MATCH OF THE ROUND
Killarney v Terrigal
The Round 4 BPL Match of the Round is none other than Killarney and Terrigal who will face off at Pluim Park this Saturday for the Ash Grant Cup.
These two teams have a lot of history between them in recent years, mainly when it comes to Grand Finals, competing in the 2020 BPL Grand Final and the 2021 Association Cup Grand Final. On both occasions, Martyn Griffiths O’lads have come out victorious.
Chris Ackerley’s Killarney are searching for their sixth consecutive League Title and their campaign for the 2022 year got off to a flying start after defeating a weakened Wyoming side 7-1. Adam Woodbine and Ethan Hall both registered two goals each to their names in last weekend’s win and Ackerley will be hoping they carry the same goal-scoring form into Saturday’s clash.
“Expecting a really tough and close game just like the past three or four meetings, even though both sides have had a lot of changes from last year. As always with sides coached by Griff, they will be well organised and very dangerous from set-pieces which we must be aware of.”
“Our emphasis though will be making sure we work hard for one another and take any chances that we create,” voiced Ackerley who is well aware of the hard task at hand for his team come Saturday.
Despite taking home all three points against Avoca (4-3), it was an extremely nervy finish for Griffiths and his side who conceded two goals late and felt the pressure in the dying moments against Avoca. Terrigal will once again be without the dangerous attacking threat in Daniel Bird as he serves his final game of suspension. Even with Bird out, Terrigal managed to score four goals with four different goal scorers. Griffiths will be wary of the opposition attack who are coming off a 7-goal triumph and after already conceding three goals this past weekend, Terrigal’s backline will need to be at their absolute best this Saturday.
When asked about his opposition and the fixture this Saturday, Griffiths stated he is always excited for this great match-up. “Looking forward to our game against local rivals Killarney this Saturday. It is always a very competitive and even contest between us and I expect no difference this weekend.”
Killarney had a great 7-1 to kick off their season and will be on a high from that early win, but we also got three points on the board against an Avoca side who looked well organised and will cause teams problems this year. Daniel Bird misses his last game of his suspension, but we have a squad who are confident and looking forward to the challenge this Saturday.”
Wyoming v Kanwal
Wyoming and Kanwal will also meet at Pluim Park as the Tigers look to turn their disappointing loss around this Saturday night.
Wyoming will welcome back head coach Ian McAndrew who has been away from the squad for a few weeks enjoying holidays as McAndrew looks to steer them back on course after an upsetting 7-goal defeat to BPL heavyweights Killarney. In that fixture, Wyoming had a bare fresh 11 players which is always going to make things tough, especially in the men’s premier competition on the Central Coast
Wyoming however remains the only Central Coast team still playing in the Australian Cup which goes to show the strength and quality of their young side. Their fixture this weekend, that was originally scheduled for Alan Davidson, has been moved to Saturday night on the always pristine, home of Central Coast Football, Pluim Park. The style that McAndrew prefers his sides to play will be well suited to the new venue as he aspires to take all 3 points from Kanwal.
Kanwal left it very late as they started their season with a 93rd-minute winner thanks to their Captain Kyle Price. Price, only still a youngster at 22, was given the armband honours for the year ahead with Bulls coach Ryan Walker putting plenty of faith in Price to take them back to finals football. Walker has also done an exceptional job recruiting experience to his squad with former Mariners Adam Kwasnik and Brad Porter both named on the team sheet in Round 3.
After an undefeated run into the season and claiming a win in their first game in front of a home crowd, confidence will be running high in the Bulls camp as they focus on their next challenge Wyoming. To give Walker and his side even more belief and faith, last year when these two sides faced it was Kanwal that would walk away from that fixture with a 1-0 win. Anticipate a highly competitive match come Saturday between these two sides.
Kariong v Woongarrah
Kariong will be hoping to put last weekend’s undeserved loss behind them as they welcome Woongarrah who also looks to pick up their first win of the season.
Against all odds, Kariong almost picked up points against competition favourites Berkeley Vale as they controlled a majority of the game against the Wombats but just failed to find the back of the net. Still waiting for their opening BPL win since joining the competition last year, the Cougars look like a whole new and revived squad under new head coach Ryan Finch. Finch and his players were extremely unlucky not to walk away from Pluim Park with any points. A big talking point from that matchup would be of course the missed penalty from Kariong captain Nicholas Trengrove.
