With eleven rounds gone we are at the midway point of the 2017 WGC Cranes District League season. Here are the midseason report cards for all twelve clubs including a grade which takes into consideration a number of factors including league results, cup results, last season’s results and preseason expectations. Click here to see the league table.  

Note - These are the views of Football South Coast match reporter Dylan Arvela with input from other match reporters.

 

Balgownie Rangers - 8th with 10 points

 

Key stat - Balgownie has scored more than half of their 13 goals in their last 3 matches.

 

The Rangers snuck into the top five last season and a disastrous start to this season where the had no wins in their opening five matches had the scrambling at the bottom. They did manage the upset of the season when they beat Fernhill (who were yet to drop a point) 2-0. They backed that up with a 4-0 win over fellow strugglers Bellambi and now they have a faint chance of making a run for the finals.

Their coach, James Dummett has had plenty of issues to navigate with key players including Anthony Vardareff being in and out of the squad which means he has already used 27 players this campaign. Aaron Tambakis in goal has had a handful of exceptional displays for the Rangers which may prove crucial come the end of the season.

 

Grade: C-

 

Bellambi Rosellas - 12th with 6 points

 

Key stat - Bellambi have conceded 38 goals this season - the most in the league.

 

The Rosellas have achieved just over half of last season’s 11 point tally but still sit rock bottom of the league. The foundations of the side are built on old shoulders and while that has seen them earn some creditable results such as 1-0 defeats to Thirroul and Coniston, it has also seen them ship five goals or more on four occasions.

Their coach, Tim Hooker has had terrible fortune with injuries which have forced him into using 32 players already. The midseason recruitment of Cameron Banks from Woonona could prove to be a masterstroke as he could over invaluable support to their top scorer Mitch Hoswell. Their efforts will be in vain if the Rosellas are not able to tighten things up at the back.

 

Grade: D-

 

Berkeley Sports - 10th with 9 points

 

Key stat - Berkeley have conceded 24 goals this season. 17 have been away from home.

 

Berkeley has proved to be a tough nut to crack with only two of their eight defeats being by more than a goal. Jarryd King is the star man in this Berkeley side, and when he is at his best, combined with Chris Lazarevski in between the sticks, this side has the defensive capabilities to be in the top five.

However, this isn't replicated up front where they have been underwhelming for large chunks of the season with Greg Moon the only player with more than two goals.

With nothing of note in either of the cup competition, Berkeley will need a strong second half of the season to salvage anything out of it. A good place to start would be turning those narrow defeats into draws.

 

Grade: D+

Coniston FC - 5th with 18 points

 

Key stat - Coniston has only scored more than 1 goal on 3 occasions.

 

After getting promoted from Community League there were high expectations for Coniston given their eye-catching offseason recruitment, headlined by the signing of Premier League forward Dinko Terzic. This combined with their surging Fraternity Cup displays had a number of people, myself included tipping them to win the league.

Willy Alarcon's side has produced a number of clunky performances with the skill set of Terzic yet to be fully utilised. Alarcon would be happy with the progression of Brad Moreira with the youngster becoming a key cog in the centre of the park since coming to the club.

They have progressed to the last 16 of the Bert Bampton Cup and they will be favourites to progress to the quarter-final of that competition. Despite their underachievement, they should still have enough quality to remain in the top five, however, a promotion push may now be out of reach.

 

Grade: C

 

Fernhills Foxes - 1st on 30 points

 

Key stat - Fernhill has the best goal difference in the league with +26.

 

The Foxes were one of the favourites to top the division and after winning their opening nine games the league appeared done and dusted. A strange 2-0 defeat to Balgownie has cut their lead at the top to three points but at the midpoint of the season, they still seem the most likely to take out the league title.

Andy Keep has been the main attacking outlet for Dan McGoldrick’s side, playing a hand in a number of their goals as well as scoring six of his own. While Keep is the talisman, there is no shortage of supporting acts who have enabled the Foxes to have the joint-best attack (31 goals scored) and defence (5 goals conceded) in the league.

They also managed to claim the Fraternity Cup and as well as making the round of 16 in the Bert Bampton Cup where they were bundled out by Premier League leaders Bulli 1-0.

 

Grade: A+

 

Helensburgh Thistles - 4th with 21 points

 

Key stat - 7 teams have conceded fewer goals than Helensburgh who have conceded 24 goals.

 

Helensburgh had a horrendous opening month of the season with huge defeats against Warilla and Fernhill but since they have surged up the league marquee wins over Oak Flats and Bellambi. The key to their tremendous turnaround has been the acquisition of Japanese striker Naruyuki Kato who has twelve goals in nine outings - topping the goalscoring charts.

