Family Day Heartbreak in the Final Minutes
A crowd of more than 1,500 local families filled Seymour Shaw on Sunday for Family Day, but a late St George FC goal saw us fall 1–0 in a fiercely contested local derby.
#8 Brendan Gan greeting some of the Sharks faithful on Family Day
The first half was hard-fought, with both sides creating numerous genuine opportunities in an end-to-end contest that had the home crowd on edge. Our best chance came deep into first-half stoppage time, when #7 Takumi Ofuka unleashed a left-footed strike that flew agonisingly wide of the post.
At each end, both goalkeepers were in outstanding form. Captain Danijel Nizic produced a series of world-class saves to keep the scores level, while St George’s custodian responded in kind to deny the Sharks from close range. At the break, it remained 0–0, but it was clear even then that the match would be decided by fine margins.
Close call from #17 Richard Shoueiki in the first half
The second half continued in similar fashion, with neither side willing to give an inch. It was strong, physical, and relentless, everything the Sharks faithful were after from their 11 men in the local derby.
In the 70th minute, a unlucky deflection at the back presented St George with a golden opportunity to open the scoring. Once again, Nizic stood tall, producing an incredible sweeping left-hand save to keep the Sharks in the contest.
#6 Ryley Hollingdale lines up a free kick in second half
With the game seemingly destined for a tense finish, the decisive moment arrived in the 88th minute. A lofted ball sent Harrison Farrow through one-on-one, and despite Nizic’s positioning, the St George forward managed a delicate chip over the advancing keeper to seal the result.
It was a cruel blow in front of a passionate home crowd who had created a fantastic Family Day atmosphere throughout the afternoon. We showed resilience and quality across the park, but will know we must be more clinical in front of goal as attention now turns to the next challenge.
Thank you to the 1,500+ supporters who made Family Day such a special occasion, your energy never stopped.