Picton’s players must be itching to put their IPL boots on with the Rangers washed out yet again in Round 3. There’s a good chance they’ll get their season debut on Saturday, though, with a visit to Wetherall Park.

Albion Park White Eagles are also lacking match practice, with their first league run-out last weekend. And Wollongong United also have only one game played in this rain-affected season.

Here’s hoping for our first full set of IPL matches in Round 4, with Monday seeing further action for Corrimal Rangers and Wollongong United as they face up in the Fraternity Cup Final.

Match of the round – (note venue change)

Albion Park White Eagles v Bulli FC @ King Mickey Park, Warilla – kick-off 3.00pm, Friday 14 April

The reigning champions take on one of the most exciting sides to watch in the IPL in a contest that could be crucial as the season takes shape.

Both sides have disposed of arguably weaker sides in earlier rounds, the White Eagles being clinical in their 2-0 win over South Coast, while Bulli ran rampant against Woonona in Round 2. But Tarrawanna Blueys showed last weekend that things won’t always be plain sailing for clubs like Bulli, especially when they get a man sent off. That red card means Andrew Gamble will miss this clash.

This tie produced a thriller in 2016, with Albion Park coming back from 0-2 down to take the three points courtesy of goals from Mitch Del Turco and Shohei Okuno. The Japanese striker was back in the goals last weekend and now has new compatriots to play off. Let’s see how Bulli deal with this new set-up.

Dylan Lewis scored in both matches between these two last season and shows signs of being just as goal hungry this year, too. Ben McDonald is always a threat, and this year Guy Knight and Marcus Beattie have knocked in more even than the Big Mac so far.

This match could go either way, and Bulli showed on Tuesday night how quickly they can come back into a game, with three goals in ten minutes against the Fury to rescue a point.

I’m going to call it a White Eagles win, but wouldn’t be surprised if it went Bulli’s way instead.

Other games Friday 14 April

Tarrawanna Blueys v Cringila Lions @ Tarrawanna Oval, kick-off 2.30pm

This tussle at Tarrawanna Oval promises to be an interesting affair between two sides who will have been boosted by Round 3 performances.

The Blueys may not have got the result against Bulli but the nature of their defeat will have given the squad self-belief, with Jared Fish scoring and playing a blinder against his old club. Tarrawanna put thirteen goals past Cringila in the two games between these two in 2016, and I’m sure Peter Willis’s side would love a repeat of the 8-1 in this fixture last year. Rick Goodchild, Darren Stone and Matt Mazevski were all in the goals in those games and are still at the Blueys so they’ll know what’s needed.

At the other end, Cringila are looking stronger this season. Having gone 4-0 down by half time in their season opener against Olympic, there was no second half crumble and Wally Savor’s side came out of that one with a 5-1 defeat. But last week’s 3-0 win over Woonona showed what his team are capable of, even without useful striker Milan Atlagic.

I’m picking the Blueys to take the three points but they’ll have to fight for them, and I think the margin will be just a single goal this year.

Saturday 15 April

Port Kembla v Picton Rangers @ Wetherall Park kick-off 2.30pm

Going into this game, neither side has any points on the board, so that is bound to change for at least one of them. Port have gone down to two defeats so far, and will be looking to kick-start what they had hoped would be a promising season. Picton get their first chance of IPL football this weekend after three wash-outs so far.

The only form we have to go on for Picton has been in the FFA Cup, where Brett Morley’s side has performed well so far and now has a glamour tie in Round 6 against Sydney Olympic.

Port’s tricky start to the season continues in Round 4, with a tough tie against another of last season’s Finals teams. Noel Spencer’s headaches can only have got worse last weekend as Chris Smith was taken off with what looked like a serious injury, and Joe Lavalle also limped off, though he hopes to be back.

Port lost this tie last year to a Ben Roberts goal, though they won the return leg at Picton, when Lavalle was one of the scorers.

I’m going for a Port win this time, partly because they have the talent to get points on the board, and partly because Picton are simply lacking match practice at this stage.

Wollongong United v South Coast United @ Macedonia Park – kick-off 2.30pm

Wollongong United really impressed on their season bow at Port Kembla two weeks ago but will be thankful for FFA Cup action to keep the players match fit, as they suffered more postponements last weekend.

Oliver Vrtkovski has depth in this squad, and that could be vital as the fixture backlog builds up. This is a busy weekend for Vrtkovski’s side with the visit of South Coast on Saturday, followed by the Fraternity Cup Final on Monday. So it will be interesting to see how the Wollongong coach rotates his players over the two games.

South Coast have made a respectable start to the season, gaining a point from the opener against Tarrawanna and then limiting the White Eagles to two goals last time. We’re still looking for the new faces at South Coast to make a name for themselves, and a tough tie at Macedonia Park is not the easiest place for new talent to emerge.

Wollongong United scored three in both ties between these two in 2016 and I expect something similar this weekend. Three point for the home side, surely.

Woonona FC v Corrimal Rangers @ Ocean Park – kick-off 2.30pm

The wet weather in midweek denied Woonona a chance to get back in the saddle after another crushing defeat last weekend. The Sharks have lost badly on their two IPL outings this season and might have hoped to get a result against South Coast in the latest wash out on Tuesday. Instead they have to face up to the season’s biggest achievers in Corrimal Rangers.

Best hope for the Sharks might be that Corrimal have half an eye on Monday’s cup final. The Rangers will start without striker Treneski again and Luke Picciolini is yet to return from injury.

If the Sharks can score early, they might catch Corrimal off guard, but let John Fleming’s side settle and I think this could be another tough afternoon for Woonona. Corrimal’s defence looks very strong this year, and Woonona have yet to score in 180 minutes of football so the omens are not good. But the IPL has a history of ignoring omens, so don’t discount Geoff Foster’s side yet.

A draw would be a great result for Woonona but my tip is for three points to the Rangers.

 

Sunday 16 April

Kemblawarra Fury v Wollongong Olympic @ Macedonia Park – kick-off 3.00pm

The Premier League’s only fixture on Sunday could be in for a bumper crowd as it pits third v second in the early ladder standings.

The Fury did the double over Olympic in 2016, with a 3-0 win in this fixture. Matthew McNab, Sam Munro and Shane Murray were the scorers that day and all have made starts in Luke Maguire’s new-look squad. Munro scored again in the 3-3 midweek thriller against Bulli.

Olympic will also have to watch the three newcomers with NPL experience behind them. Adam Biddle (ex-A-League), Sam Matthews and Anthony Proia teamed up well against Corrimal last week, and will cause problems against any team in the IPL, with Proia also scoring again in midweek.

Olympic have improved their quality up front this season, with Nuno Pires now partnering Yusuke Ueda. Blake Coates is out after receiving a red card last week. But Jonny Martinoski seems to have found a new lease of life in a sky blue shirt and was critical to both Olympic’s wins so far. If the Fury can suppress him, as Corrimal went some way towards doing, then that will blunt one of Olympic’s main weapons this season.

I’m tipping a Fury win but only by a single goal this time.

Report by Simon Duffin