Brandon Giaccherini was at the double on Saturday night as Goulburn Valley Suns thumped Geelong 5-0.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
There’s only one thing scarier than a side that scores five goals and doesn’t concede.
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The answer? A team that does so and still has more to give.
That’s the fortunate situation Goulburn Valley Suns coach Craig Carley finds himself in after the Orangemen pummelled Geelong 5-0 in round nine of the Victorian Premier League Two at McEwen Reserve on Saturday night.
Braces to Brandon Giaccherini and Callum Schorah, supplemented by a goal from Laywi Niyonkuru, powered the Suns to its highest scoring performance and second clean sheet of the season.
So far this year, Carley has constantly demanded ruthlessness at both ends of the pitch.
GV Suns’ Callum Schorah also netted a brace during the win over Geelong.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Mangara Munguakonkha looks to spin and get on the drive.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Laywi Niyonkuru played with a smile on his face on Saturday.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Israel Monga looks to launch the ball down the line.
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Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Danny Edwards makes a darting run into space.
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Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Darcy Pawlik takes the ball down with a deft touch.
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Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Brandon Giaccherini buries one home from the penalty spot.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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GV Suns’ Brandon Giaccherini celebrates with teammates after scoring.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“It’s just reward for the boys; I’ve said it the last couple of weeks that I’ve been really happy with the way we’ve been playing,” Carley said.
“The results haven’t quite been going our way, but I think this reflects what we can do when we do stick to a game plan and put a complete performance together.
“Once we can consistently put that performance together, we’ve got more gears left to go and levels to improve on.
“It just shows the quality we’ve got all through the squad and I think we’ll keep getting better and better.”
With a slight change in formation from a back three to a four, the Suns erupted early as Giaccherini converted from the penalty spot 11 minutes in before Schorah added his first ahead of the half-hour mark.
Niyonkuru had the Suns singing as he poked home his side’s third just before the break, after some sumptuous wing play down the left, and three became four once Schorah drilled home a scramble in the box on the 62-minute mark.
To cap the match and make it a five-star display, Giaccherini netted an Olimpico — the term used for scoring directly from a corner — in the 90th minute to seal an emphatic set of three points for the Suns.
Reflecting on the game, Carley saved some praise for some of his quiet achievers after such a barnstorming display.
“I thought ‘Ramos’ (Mohammed Algazaly) was sensational defensively in his first start of the season,” he said.
“He’s been a little bit unlucky (not to start), obviously with Ramadan recently, so we’ve had to manage his body.
“I thought everyone was exceptional; we tinkered with the formation a little bit and went to a back four where we’ve been playing more of a back three recently.
“I thought Darcy (Pawlik) in centre midfield was excellent as well in terms of being really positive and playing forward.
“The intent to go forward from the boys and that desire to get numbers in the box was what was most pleasing for me.”
A 5-0 win is precisely the kind of tune-up the Suns were after heading into a massive Australia Cup tie.
The Orangemen host National Premier League side Port Melbourne on Tuesday night and Carley is keen to go head-to-head against a Sharks side led by former Socceroo John Markovski.
“We’ll switch things up to keep everyone fit and firing,” he said.
“John Markovski, their coach, is a legend of Australian football and I know him from doing my A licence and I know he’ll have a really structured team assembled to come up.
“They’re an NPL outfit, they’re going to be a quality side, but I equally think we have that quality there to match that, so it’ll be a really good footballing game.”
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