2005 result: Premiers
Ladder position: 1st (49 points)
2006 coach: Ian Dobson
Major arrivals: Steven Camilleri (Sunshine Georgies), Ryan Ollerton (Bulleen), Kurt Farrugia (Malta).
Major departures: Josip Rajher (Richmond), Nick Tsaltas.
First three rounds: Oakleigh (home), Bulleen (away), Frankston (home).DEFENDING champion Green Gully enters the new season on the back of two brilliant campaigns, finishing as minor premier in 2004 and 2005.
Ian Dobson will again lead the club after overseeing one of the strongest and most consistent teams in the state competition in the past decade.
Judging from performances in the past few seasons, the finals once again loom large for the Cavaliers, despite the loss of key players Nick Tsaltas and Josip Rajher in the off season.
Gully has added Steven Camilleri to its list from Sunshine Georgies, Bulleen’s Ryan Ollerton, and Kurt Farrugia, who has travelled from Malta.
Impressively, the club has maintained the rest of its squad and looks to have a midfield and defence capable of matching the best in the Premier League.
The Cavaliers, without a recognised striker, will look to their younger brigade to fill the gap until a replacement can be found.
“The rest of the squad is all signed up, but unfortunately we can’t get our hands on a striker,” club president Charles Farrugia said.
Green Gully has spoken with representatives of A-League club Melbourne Victory about the availability of striker Ricky Diaco, a former Premier League player with Fawkner, but a decision on his future is likely to come after the start of the VPL season.
Farrugia said he expected the level of competition to stiffen again after rival clubs Oakleigh and South Melbourne, and newly promoted Kingston City, recruited heavily in the preseason.
But the proud club from Keilor Downs with a long list of accolades is still hoping to be a force in the competition this year.
“We want to be one of the teams to be reckoned with. We hope to give the top six a shake again,” Farrugia said.
Last year the Cavaliers won 13 matches from 26 appearances and finished on top of the ladder, and defeated Heidelberg United and South Melbourne in tense penalty shootouts before scoring a 2-0 win over United in the grand final.
Green Gully begins its campaign for back-to-back premierships with a home game against Oakleigh Cannons this Sunday.
