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Premier League

The forty-ninth season of semi-professional football in Western Australia kicked off last weekend with the opening round of home-and-away fixtures. This years competition is expected to be a two-horse race between reigning champion Floreat Athena and perennial favourite Perth S.C., however, for either to claim top honours they'll have to fend off the challenges of Cockburn City, Stirling Lions and Sorrento amongst others. It may still be early days but there's plenty of interest at the other end of the table where a handful of clubs are expected to be involved in a lengthy battle to avoid the drop. Brett Klucznik takes a close look at each of the twelve clubs, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and makes a few predictions as to how the 2008 Premier League season will play out ...

Punters looking to lay money on who will take out the 2008 Premier League title would be hard pressed to go past PERTH S.C. Graham Normanton has so far returned fifteen trophies to the cabinet at Dorrien Gardens and he'll be keen to add to that tally as Perth celebrate his tenth season at the helm. Gareth Deeg shelved retirement plans to take his place between the posts in front of homegrown talents Michael Icanovski and Trent Kay. Antonio Naglieri, Robbie Puca and new recruit Andrija Jukic run the show across the centre with the goalscoring trio of Greg Sharland, David Onoforo and Andreas Oliviera sure to cause more than a few headaches for opposition sides. With a first eleven that is unrivalled in the top flight and a triumphant Night Series campaign under their belt, Perth are more than ready to return to the return to the top of the table.
In - Andrija Jukic (Western Knights), Simon Madaschi, David Onoforo (Fremantle United), David Price (Western Knights), Greg Sharland (Inglewood United)
Out - Lewis Beasley, Mark Birighitti (Australian Institute of Sport), Scott Bulloch (Sorrento), Adrian D'Adamo (Balcatta), Oliver Hilton (Armadale), Michael Ord (Sorrento), Chris Parfitt, Ashley Picker (Inglewood United), Simon Trinca (long-term injury), Barry Wood (retired)

Reigning champion FLOREAT ATHENA are odds-on favourite to claim the Premier League crown for a second time in as many years. Michael Roki's side made history last season by completing the home and away series without loss and there's every likelihood that that run will be furthered in 2008 by a considerable margin. Change has been kept to a minimum with 2004 Golden Boot winner David Foster and utility Dean Apelgren brought in to replace Boima Karpeh and Josip Magdic, who have moved on to greener pastures. Otherwise, the championship winning side remains intact with national league veteran Ante Kovacevic forming an imposing defensive line alongside rising stars John Migas and Julian Madaschi and goalkeeper Vas Vujacic. Branimir Mikulic, Argentine import Rafael Insurralde, Garin Collins and Adam Bachillor provide the momentum going forward with Foster the target man in the final third. With a squad brimming with not only talent but also confidence, Floreat are expected to challenge Perth for top honours.
In - Dean Apelgren (Inglewood United), David Foster (Swan I.C.), Peja Kalezic (Dianella White Eagles)
Out - Simon Barber (Floreat Athena), Stephen Bettella (Dianella White Eagles), Phil Clarke (Bayswater City), Jonathon Davite (Inglewood United), Craig Howard (Rockingham City), Boima Karpeh (Whittlesea Stallions, Victoria), James McPhail (Dianella White Eagles), Josip Magdic (Perth Glory), Bajo Savic (long-term injury), Craig Simpson (E.C.U. Joondalup), Stefan Smiljanic (Armadale), Chris Wiley (Mandurah City)

An exciting time lies ahead for SORRENTO who'll be the year's big improver. After winning the title in 2006, the Gulls showed a little too much complacency last year and with just four wins to their name ended uncomfortably close to the drop zone. But lessons have been learnt and a barnstorming Night Series has catapulted the northern suburbs outfit to amongst the favourites for regular season glory. A strong recruitment drive has swelled the ranks at Percy Doyle Reserve with the arrival of some of the state's best talent, players of the calibre of Stuart Montgomery, Shaun Kilkelly and Michael Ord. They compliment the existing core group of Neil Young, Steve MacDonald, Glen Thomas, Scott Neville and Todd Harnwell who all worked tirelessly for little reward in 2007. Making the last four of the Night Series provided only a glimpse of what they are capable of and should Sorrento display that same fighting spirit regularly this winter then there's no reason why they can't be a top-three proposition.
In - Scott Bulloch (Perth S.C.), Danny Cain (Green Gully, Victoria), Glen Campbell (Walker Central, England), Jake Harman, Danny Hill, Shaun Kilkelly (Inglewood United), Neil Main (Fraserburgh, Scotland), Glen Moore (Rathfern Rangers, Northern Ireland), Michael Ord (Perth S.C.), Stuart Montgomery (Western Knights)
Out - Chris Boyle (Sydney United, New South Wales), Daniel Cagorski (Bayswater City), Gary Lynn (returned to Scotland), Kyle Stuart (Sutherland Sharks, New South Wales), Danny Taylor (work commitments), Richard Watson (retired)

