Knights play it safe
THEY played it slow and steady in the title race and Gold Coast Knights have been forced to endure one final tightrope challenge.
While the Gold Coast Premier League championship was wrapped up a week earlier, it was made official on Saturday.
There was, however, a final test put to the Knights and coach Alex Morrison during their 4-1 victory over Burleigh.
“We had six players on four yellow cards so it was always going to be a bit cagey for us,” Morrison said of the threat of automatic suspensions for any player reaching five yellows.
Befitting a season in which the Knights steadily dominated, they finished in style against Burleigh Heads at Pizzey Park.
Victory gave the Knights back-to-back local titles after they won the Coast League 1 crown in 2016.
“I am elated with the season because we played really well,” coach Morrison said.
“Broadbeach and Surfers pushed us all the way so I am happy to have been able to
beat the two teams that have been so strong for so long.”
Strikes from Daniel Grzic, Andrew Barisic, Teddy Watson and Oskar Tycho put the icing on the championship cake for the Knights.
Barisic and Watson, arguably the most dominant strike force in the league for years, finished first and second in the race for the golden boot with 27 and 16 season goals respectively.
Despite the loss Burleigh hung on to fourth spot after their closest rivals Murwillumbah managed a 1-1 draw against Broadbeach United at Jim Devine Field.
Surfers Paradise took third spot for the semi-finals on September 2 with a 2-0 win away to Magic United.
Unfortunately the preliminary rounds closed with a forfeit by bottom side Coomera against Palm Beach.
Coomera president Alan McFarlane said a virus wiped out almost all of the Colts senior players but he agreed it did not look good to forfeit a match only four days out from a relegation-promotion playoff against Nerang.
The Colts drew criticism from outsiders, who say the club should have fulfilled their first grade commitments as a priority.
Football Gold Coast general manager Damien Bresic said Coomera would face the same action that the governing association takes in any instances of forfeits – a fine of an undisclosed amount.