The exclamation mark should be noted, because this columnist rarely uses it for emphasis.

Two days ago, everyone at FSC was accused of selling the Illawarra out for their public display of affection at the Southern Expansion bid declaration. 

De Gabriele stands between a rock and a hard place – and many argue he’s put himself there. 

The rock may as well be chained around his neck, given the vicious backlash he’s copped from the wider football community and the position of support for the Sutherland and St George super club. 

The hard place, well I guess that’s the Fraternity Club, where at FSC headquarters, they map the way forward towards supporting an A-League future. 

But, just as with the damage-controlling press release sent out on Thursday, de Gabriele is adamant FSC is taking a passive, purely consultative role with Southern Expansion. 

He maintains Southern’s “proactive” approach to announcing an A-League bid, while the Wolves discuss upcoming announcements when the time is right, has led to the perception they’ve put all their chips in on the Sydney joint venture club. 

On Wednesday, de Gabriele sat next to Southern Expansion chairman Morris Iemma and head of football Craig Foster, the ex-Socceroos player, at a press conference with FSC chief executive Ann-Marie Balliana. As love-ins go, it was pretty cosy. 

Iemma, the ex-NSW Premier, went out of his way to dismiss the impending Wolves bid as inferior, but de Gabriele claims the 2000 and 2001 National Soccer League champions are still their No.1 priority for A-League support.

“We want the Wolves,” de Gabriele tells Game On. 

“100 per cent, that is our position. 

“We’re waiting for the Wolves and obviously they’re there, watching their competition (Southern Expansion) put themselves out there and waiting for their moment.

“And when it comes, we’ll be there with them and publicly supporting their bid for A-League expansion with the media and the football community.

“We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with them first and our position hasn’t changed, we will continue to support a Wollongong stand-alone team as our preferred option.”

The last comment drifts back to the press release, which Game On had deliberately proposed this interview to get away from. 

Official lines are one thing, but it’s time for open, honest discussion. 

And to de Gabriele’s credit, he is open, expansive and passionate during the lengthy chat. 

De Gabriele concedes there’s a perception out there about FSC having an anti-Wolves agenda. 

He accepts Southern Expansion’s willingness to stand in the spotlight before the Football Federation Australia process is officially announced has fuelled the belief among punters in Wollongong. 

The A-League expansion strategies could not be more starkly different. 

Southern Expansion, with their high profile front men, prominently displayed geographical analysis and bigger than Ben-Hur vision. 

The Wolves, with their top-flight heritage, fall from grace and steady determination to prove they have what it takes to return. 

De Gabriele also admits the establishment of the South Coast Flame has fuelled the fire of a perceived FSC anti-Wolves agenda. Going to great lengths to explain the situation, de Gabriele said the Flame’s mission has always been about picking up players who aren’t picked in Wolves development squads, to stop kids moving to Sydney clubs.

The Flame, three divisions lower in the NSW State League competition, will always play a supporting role to the Wolves, rather than competing force.

“It’s not the Wolves, but those around and outside the Wolves who create this hysteria, this emotional stuff about our position with the Wolves,” de Gabriele said. 

“Because we did the South Coast Flame, that’s perceived to be against the (Wolves) A-League bid.

“But they’re two separate exercises. The Wolves can only cater for the top 20 kids in each age, so we needed to create an opportunity where others can be picked to play against top Sydney teams. 

“Otherwise, these kids are going to Sutherland and Macarthur to play and trying to get to training in Sydney after school. 

“We’ve openly said, if kids picked in the Flame squads have opportunities to play with the Wolves, we’ll support it.”

So where does de Gabriel stand with the Wolves?

De Gabriele describes his relationship as “distant”, but again claims there is no reason to interpret that as “biased” towards Southern Expansion.

De Gabriele has also thrown out a juicier carrot to Southern Expansion, while keeping an invitation open to the Wolves, who have setup a training base at Primbee and the Illawarra Stingrays in the NSW Women’s National Premier League.

Reviving plans for the West Dapto Home of Football, which remains dormant after being sunk at the 2013 election, when funding was committed to by the federal Labor Party, which lost.

De Gabriele is in talks with politicians, state and federal, of both major party persuasions, in the hope it will lead to West Dapto being the training base for whichever South Coast A-League team eventuates.

The last word? We’ll leave for de Gabriele, after another extraordinary 72 hours in Illawarra football. 

“FSC hasn’t changed it position, an Illawarra based A-League team is our preference,” he said. 

“We await any opportunity to support them, they know the door is open.

“The FSC will support it.”