Soccer
CAN Mount Eliza become the first club to win State 6 South-East?
Luke Armao thinks so as eyes turn to the major restructure of the State Leagues next year and the creation of two new tiers of competition – State 6 and State 7. Football Victoria also has decided to standardise the leagues structure by turning all seven leagues into two regional divisions – South-East and North-West.
Mount Eliza has been competing at State Leagues level since 2023 and has shown steady progress – a statistic that supports Armao’s assessment of its prospects next year. Under Bryce Ruthven in its inaugural season it finished ninth.
Mount Eliza finished fifth in 2024 after a tumultuous season that started with Alex Halikias at the helm only to be replaced by reserves coach Graeme Ferguson (as caretaker) who then became senior assistant when current gaffer Gerry McDonagh arrived.
This year Mount Eliza firmly established the competitiveness and quality of its senior men’s program by finishing third, a point behind second-placed Seaford United.
It was an unusual season with no promotion from State 5 up for grabs. Instead, the top two teams retained their league status for the coming season so despite its best season since entering State Leagues the club from Emil Madsen Reserve was relegated.
“In all honesty we exceeded our expectations,” first choice keeper Armao said. “We came into the year just wanting to finish higher than the year before so anything above fifth would be great. “When we started the way we did (only losing one game in the first half of the season to eventual champion Fortuna 60) I was immensely proud of the boys. “We knew going into the season that only the top two would get safety (from relegation) but we didn’t really expect it. “Honestly it was a surprise that we were second and hanging on to safety for as long as we did.”
Armao’s football journey began as an eight-year-old with Skye juniors. He went on to play for the reserves and Skye’s Metropolitan League side on Sundays. In 2022 he played the first half of the season in Skye’s reserves then switched to Barton United. Later that year Halikias phoned him and wanted him to come down to Mount Eliza. The timing was perfect.
“I had to decide between State 2 reserves (back at Skye), State 1 reserves at Casey Comets or State 5,” said the 26-year-old. “I’d reached a stage where I wanted to see if I could hack it playing first team football. “I’d never really pushed myself but I wanted to play in the seniors and Mount Eliza looked like a good place to start.”
Halikias revamped the senior squad and by the time McDonagh arrived Mount Eliza had lost any resemblance to the 2023 version that could only muster 16 points. “I have mixed feelings about Alex,” Armao said. “There’s no doubt that he’s a very capable coach but sometimes I thought that the way he dealt with some younger players wasn’t helpful.
“Some of them didn’t react well to the way they were criticised. In fact, one of our centre backs would make a mistake and get criticised but he’d get shakier and shakier as things went on. “He was actually terrified of getting ripped into again. “Since Gerry and Graeme have been in charge we’ve seen a massive improvement in him.”
Signing McDonagh was a major coup for Mount Eliza. He’d dropped down from being senior coach at NPL outfit Doveton to State 5 and few coaches have ever taken that route. “Gerry’s a very supportive coach. “He’ll rip into you if he needs to but it’s never unfair. “It’s a kind sort of harshness if that makes any sense. “I trust anything Gerry has to say and I love playing under him. In fact, he’s the main reason I came back for another season.”
Last weekend Armao and his senior squad teammates spent a couple of nights in Torquay to unwind and no doubt next season’s prospects were a popular topic of conversation. “I’d like us to be the first club to win State 6 and if we can keep this group together we’ll have a lot of talent going in to next year.
“If we need anything it’ll probably be a bit of firepower because we lost two forwards to ACL injuries in the same game this year. “But we came a long way this year and although I’m expecting State 6 to be very, very competitive I feel we’ll be ready to play our part. “I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
In State 2 news Skye United announced some senior men’s awards last weekend with Paul Aitchison named senior Players’ Player Of The Year and senior goalkeeper Steven Hadjikakou runner-up.
Aitchison was recruited from Seaford United during the off-season. Reserves Players’ Player Of The Year was Freddie Jeffs and George Jeffs was runner-up.
Meanwhile Frankston Pines has wasted little time in starting its search for a new coach following its double relegation from State 4 to next year’s newly created State 6. That was the result of Pines finishing last this season.
Last week it thanked outgoing senior coach Mauricio Perez then called for senior coaching applications. Craig Lewis and Peter Blasby spoke to the committee last night (Monday).
They both boast outstanding pedigrees in the sport — Lewis having been with Scottish giant Rangers and Blasby selected in Melbourne Knights Team Of The Century. Both are former Pines players and Lewis has been senior coach at Monterey Reserve.
