the following week. at the first home match at Pirtek Stadium for The second of the season 2013-14 against Wellington in front of a vocal proved just as memorable as the first as Western 16,000+ strong Red and Black army. Sydney’s defence was nothing short of brilliant In the eyes of many, Wanderers season truly got under way in front of a record crowd of over 40,000 at a sold out Allianz Stadium. First half goals from Iacopo La Rocca and Shinji Ono earned a dominating victory over the eternal cross-town rivals, kicking off a streak of four consecutive wins as Adelaide, Heart and Victory fell to efficient displays by Tony Popovic’s men. Round 7 was a shot back down to Earth as the Wanderers were undone by a vibrant Besart Berisha at Suncorp Stadium despite outplaying the Roar for large periods. The loss to Brisbane spelled the way for another run of two draws – against Wellington and Melbourne Heart. Unfinished business was the word around town ahead of the Round 11 pre-Christmas clash with then

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on a night when substitute Brendon Santalab pounced late on to snatch a 1-0 victory. Just as the side looked capable of catching runaway leaders Brisbane, two consecutive defeats away to Melbourne Victory and Adelaide put a fork in the road on the home stretch with 12 matches to play. A 3-1 home victory over Perth on Australia Day restored the mood at Wanderland but further draws against Newcastle and crucially, Brisbane themselves, left the side with a gruelling task of chasing down the Roar. Fans’ attention turned to continental fronts in February as Western Sydney made their debut in the AFC Champions League. The home clash against South Korean superpower Ulsan Hyundai did not bare any fruit but the 3-1 loss was a prelude to a memorable maiden campaign in the competition. March 2014 proved to be one of the most difficult in the Club’s short history with a crowded match schedule crippling the side through three league losses, one draw and a sole win against Perth. Undoubtedly the one that hurt the most was the away loss to Sydney, the first since the Clubs’ first meeting last year. If Wanderers were experiencing a form slump in the Hyundai A-League, it was not showing in the Champions League as consecutive 1-0 victories over Guangzhou Renhe and Kawasaki Frontale put Western Sydney right in the mix to progress from the group. Back home, the signs were alarming as the finals series approached and second spot and a guaranteed home final was ours to lose. But great teams respond when the heat is on and a morale boosting draw at home to Brisbane set the way for a thrilling final round 3-2 victory over Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park. Eleven wins, nine draws and seven losses meant second spot was sealed ahead of tonight’s opponents. *Dependant on last Tuesday’s result against Guizhou Renhe.

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13 WANDERERSWANDERERS FC VS FC CENTRAL VS BRISBANE COAST ROAR MARINERS PLAYERS TO WATCH LACOVIC ROCCA MONTGOMERYTHEO

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TOUCHESPASSING ACCURACYPER MATCH

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Proudly brought to you by

Iacopo La Rocca Midfielder Nick Montgomery Midfielder orn in Rome, Iacopo made his name in Italy and Sheffield United legend, Montgomery made over Switzerland before joining Wanderers in September 400 appearances for the Blades including stints in B2012. Iacopo made his debut against Newcastle in theA English . A combative midfielder Round Six of the 2012/13 season and scored his first with a sharp passing game, Montgomery was an integral goal for the club a week later against Perth Glory. member to the Mariners 2013 Championship success.

WSWANDERERSFC.COM.AU 14 LEGEND OF THE WEST: MARK SCHWARZER

Story by Brad Hutchings @BradHutchings_

Mark Schwarzer’s journey from Western Sydney junior to Socceroos legend is a fascinating story of a local boy come good.

