WGC Cranes District League – Round 9 Preview

Corrimal Rangers maintain a 4-point gap at the top of the table ahead of a lurking Warilla. Fernhill are still just within touching distance however the rest start to fall away and it seems the main competition there is for finals spots.

 

Match of the Round – Saturday 21 May

Thirroul Thunder v Corrimal Rangers @ Thomas Gibson Park – 3.00pm

It’s a must win game for Thirroul if they are a serious championship contender I feel even at this stage of the season. Five points behind, playing home, it’s probably now or never for Thunder. Thirroul will feel like they gave up two points last week when Berkeley got a late equaliser and held on more a point just as the top three all had wins.

Just who is going to stop Corrimal right now? They were ruthless last week in dismantling the normally reliable defence of Oak Flats. Their strike power is the envy of the league. Mark Picciolini is proving to be one of the best signings of the District League season as he proved his worth again last week with a hat-trick making him the leading marksman in the league. Corrimal however may just have Warilla on Sunday on their minds in the Bampton Cup Round 16 match and this is a great chance for Thirroul to catch them on the hop.

Corrimal won the last two meetings last year 2-1 and I suspect that a close game is on the cards again this week. Thirroul have a steady defence but against the league’s top attack, they will have to be on extra guard. I expect that Thirroul though will fire up for this one and earn themselves a draw.

Other Saturday games:

Berkeley Sports v Kiama Quarriers – Berkeley Sports Ground – 3.00pm

This game pits two mid table teams that are desperately looking to at least make the playoffs. Berkeley are undefeated in their last four matches and will go into this match full of confidence. It’s not as if they have played lowly opposition either. Last week’s draw against the Falcons was deserved despite scoring late.

Kiama themselves just came off a four game unbeaten streak before succumbing to a rampant Warilla. Kiama have been defensively compact however they leaked five last week and coach James Spence will be looking to ensure there no repeat of that this week. Kiama are expected to be back to full strength after some recent suspensions.

This one could go either way although in form, I think Berkeley may just pip them this week.

Bellambi v Balgownie – Elizabeth Park – 3.00pm

Not a lot has gone right for Bellambi this year so far however they will be hoping to turn it around against Balgownie this weekend. Bellambi looked like they might just get something out of last week’s game against Wests Illawarra before lapses in concentration cost them yet again. Coach Greg Smart must be cursing his luck at the moment. Perhaps his week they might just get it against a team renowned for being somewhat inconsistent.

It’s a flip of the coin to know just what sort of attitude Rangers will come out with on Saturday and for that reason I don’t think this will be a draw. Losses to Kiama and Warilla were offset with a monster win last week against University. They will probably be riding high on confidence however they are yet to go back to back wins this year.

Unless Balgownie get complacent, I do expect them to be too good for Bellambi however the Rosellas are surely due for a win soon.

Oak Flats v Fernhill – Keith Bond Oval – 3.00pm

The wheels look to have come off the Falcons bus at the moment. They started the season with three straight wins which followed a decent pre-season however they have just one point in their last five matches. Not the sort of form that would light up this competition. They had a game they would rather soon forget after getting hammered 6-0 against Corrimal. They will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves off because Fernhill won’t be showing them much mercy either I feel.

The Foxes have been quietly going about their own business winning four of their last five matches with their only loss coming almost a month ago against Warilla. The key to Fernhill’s success has been their stingy defence. They have conceded just five goals in eight matches. Providing they continue to score, they are going to be hard to beat during the remainder of the season.

On current form, the odds are stacked against Oak Flats. I think Fernhill will keep their winning streak going as it will take something special for Oak Flats to pull themselves out of this form.

University v Warilla @ Koolobong Oval – 3.00pm

University have had a terrible start to the season and would not have forecast finding themselves 19 points adrift after just 8 rounds. They have lost their last four games averaging over three goals a game and of concern is the fact they haven’t scored a single goal in nearly 400 minutes of league football. Coach Brendon Fotheringham may need tolook at switching things around as they look to arrest this issue.

Warilla on the other hand is just starting to get rolling. They are likely to have new signing and former Wanderer, Chris Smith thrust into action this week. With Warilla starting to find some goal scoring form (12 goals in their last 3 matches), University might just have to adopt some special tactics.

There can surely be only one winner in this contest. Warilla by at least four I think.

Helensburgh v Wests Illawarra @ Rex Jackson Oval – 3.00pm

Helensburgh is another team that has suddenly stalled. They have lost their last three matches and their free flowing scoring has dried up. They will be relying on some of their experienced players this week to step up as they look to get things going again after what was a good start to the season. A loss here and their season title hopes could be in tatters.

Wests Illawarra have been sticking with it all season. They are a young side full of enthusiasm however this also lends itself to plenty of mistakes. In a mistake ridden game last weekend, they came out on top against Bellambi however coach Arthur Kinnas knows that if they give Burgh this sort of leeway, they could cope a hiding.

I am anticipating a close match here but I do feel that Helensburgh at home will just edge them out.

FSC Amateur Reporter