Former friends will turn into foes tonight as Rockdale Ilinden look for the second Cupset of the 2024 Australia Cup when taking on the Newcastle Jets.
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Nick Stavroulakis and Newcastle Jets' Robbie Stanton go way back, with the two working as captain and coach in a successful period in the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
Tonight, at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, they’ll go head-to-head in the dugout, with Stavroulakis currently deputising for usual head coach Paul Dee, who is absent on work leave.
Stavroulakis has helped oversee a tremendous 2024 campaign for Rockdale, who are currently six points clear at the top of the NPL Men’s NSW table with just four games to go.
Rockdale’s achievements extend beyond the league, however; they also recently made the Waratah Cup Final (Football NSW’s Cup) for the first time in their history with a 5-0 win over NWS Spirit, and are looking to add a Cupset to what has been an already exceptional year.
“For us, it’s been a process where we took over the job in 2023, and we started with a model that we needed to build and integrate into the club and the players,” said Stavroulakis on Rockdale’s success in 2024.
“If we look at where we are now compared to where we started as a group and the club - Rockdale hasn’t been in a Waratah Cup final ever since its initiation in the NSW Premier League, so that’s a big achievement in itself.
“We’ve qualified for the Round of 32 after around six years, which is another goal we had, and hopefully we can secure a trophy in the Premiership in the next few weeks which would be the first one in 40 years (in NPL Men’s NSW).
“The campaign has been going well in terms of our style and our way, I think we’ve set a benchmark on how Rockdale wants to play the game, which has taken a bit of time, but credit to everyone around us for allowing time to build on that.
“For us now, it’s all about continuing what we’ve got going in terms of our processes and hopefully we can finish it all off with some trophies at the end of it.”
However, for Rockdale, all eyes are currently on their Round of 32 game, and their opponents in and the Jets, coached by a face Stavroulakis knows all too well.
With Stanton as coach and Stavroulakis as captain, Sutherland won the Waratah Cup in 2009 and 2012, and the NPL Men’s NSW Championship in 2009, while establishing themselves as one of the best footballing sides in New South Wales.
When asked about facing Stanton in the dugout in the Australia Cup, Stavroulakis said “It’s surreal, because Stanno was my coach for eight years.
“I was his captain and we won quite a number of titles together - Grand Finals and Waratah Cups at Sutho (Sutherland Sharks).
“We did build something where, at the time, Sutherland was a team to look at in terms of a style of play, which is credit to him.
“Now to come up against him is exciting to say the least, and he taught me a number of things in the way I look at the game, so it’s going to be a surreal night.”
However, their illustrious success as a duo will not result in any friendly action on the field tonight, with both coaches looking to do all they can to see their side come out on top.
And for Stavroulakis, there’s more on the line than just progression to the Round of 16.
“We want to put NPL NSW Men’s on the map,” he said on the Cup tie.
“As one of four clubs from the league, we want to make sure we can play a proactive brand that showcases to the nation that, at our level, New South Wales is the best in terms of the state leagues - I genuinely believe that.
“There is big potential in the New South Wales market for kids to be playing and then jump into the A-League Men.
“It’s a market that a lot of (A-League Men) clubs don’t utilise enough, so I want it to become a shop so that our boys can put a foot forward and do their best and move up a level.”
Meanwhile, Stavroulakis also spoke on what a Cupset would mean to the Rockdale faithful, who have craved success at a high level over the last few decades.
“It would mean a lot for the club to qualify for the Round of 16 and knock off an A-League Men team - it’s something that any NPL team would want to do,” he said.
“It would mean so much for the community there - we have a great fanbase and following and for them, on the night, it would be a big occasion if the club can qualify for the Round of 16 and onwards.”
To have a chance as a semi-professional team against a professional side, every player will have to be on top of their game.
However, Rockdale has a trump card up its sleeve in NPL Men’s NSW Golden Boot leader Alec Urosevski, who has scored a sensational 28 goals in just 26 matches - 10 more than the next top-scorer in the league.
In the last three seasons, Urosevski has scored 75 league goals in 77 appearances, and will be a constant threat against the Jets with his powerful runs in behind, link-up play and clinical finishing.
On what Rockdale will win, and the individuals that could stand out in their Round of 32 tie, Stavroulakis was quick to mention Rockdale’s captain, talisman and top-scorer.
“I feel like as a collective the team will need to put their best foot forward, because we’re going to need everyone to push us to a win,” he said.
“In general though, you can’t leave out Alec Urosevski.
“For me, he’s the best player in the league by a mile; his output over the last few seasons shows how good he is.
“From the younger ones, players such as Isaac Danzo, Lochlan Constable, Dean Pelekanos, Hunter Eliott and Lachlan Griffiths - these players can showcase themselves and I’m hoping one day we can get them back into the A-League Men.”
That, in a nutshell, is the driving force beyond a Cupset for Rockdale and Stavroulakis against the Jets.
If they’re going to make the Round of 16, they’re going to do it their way - playing exciting football and letting young talent shine while proving the quality of the NPL Men’s NSW competition along the way.
“We as a club are looking to make sure that we’re not just trying to progress, but we’re looking to play a certain way,” said Stavroulakis.
“We want to showcase our players and talent because there’s a lot of top talent across not just Rockdale but NPL NSW Men’s, and we want to make it a breeding ground from us to A-League Men or to Europe at times.
“We’re not just representing Rockdale, but the NSW Premier League and we want to put on a good show for our state and our club.”
This is the true Magic Of The Cup.