WANDERERS FC VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 15

chwarzer’s esteemed career started just a goal kick away at Marconi Stadium after joining the Sjunior ranks at Penrith club Colo Cougars. Schwarzer turned out 58 times in the for the Stallions in his four year spell at the club. A bigger stage awaited Schwarzer in 1994 as his talent took him to Germany with Dynamo Dresden for his first overseas contract. Mark spent two seasons in Germany with Dresden and also FC Kaiserslauten, only making his way onto the pitch six times for the Bundesliga clubs. Mark’s next move was then to England where he become a household name. A brief spell at Bradford City paved the way for his move to Middlesbrough where he established himself as one of the finest shot stoppers in the English game. Schwarzer became a club legend at Boro, representing the club 446 times to leave him in eighth position in the club’s all-time leading appearance charts. Mark’s time at the Riverside was hugely successful, lifting the 2004 League Cup and being a part of the clubs run to the 2006 UEFA Cup final. His 11 year spell in Teesside saw him become the longest-serving foreigner at the one club, breaking the previous record held by Dennis Bergkamp of 315. Schwarzer left Middlesbrough a club legend in 2008, moving to Fulham. 172 appearances later in the south of London, Mark’s next move was to city rivals and English powerhouse Chelsea at the start of this season. Along with his stellar club career, his heroics in the shirt of the Green and Gold made him an Aussie football legend. The all-time leading Socceroo appearance holder with 109 caps, Schwarzer’s performances for the Socceroos are the stuff of folklore, particularly his two saves in that penalty shootout win against Uruguay in 2005 during the World Cup qualifier play-offs. Mark Schwarzer’s career is one of the most decorated in Australian football and it all started in this very region.

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Full Time Score

Proudly Brings you SQUAD S B ¨ ¨ 01 Ante COVIC Goalkeeper ¨ ¨ 02 Shannon COLE Defender ¨ ¨ 03 Adam D’APUZZO Defender ¨ ¨ 04 Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY Defender ¨ ¨ 05 Michael BEAUCHAMP Defender ¨ ¨ 06 Jerome POLENZ Defender ¨ ¨ 07 Labinot HALITI Forward ¨ ¨ 08 Mateo POLJAK Midfielder ¨ ¨ 09 Tomi JURIC Forward ¨ ¨ 10 Aaron MOOY Midfielder ¨ ¨ 11 Brendon SANTALAB Forward ¨ ¨ 13 Matthew SPIRANOVIC Defender ¨ ¨ 14 Kwabena APPIAH Forward ¨ ¨ 15 Yianni PERKATIS Midfielder ¨ ¨ 16 Josh BARRESI Midfielder ¨ ¨ 17 Youssouf HERSI Forward ¨ ¨ 18 Iacopo LA ROCCA Midfielder ¨ ¨ 19 Mark BRIDGE Forward ¨ ¨ 20 Jerrad TYSON Goalkeeper ¨ ¨ 21 Shinji ONO Midfielder ¨ ¨ 22 Dean HEFFERNAN Defender ¨ ¨ 23 Jason TRIFIRO Midfielder ¨ ¨ 26 Jaushua SOTIRIO Forward ¨ ¨ 30 Thomas MANOS Goalkeeper ¨ ¨ 29 Mark CINDRIC Forward TODAY'S MATCH ¨ ¨ 31 Alusine FOFANAH Midfielder Grab a pen and write down your own ¨ ¨ 32 Daniel ALESSI Defender ¨ ¨ 35 Daniel MULLEN Defender record of the game.

Ladder* *Ladder correct at completion of Round 27 Club P W D L F A GD PTS COACH ASSISTANT COACHES 1 Brisbane Roar 27 16 4 7 43 25 18 52 Tony POPOVIC Ante MILICIC 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 27 11 9 7 34 29 5 42 Ron CORRY 3 Central Coast Mariners 27 12 6 9 33 36 -3 42 4 Melbourne Victory 27 11 8 8 42 43 -1 41 5 Sydney FC 27 12 3 12 40 38 2 39 6 Adelaide United 27 10 8 9 45 36 9 38 7 Newcastle Jets 27 10 6 11 34 34 0 36 SUBSTITUTES 8 Perth Glory 27 7 7 13 28 37 -9 28 OFF OFF OFF 9 Wellington Phoenix 27 7 7 13 36 51 -15 28 10 Melbourne Heart 27 6 8 13 36 42 -6 26 ON ON ON LEGEND P Played W Wins D Draws L Losses F Goals For A Goals Against GD Goal difference PTS Points

