It’s not often we see siblings line up against each other, but tonight we’ll be seeing double in the Sapphire Cup as the Gilbane identical twins do battle.
Phoebe Gilbane will wear the royal blue of Manly United, while on the opposite side, sister Liz will be in the black and white of the Gladesville Ravens.
It is the first time ever that the sisters will play against each other and both are eager and excited for what is to come.
“I am really excited to play against Liz, we have never played against each other before so it will be a great test,” Phoebe said.
“We know how each other play as we have spent many hours playing at the park but never in a proper competitive match, I’m also a little bit nervous there is always that sibling rivalry which I think is even bigger with twins.
“Bragging rights are on the line and whoever wins I am sure the other won’t hear the end of it for a while, it’s going to be a battle and I wouldn’t be surprised if we put a couple of big hits on each other – not sure how the car ride will go.”
Liz is definitely focused and wasn’t giving too much away with her answer.
“Super excited but a little bit nervous as bragging rights are on the line,” said Liz.
Liz missed the league clash between the two earlier this season after suffering a broken ankle, so we’ve had to wait patiently for this ‘blockbuster battle’ until June.
The sisters have played at the same club all up until recently when Liz moved to the Ravens, having started their footballing journey at the Beecroft Wombats at the age of 10, before playing for both the Ravens and United together.
Phoebe takes credit for kick starting their careers though.
“I take credit for getting us both into the game – I had to convince Liz to give up her pottery classes but she thanks me now,” said the Manly United star.
The twins both hope to one day be reunited on the football pitch, playing for the same team again.
“One day I am sure we will play together again, It was always fun playing on opposite flanks to each other and the refs getting highly confused,” said Phoebe.
“Not sure how the on-field arguments would go though.”
The Sapphire Cup is a new knock-out competition introduced by Football NSW for women’s teams across the state and Phoebe and Liz are happy to see its introduction.
“It is great to have a knockout tournament added to the women’s game,” said Phoebe.
“Knock-out tournaments such as the Sapphire cup always add a bit of spice to the game, the environment and pressure is always a little bit more and always seems to produce a highly entertaining game.
“I think it’s great for all levels as club teams get to play and compete in games against the biggest teams in NSW, and for the NPL clubs, by playing teams from different levels you are playing teams you have no idea about,” Liz said.
“This makes for very exciting games where there are many upsets.”
“As the cup develops in the next few years, I think you will start to see more of this happen.”
Manly United host the Gladesville Ravens at Cromer Park tonight in the Sapphire Cup, with kick off set for 7:30pm.
Who will win the battle of the Gilbane’s?
-By Nikola Pozder