Round 22 Preview

It’s a credit to the competitiveness of the Premier League this season that so much is still to play for as we go into the final Round of the regular season.

Three teams are still in the running for the last Finals slot and two of those play each other in what could be the deciding fixture this weekend. That’s the stand-out game for Round 22, although many will also be watching how second and fourth fight it out at Balls Paddock as two teams already guaranteed their spots in the Finals spar with each other in a game that could also decide which team finishes behind Dapto Dandaloo in second spot.

Match of the round

Tarrawanna v Port Kembla @ Tarrawanna Oval – kick-off 2.30pm, Sunday 6 September

If Port Kembla win this one, they take the final slot in the Premier League Finals. Any other result will leave both teams looking at how Wollongong Olympic fare away at Dapto Dandaloo Fury. But whatever the results in either game, goal difference will not be the deciding factor in which team gets that fifth place.

The Blueys ended a dismal four match losing streak with a comprehensive victory over Woonona in Round 21. And they showed they are capable of scoring freely even with top scorer Wandi Jajaw starting on the bench and not getting his name on the scoresheet in their 7-1 win.

Tarrawanna have tended to struggle against their play-off rivals, though, while seeing off the lower-placed teams with relative ease this season. Port Kembla have been the opposite, dropping crucial points all too often against teams below them, but managing a vital draw against Wollongong United last time out and a win over Olympic. A draw maybe enough today for Port Kembla, but they would not want to depend on a result in the Fury/Olympic game, where the Fury effectively have nothing to play for.

Port won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in June.

Other ties: all played on Sunday 6 September

Bulli v Albion Park White Eagles @ Balls Paddock kick-off 2.30pm

Bulli jumped back into second slot with victory in Round 21 against Shell Cove and they’ll be looking for a win here to hold on to that position going into the Finals. Albion Park White Eagles know already that they will hold fourth spot at the end of the regular season. But the two sides may well face up again in the course of the Finals series.

In Ben McDonald, Bulli have the Premier League’s leading scorer with 25 goals to his name. He scored again in the win over Shell Cove in Round 21 and he hit the target in Bulli’s 3-1 win over the White Eagles earlier this season.

Having lost to South Coast United last time out, the White Eagles will not want to go into the Finals series with a second successive defeat. Top scorer Chris Smith did not feature in that Round 21 loss. We’ll see whether the extra week’s rest after last week’s rain has been enough to get him back to match fitness, but if not the White Eagles will be looking to Shaun Mcrae to spearhead their attack: he scored in the defeat to South Coast and he also got the White Eagles’ goal in the reverse fixture back in June.

Dapto Dandaloo Fury v Wollongong Olympic @ Dandaloo Sports Ground – kick-off 2.30pm

In spite of winning the Premier League title three weeks ago, the Fury have shown no sign of taking their foot off the gas, recording their eighth consecutive league win in Round 21. For Olympic, on the other hand, this is a must-win game if they are to have any chance of a Finals berth this season.

Those eight victories for the Fury have seen them score 34 goals, with only four against them. So it’s a really tough ask for Olympic, unless Dapto Dandaloo get complacent in the knowledge that they have the title sewn up.

In just 13 games, Robbie Shields has quickly become the Fury’s top scorer with 14 goals. An extraordinary 17 different players have got their name on the Fury scoresheet in Premier League action this season, so the threat to Olympic’s defence could come from anywhere.

Nichlas Schon and Justin Potter are Olympic’s top marksmen this season. Both scored last time out in the 4-0 win over Bellambi, and Potter found a way through the Fury defence in the reverse fixture in June.

Wollongong United v Cringila Lions @ Macedonia Park – kick-off 2.30pm

Wollongong United may have dropped points at home to Port Kembla in Round 21 and lost second spot to Bulli in the process, but that draw was their eleventh match undefeated. At only a point behind Bulli, United can still snatch back second place in the League with a win today, if Bulli fail to beat Albion Park.

Johnny Martinoski is United’s top scorer and he scored their only goal in Round 21 against Port Kembla. But Matt Floro has been back on target since his return from a lengthy absence and may well be looking to regain his place as United’s top marksman.

Cringila are not to be discounted, though. They beat United 1-0 in the reverse fixture, when their own top scorer Stefan Dimoski was the man on target. Cringila have also picked up points recently against two of the teams battling it out for a Finals slot this weekend, so they can mix it with the top teams.

Shell Cove v Woonona @ Barrack Heights Sportsfield– kick-off 2.30pm

Both sides will be looking to end the season on a high after suffering embarrassing defeats in recent weeks, Shell Cove capitulating to the Fury after going down to nine men three weeks ago, and Woonona being on the receiving end of a 7-1 trouncing by Tarrawanna in Round 21.

Shell Cove were in the middle of their long unbeaten run when the two sides drew at Ocean Park in June.

Woonona’s season took a while to get into gear but after a promising period in mid-season, the Sharks seem to have lost their bite, with only one point out of a possible 15 in recent weeks. Woonona need to win by six to leapfrog Shell Cove in the ladder. A draw is more likely so they may have to settle for eleventh spot in the ladder at the end of the season.

South Coast United v Bellambi @ Ian McLellan Park – kick-off 2.30pm

South Coast will be wishing they had hit the peak of their form a little earlier this season. Wins over Bulli and Albion Park and a handy draw away at Port Kembla in recent weeks have shown just what this team is capable of.

Liam Unicomb’s two goals in Round 21 took his total for the season to 11 and he is United’s target man up front. He wasn’t on the scoresheet when United won the reverse fixture 0-5, but he’ll be the one Bellambi’s defence needs to focus on if they are to avoid a similar result to end their season.

The 4-0 defeat to Olympic in Round 21 was the Rosellas’ eighth straight defeat and the sixth game in a row in which they’ve failed to score.

-          Simon Duffin –

Photo courtesy of fotosportz