WANDERERS FC VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 17

Full Time Score

Proudly Brings you SQUAD S B ¨ ¨ 01 Justin PASFIELD Goalkeeper ¨ ¨ 02 Joshua ROSE Defender ¨ ¨ 03 Marcel SEIP Defender ¨ ¨ 04 Zachary ANDERSON Defender ¨ ¨ 05 Brent GRIFFITHS Defender ¨ ¨ 06 John HUTCHINSON Midfielder ¨ ¨ 07 Nick MONTGOMERY Midfielder ¨ ¨ 08 Mitchell DUKE Forward ¨ ¨ 09 Marcos FLORES Forward ¨ ¨ 10 Nick FITZGERALD Forward ¨ ¨ 11 Liam REDDY Goalkeeper ¨ ¨ 12 Hayden MORTON Defender ¨ ¨ 14 Defender ¨ ¨ 16 Anthony CACERES Midfielder ¨ ¨ 17 Michael NEILL Defender ¨ ¨ 18 Matt SIMON Forward ¨ ¨ 19 Bernie IBINI Forward ¨ ¨ 20 Mile STERJOVSKI Forward ¨ ¨ 21 Tom SLATER Midfielder ¨ ¨ 22 Adam KWASNIK Forward ¨ ¨ 24 Eddy BOSNAR Defender ¨ ¨ 25 KIM Seung-yong Midfielder ¨ ¨ 26 Isaka CERNAK Midfielder TODAY'S MATCH ¨ ¨ 27 Glen TRIFIRO Midfielder Grab a pen and write down your own record of the game.

Ladder* *Ladder correct at completion of Round 27 Club P W D L F A GD PTS 1 Brisbane Roar 27 16 4 7 43 25 18 52 COACH ASSISTANT COACHES 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 27 11 9 7 34 29 5 42 Phil MOSS Wayne O'Sullivan 3 Central Coast Mariners 27 12 6 9 33 36 -3 42 4 Melbourne Victory 27 11 8 8 42 43 -1 41 5 Sydney FC 27 12 3 12 40 38 2 39 6 Adelaide United 27 10 8 9 45 36 9 38 7 Newcastle Jets 27 10 6 11 34 34 0 36 SUBSTITUTES 8 Perth Glory 27 7 7 13 28 37 -9 28 9 Wellington Phoenix 27 7 7 13 36 51 -15 28 OFF OFF OFF 10 Melbourne Heart 27 6 8 13 36 42 -6 26 LEGEND ON ON ON P Played W Wins D Draws L Losses F Goals For A Goals Against GD Goal difference PTS Points

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Wanderers: More than football Story by Chad Bennett @ChadZZBennett

Community engagement seems to be a catch-phrase that every sporting body in Australia wants to hang their hat on but at Western Sydney Wanderers the statement is much more than just words.

pon his appointment in 2012, Executive participated across over 230 football clinics. Chairman Lyall Gorman put community In conjunction with NSW Minister for Citizenship and Uengagement at the core of the club, saying that Communities Victor Dominello and the PCYC, Wanderers it will be “the strength of this new club and how launched the Western Sydney Youth Football Project. it can set new benchmarks in football.” The initiative provides young people from Two years on and it is clear that the vision Gorman multicultural communities the free use of football outlined is well on the way to becoming a reality. pitches for 12 months and with nearly 250 youths This season has seen Western Sydney involved, the Club will continue the project and Wanderers players make over 300 player hopes to see it self-sufficient within two years. visits and more than 3000 children have The club’s involvement, however, stretches

WANDERERS FC VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 19 far beyond what happens with the ball. following an offer from the club, the family of a Their ‘Two Halves’ program, which involves deceased Western Sydney Wanderers member 45 minutes in the classroom and 45 minutes asked the club to attend their funeral. on the pitch, serves to highlight the parallels He and assistant Josh Hunter did attend of football pathways with life pathways. and said the feedback from taking the time to It dovetails well with the Wanderers literacy program go along had been extremely positive. in which players read books that are then distributed “I think that’s the core difference in what throughout schools in the region while the club’s support we’re doing - we’re out there on the ground in of White Lion helps disadvantaged youth reintegrate the community, what we’re doing is real, it’s not into the community and look for career options. paperwork, it’s just not a media moment,” he said. The Club’s focus is on helping youth in the Judging by the conviction in his voice there is little region and their anti-bullying campaign that will doubt Thorne genuinely understands just how crucial be ramped up next season only reinforces that. This season has also seen both Brendon Santalab and Dean Heffernan promote organ donation during Donate Life Week with Heffernan even signing up himself while shot-stopper Ante Covic got behind White Ribbon Day as an ambassador against domestic violence. When Western Sydney Wanderers was born two years ago Tim Thorne was, along with Gorman, John Tsatsimas and Tony Popovic, one of the first people on board. In his role as Community Football Pathway Development Manager it is up to Thorne to ensure that what the club is doing in the community goes above and beyond what is expected. “The big difference for us is that our programs are not just tokenistic,” he said. “We’re working with University of Western Sydney to go and assess every single program we conduct because if it’s not actually making a difference then we shouldn’t be doing it.” Thorne recounted a recent experience where,

