Preseason In Melbourne

With the RAA National Premier League season less than three weeks away, MetroStars was one of four South Australian top tier teams to hone their skills against Victorian opposition over the weekend in some final pre-season friendlies.

The teams set out with clear objectives that they wanted to achieve over the weekend, beyond the result on the scoreboard. MetroStars Senior Men's Head Coach, Danny Graystone indicated it was the club's view to explore the benchmarking of Victorian teams against their own:

"It gave us the ability to gauge our physical competencies against a strong, hard-working team to ascertain any areas to improve. It gave the club the opportunity to network with other ambitious clubs targeting the B-League and discuss club philosophies.”

Speaking on behalf of the club, Danny did not shy away from the importance the overall experience provided the players, emulating that of a professional football team schedule:

"We were provided the opportunity to build team morale and expose players to the realities of professional football and what the B-League would look like; the travel, accommodation, team meals, team walk and ability to focus on the game with no distractions.”

A heroic James Temelkovski hattrick put MetroStars in good stead to secure a 3-4 win against 2022 Victorian NPL champions and former home of Craig Goodwin, Oakleigh Cannons.

Although Oakleigh managed a 5-0 win in their 2022 Victoria NPL grand final, they were no match for MetroStars, who took a one-goal advantage into half time through Temelkovski’s first contribution to the scoreboard.

A rampant second half saw both sides find the back of the net on several occasions, including James adding to his tally twice more. Jackson Walls effort ensured MetroStars brought bragging rights back over the border at the weekend’s end.

Article courtesy of footballsa.com.au