MATCH OF THE ROUND
The Entrance v Killarney District
BPL Round 7 Match of the Round is none other than local derby between The Entrance and Killarney which is scheduled to take place this Sunday at Pat Morley Oval
Before last weekend, The Entrance side had only recorded wins over the bottom 3 opposition. Last weekend’s 2-0 win over Southern went a long way in showing the rest of the competition that The Entrance has possibly another finals team this year. This is the second time the Reddies have had back-to-back wins but will be looking to make it 3 in a row for the first time this season and what better team to do that against then local rivals Killarney. Both sides currently sit on equal points on equal 3rd, so a win for either side is crucial.
The Entrance Coach and Player Matt Page is well aware of how much this game means to the club and the players and expects a very tough contest come Sunday. “We are looking forward to the derby this weekend in front of a big Pat Morley crowd, these games are always entertaining. Killarney will be a very tough task, as they have been the last 5 years. Ackers has a talented squad and even though they’ve lost a few players, with a strong junior base, they’ll fill that void pretty easily. Klijn, Rodgers and the Hall boys are always dangerous, they will be a tough opponent on Sunday. For our boys, we’re building nicely, but how we fare in this match will show me what sort of level we are at. This is a great opportunity for my guys to show we can put some on great performances back-to-back.”
As no surprise Killarney found themselves within the top 3 on the ladder after 6 rounds, they have been the benchmark side for the last 5 years and despite a lot of new faces to their first team they continue to be a dominant force. Killarney currently holds the league’s second-best attacking record with 19 goals but go up against an Entrance side that boasts the league’s second-best defence. Killarney can thank attacker Ethan Hall who currently leads the BPL golden boot race with 9 goals and will be hoping he can add to that tally come Sunday.
Killarney coach Chris Ackerley states his side is looking forward to the match-up as both teams look to solidify their spot in the top 4. “It always a game that is looked forward to by both sides no matter where either side is placed on the table. This weekend with both teams on equal points, it offers that little bit more incentive to jump clear and really try to cement a position in the top four. The Entrance has a lot of new players who have settled well and I’m sure Pagey will have them fired up for the local derby. We have started well with the new generation of players coming through and hopefully can continue to improve each week.”
Kanwal v Berkeley Vale
Kanwal will look to repeat last weekend’s win as they host Berkeley Vale who will be looking to bounce back after their seeing defeat for the first time last round.
Kanwal is coming off a 9-point weekend which saw Ryan Walker’s side pick up their opening 1st-grade win over Kariong (1-0). Last weekend was the first time all year that Kanwal did not go into halftime down a goal or more, as their defence remained solid all game to pick up the clean sheet. Joey Liddle will go up against his former team this weekend as Kanwal will look to repeat last year’s result when they overcome Berkeley Vale with a 4-2 win.
Round 6 saw Berkeley Vale lose their first match of the season when they hosted Terrigal in a top of the table clash. Berkeley was far from full-strength, and it showed as they conceded within the first 40 seconds of the match and went on to put in their worst performance of the year according to coach Mark Pratt. It was the first time this season any team was able to keep the Berkeley Vale attack scoreless as they look to overcome that performance with a win this weekend to stay within touching distance of 1st place Terrigal.
Avoca v Kariong
Avoca will look to regain their spot in the top 5 as they do battle with Kariong who are still in search of their initial BPL win.
Since winning their opening 2 matches, Avoca are yet to have back-to-back wins as they fell short once again to Killarney 5-1 away from home in Round 6. Avoca currently sits 6th on both the BPL ladder and on the club championship. A lot between these two squads are unknown are they are yet to face but a win for Avoca could see them jump back into the top 4. Jesse Parnell is Avoca’s leading goal scorer with 4 goals, but Parnell scored all 4 in the same match against Wyoming and has not been on the scoresheet since.
Kariong currently sits last on 0 points and with the worst defensive record in the league having conceded 23 goals to start their BPL campaign. The newly-promoted Kariong side is still adjusting to what it takes to be in the premier men’s competition on the coast. However, Kariong has been extremely unlucky not to pick up points thus far having lost 3 of their matches by only 1 goal. Last weekend was the first time Kariong has failed to score in a match this year as they will aim to get back to scoring ways and hopefully pick up their initial points.
Wyoming v Terrigal
Wyoming will be looking to pick up the second win of their campaign when they welcome undefeated Terrigal to the home of the Tigers, Alan Davidson Oval.
Wyoming thought they had secured their 2nd win of the year last week away from home after holding a 1-0 lead for the majority of the match only for Woongarrah to score in the closing moments of the game as the two sides shared the points. Coach and Player Ian McAndrew has a very young Wyoming side that will learn a lot about that match and how to see out a result. McAndrew’s side will face their toughest test yet as they welcome undefeated Terrigal. Wyoming has been able to get on the scoresheet in every match so far and will look to shock the competition as they search for crucial club championship points as they currently sit in 3rd last position.
Terrigal is coming off their best and most dominant performance of the year after conquering Berkeley Vale in a top of the table clash last weekend 4-0. That marked the Martyn Griffiths and his sides 3rd clean sheet of the year as the O’lads continue to boast the best defensive record in the league. Not only that, but Terrigal also possess the best-attacking record in the league with 21 goals in 6 rounds. Daniel Bird who currently sits 1 goal behind Ethan Hall in the BPL golden boot race has been in outstanding form scoring 8 goals in his last 4 games and will look to continue this form and lead his team to victory once again come Sunday.
Southern & Ettalong v Woongarrah
Southern will look to get back to scoring and winning ways this weekend as they host Woongarrah who have not won since round 4.
Southern fell short to The Entrance last weekend in a 2-0 loss that marked their second defeat of the season, in both defeats Southern have been held scoreless by the opposition. After their first defeat, SEU came out the following week with a very dominant performance which saw them pick up a 5-0 win and you can expect them to try to do the same come Sunday as they look to regain a top 4 spot. SEU leading goal scorer Keith Gumbs has picked up 5 goals for the year so far, 3 of which came in the first round. Since then, the 2019 BPL Golden Boot winner Gumbs has only gone on to score 2 goals as he will hope to get back on the scoresheet this weekend.
A win for Woongarrah this weekend would see them go level on points with opposition Southern & Ettalong. The Wildcats were fortunate to escape with a point last weekend, scoring a last-minute goal against Wyoming. A lot is still unknown about this Woongarrah side who have only managed to pick up points against the bottom 3 teams on the table, if Woongarrah wants to be a force to be reckoned and play finals football, they will need to start picking up points against the teams above them on the ladder.
Written by Adam Blunden.