WSWANDERERSFC.COM.AU 20 the off-field work the club performs actually is. Not just for a one-off good news story or a program that can be looked back on later, but for the long-term future of the club. “The big thing for me is that no matter what we are doing, it’s important that as a club we understand that everything is integrated,” he said. “How our team performs - not whether they win or lose, but how they perform - is important; if they go out there and give their best, give everything they’ve got, we know that we’ll get the support. “If our players go out there and represent us well, that’s really important. “The programs we do inside the community as a whole that go past football, it’s important that they’re real, they’re not tokenistic and that they really make a difference.” Despite the progress that has been made in only two years Thorne stresses that it is just the base of the foundations in the Wanderers five-year community engagement plan. “For me, the direction of where this goes is that it remains absolutely at the core of the club,” he said. “Because of that the club will be successful and will be continued to be supported whether it wins or it loses. “And that’s a truly big club - one where the fans turn up no matter what because we stand for more than just football.” WEEKLY CLINICS BOOK IN NOW

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23 TAKE FIVE WITH DEAN HEFFERNAN

Wanderers defender and resident funny- man Dean Heffernan sits down for this season’s final edition of Take Five.

Are you studying, if so what are you doing? Looking to get back into Uni and finish my Bachelor of Commerce degree

If you were stranded on an island what would be your three essential items? A spear, a lighter and a photo of my kids

What would you buy with your last $50? Lotto

When you were growing up who or what did you want to be? Indiana Jones

Your earliest memory is? Getting a skateboard for my birthday and my brother rode it before I did so I cried for hours

What was your favourite TV show as a child? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What is your favourite band/ musician? I like all music but Red Hot Chilli Peppers are the best

What is your favourite film? Zoolander

What you don’t find amusing…? Getting fines at training from Mark 'Mushroom Head' Bridge

Who would be first voted out and why? Brendan Santalab, he has really bad breath. His nick name is Tic Tac at training

Which teammate would you refuse to room with and why? Jerome Polenz because he has better hair than me and I don't like it.

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WANDERERS FC VS CENTRAL COAST MARINERS 25 Parramatta: Home of Finals Football

Story by Joe Russo

Pirtek Stadium in Parramatta will today host another finals match in football almost a decade after Perth Glory defeated Parramatta Power 1-0 at the same venue in front of 9,630 spectators.

