LEAGUE TWO MEN’S

2022 was setup to be one of the most thrilling years in the competition’s history, with eight promotion spots up for grabs.

The season did not disappoint, going down to the final day to determine promotion and finals spots.

Inter Lions and Rydalmere Lions quickly asserted themselves as the teams to beat, racing away in a battle for top spot. Meanwhile, Dulwich Hill and Bankstown City rounded out the top four by a convincing margin for the majority of the year.

The battle for eighth place was tightly contested throughout the year, with Canterbury Bankstown, Dunbar Rovers and Gladesville Ryde Magic all battling for the final promotion spot.

The Berries started off slow and after a couple postponed fixtures, they faced an uphill battle to gain promotion. As the season progressed, the Berries and Macarthur Rams secured some much needed points and were knocking on the door for a finals berth. Dulwich Hill and Bankstown City slid down the ladder in the final stages of the season, as their finals spots looked in doubt.

The story of the regular season was Central Coast United, who took their time to get going but finished off the season in red-hot form. The Pirates were defeated just once at home and were rewarded with a secondplace finish.

With the just two games remaining, Dunbar Rovers defeated the Magic in a thrilling contest to secure promotion, as the race for finals followed.

The Rams pulled off a gutsy win over Rydalmere on the final day and needed an emphatic win by Dulwich Hill over Bankstown City to book a spot in the finals.

Macarthur came from behind to defeat the Berries in the first round of finals, as Rydalmere upset Central Coast at Pluim Park.

The Rams Cinderella run in the finals continued with a stellar win over the Pirates, as Inter Lions booked a spot in the Grand Final with a win over Rydalmere.

The penultimate game of the finals series came down to Macarthur and Rydalmere, as the Rams pulled off yet another upset to secure a date with Inter in the big dance.

After going down early in the Grand Final, Macarthur defied the odds once again and scored two late goals to be crowned League Two Champions.