Crusaders: Conference final on Saturday evening in Catania
Stars for merit, unbridled altruism, docufilms and…Liotri waiting
Two significant events within twenty-four hours celebrate the magnificence of the Sardinian franchise. It starts on Friday afternoon (21 June 2024), when CONI Sardinia will award two Stars for Sporting Merit at the T-Hotel in Cagliari, in via dei Giudicati 66. Both bronze, one will see as recipient the Crusader president Emanuele Garzia who since time immemorial has struggled with passion in achieving sporting results, promoting the diffusion of values and training future generations of athletes. The other will be delivered to the Crusaders company, for the exact same reasons.
A good appetizer that will probably fuel the team ahead of the fifth conference final scheduled for the following day (June 22, 2024) in Catania, at the home of the Elephants. The two contenders have known each other since time immemorial and according to an unofficial research there have been seventeen official matches, spread across nine-player and eight-player championships, the A2 series and the Winter League. The balance is heavily in favor of the Sicilians who emerged victorious thirteen times. Sifting through the annals, the first match dates back to March 1995 at the Santa Maria Goretti stadium in Catania, where the hosts won 28-0.
At the fourth attempt, dated October 1998, came the first success of the Campidanese, in the Campo Isola San Pietro at the Poetto racecourse, in Cagliari: 30-12. In the following match (14 November 1998) the first away victory was also recorded, again at the Maria Goretti stadium: 24 – 25. The last crucial win was in March 2007, away from home: 6-11. Since then, six more contests have followed, all won by the Etna players, the last one dated May 2022 at the “Paolone” in Catania, with an affordable 21-12.
It’s curious to discover that the two contenders still have players who already played back in 2005: our Matia Pisu and among the proboscided Enrico Lombardo, prospects that the two fans will not forget very easily.
President Emanuele Garzia does not hide emotions and tensions for these two close events: “I feel great satisfaction – he emphasizes – because it attests to the great work carried out up to the present day by me, by the entire management team and obviously by the coaching staff to whom I owe much of the credit for these CONI merits. The Sicilian challenge is equally a very important event that is marking our history book, now in its thirty-second chapter, embellished with a new conference final. Strengthened by the enthusiasm that has brought us this far, we will take to the field with maximum concentration and particularly resolute in the attempt to deserve a positive result.”
Meanwhile, the large Crusaders family always makes itself heard in times of need. To cover the exorbitant travel expenses, many of them dipped into their wallets to still feel part of this exciting competitive moment. Apart from the many very generous activists of times gone by, the current players, coaches and managers themselves responded to the company’s appeal. “I want to express my immense gratitude to all those who supported us – concludes Garzia – and this is a confirmation of how special our reality is which goes far beyond simple competitive activity”.
The out-of-the-ordinary actions don’t stop here. The film director Stefano Sernagiotto and the photographer/graphic designer/archivist Battista Battino will also participate in the trip, which is very expensive and exhausting like in the old days. They will create a film to add to the NOI docufilm whose rights will probably be acquired by a digital platform. The intent is to testify how in reality, after over thirty years, the crusades have remained almost identical both inside and outside the field.
