Round 16 preview

Two matches stand out in the upcoming weekend’s Illawarra Mercury Premier League action:

SATURDAY 18 JULY

Dapto Dandaloo Fury v Port Kembla @ Dandaloo Sports Ground

The Fury have lost their last two home games against sides challenging for play off positions. Port Kembla will be looking to reverse the home defeat they suffered at the hands of the Fury back in Round 5 (April).

Port Kembla have had a dismal run of form starting with that defeat in April. It saw them fall from second on the ladder to eighth. But they’ve now gone four games undefeated, including a useful win over play off rivals Tarrawanna Blueys and last weekend’s victory at third placed Albion Park White Eagles seemed to have sparked some new life into the club.

Port Kembla are back within striking distance of a play-off place, so getting a result on Saturday would help bolster those claims.

In spite of leaking five goals in those two recent home defeats, the Fury still have the best defence in the league after Bulli, and they looked to have returned to goalscoring form last weekend with a 6-1 trouncing of South Coast United.

Cameron Morgan is the Fury’s top scorer, but a hat-trick for Robbie Shields on Saturday showed that last season’s Golden Boot winner still has an eye for a goal-scoring opportunity.

Scoring has been Port Kembla’s biggest problem this season and they still have a negative goal difference in spite of their recent run. New signing Takao Teramoto scored the winner at Albion Park on Saturday.

Wollongong United v Bulli @ Macedonia Park

If this game is half as entertaining as the reverse leg 2-2 draw back in April, fans at this game will go home satisfied. On that day, United took a late lead with five minutes left on the clock, but Bulli managed an equaliser deep into time added on.

The Lions are one of the most unpredictable teams in the League, completely outplayed one week by Wollongong Olympic but then coming back and winning at the Fury the weekend after that. They’ve now drawn their last three matches, but would see two of those as dropped points against teams down at the bottom of the ladder.

They’ve had key players absent for several weeks now. Some might return for this match and that may have a bearing on the outcome this weekend.

Bulli lead the ladder by three points, though the Fury have a game in hand. Goal difference may determine the final positions come the end of August and Bulli are doing their best to make sure they stay on top that way, too, with 14 goals scored and only one conceded in their last three games.

In Ben McDonald, Bulli have the league’s top scorer with 23 goals this season so far. Julian Minutillo can’t be ignored either, though, as he has notched up 8 goals in Bulli’s 15 games.

Bulli may have the best defence in the league, but they do have off days. South Coast United put two past them in a shock 2-2 draw at Balls Paddock three weeks ago.

Bellambi v Albion Park White Eagles @ Elizabeth Park

Bellambi have not won since they beat fellow strugglers Woonona back in April. There’s too much daylight appearing between the Rosellas and the teams above them, so getting a result this weekend seems imperative if they are to have any hopes of getting off the foot of the ladder.

Bellambi might pick up some hopeful pointers from the draw they managed against Port Kembla a few weeks ago, but they’ve lost two vital games against other struggling teams in their last two outings.

They also lost top striker Sang-Yu park who moved to Wollongong United. They will surely be hoping Jacob Fryday can step up to the plate and increase his current three goal tally for the season.

The White Eagles are another team that is very hard to predict this season. Their 5-3 demolition of Dapto Dandaloo away from home was sandwiched between defeats by Woonona and Port Kembla.

In Chris Smith, Brian Montanari and Shaun Mcrae, they have the fire power to beat the best teams in the league.

They won the reverse tie 3-1 back in May and will be looking to take three points again, especially as last week’s defeat leaves them vulnerable to the improving teams just below them in the ladder.

Wollongong Olympic v Shell Cove @ PCYC North Wollongong

Olympic play a midweek catch up game against South Coast United tonight. They will be backing up again on Saturday.

Olympic’s last four games have all been against top sides in the ladder. They may have lost to Bulli and Dapto Dandaloo, but they hammered Wollongong United and just got the better of Tarrawanna Blueys in a five goal thriller.

Olympic will need to do better if they are to overcome Shell Cove, who may sit one off the bottom of the ladder, but have now extended their unbeaten run to nine matches. Shell Cove have interestingly lost fewer games than Olympic and have become the draw specialists having drawn 9 of their fourteen fixtures. Shell Cove broke through for their maiden Premier League win a couple of weeks ago and may just fancy themselves against Olympic.

Justin Potter may be Olympic’s top marksman, but Swedish striker Nichlas Schon has scored four times in only six appearances. Shell Cove will need to keep a lid on him if they are to get anything out of the game.

These two teams drew the reverse leg in April 1-1 and one would not be betting against perhaps another draw this weekend.

SUNDAY 19 JULY

South Coast United v Tarrawanna Blueys @ Ian McLennan Park

South Coast United may have had a hammering last weekend at home to Dapto Dandaloo Fury, but they can take heart from points they picked up in the previous weeks away at Wollongong United and table-topping Bulli.

Liam Unicomb is the South Coast top scorer this season. He equalised against the Fury last weekend before the goal rush of the second half in that match. Can he increase his goal tally this weekend?

It’s a tough ask for South Coast, though, against a Tarrawanna team that tends to be ruthless against the lower teams in the league. The Blueys’ big goal difference comes mainly thanks to convincing wins against the likes of South Coast (whom they beat 3-0 in the reverse tie earlier this season).

South Coast will need to contain the Blueys’ lethal top scorer Wandi Jajaw, who got his fifteenth goal of the season last weekend at home to Wollongong United. South Coast will be without Jason Bleakley (GK), Dennis Stojic and Yuki Kiyohara due to suspensions; this will surely test South Coast United’s depth.

Cringila Lions v Woonona @ Crehan Park

Three wins in four have seen Woonona leap from a fight to stay off the bottom of the ladder into a comfortable position of 8^th leading up to this weekend’s matches.

One of those wins was in the reverse fixture against Cringila, a catch-up game played earlier this month, which Woonona won 1-0. Goals have been Woonona’s biggest issue this season, with only eight scored in 13 games until last weekend’s 3-0 hammering of Bellambi. Coach Rob Bemi will take heart also from the fact that all of Saturday’s scorers were getting their names on the scoresheet for the first time this season. That can only to add to his team’s goalscoring potential.

Cringila’s draw with Shell Cove last weekend ended a horrendous run of three defeats on the bounce, form which has seen this weekend’s opponent s leapfrog the Lions in the ladder.

They’ll be looking to take revenge this Sunday, but defeat might well see them tumble further in the ladder, with the two teams below them now within two points and with a game in hand.

Dapto Dandaloo Fury v Shell Cove @ Dandaloo Sports Ground

The Fury and Shell Cove finally get to play their rescheduled round 9 match. The Fury despite trailing Bulli in the league have a game in hand and back to back wins on the weekend could see the Fury retake the championship lead which they lost 2 rounds ago.

Shell Cove will take heart from their recent performances and they have been getting better with each game. Although everyone expects the Fury to prevail, both teams are backing up so it just might be closer than one thinks.

After this game, both clubs will have caught up on their schedule.

- Simon Duffin -