Another big talking point from that match up was the brilliant performance by the Cougar’s goalkeeper Alex Muscat who was at the top of his game last Sunday. Finch and his side will take plenty of encouragement going toe-to-toe with 2022 Association Cup winners Berkeley Vale. Kariong will be hoping to showcase and replicate that performance in front of a home crowd against a hungry pack of Wildcats.
Woongarrah are on the road for the second consecutive week as they look to take the 3 points away from Kariong Oval in Round 4. Luke Rogers and his men fell short to Southern & Ettalong in a 3-0 loss, but Rogers will take plenty of positives away from that result. On that day the Wildcat’s biggest problem was not making chances but converting on the multiple chances they created.
Roger’s will welcome back Kaleb Langbien to the squad for the upcoming week who is sure to strengthen the Woongarrah defence. These two sides almost met in round 4 in the 2021 BPL competition and on that occasion, it was Woongarrah who picked up their only away win for the season. Woongarrah has always had a great record for home games but seems to struggle when playing away from Hamlyn Terrace, so it is very important for Rogers and his side to steal maximum points away from Kariong this Sunday.
The Entrance v Berkeley Vale
The Entrance will host their first game at home this weekend as they take on 2022 competition favourites Berkeley Vale.
A young Entrance side will still be feeling unsettled over their last-minute loss at the hands of Kanwal in Round 3. The Entrance remains without their normal captain Blake Stuart and vice-captain Ben Van Der Klay who are both currently travelling overseas. This leaves an already small squad with little first-grade experience even more sparse. The Reddies however played well in their opening fixture under new coaching staff Patrick Zwaanswijk, Josh Rose and Ray Seers.
The challenge for The Entrance does not come any easier this week as they welcome Berkeley Vale to Pat Morley Oval. Pat Morley has served as a fortress for The Reddies’ first grade over the years and this latest Entrance side will be hoping that can stay the same for the years ahead. Losing the majority of their senior, experienced players it could take a while before everything clicks for this Entrance squad. This will be a real test for this young Entrance side.
Emotions will be high this weekend for a few Berkeley Vale players who were Reddies themselves last year. Nathan Blunden, Steven Grimmitt and Michael Dalton all wore the Entrance red last year as they have now found new success at Berkeley Vale. Blunden, who was Reddies captain for several years, is set to play his first game at Pat Morley not a part of The Entrance squad.
Berkeley Vale has started their year off in terrific fashion, winning the 2022 Association Cup Final with a 2-1 win over Terrigal. A heavy schedule for the squad who played 4 games in a matter of 10 days seemed to take its toll on Mark Pratt’s men who scraped home in Round 3 with a win over Kariong. Despite already claiming a 6-1 win over this Entrance side in the Cup, Berkeley Vale must be at their best every week if they want to live up to expectations and could be very costly if they enter Sunday’s match underestimating their opponents.
Southern & Ettalong v Avoca
Two title contenders in Southern and Avoca are set to clash as The Lions hope they can mirror last week’s win in front of a home crowd again this Sunday.
Southern turned their disappointing exit out of the Association Cup into an exceptional 3-0 win over Woongarrah at home last round. Southern’s new recruit Jamison Flynn put the Lions team in front with a debut goal for his new side, Flynn with be instrumental in Southern’s title quest if he can keep his form in front of the goal. Dale Eggleton has done a tremendous job integrating his new recruits along with his existing squad as they hit the ground running in their opening fixture.
Southern handed Avoca their biggest loss of the 2021 competition when the two sides met at James Browne Oval, on that day Southern walked away 5-0 winners. Eggleton and his squad will be mindful not to get ahead of themselves as Avoca look a lot more dangerous than they did last year. The almighty Keith Gumbs has quite the impressive goal scoring record against the Sharks, so expect him to test the Avoca backline as he looks to grab his first goal of the year.
Avoca almost pulled off a late comeback against Terrigal, but time ran out for the Sharks who lost by a goal to the O’lads. Avoca and their coach Neal Hide remain very enthusiastic in regards to the year ahead after recruiting some older, experienced players to lend a hand to their young superstars. Focusing on their fixture this weekend, Avoca will be out to tidy up their defence that leaked 4 goals in the opening round.
There has been a lot of praise from other teams and coaches when asked about this Avoca lineup for 2022, with most people expecting to see the Sharks in contention for finals football at the end of the year. Hide’s team will look to overcome and challenge Southern on Sunday who has also recorded a loss against Terrigal this year.
