Olympic Kingsway are out to write another chapter to their dream year tomorrow when they face Perth RedStar in the 2024 Men’s State Cup final at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Olympic supporters are still basking in the glow of a first State league triumph in 44 years following their success in the NPL.
But for the players there is another job at hand as they prepare to take on the team they pipped for the title.
“I don’t think the club’s actually won the cup full stop,” midfielder Mitch Oxborrow said.
“The league was the priority for us, but we want to win as many trophies as possible and the cup would be the icing on the cake. We’ve worked so hard, and these are the games you look forward to.”
A former A-League player with Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory, Oxborrow has plenty of big-game experience. But the Olympic co-captain knows what is at stake this weekend.
“Cup finals are always special. They are just so exciting,” he said.
“Us and RedStar, I don’t think there's any doubt we’ve been the best two teams. The stats don’t lie, so it should be a good, entertaining game for the fans and hopefully there’s a good crowd.”
One player who knows all about tomorrow’s game is RedStar’s Dennis Galan. The experienced defender scored in Floreat’s win over Bayswater City in the 2019 final and was part of the Athena side that lifted the cup for the third time in five years when beating Inglewood 12 months ago.
“I’m lucky enough to be involved in another final,” he said.
“It’s great for the club, I believe it’s the first time they have reached the final under the RedStar banner.”
RedStar were Olympic’s only real title challengers this season, with both of their league fixtures ending in draws.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to add more silverware to the Night Series we won at the start of the year, especially after being disappointed that we couldn’t capture the league,” Gallan said.
“But you’ve got to congratulate Kingsway, it’s been a great season for them.
“They’ve been two pretty entertaining games between us. We kind of counter each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so tomorrow should be another belter. As Mitch says, we’ve been the best two teams in the league and it should be a great game.”
Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 6.30pm and is one of four cup finals on the day.
The first is the men’s U18s State Cup final between RedStar and Perth SC at 11am.
This is followed by the men’s Reserves State Cup final between UWA Nedlands and Perth SC at 1.30pm.
Then at 4.30pm it’s the Hyundai Women’s State Cup final between NPL champions Perth RedStar and Perth SC, who finished runners-up.
All four matches will be live-streamed free on the Streamer platform.
