FOOTBALL
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South Coast Wolves gave coach Nahuel Arrarte a welcome selection headache for Wednesday's FFA Cup stoush against the Central Coast Mariners with a 5-1 demolition of APIA Leichhardt on Sunday.
In their final league match of the campaign, Arrarte handed starts to several fringe players and they put in a dominant performance before this week's round-of-32 clash.
Ben Zucco and Mitchell Del Turco were given rare starting roles with skipper Matt Bailey in a group of rested players on the substitutes bench.
It took Del Turco just six minutes to reward Arrarte's faith when he opened the scoring at a sodden WIN Stadium.
It began what was a stellar day for the makeshift starting line-up.
"A few of the players stepped up, which was good to see," Arrarte said.
"From our end it was just a matter of giving some players their last opportunity to showcase what they can do. Credit to the boys. A few of them stepped up so now we have got a good problem to have with a selection headache.
"It will just be a matter of how the boys are physically and if they pull up OK."
Perhaps the most contested position in the Wolves line-up comes in the attacking third.
Jordan Murray, Ricky Zucco, Peter Simonoski and Joey Lavalle will all lay claim to playing at the top of the line.
Simonoski and Lavalle started from the bench in Sunday's match while Zucco spent the afternoon playing in the under 20s.
Meanwhile, Murray made the most of his starting role with a first half brace.
The livewire striker scored the Wolves' second after latching on to a loose pass and then made it 3-0 before the break.
It propelled the Wolves into pole position to claim victory in Arrarte's last league match in charge.
"We want to win every game and make sure we finish as high as possible. And, I suppose, redeem ourselves for a slow start to the season," Arrarte said.
"I can't ask for more, the boys have put in week in, week out. We could have used the excuse that it is raining and windy but the boys picked up and it testament to the character in the change room."
The Wolves didn't switch off in the second stanza and had their fourth through a tidy finish from Lachlan Reus before Darcy Madden made it five.
Marc Warren got the faintest of touches on a free-kick to give APIA a consolation goal.
Kick-off in the FFA Cup on Wednesday is at 7.30pm. Fans are encouraged to get tickets early to avoid being stuck in queues outside the ground before match-time.