The 2024 Waratah Cup was the 22nd season of the Football NSW's knockout competition. The four winners from the Australia Cup preliminary seventh round qualified for the Waratah Cup. Sydney United 58 were the defending champions but were eliminated by NWS Spirit in the seventh round. APIA Leichhardt won 3–0 in the final against Rockdale Ilinden to claim their sixth cup title at Jubilee Stadium. Michael Kouta, who scored the opening goal for APIA, was named player of the match.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia (NSW) |
| Dates | 17 July – 14 August (finals) 5 March – 5 June (prelim.) |
| Teams | 4 (finals) 159 (prelim.) |
| Defending champions | Sydney United 58 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | APIA Leichhardt |
| Runner-up | Rockdale Ilinden |
Background
editPreliminary round
editThe draw for round 2 involved 88 association clubs (level 5) and was announced in February 2024. Clubs from NSW League One and League Two were drawn in round 3.[2] The draw for round 4 was announced in March and included teams from the National Premier Leagues NSW.[3] Youth teams of the A-League Men were not eligible to participate in the cup.[4]
Format and dates
edit| Round | Clubs remaining | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Main match dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 | 159 | – | 88 | 5–12 March |
| Round 3 | 115 | 44 | 58 | 19–27 March |
| Round 4 | 64 | 51 | 13 | 8–24 April |
| Round 5 | 32 | 32 | – | 23 April–14 May |
| Round 6 | 16 | 16 | – | 15–28 May |
| Round 7 | 8 | 8 | – | 28 May–5 June |
Qualified clubs
editThe four qualified clubs were Rockdale Ilinden, NWS Spirit, Blacktown City and APIA Leichhardt, all of whom compete in the National Premier Leagues NSW.[5] From the seventh round, Rockdale Ilinden won 9–1 against Phoenix FC, the latter based in the football association of the Eastern Suburbs. NWS Spirit overcame defending champions Sydney United to progress, while APIA Leichhardt and Blacktown City defeated Marconi Stallions and Inter Lions in their respective matches.[5][6] In addition to the Waratah Cup, the four clubs qualified to the Round of 32 of the 2024 Australia Cup.[5]
Rockdale played against NWS Spirit in the semi-final, having won their first head-to-head match over the latter in the 2024 league season.[7] Rockdale competed in their third cup appearance and for their first cup title. Spirit are previous cup winners, claiming the trophy in 2022, and appeared for their second Waratah Cup campaign.[6][7] Blacktown City played against APIA Leichhardt in the semi-final. Both sides have won the cup five times and won once in the clashes between them during the 2024 league season.[8]
| R | Rockdale Ilinden | NWS Spirit | Blacktown City | APIA Leichhardt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | |
| 4 | Manly United | 2–2 (a.e.t.; 4–2 p) | Albion Park White Eagles | 1–4 | St George City | 2–1 | Hazelbrook FC | 19–1 |
| 5 | Hakoah | 2–1 | Dulwich Hill | 3–2 | Fraser Park | 3–0 | Berkeley Vale S.C. | 5–0 |
| 6 | Wollongong Wolves | 2–0 | Sydney Olympic | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Northbridge FC | 4–0 | Blacktown Spartans | 5–2 |
| 7 | Pheonix FC | 9–1 | Sydney United 58 | 2–1 | Inter Lions | 5–1 | Marconi Stallions | 2–1 |
Semi-final
edit| Rockdale Ilinden | 5–0 | NWS Spirit |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Blacktown City | 2–5 | APIA Leichhardt |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Final
edit
References
edit- ^ "APIA Leichhardt FC Crowned 2024 Waratah Cup Champions". Football NSW. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Australia Cup Preliminary Round 2 and Round 3 draws released". Football NSW. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Stavroulakis, Mark (27 March 2024). "Australia Cup 2024 NSW Preliminary Round 4 Matches Announced". Football NSW. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "2024 Australia Cup Entries Now Open". Football NSW. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Stavroulakis, Mark (7 June 2024). "2024 Waratah Cup Semi-Finals Locked In". Football NSW. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b Stavroulakis, Mark (23 May 2024). "2024 Australia Cup NSW Preliminary Round 7 Draw Announced". Football NSW. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b Stavroulakis, Mark (9 July 2024). "Rockdale Ilinden to face NWS Spirit next Wednesday for Waratah Cup Final spot". Football NSW. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Stavroulakis, Mark (18 July 2024). "Blacktown City and APIA Leichhardt to battle it out for Waratah Cup Final spot". Football NSW. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Stavroulakis, Mark (8 August 2024). "Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to host 2024 Waratah Cup Final". Football NSW. Retrieved 8 August 2024.