Riverina Rhinos v Woden-Weston | Saturday, 3pm @ Solar Mad Stadium

The Rhinos and Wanderers will wrap up their 2018 seasons in Griffith on Saturday as they battle at Solar Mad Stadium. A strong second season from the Rhinos has them sitting in seventh spot heading into their final match, a point ahead of this weekend’s opponents. After going down 3-0 to Belconnen last weekend they stormed back into the game through Joe Preece, but his availability is in doubt after suffering an injury as he netted his second goal of the night. The undermanned Rhinos were eventually overrun 5-2, but the talent and system is clearly there. When these teams met earlier in the season the Wanderers finished 4-1 winners but this is an improved Rhinos team who will put on a serious fight at home.

Woden-Weston stormed out to an early lead last weekend against Canberra FC before they were reigned back in, but it is obvious that this team has potential. There has hardly been an outing where they have not given their opponents a scare this season and their blistering start against the ladder leaders was a good indicator of why. Olaide Yinka-Kehinde was again in sizzling form, but the team were let down by a lack of concentration as they failed to see the second half out and lost 3-2. Rey Castro has a talented squad assembled and is building nicely heading into next season, and it would certainly help for them to finish this season on a high note on the road if they can hold out against the Rhinos talented midfield and make their own inroads on the counter.

 

Canberra FC v Tuggeranong United | Sunday, 3pm @ Deakin Stadium & LIVE on BarTV Sports

There’s plenty on the line on Sunday at Deakin Stadium as Canberra host Tuggeranong United in a blockbuster.

Tuggeranong got back to winning ways in round 15 with victory over Gungahlin before knocking off Monaro last weekend and will know how important this weekend's match is. Aisosa Ihegie continues to impress and will be important, his goal last week proving to be the winner. United have not lost to Canberra FC in the league since early 2016. Mitch Stevens knows the job is not done yet for finals, and much hinges on the match in Cooma that gets underway at the same time on Sunday. A draw or win for Tigers puts Tuggeranong through but United will want to put destiny in their own hands and take the fight to Canberra FC. They will be confident on the back of recent results but must remember that they are taking on a side who are trying to secure a Premiership.

Paul Macor’s men suffered a scare last week as they went down 2-0 to Woden-Weston early but showed great resilience to get themselves back into the game and finish 3-2 winners. That win was much-needed after a patch where the competition leaders had wavered slightly, and they now hold a two-point lead over Canberra Olympic, who they still have to play next weekend. Olympic have the bye this weekend and take on Tigers during the week so Macor has the chance to open up a five-point gap with a win and put the pressure back on their rivals. Thomas James netted a brace in the win last week and appears to be back to full health and form, but the hosts will need to be on point from the outset here and avoid letting Tuggeranong get on the front foot early.

 

Monaro Panthers v Gungahlin United | Sunday, 3pm @ Googong

Monaro and Gungahlin will play for pride and final points on Sunday afternoon in Googong to finish off their seasons. The Panthers are unable to move out of last spot but will look to make good on some recent strong play and claim another scalp in this outing, after falling to United 3-1 in round nine. The Panthers pushed Tuggeranong United last weekend and it was only after they went down to 10 men as Jason Baxter was sent off that United were able to capitalise and go ahead. Last season the Panthers finished the season on a high as they skittled Tuggeranong’s finals chances on the final weekend of matches, and while this weekend’s opponents are not in the finals race Monaro should back themselves to claim a result at home.

A loss to Tigers during the week compounded Gungahlin’s recent woes and leaves them winless since a round 10 victory over Belconnen United. Despite being an entertaining side to watch and creating chances, the lack of a ruthless edge has cost Marcial Munoz’s side a number of times in close games. None of United’s loss have really been heavy and for a side that has lost eight games a goal difference of just -4 seems strange. 18 goals scored in 15 matches is a strong indicator of where their season has gone amiss, at least 10 less than any of the sides gunning for the spots above them. This weekend provides a chance to finish an otherwise disappointing season on a high and begin building for the next campaign.

 

Tigers FC v Belconnen United | Sunday, 3pm @ Nijong Oval

Tigers FC host Belconnen United as they look to seal their own finals spot and put a dagger in those of their opposition. After their win over Gungahlin United on Wednesday night Tigers jumped back over United in the standings, leading them by a point for fourth spot heading into the final weekend. A win for Tigers or even a draw would ensure that they are back in the finals after missing out last season, but a loss does not remove them from the equation. They still have a match to play against Canberra Olympic on Wednesday night, but with that being their third game in eight days Gaby Wilk will probably prefer to not have much riding on it. Wilk’s men have improved in the back half of the season after a rough start and are one of the form teams in the competition at the moment. Their attack will be a problem for a United defence that is arguably still not at its best and will be tested here at Nijong.

For Belconnen, a 5-2 win against the Rhinos last weekend kept them firmly in the race for a finals spot and they can give themselves a big chance with a win here. Three points and a loss for Tuggeranong would mean Belconnen lock up one of the remaining spots, but anything less means they will miss out just a year after winning the Grand Final. The return of Jason Ugrinic last weekend was a boost and him troubling the scorers was a bonus for a team whose output in attack is steadily improving. The last time these two met was at McKellar Park when United pulled off a 2-1 victory, but both sides appear very different since then. United’s young core have been standing up and making an impact as the season goes on and there is no better time for them than in a big game like this.