The resurrection of STIRLING LIONS continues to gather momentum. But although Mike Lyons has assembled a very fine squad for the new season one gets the feeling they are still a little way from mounting a serious challenge for the title. Off-season departures have been kept to a minimum while some select recruitment has increased the Mike Lyons' match day options. With captain Darko Ilmanoski, Kevin Henderson and Steve Hesketh partnering Goalkeeper of the Year Phil Straker you can be assured the Lions defences won't be breached too many times. Jordan Rhodes, Ludovic Boi, Marc Anthony and Alan Muir will provide the ammunition for young striker Phil Arnold. A poor away record denied them a high finish last season while there's a lack of depth and experience brought on by the clubs strong policy. They may not yet be in quite the same field as Perth S.C. and Floreat Athena but Stirling are still very much a top five outfit
In - Marc Anthony (E.C.U. Joondalup), Jake Geddes (National Training Centre), Vlad Naumovski (Dianella White Eagles), Albert Osei-Tutu (Inglewood United), Luke Pavlos (Balcatta), Jordan Reid (Cove rangers, Scotland), Jordan Rhodes (Mandurah City)
Out - Keith Brown (Mandurah City), Ian Griffiths (Inglewood United), Tommy Jones (E.C.U. Joondalup), Daniel Micevski (Western Knights), Jamie Mitsopolous (Inglewood United)

It's been a very long time since COCKBURN CITY claimed silverware and it's unlikely that will change in 2008. The club suffered some heavily losses during the off-season, specifically goalkeeper Dino Pacella, defensive stalwart Shane Nunes and retired utility Dean Wallace, which will leave them a little light on for experience. In their favour is a core group of dedicated, hard-working individuals which includes Liam Lilly, Paul Natale, returning veteran Dusan Macura, Dom De Felice, Michael Mirco and John Mirco. And bubbling up through the ranks are the next generation of Cockburn stars such as Aaron Dos Santos, Giovanni De Bartolo and Joseph Brunetto who still have a few things to learn about playing at this level before achieving their full potential. Even so, Cockburn are a top five possibility and a higher finish is within their grasp if they can instil greater consistency in their game.
In - Mirco Jelicic (coach), Shane McNally (Western Knights), Dusan Macura (Armadale), Brad North, Ryan Pretorius (Fremantle Spirit)
Out - Jason Dos Santos (long-term injury), Alan Dunlop (retired), Louis Lopresti (work commitments), Scott Miller (coach), Shane Nunes (South Melbourne, Victoria), Dino Pacella (long-term injury), Dean Wallace (retired), Luke Woodward (Gosnells City)

The difficult task of transforming E.C.U. JOONDALUP from something other than a mid-table proposition again falls to Willie McNally. On their day the northerners are capable of matching it with the best of them, however, a habit of dropping points to teams their lesser and a lack of depth prevents them from challenging for silverware. A superb defensive record anchored the side last season and that's likely to be the case again with former Perth Glory custodian Tommi Tomich marshalling a backline that includes Anthony Jones, Scott Blackmore and Craig Simpson. Scott Bushby returns to add creativity to the midfield where his partnership with Darren Broxton will be crucial in their quest for points. The ammunition from out wide comes from Tommy Amphlett and Jon Higgins with captain Ian McMurray spearheading the attack for a third successive year. A finish somewhere around the middle of the table beckons once again for Joondalup.
In - Scott Bushby (Western Knights), Jarred Bracewell (National Training Centre), Andrew Durkin (Bangor Celtic, Ireland), Tommy Jones (Stirling Lions), Bobson Koroma, Danny Green, Thomas Nicholson (Manchester City, England), Craig Simpson (Floreat Athena), Tommi Tomich (Perth Glory), John Thornley (Western Knights)
Out - David Abel (returned to England), Marc Anthony (Stirling Lions), Steve Baines (returned to England), Howard Fondyke (Australian Institute of Sport), Craig Highet (Morley Windmills), Ryan McDarby (Mandurah City), Andy Petterson, Chris Porter, Darren Quinncroft

