Doonside Hawks dominate BDSFA Deploy Premier League
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
It ’ s been another hectic season at Blacktown District Soccer Football Association with plenty of quality football played across all divisions in boys , girls , men ’ s and women ’ s . In a hotly contested Deploy Premier League competition for 2024 Doonside Hawks have again come out on top and added another Premier League trophy to their collection . They delivered a series of red-hot displays throughout the season that culminated in a win against the Ponds FC at Blacktown Football Park .
It was another solid season by the Hawks who saw themselves make the grand final in Prems 1s and Reserve grade to assert their dominance across the competition in both divisions with Doonside ’ s Premier Reserves finishing the regular season in 2nd place behind Marayong with 12 wins , 3 draws and 3 losses to finish on 39 points , 7 behind minor premiers Marayong who finished with 46 points . The Hawks pulled off a massive 4-0 win against Blacktown in the first week of the finals , followed by a 3-0 win against Eastern Creek Pioneers the week after which booked them a date with Blacktown Workers in the Grand Final for the Prems Reserves squad . Unfortunately , it was not to be for the Hawks reserve grade team who fought valiantly but went down 1-0 to a strong Blacktown Workers Prems Reserve squad .
In the Premier League squad , it was a similar experience throughout the year for coach Glenn Xuereb and his men who finished 2nd in the regular season
behind a speedy Marayong team . They had 41 points from 13 wins , 2 draws and 3 losses in their 18 matches and an impressive for and against of 57 goals for and 20 .
They struck fear into the opposition with 43 of their goals coming from 3 key strike weapons in the team . Mory Konateh
Doonside Hawks with the trophy . Credit : Doonside Hawks . picked up 9 goals in his 24 appearances which included 13 starts , Marcus Correia who played 17 matches , starting every game , and proved lethal with 22 goals to finish 2nd in the golden boot standings for the year , and Ethan Iken who picked up 12 goals in 12 games and is one of the absolute superstars of the competition in his prime at 25 , and the opportunity may arise to progress his career further in the NPL .
The Hawks have shown how investing in youth and your club to develop and build teams will have long term benefits and also provide legitimate pathways for your players to play the highest levels possible in the district . The competition has many former NPL level players scattered throughout .
The rise of the Australia Cup gives the best players in these clubs the opportunity to put their performances in the shop front window of Australian football , and with the livestream coverage of the competition , there will be more eyes on the players and competition from all over Australia .
The Hawks were hot to trot when they appeared in the grand final at Blacktown
Doonside Hawks celebrate a Grand Final win . Credit : Doonside
Hawks . Football Park against the Ponds FC quickly striking up a 2 – 0 lead with 2 cracking goals from Ethan Iken in the 8th and 19th minute . This had the crowd in raptures , and Doonside also exerted their dominance in the match in front of about 1000 fans , looking to see who would get the edge and take home the Premiership Trophy for 2024 .
The Ponds , to their credit , didn ’ t back off and jagged one back in the 90th minute , but it was the Hawks show and Grand Final to lose , and they picked up an emphatic victory which demonstrated their strength and depth throughout the season . It is no surprise that Ethan Iken ended up with the Grand Final MVP award .
It was a fantastic ending to a brilliant 2024 season in the BDSFA and the Hawks look like they will be hungry for more success in 2025 .
International Athletics tears up Blacktown track
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
I ’ m sure many of your saw the success of the 2024 Olympic games in Paris , it was massive . People at every water cooler at work and around the workplace were talking about the games , and particularly Australia ’ s performances . We did very well in the athletics as well which is what people traditionally think of when they think Olympics and the ethos of higher , stronger , faster .
I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to the inaugural International
Competitor throwing the javelin .
Multicultural Athletics event in Blacktown , which was graciously hosted by Glenwood Sports and Athletics club . There was a cast of thousands down at Blacktown International Sports Centre for this huge event
People represented their countries of heritage from all over the world , in particular the Sikh community in Australia and many from India who made the trip to embrace the beautiful Aussie weather , which was on point on the day , and our culture of sports and loving the outdoors . I was seriously taken back by how big the event was . I didn ’ t know what to expect but was hopeful of a good turn out and good competitor numbers , but I was stunned by how well received the event was . It wasn ’ t just an athletics event . It was a cultural meet and experience , of which I ’ ve personally never been involved with before .
There were people of all ages competing in the full range of athletics disciplines including high jump , long jump , shot put , discus , javelin and running ; I am sure I have missed some !
I was greeted by the very humble and well-spoken coordinator of the event , Gursher Singh Maan , who demonstrated the patience of a saint , the coordination skills of a well-seasoned logistics professional and a genuine passion for bringing athletics to the Sikh community and the broader Australian public .
Blacktown Council were represented by Councillor Moninder Singh , a strong advocate of the event , and former Mayor and member of State Parliament for Blacktown Stephen Bali , a strong supporter of community sports and who still plays over 35s soccer for Doonside Hawks .
There were some outstanding performances across the day , but the event was not just about the elite best of the best - it was about bringing people from different multicultural backgrounds together in a community event to embrace their love for athletics and staying fit .
The day left no stone unturned with coaches giving guidance and practice training to different competitors and a range of athletes of all abilities competing for the love of the game . It was one of the most enlightening sporting events I ’ ve been to , and the competitors embraced the Olympic ethos of higher , faster , stronger , but even more importantly , they were out there being active .
The day started with a parade style event , reminiscent of what you might see at the Olympics with people lining up with pride in the areas they represented which included India and Australia .
I watched people learning how to do javelin and competing as well , and the coaches absolutely loved being able to impart their knowledge and see the fruit of their rewards with immediate improvement after some specialised
Mum and son runners with some well-earned medals .
coaching and guidance . There were many brilliant competitors too , and I had the pleasure of chatting to a mother and son team who came to the event to do their best and do what they love .
Their best is pretty good with the son winning gold in his age in the 100m , 200m , and 400m by a considerable distance , and his mum did the same in the 100m , 200m , 400m , 800m and 1500m which is an extraordinary performance .
I would just be happy to run one lap around the track without stopping to suck in the big ones when I ’ m gassed .
It truly was a fantastic event , and I look forward to seeing it become bigger and better in 2025 .
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 43 // OCTOBER 2024 21