Our bold predictions for the 2024 Illawarra Premier League season

Trials have been in full swing and the annual Bert Bampton Cup has now kicked off, with the 2024 IPL to get under way on Friday night with Cringila hosting Port Kembla at Crehan Park.

Ahead of that first whistle, Mercury football reporters Josh Bartlett and Jordan Warren are ready to make some bold predictions about how this year's campaign will unfold:

Josh: There seems to be a bolter in every Premier League campaign, and this year I'm expecting Corrimal to rapidly rise up the table.

Funnily enough, Jordan actually made the same prediction 12 months ago, and the Rangers definitely showed signs of improvement in 2023. After narrowly avoiding the wooden spoon in 2022, the men from Memorial Park finished last year's campaign in ninth spot.

Now, I think that Corrimal are ready to make that next step again in 2024.

Second-year head coaches Phil Matias and Manny Mavridis have more experience under their belt, and the club has recruited really smartly this off-season.

2023 Albion Park championship-winner Tory Musumeci will add spark in their front third and ex-Bulli duo Aaron Baker and Ryan Emerton are experienced campaigners, while new goalkeeper Blake Coad won last year's Golden Gloves award at Shellharbour.

Corrimal has also retained the core group of their young talent - including rising leaders Keegan Matias and Cody Wehmeyer.

If they can bottle up the enthusiasm that youth brings, the Rangers could be pushing for a top-five finish.

Jordan: Whilst this will be Shellharbour's first go at the IPL after promotion from the District League the year prior, expect them to cause many teams headaches.

Under Rod Williams' leadership, they have a stellar squad full of their league championship winning team in the league below the year prior as well as some astute signings in the likes of former Wolves product Taylor McDonald, Coniston 2023 IPL grand final hero Matthew Floro, and former Manly United skipper Travis Oughtred.

Shellharbour's other recruits include Albion Park championship winner Julian Minutillo, ex-Wolves duo Jake and Rocky Lavalle, Olympic gloveman Cristian Fuentes, Tarrawanna's Jake Levy, Port Kembla's Zac Mazevski and the IPL youth grade's leading goalscorer last year, Jayden Branovski (from Port).

With this squad at their disposal, don't be surprised to see this Shellharbour team pushing for the top five.

Josh: There will be plenty of eyes on Coniston as they look to back up last year's grand final victory.

The win capped an incredible run for first-year head coach - and club legend - Franc Pierro, who showed incredible steel to guide his side from seventh place to some silverware following the mid-season departure of Rob Jonovski.

No-one can take that away from Pierro, but there will be an increased focus on Pierro and his 'Cono' team in 2024.

I'm expecting them to stand up to the challenge.

The JJ Kelly Park club have made some excellent signings, bringing in exciting young guns Harrison and James Anagnostopoulos and picking up former Wollongong Wolves skipper James Stojcevski, while former J-League player Temma Nomura could provide X-factor.

They have also lured Adam Voloder and Blake Horton back to Coniston.

It means that Cono look on track to push for further success this year - maybe even in the league championship race - as Pierro aims to further stamp his name into the club's folklore.

Jordan: After such a brilliant season in 2023, reaching the grand final, the Lions' 2024 campaign has got off to the worst possible start after they were deducted three competitions points by Football South Coast after fans lit flares during last season's decider at WIN Stadium.

As to whether the decision was the right or wrong one by FSC is another matter, but as for on the field it is something that Jorge De Matos' men will have to overcome quickly.

But if any team can overcome this setback, it's Cringila.

At their disposal is last season's player of the year Peter Simonoski, as well as a squad that has been playing together and improving year-on-year for three seasons.

A 1-0 grand final loss to Coniston would have hurt badly. It's the old adage in sport that there's no good without the bad, and now Cringila will be looking to cash in on a couple of seasons of improvement.

Josh: The Premier League has always been a great breeding ground for young talent, and I can't see that trend changing in 2024.

Sebastian Tomasiello, Gabriel Zapata, Lucas Loncar, Aaron Hales and Tim Chapman were just some of the exciting rookies to grab the attention of league fans last year, and it will be intriguing to see who can follow in their footsteps.

One of the frontrunners appears to be Jayden Calver, with plenty of positive word emerging out of the Helensburgh camp about him this pre-season.

Jayden - younger brother of former A-League centre-back Aaron - has impressed Thistles staff during trials and matches, and is set to play a key role in their defensive structure.

Centre-back Luca Papalia, 19, could also grab attention as he looks to marshall Corrimal's defence in 2024, while other youth to keen an eye on include Kyah Jovanovski (Cringila) and Evan Ball (Wollongong United).

Jordan: Perhaps the boldest prediction of them all, and one I'm bound to get wrong.

I think Cringila will back it up and win the league but that's not to discount others. I particularly like the way Wollongong United have recruited under Rob Jonovski, but perhaps a title is a stretch too far after missing finals in 2023.

Olympic have quality on paper, but can they back it up on the field? Consistency has been the major problem recently.

I worry for defending grand final champions Coniston, just purely because they lost so many bodies from that triumphant team. But the acquisition of James Stojcevski is hugely impressive.

Of course Albion Park will be strong again. The league champions will be hurting from finishing first in 2023 but not playing at WIN Stadium.

But I'll put my neck out for Cringila to break their trophy drought.