The Oakleigh Cannons head into its second Dockerty Cup Final in as many years, looking to bring home the trophy for the first time.
In 2022, Oakleigh was defeated by Bentleigh Greens in the Grand Final of the Dockerty Cup, going down 2-1 to Bentleigh Greens.
Oakleigh Cannons Head Coach Chris Taylor said the road to the final has taken its toll on his team but was ready to add another piece of silverware to the cabinet.
In the first round of the Dockerty Cup qualification process, Oakleigh Cannons defeated Preston Lions 3-1 in Round 4 of the Australia Cup.
“That was quite a big game, there is a big rivalry there,” Taylor explained.
“Preston is the team who are coming through the leagues at the moment, so it was a big challenge for us. There was a big crowd on the day, which was a little intimidating for us as well.”
“It has not been an easy ride coming right through and Preston was probably the hardest game we have had.”
In Round 5, the Cannons defeated Dandenong Thunder 4-0 in a highly competitive match-up.
Midfield maestro Joe Guest opened the scoring in the clash before Anton Mlinaric doubled their lead on the brink of half-time.
Dandenong continued to put up a fight, however, when key midfielder Kieran Dover was sent off in the 77th minute, Alex Fiechtner and Connor Hampson scored two late goals to give the Cannons a comfortable victory.
“They were a little bit down at the time although I think they acquitted themselves pretty well,” Taylor explained.
“Every game against the Thunder is always tough and without those two late goals it could have been a different story.”
Oakleigh then faced NPL2 outfit Dandenong City who put up a fight, going down 2-0 to the reigning NPLM Champions.
“It was no different there, once again we set out to try and make it through in the Australia Cup and get through in the Dockerty Cup and it has worked out well for us,” Taylor said.
“The hard part of us is all of a sudden going from playing one game a week to playing those three games in a week, that is the biggest challenge.
“It is the hardest part when players start to get little niggles and strains from the constant match play and we started to feel the effects against Dandenong.”
In the final round of the Australia Cup before hitting the national stage, Oakleigh defeated NPL3’s Geelong SC 5-0 in a dominant performance.
“This win wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed, despite us scoring five goals in the end,” Taylor recalled.
“We got some late goals, but it was really competitive for a good half of the game, anyone who gets to that stage of the competition is going to give you a good test.”
In their final match before the big dance, Oakleigh defeated fellow NPLM side Melbourne Knights 3-1 away from home.
“That was a very tough game, going to Knights stadium is always a tough ask,” Taylor explained.
“We felt like we did really well on the day, but it probably took quite a lot out of us the last couple of weeks.
“We have had losses in our last two games and I think if we reflect back to the Knights game that was very tough for us and very taxing on a lot of the players, but we are ready to go.”