Record Crowd, Cruel Result: We Fall To South Melbourne In Aus Champs Opener
Australian Championship | Round 1
We’ve gone down 1–0 to reigning Australian Championship winners South Melbourne at Seymour Shaw Stadium on Saturday night, in a game where we did almost everything but put the ball in the net.
Our first ever National Game Starting XI - Picture: Dane Hinchy
Before a ball was even kicked, the afternoon already belonged to tour community. 3,176 of you packed into Seymour Shaw, a new record attendance for the stadium and the eighth time we’ve broken our attendance record this year. The atmosphere was electric from start to finish, and the boys felt every bit of it.
South Melbourne had the early moments. Brendan Gan was on hand with a huge goal-line clearance from Jordon Lampard’s corner in the 20th minute, and James Lackay rattled the woodwork just three minutes later. From there we grew into the half, with Lachlan Sattout a constant threat down the flank. Our best chance came in the 36th minute when Sattout broke forward and fizzed a dangerous ball across goal towards Diego Bonilla, only for Marco Jankovic to get there with a last-ditch tackle. Level at the break.
The line to get into Seymour Shaw - Picture: Dane Hinchy
The second half started in the worst possible way. Straight after the restart, Yuki Uchida got the decisive touch on Arran Cocks’ free-kick delivery in the 46th minute to put the visitors ahead.
From there it was mostly one-way traffic. Sattout fired wide in the 57th minute, then forced Javier Lopez into an outstanding save with a header three minutes later. Alen Harbas tested Lopez twice before finally finding the back of the net in the 76th minute, only for the offside flag to go up and deny us an equaliser. We kept pushing right to the final whistle, but South Melbourne held firm.
Football can be a cruel game sometimes. We outplayed the defending champions for long stretches, but when you don’t take your chances, you leave the door open, and South Melbourne found a scrappy goal to walk away with all three points. It stings, but there’s plenty in that performance to build on.
Sattout was outstanding all night and caused South Melbourne problems every time he got on the ball, while Gan’s clearance in the first half kept us in it when it mattered.
The John Hills Grandstand packed to the rafters - Picture: Dane Hinchy
To everyone who came down on Saturday, thank you. We’re extremely grateful for the way our community showed up, and nights like that are exactly why we do this.
Result: Sutherland Sharks FC 0 – 1 South Melbourne
Venue: Seymour Shaw Stadium, Saturday 17 October 2026
We’ll see you at home next time against Sydney United 58 FC. Saturday 31st October, 2026 - 3pm kick off. Let’s go Sharks. 🦈