Three doubles on offer

team culture strong: Eastern League Division 2 winners Wainui Demons have an unusual approach to training . . . they don't do it. Captain and coach Yannis Kokkosis says they kept getting injured at training, so dispensed with it. 'Other sports keep us fit — surfing, children, normal life,' he says. 'It's organised chaos with our social lives.' They and two other teams are bidding to achieve the league-and-cup double for their divisions in three finals at Childers Road Reserve from 10.30am on Saturday. Wainui Demons are pictured with their Eastern League Division 2 trophy and medals. They are, back (from left): Mark Harris, Matt Tong, Ollie Suttor, Ben Burgess, Clay Parker, Kaleb Jacobs, Mitch Brouwer, Tom McFarlane and Manaaki Terekia. Front: Chris Fox, Callum Innes, Yannis Kokkosis (captain/coach), Jacob Moorcroft, John Hill, Mana Taumaunu, Max Harris and Michael Lynch. Absent: Ben Inder, Mike Morrissey, Steve Neshausen, Aaron Welch, Micah Wilson and Byron Allen. Picture by Simon Lawler

Three teams will try to achieve the league-and-cup double for their division of football's Eastern League at Childers Road Reserve on Saturday.

One of them, Heavy Equipment Services Gisborne United Premiers, could achieve a treble.

Early this month they won the Central Federation Cup knockout competition. Now they are bidding to add the Bailey Cup to that and the Eastern League Division 1 title they won in their first season back in local football.

They dropped down a level after winning the Pacific Premiership last year and then being faced with a shortage of players willing to travel.

The Prems beat clubmates United Firsts 6-2 in one semifinal last Saturday and will play league runners-up 1st Class Decorators Wainui Sharks in the Bailey Cup final on Saturday at 2.30pm, or later if the curtainraisers go to extra time.

The Sharks won their semifinal against Thistle Youth 5-0 on September 3 and have done their best to stay football-fit in the three weeks since then.

Division 2 champions Coates Associates Wainui Demons beat Draggnett Thistle Vintage 4-1 on Saturday to book their place in the Chris Moore Cup final. They will play Gisborne Pro Roofing Bohemians, who beat clubmates Tatapouri Bohemians 3-2 in the other semi.

That final has a nominal start time of 12.30pm.

The first final of the day starts at 10.30am. Division 3 champions Gizzy Bobcat Services Thistle beat HES Gisborne United Thirds 3-1 last Saturday to book their place in the final. They will play Smash Palace Shockers, who beat HES United Seconds 2-0 in the other semi.

United Prems had made sure of their advance to the Bailey Cup final by halftime in their game against United Firsts. They went to the break 4-0 up.

Having co-opted three key Firsts players — Stu Cranswick, Aaron Graham and Jonathan Purcell — in their winning Central Federation Cup campaign, the Prems kept them on board for the Bailey Cup.

Cranswick was on the sideline with a back injury for most of Saturday's game against the Firsts but came on in the final stages to meet the cup final qualification criteria. He scored the last goal of the game, in the 89th minute.

The Prems' other scorers were Josh Blair in the 17th minute, Purcell in the 24th, Baxter Mackay in the 28th, and Corey Adams in the 39th and 52nd.

Scorers for United Firsts were Damon Husband in the 55th and Aubrey Yates in the 88th.

The Prems' postponed league games against the Firsts and the Sharks added to the late-season backlog of fixtures. It was cleared when United Firsts defaulted their game to the Prems, and the Prems defaulted to the Sharks.

The three points from the Firsts' default secured the title for the Prems.

Player-coach Josh Adams expects to have almost all his players back for Saturday's game against the Sharks.

Centreback Mal Scammell is still injured. Purcell will continue in his place.

Malcolm Marfell, Dane Thompson and Kieran Higham have all been on holiday since the Federation Cup final against Manawatu side North End, but all are expected to take the field on Saturday.

The reinforcements from the Firsts helped the Prems scrape up a playing 11 last Saturday.

Sharks coach Blake Mulrooney said his team had kept training twice a week, as weather and ground closures allowed.

Rightback Connor Findlay was away on a trip he had planned well in advance, thinking the season would be over by now. Utility player Korbi Schallinger would take his place.

Otherwise, the team would be much as it had been throughout the season.

Wainui Demons got through their Chris Moore Cup semifinal on the back of goals by strikers Max Harris (two) and Kaleb Jacobs, and right-winger Mike Morrissey.

Others to shine included central midfielder Mana Taumaunu and sweeper John Hill.

Captain and coach Yannis Kokkosis said he was looking for strong games from energy-drink-fuelled “fox terrier” Ben Inder and “loose unit” Kaleb Jacobs.

An injury to Matt Tong had left a hole in the midfield, but he hoped Aaron Welch could wind back the clock and show some wizardry.

“Mark Harris is one of our strongest leaders and has been doing the same tricks since he started with the team, but they seem to work,” Kokkosis said.

“Clay Parker will no doubt be rock-solid at the back.

“The Demons are more than a team; they're a brotherhood. Aaron Welch, John Hill, Ollie Suttor, Clay Parker, Mark Harris and I have all played 10 or more years for the Demons.

“It's been an incredible season for us, with a lot of laughs along the way.

“Tradition is strong. The player of the day still has to wash the kit and bring the beers for the following week.

“Special thanks will always go to Mike Vita, who keeps our club ticking and looks after the Demons even though he's a Salty Dog at heart, and Craig Scott, who was a founder and still turns up from time to time to tell the team how great he was.”

The Bohemians teams put on a thriller.

Hendrik Geyer gave Gisborne Pro Roofing Bohemians a great start with goals in the 18th and 40th minutes.

Steve White pulled one back for Tatapouri Bohemians in the 43rd minute and it was 2-1 at halftime.

Defender Jeremy Ion scored an own goal in the 55th to give GPR Bohemians a 3-1 lead, but Sam Briant narrowed the margin again with a 72nd-minute strike for 3-2.

One last attack by Tatapouri Bohemians ended with the ball being cleared off the line, and the game finished moments later.

Gizzy Bobcat Services Thistle scored against HES United Thirds through defender-turned-striker Lucian Nickerson after 20 minutes when he added a scoring touch to some good build-up play.

Fifteen minutes later, rightback Kieran Ryan received the ball in the attacking third and advanced towards the penalty area. From just outside the box he hit the ball low and hard into the far corner to give Thistle a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Midway through the second half, Nickerson was brought down in the box and Ethan Gill kept up his 100 percent record from the penalty spot this season.

United scored a consolation goal from a corner five minutes from time.

Thistle coach Stephen McCarthy said Nickerson “ran his guts out” for the cause, and Daniel Stewart's effort in travelling back from a course in Palmerston North to arrive for the second half was appreciated.

Strong defence was key to Shockers' 2-0 win against HES United Seconds.

Coach Dave Hansen said centrebacks Zac Borrie and Fletcher Honey read the play well and were quick to cut out dangerous passes into the penalty area. They were well supported by leftback Matt Boyd, rightback Mathias Bast and goalkeeper Frazer Elliott.

Oscar Daubé broke the deadlock midway through the second half with a powerful header from a right-wing cross. Then with 10 minutes to go, Joey Retter came back on up front and scored within two minutes.

Shockers were without under-the-weather striker Rory Krogseter and are hoping he will be fit for Saturday.

United Seconds goalkeeper Laykin Beuth made some brilliant saves to keep out headers from corners. Gurjit Singh and Jared Knight also put in good shifts.

All three finals on Saturday are set down for Childers Road Reserve No.1, but the weather may have the last word on that.