GV Suns head coach Craig Carley lauded the dedication of his troops after a comfortable 5-2 victory in Round 5 of the Hahn Australia Cup.

Just three days on from a hard-fought battle against VPL2 frontrunners Malvern City, the boys in navy blue demonstrated their mettle again to put in a tireless showing against local rivals Murray United.

The visitors from Baranduda Fields were vying for the regional bragging rights in what essentially was an unofficial Cow Cup derby between the two sides from country Victoria.

Despite six divisions separating the clubs in the Australian pyramid, it was clear that the Murray camp was dreaming of a giant-killing down at John McEwan Reserve and the away side started proceedings strongly, grabbing the opener via Merci Rabani.

However, the Suns rallied promptly following that 18th minute setback, with Laywi Niyonkuru leading the response as he notched an equaliser just five minutes later to spark the Shepparton outfit back into life.

From there, the hosts seized the momentum, with Elijah Brooker firing the Suns into the lead for the first time in the clash.

Still, Murray remained resolute in its efforts, as Rabani earned a brace to keep the visitors in the tie before the half-hour mark in what was quickly turning into one of the standout games of the round.

United’s hopes of staging a true cup upset started to unravel just before the interval, with the reliant Mangara Munguakonkhwa converting from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute to restore the Suns’ lead heading into the break.

From there, the hosts appeared in no mood to let passage to round six slip from their grasps, with Carley introducing insurgents Matthew Lelliott, Sean Grant and Curtis Hughes from the bench to see out the result.

The Suns boss’ tactical acumen paid dividends once more, with the latter pair both getting themselves on the scoresheet in what proved to be a commanding second half performance.

Free-scoring ace Hughes, who has been talismanic in his efforts in front of goal in the VPL2 this term, struck in the 79th minute to give his side breathing room in the tie, before Grant put the seal on the victory in injury time.

Reflecting on this latest win, Suns coach Carley’s pride was palpable as he spoke respectfully about Murray’s valiant efforts on the night, alongside the resilience of his all-conquering side as they prevailed in this derby tussle.

“We were delighted to get the win, we call it the Cow Cup against Murray United, it’s always difficult playing against a team with nothing to lose,” he said.

“We knew it was a potential banana skin for us, whilst it wasn’t one of our most polished performances, we got what we wanted at the start of the game which was progressing into the next round.

“We’ve come through unscathed and given good minutes to boys that potentially haven’t played as much in recent times - a good evening’s work.”

Giving his verdict on whether local rivalry with Murray essentially acted as a leveller between the two sides, Carley admitted that this element to proceedings provided extra motivation coming into the tie.

“With it being a regional derby, there’s been some heated contests in years gone by, and we fully expected this to be the same.

“The longer they were in the game, the more difficult it was going to get - I would have liked to have killed the game off earlier after having 30-plus shots at goal but they were there to frustrate us and full credit to them.

“As always, we’ve got to earn the right to play, first and foremost, and show the opposition the respect they deserve.”

On the impact that his substitutes made when introduced into the fray in the second half, Carley was duly impressed with their efforts.

“We wanted to preserve Curtis Hughes as much as we could but he’s always chomping at the bit to get on,” he said.

“His pace is electric and can cause any defender’s danger as soon as he enters the pitch, and we started stretching them more - he ultimately put the game to bed before setting up Sean [Grant] for his goal.”

The Suns’ attentions will now turn back to their league commitments, with an away trip to Werribee City to come at 3pm on May 2.

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Friday, 14th July 2028

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