 

Helensburgh boss, Brad Broadman has also given youth a chance which is headlined by Cody Cuthbertson and Luke Van Zyl who have four and five goals respectively.  The major concern for Broadman is the defence which has leaked 24 goals, though over half came in the first month of the season. A genuine dark horse for silverware.

 

Grade: A

 

Kiama Quarriers - 7th with 11 points

 

Key stat - Kiama are the only side yet to keep a clean sheet.

 

It has been a bit of a hodgepodge season for the Quarriers, with a few positive results bookended by a poor start and average recent form. The main positive for the boys from the south has been the form Jacob Lester who has knocked in four goals so far.

With no clean sheets in the first half of the season, it is hard to see Kiama being able to lay the foundations for a run to the finals. Combine that with poor showings in the Fraternity and Bert Bampton Cup, it is hard to describe their season as anything but ordinary.

If they sort out their defence they may be able to make a top five push but from seven points back it is a tough ask for a side unable to garner any consistency.

 

Grade: C-

 

Oak Flats Falcons - 6th with 17 points

 

Key stat - Oak Flats have the best defence of any side outside the top five.

Oak Flats sit a point outside the top five which is decent considering they only managed one win in their opening six matches. The Falcons are just two wins away from equalling their 2016 points total and a number of District League players I have spoken to label them as one of the toughest sides they have faced this season.

They face Warilla, Fernhill and Coniston in three of their next four matches so that could prove to be a real marker for this Falcons side if they are to push into the top five. They have also made it to the round of 16 in the Bert Bampton Cup which goes along with a decent showing in the Fraternity Cup.

 

Grade: B

 

Thirroul Thunders - 2nd with 27 points

 

Key stat - Thirroul have the joint best defence in District League with just 5 goals conceded.

 

Thirroul has gone under the radar for most this season who earmarked the likes of Fernhill, Warilla and Coniston but with seven wins on the spin, they are genuine title chances at the halfway point. The Thunders impeccable defence has seen them grind out a number of results while they have had no fewer than ten different goalscorers.

There is no standout performer for the Thunder but the likes of Dan Arthur, Corey Haines-Grose and James Hutton continually churn out solid performances. New boy Brad Strudwick has only bagged two goals in the first half of the season but I feel he has the ability to finish the season as a key figure in this side.

 

Grade: A+

 

University FC - 9th with 10 points

 

Key stat - University have kept 2 clean sheets and they won on both occasions.

 

In 2016, Uni had the second-worst defence in the league and at the midpoint of the 2017 season… they have the second-worst defence in the league. The Students have managed some decent results against the some of the heavyweights in the league, including a 1-1 draw with Coniston. But, it is the 4-3 defeat to Bellambi, 3-1 defeat to Berkeley and 5-0 defeat to Oak Flats that make those positive results basically null and void.

A bright spot for the Students has been the form of Alex Coetzer in Youth Grade who has 16 goals in 10 matches, I expect the youngster to feature in the second half of the season. Perhaps he will be the perfect foil for midseason signing Doug Woodiwiss who has joined from Port Kembla.

They have managed to get to the round of 16 in the Bert Bampton Cup via the “lucky loser” ticket but without an upturn in league form, it will be hard to argue this season has been a positive campaign.

Grade: D+

 

Warilla Wanderers - 3rd with 24 points

 

Key stat - Warilla has the joint-best attack in District League with 31 goals scored.

 

Last season’s Grand Final winners had a tricky preseason which included the season-ending injury to new recruit Daniel Ferraro but the experienced Barney King has managed to settle the ship. The Wanderers are playing some of the most enterprising football in the division with the likes of Bojan Caric and Kaine Good leading the joint-best attack in the league.

Their new number 1, Valon Rizvani has been crucial for Warilla in a number of matches. Despite his efforts, the Wanderers have conceded 16 goals which is more than three times the amount of the top two.

Warilla were bundled out of both cup competitions in the second round, however, King is sure to have his side prepared for a strong second half of the season with promotion hopes still on the line. The key will be turning draws into wins with all three of their draws coming against teams outside the top five.

 

Grade: B+

 

Wests Illawarra - 11th with 8 points

 

Key stat - 57% of the goals Wests have scored came in their 8-1 win in round 1.

 

Wests find themselves in the same position they finished in last season. Also like last season, they have conceded a lot fewer than their closest rivals but their lack of goals have cost them in a number of close tussles. Nick Tortorella, Jordan Hughes and Diogo Andrade have shown glimpse but have lacked genuine consistency.

The Devils huge 8-1 win over Bellambi on the opening day of the season is the obvious highlight while draws with Warilla and Coniston are also commendable. There isn’t much to write home about in the cup competitions with only an extra time win over Berkeley in the Bert Bampton worth noting.

 

Grade: D

 

Report by Dylan Arvela, on Twitter @dylanarvela