North Geelong Warriors FC retained the Friendship Cup at Elcho Park on Saturday, with a convincing 4-1 victory over sister club Adelaide Raiders.
With junior matches kicking off from 11:00am, the Raiders brought some 50 players, both junior and senior, to compete in the festivities over the weekend.
In the major clash of the day, first half goals to Michael Anderson, Kene Eze and Ivan Grgić saw the Warriors take full advantage of their dominance in general play.
Stifling conditions saw the general pace slow down, but the atmosphere on the pitch was just as vibrant as among the healthy attendance. Matt Thorne added a special long-range fourth goal, before the traveling side found consolation through Alex Cosmidis’s strike late in the second half.
The victory sees North Geelong retain the Friendship Cup, winning the inaugural edition of the fixture 2-1 at the Croatian Sports Centre in Adelaide last year.
North Geelong would like to thank Adelaide Raiders for showing their dedication to the bond between our two clubs over the weekend. Their commitment was shown not only in the amount of players, families and friends that came to Geelong for the weekend, but in the way they helped make the weekend more enjoyable for all.
North Geelong would like to wish Robert Matosevic’s side and Adelaide Raiders all the very best for the upcoming National Premier Leagues State League 1 season. We hope to see you back in the top flight of South Australian football as soon as possible.
See you in Adelaide in 2018!