2008 is going to be all about consolidation for INGLEWOOD UNITED. The club parted company with several key personnel during the summer months and with seasoned campaigner Bobby Despotovski heading to Europe mid-season new coach Lee Bamber has gone back to the drawing board. The contributions of goalkeeper Oliver Taseski along with Shane Pryce and Danny Kovacevic are going to be crucial to how their season pans out. Jason Colli, Michael Baczynski and Daniel Neiderberger will run themselves into the ground in the quest for goals, while Louis Parkinson's imminent return from injury provides them with a goalscorer of great quality. An active recruitment drive and the promotion of youngsters from within bring Jamie Mitsopolous, James Sammutt and James Duncan into the equation and suggest a bright future for the club. But for this season at least, Inglewood do not possess the resources to mount a serious title challenge.
In - Jonathon Davite (Floreat Athena), Mark Grant, Ian Griffiths (Stirling Lions), David Houston (Wanneroo City), Lewis Italiano (Balcatta), Bobby Klenkoski (Bayswater City), Dennis McRoberts (Hellenic Athletic, Northern Territory), Jamie Mitsopolous (Stirling Lions), Louis Parkinson (long-term injury), Ashley Picker (Perth S.C.), Wes Ryder (Bayswater City)
Out - Dean Apelgren (Floreat Athena), Rory Hollingham, Shaun Kilkelly (Sorrento), Albert Osei-Tutu (Stirling Lions), Jason Razmovski (long-term injury), Greg Sharland (Perth S.C.), Daniel Stoitis (work commitments)

It's been a summer of dramatic change at WESTERN KNIGHTS where over half of last years first eleven are no longer on the scene. In going about the task of re-building his squad Ronnie Campbell has promoted from within the clubs youth ranks with added depth coming through an active recruitment campaign. Kevin Miller and Jon Mathers performed admirably at the back last year and for the new season will be joined by Keith Butler and Ivan Zuvela. Dawson Cormac is likely to play a more creative role in midfield alongside Paul Cooke and David Micevski with the task of banging in the goals falling to newcomers Barry Devlin and Rory Grant. Where the Knights end the season will depend largely on how quickly they can start performing as a cohesive unit, but odds are they'll take a place somewhere in the lower mid-table.
In - David Annall, Keith Butler (Broadford, Scotland), Mitch Bryden (Lower Hutt, New Zealand), Barry Devlin (Bangor Celtic, Ireland), Stuart Ferguson (Hallum, Scotland), Rory Grant (Bayswater City), Daniel Micevski (Stirling Lions), David Micevski (Perth Glory), Ivan Zuvela (long-term injury)
Out - Aaron Badahori, Scott Bushby (E.C.U. Joondalup), Andrew Jennings, Andrija Jukic (Perth S.C.), Greg Montenegro, Shane McNally (Cockburn City), Stuart Montgomery (Sorrento), David Price (Perth S.C.), Ante Ramic, John Thornley (E.C.U. Joondalup)

The process of turning a young FREMANTLE SPIRIT side into a force to be reckoned with continues at the WA Spanish Club. Unfortunately, it's not going to be a comfortable ride for the port side this season with their two most experienced players, Alex Christie and Gold Medal winner Dale Wingell, likely to be absent for much of the campaign. Fremantle surprised many on their top flight return but for the new season goalkeeper Steve Grant will have a re-vamped defence in front of him which features Lee Hallums, Tom Straker, Adrian McBride and Simon Elton-Bott. In Jason Barrera, Callum Roberts and Cisco Jorquiera they have three of the competitions' most exciting young players while a year on the sidelines has two time First Division top goalscorer David Rodgers champing at the bit. But a lack of overall depth and a poor home record is going to hold them back and it's hard to see Fremantle improving on last year's eighth placing.
In - Llewellyn Bake, Simon Barber (Floreat Athena), Simon Edwards (Llanfair United, Wales),
Lee Hallums (Armadale), Joseph Moffat (Harold Wood Athletic, England), David Rodgers (long-term injury)
Out - Sebastian Booysen, Alex Christie (work commitments), Roberto Colalillo, Mark Darby (Armadale), Oliver Gifford (returned to England), Vas Kalogeracos (Western Suburbs, Victoria), Ryan Pretorius (Cockburn City), Dale Wingell (long-term injury)

