Berkeley coach Glenn Dorrian was extremely thrilled to see his team pick up a first win of the season in the District League, but says the Goats are still very much a work in progress.
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Berkeley scored a 3-1 win against Gerringong - the team that knocked them out of the finals series in 2023 - in round four of the competition.
A double from Christopher Hollingshead and a strike from Kane Dorrian saw Berkeley claim all three points against the Breakers.
It had been a slow start for Dorrian and Berkeley in the first three rounds with two draws and a loss to begin the season. But with a completely new group playing together in 2024, Dorrian said he always knew it would be a slow process to get the formula just right.
"We've played well in patches in the first two games, and then played pretty poorly last week," Dorrian said.
"Gerringong were missing a couple of players, but they're still a very dangerous side and we had to play pretty well to beat them.
"There's still so much to work on. It's a new group coming together, so there's been some really good signs, but there's still a lot to work on. There are some good teams in the comp, but we're still a work in progress. The attitude in training is good, and I'm looking forward to pushing as hard as we can and see where we end up.
"It's a really new group. So we have to apply a bit of patience to what we're doing and not get too excited. There's a lot of talent in this group."
The win sees Berkeley rise up to sixth on the table. The team will face a quick turnaround, with a looming Bert Bampton Cup fixture against Balgownie to be played on Wednesday, March 27 at home.
"Balgownie are playing well and we're looking forward to the game," Dorrian said.
Fernhill hit back hard
The Foxes went down in a shock 2-1 loss to Thirroul the week prior, but hit back hard in the most recent set of games, smashing University 7-0 at Ray Robinson Oval.
The defending grand final champions got off to a flying start, winning 5-0 after 60-odd minutes. Two more goals in the final half-hour completed the smashing.
A hat-trick to Daniel Djukic, as well as a double from Jake Webster and strikes from brother-duo Brendan and Lachlan Pattman secured the victory.
Shoalhaven's perfect start
Four wins from four after promotion from the league below. The start to Shoalhaven's life in the District League has been remarkable.
The perfect record sees them outright top of the league table. It was a tricky task in round four for Nathan Aldridge's team, sneaking home with a 3-2 win against Warilla in South Nowra.
Logan Connell snatched a double and Jaxon Scholtz also scored.
Other results
Around the grounds:
- Balgownie 2-3 Bellambi
- Oak Flats 5-2 Unanderra
- Thirroul 3-1 Picton