They were missing two of their biggest stars, but Corrimal still had plenty of firepower on Sunday.
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The Rangers took to the field for their Fraternity Cup clash against Bulli without star recruit Mark Bridge and the returning Van Elia.
However, Jake Morlando did the damage in their absence with two goals while Tim Wylie was his side's standout performer as the defending Illawarra Premier League champions recorded a 4-2 win.
Taira Yoshimura and former Tarrawanna captain Rick Goodchild also scored goals for Corrimal. Sam Davies and Takumu Tsujimura found the back of the net for Bulli.
Bulli was competitive during the early stages but it was the Rangers who hit the scoreboard first. Yoshimura found himself in space and his attempt beat the goalkeeper as Corrimal led 1-0.
The home side continued to pile on the pressure and looked threatening in attack, with Samuel Matthews almost scoring from short range. But Bulli goalkeeper Ben McGinnes made a desperate save.
Bulli worked hard on the counter attack and were rewarded when Sam Davies curled the ball into the back of the net to draw level at 1-all.
Corrimal looked keen for the quick reply, with Lukas Sergiou and Morlando both almost scoring off long-range attempts.
Their pressure on Bulli's defence finally proved telling. A strong tackle by Sergiou led to him setting up Goodchild for Corrimal's second goal.
The score remained 2-1 at half time.
The first real attacking chance after the break came through Bulli's Seiya Kambayashi, but his attempt was blocked by Corrimal's defence.
Both teams had their chances to score, including a nice header attempt by Wylie which went over the cross bar.
A beautiful pass by Wylie found Goodchild in space, but his shot swung wide. Soon after, Morlando found himself one-on-one with McGinnes - but couldn't convert.
However, Morlando didn't have to wait long to celebrate.
The Rangers continued to take control and a nice assist by Wylie led to Morlando finding the back of the net as Corrimal led 3-1.
Minutes later, Morlando charges towards goal again and scored his second in quick succession to extend the home side's lead to 4-1.
However, Bulli refused to give up. Mitch Delturco nearly scored, but the Rangers goalkeeper blocked his shot.
Soon after, Takumu Tsujimura beat the goalkeeper's grasp to register Bulli's second goal.
Despite some late attempts by Bulli, the final scoreline remained at 4-2.
Football South Coast will announce the draw for the Frat Cup quarter finals on Sunday evening at the Fraternity Club.
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
