NPL Round 4 Preview
Woden-Weston v Tigers FC | Saturday, 4th May – 3pm @ Melrose Synthetic
Woden-Weston and Tigers FC have the chance to ruin each other’s perfect start to the season on Saturday at Melrose, with both teams yet to drop a point in 2019. Rey Castro’s Woden-Weston saw off Belconnen United 2-0 in the opening round before an extended break with the bye and Easter and did just enough to beat the Rhinos in Griffith in round three. This will be a different test though and they will need to be on top of their game. Tigers have scored eight times in three matches, while the Wanderers have had more modest production up to this point. They are yet to concede in two matches though, a major improvement given they failed to keep a clean sheet in any league match during 2018. If Castro’s side have truly turned the corner as a defensive outfit, then they can be strong challengers for a top four spot and Tigers this weekend.
Tigers enjoyed a three-game homestand to begin the campaign and made the most of it with three wins at Nijong. Nico Abot scored in all three and leads the scoring charts with four goals so far. Wilk’s men have conceded only twice, both to Belconnen in round three, and the introduction of Darren Bailey into their backline over Summer appears to have been a masterstroke. Tigers and Woden-Weston split the points in their two outings last season, with this week’s hosts taking the points in a thriller at Nijong while Tigers won it late in the reverse fixture at Woden Park. This matchup has all the makings of a similarly exciting contest and will be a good barometer for both teams having shot out of the blocks.
Gungahlin United v Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 5th May – 3pm @ AIS Grass 1
Marcial Munoz and his Gungahlin side will be aiming to build off their first win of the league season when they host Monaro at the AIS on Sunday afternoon. The club came off the Easter break in perfect fashion with a 2-0 win against Tuggeranong United, thanks to second half goals from Jeremy Habtemariam and Michael John. Another win here will allow them to break even and pull level on points with the Riverina Rhinos at the base of the table ahead of a tough stretch of matches. Munoz’s side defended strongly against Tuggeranong with Jack Green and Lachie Green not shy in their tackles, and they will need to be on the ball again against this Monaro team.
Monaro flew out of the gates at Riverside on Saturday night to lead Canberra FC 2-0 at the break, but it should’ve been more, and they succumbed to a four-goal second half from the visitors who picked up their maiden win of the campaign. Josh Gulevski was in stunning form to begin the game, grabbing the first goal before narrowly missing out on other opportunities, and the Panthers will be keen to make a similar start here. They have pace and trickery to catch other teams off guard, and on his day Nikos Kalfas can be one of the most creative players in the competition, demonstrated by his outrageous rabona pass on Saturday night. If Monaro’s forward line can catch fire again like they did early at Riverside then it will be an important step in the right direction against Gungahlin, but they also need to avoid the lapses in concentration that plagued their second half and allowed Canberra FC to get back into and then control the game.
Canberra FC v Belconnen United | Sunday, 5th May – 3pm @ Deakin Stadium
Canberra FC and Belconnen United will meet at Deakin on Sunday afternoon, with only one win each after three rounds of action. Canberra FC struggled through their first two and a half games, but stormed through the second half at Riverside on Saturday evening to claim their first win. Daniel Barac scored his team’s first goal of the season and proceeded to add two more, while Daniel Colbertaldo curled in a free-kick that indicated just why Luka Ujdur pursued him over summer. While the team fired up front Monaro asked plenty of questions at the back, and Belconnen will look to probe the same areas this week. Josh Gulevski could have had a bag full of goals by the break at Riverside and Ujdur’s men were fortunate the youngster didn’t take all his chances but shouldn’t expect Belconnen to be as wasteful.
Belconnen fought back in the second half against Canberra FC but were too late to the party to steal a point and will need to come out of the gates earlier this weekend. They have been involved in some famous battles here at Deakin, but this time come up against a side still finding their feet. Dustin Wells scored a stunner late on against Tigers and Phil Borgeaud proved his side’s aerial threat from set pieces, but there is still work to be done here. Their six goals so far have come from six different scorers in the league, and Steve Forshaw needs to make sure that his team unlocks some of these options going forward against a Canberra FC side who haven’t found their footing at the back.
Tuggeranong United v Canberra Olympic | Sunday, 5th May – 3pm @ Kambah 2
An under-manned Tuggeranong United take on Canberra Olympic at Kambah on Sunday afternoon after dropping to a 2-0 loss against Gungahlin at the AIS last weekend. Goran Mukevski was in doubt after a heavy tackle in that game and his status remains to be seen, while Mitch Stevens will be without Daniel Linstead for the rest of the season and Aisosa Ihegie for this weekend. Sunday saw a very young bench including 15-year old Daunte Cerva who got minutes late on, and Stevens will need to look to the youngsters this weekend with an eye to FFA Cup in the middle of the week and then a bye next round.
Olympic on the other hand will be well rested following the Easter break, and then a round three bye but have a big week ahead with an FFA Cup tie against Canberra FC before hosting Monaro in round five of the league. Rory Larkin will miss Sunday’s outing after he was sent off in the round two win over Gungahlin United for a foul outside the box, and he will be replaced in between the posts by James Christis. Frank Cachia’s side are yet to concede a goal in the league this season and sit second on the table, this weekend gives them a chance to begin pulling clear from the clutter of teams behind them if they can pick up all three points.
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.