t was May 2004 and that grand final was the last again in 1993 when it hosted the grand final between ever game of football in the National Soccer Marconi and Adelaide City. Coached by former ILeague (NSL). The code went into hibernation Socceroos boss Frank Arok, the Western Sydney outfit in Australia before, almost two years later, prevailed 1-0 in front of over 13,000 spectators. It was Frank Lowy and his team at Football Federation the halcyon period for Marconi and Arok described Australia unveiled the Hyundai A-League. the club as “the AC Milan of Australian soccer.” While Parramatta Stadium may have opened in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth hosted 1986 with a game of rugby league when Parramatta grand finals before the decider returned to Parramatta Eels’ Steve Sharp scored the first ever top grade Stadium in 2001. This though was not a memorable try at the venue, it is often forgotten that it very clash when Wollongong City Wolves defeated South quickly became a football venue of note too. Melbourne 2-1 in front of just over 13,000 spectators. In the 1986 grand finals, played over two legs, Sydney Wollongong had secured their second Olympic – then coached by former 1974 Socceroos consecutive NSL title under the guidance of defender Manfred Schaefer – defeated Adelaide City Nick Theodorakopoulos and Ron Corry (now the 1-0 thanks to a wonderful Chris Kalantzis goal. Wanderers goalkeeper coach) respectively. Kalantzis took off his shirt and celebrated by However, the NSL was falling apart and fans running around Parramatta Stadium. In those days vented their anger at the presentation ceremony there was no booking for doing such a thing. Sadly by booing Soccer Australia officials who allowed though for Sydney Olympic supporters the club lost the game to be played in the middle of the day the return clash at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide on a Sunday to suit television requirements. 3-1 for the title to slip through their grasp. The television coverage was also poor. The In 1988, Australia’s Bicentennial Year, two ABC covered the game live and immediately classic Western Sydney clubs Marconi and cut the broadcast after the game. It was low Sydney Croatia played out a 2-2 draw in a key stuff that bordered on the Vaudeville. memorable grand final at Parramatta Stadium. And then finally there was 2004. Two of the newer Marconi then prevailed on penalties and their NSL clubs couldn’t attract much interest in their legendary captain, Socceroo Tony Henderson, scored championship decider. The Nick Theodorakopoulos the winning penalty which was to become his last coached Parramatta Power were narrowly defeated by ever kick in top-flight football as he retired that day. a gallant Perth Glory. It was an ignominious death of the The following two grand finals in 1989 and code at the time in Australia before the resurrection. 1990 were both at Parramatta Stadium and it was Pirtek stadium today is a vastly different Marconi against their old rivals Sydney Olympic. venue in terms of atmosphere. In 1989 the Berti Mariani coached Marconi prevailed The ground may have started life as a rugby 1-0 in the last of the winter grand finals. Less than a year league venue that hosted home games for the later in 1990 the two teams were at it again in front of Parramatta Eels but it too was a stage for many over 26,000 spectators and this time Sydney Olympic famous football battles throughout the years. turned the tables and won 2-0. It was to be their first Today it is definitely a football venue, the ever NSL title and their bridesmaid tag was finally shed. home of the Western Sydney Wanderers. Three years later and Parramatta Stadium was at it This is Wanderland!

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Bringing Your Football Back At NRMA Insurance we are incredibly proud to support the Western Sydney Wanderers as they continue their history-making journey to become beacons for the Australian A-League and their community.

fter storming into the championship decider community groups can apply for grants to fund initiatives in their inaugural year, the team has continued such as new kits, coaching clinics, or facility upgrades. toA impress on the field, thanks in no small part This year we had the amazing opportunity to to the support of their fans from the heartland get behind the scenes with the Wanderers and of Australian football, Western Sydney. create ‘West Side Stories’, our four part series At NRMA Insurance we've continued to work closely that explores how the experience of local and with the Western Sydney Wanderers to develop local international players, the volunteers and the initiatives such as the NRMA Insurance Ball Amnesty backroom staff whose support has helped shape the campaign, where over 3,000 people swapped their Wanderers and the difference they have made. used balls for a new NRMA Insurance Western Sydney The fourth episode to be released shortly, will Wanderers football. This year our Amnesty trailer take a look at the Team behind the team, giving us a has appeared with players at various community look at all the staff that help Tony and the players. events, where we have run coaching clinics and skill We thank our customers and employees testers to add to the experience. All donated balls who fill the NRMA Insurance bay at every were gifted to local charities for youth programs. home game and share in the excitement This initiative will continue in conjunction with generated by the Wanderers and their fans. the Western Sydney Wanderers Community team We are proud our employees stood shoulder to throughout the year, to provide the residents of shoulder beside the Red and Black Bloc fans when Western Sydney the opportunity to participate. NRMA Insurance matched donations and helped raise In addition, we’ve also continued our commitment to $45,000 for families impacted by the October bushfires. bring football back to the heartland with the unveiling We are privileged to work with the Western of the NRMA Insurance ‘Your Football’ Grants. We are Sydney Wanderers and their fans as they only half way through our Grants program so you have embrace the pride and passion that has re- the opportunity to apply for a Grant over the coming energised the game and the local community. months. Under this program, local clubs, schools or Visit nrma.com.au/wanderers to find out more.

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