MANDURAH CITY will find the going tough in their first ever season as a Premier League club. Their pre-season was nothing to write home about and the alarm bells must surely have been triggered by their return of a single goal in over seven hours of Night Series football. The backbone of last years' First Division championship winning side remains with Mike Green, captain Andy Brown, Graeme Matthews, Christian Pascherwitz and Jeff Bright all looking forward to lining up in the top flight. Coach Stuart Currie has strengthened his side with a rash of signings that include defensive pair Ryan Townsend and Chris Currie, midfielder Keith Brown along with young guns Patrick Quinn and Phil O'Callaghan. How many points Mandurah can pick up in the first half of the winter will determine their fate but expect them to battle it out with Swan I.C. and Armadale to avoid the drop.
In - Keith Brown (Stirling Lions), Gary Collins (long-term injury), Chris Currie, Michael Currie (National Training Centre), Kieran Kavanagh (South West Phoenix), Dale McCulloch, Ryan McDarby (E.C.U. Joondalup), Phil O'Callaghan, Patrick Quinn (South West Phoenix), Ryan Townsend (Persiba Balikpapan, Indonesia), Chris Wiley (Floreat Athena), Stuart Young
Out - Jason Carmichael, Ross Clayton (work commitments), Shane Crampton (North Pine United, Queensland), Alex Darby (work commitments), David Dawson (work commitments), Stuart Francis (retired), Scott Halpin, Stuart McCall (Rockingham City), Fraser Marr (Rockingham City), Kevin Morris (retired), Adam Parmenter, Jordan Rhodes (Stirling Lions), Stephen Rhodes (work commitments), Ryan Stewart (Rockingham City)

As was the case last year, ARMADALE's focus will be on keeping their head above water and extending their stay in the top flight. There is absolutely no doubt the eastern corridor club are in a stronger proposition than this time last year thanks largely to Brad Hassell's activity in the transfer market, however, a great big question mark hangs over their ability to go the full distance. Cyril Sharrock, Daryl Platten, Marlon Ramirez, Steve Skilandis, Scott Devine and Jason Goodwin form the nucleus of the side along with newcomers Gary Faria, Andy Bowyer and Remo McCann. The absence of a recognised goalscorer has been a major hindrance since they joined the top flight in 2005 and heading into the new season this again looms as a major concern. It really is difficult to see Armadale being able to achieve the consistency required to be truly competitive so don't be surprised to see them in the mix for relegation come seasons' end.
In - Andy Bowyer (Morley Windmills), Kevin Carmona (Bayswater City), Mark Darby (Fremantle Spirit), John Dixon, Gary Faria, Brad Hassell (coach), Oliver Hilton (Perth S.C.), Adrian McCann (Morley Windmills), Ryan Pearson, Stefan Smiljanic (Floreat Athena)
Out - Joel Baptist, Daniel Capellaro (Queens Park), Robbie Easton (Queens Park), Simon El Chami (Morley Windmills), Lee Hallums (Fremantle Spirit), Graham Herd (Gosnells City), Ben Howe, Matthew Johnson, Jeevan Krishnan, Dusan Macura (Cockburn City), Connor Mahady (Swan I.C.), Scott Paterson, Jerry Maguire, Cameron Richens (Queens Park)

The tone has been set for a difficult year at SWAN I.C. The Black and Whites limped into ninth place last season, and the loss of several influential figures combined with a less than inspiring pre-season campaign doesn't bode well. Paul Lincoln stepped into the coaching hot seat over the summer and has high hopes for his first season in charge. The defence leaked goals at an alarming rate last year so Lincoln will have his fingers crossed Cory Hugo, Aaron Cole, Paul Baczynski and David McNally will remain available throughout the year. David Perich has a big future ahead of him and partners Dom Ando and Brendan Knox across the middle of the park with club legend Damien Scali and Tom Shepheard operating in the final third. 2008 will be an important chapter in Swan's history and they should be pleased just to survive relegation.
In - Gary Andrews (Wanneroo City), Alex Cocking, Paul Lincoln (coach), Geoff Mason (long-term injury), Connor Mahady (Armadale)
Out - David Foster (Floreat Athena), Daniel Grosso (Ashfield), Trevor Hatton (Morley Windmills), Anthony McStea (work commitments), Rory Mouttet (Canning City), Carlo Scali (coach), Adrian Zonato (Balcatta)

www.footballwa.net : 2008 Season Preview