Hanwood leaves Australia Cup competition due to game schedule

Handed a Thursday night game time, Hanwood coach Jason Bertacco said the club was unable to reach an agreement with their opposition or Football NSW to change the game time and day.

"The club we were playing against, St George, and Football NSW really didn't come to the party and want to move the game at all," Bertacco said.

"They were pretty blunt in the way they responded to us in relation to the game.

"We've seen a lot of the other country teams that are playing have had their games moved to the weekend, where St George and Football NSW pretty much put to us if we don't come Thursday, it's a forfeit."

With a six hour car trip between Hanwood and Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, where the game was scheduled, players would need to take two days off work and school to play.

Bertacco said the club stands by the players decision to withdraw and is proud at how they've conducted themselves.

"To miss two days of work and school was a big ask, and we were never going to push anyone to do anything they didn't want to," he said.

"We did a majority vote and the majority was that we would miss this game.

"They're all pretty disappointed, especially after the first round win they were all pretty excited to play the next round of the Australia Cup, so it's disappointing."

Bertacco believes that the Cup has a metro focus and was disheartened to be dismissed as a country club.

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Their first year competing in the Cup, he said the club now has a bad taste towards the competition.

"They promote the magic of the Cup but it doesn't seem that way, it seems very city orientated for how they treated us," Bertacco said.

"It was history for our club, the first time we've entered it, we thought we'd enter into something new, to bring a bit of excitement, the way we conducted ourselves in the first game that we played was pretty exciting for the young group we've got.

"To get the victory, going to Sydney on the Saturday night, that's why the boys were really keen for this second game and now they're feeling a bit angry and it leaves a bit of a bad taste in our mouth, but might add a bit of fire into the belly moving forward into the season."

Hanwood has now shifted focus to their annual Musitano Cup game against Yoogali FC on Sunday afternoon.

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