MATCH OF THE ROUND
Ourimbah v Wyong
Two teams who are yet to secure any points, Ourimbah and Wyong is your Round 9 Match of the Round as both teams look to pick up their initial points of the season.
Dave Hurley’s Ourimbah side, who has struggled to get minutes on the field due to the wet weather finally played their first game in weeks against Kanwal last weekend. On that day, Ourimbah unfortunately fell by nine goals as the Falcons’ scoreless start to the season continues. Ourimbah has now gone three games without scoring a single goal, but Dave Hurley and his squad will have high expectations to turn that around this weekend as they come up against statistically the worst defensive team in the league.
Dave Hurley commented on how important this fixture is for both teams as they look to grab their opening points of the season. “With our round nine fixture against Wyong coming up this weekend, there will be pressure on both teams to come away from this fixture with a very valuable three points to come off the bottom of the table.”
After our last weekend’s disappointing results, we cannot afford to take the opposition lightly and need to start the game with a positive attacking attitude. This should be an entertaining game as I believe both teams will be looking for their first win of the 2022 winter season.”
Wyong has had an opening four games to forget to start their 2022 season. Andrew Halton and his squad have conceded a total of forty-seven goals whilst only scoring three to leave them with a goal difference of forty-four. However, Wyong has been able to find the back of the net against some tough opposition and will fancy their chances once again this Sunday as they play Ourimbah who are also winless. This will be a great chance for either team to get their season started with a win this weekend
Wyong coach Andrew Halton voiced the struggles his side has had to face so far but states they will be putting all that past them as they focus on Sunday’s Match of the Round clash. “We have had a difficult start to the season with our small squad. However, the squad has continued to work hard at training. It should be a good game with both of us needing a result so the girls will be up for it.”
Southern & Ettalong v Umina
We will see a battle for second-place when Southern & Ettalong welcome Umina to James Browne oval as the E-Gals look to get back to winning ways
Southern currently find themselves sitting in second place on nine points as the Lionesses have turned their below-par pre-season form around to start the 2022 winter season. Southern currently boasts the best-attacking record in the competition, scoring a total of twenty-five goals in their five games. A lot of their success in front of goals is because of their inform attacker Emily Diaz who leads the golden boot standings with her ten goals so far in the competition.
Marcus Warwick and his squad got back to winning ways in round seven when they came out 2-0 victors over Killarney. The Lionesses then enjoyed a weekend off as their scheduled bye was in round eight. Marcus and his team will be well-rested as they look to secure back-to-back wins for the second time this year and move three points clear of their opposition Umina.
Competition favourites Umina hit a big bump in the road last weekend as they fell by three goals to league leaders Woy Woy. On that day, coach Steve Donaldson took the blame for the loss as he was trying to play their style of football on a pitch that would not allow it. The 3-0 loss surprised many outsiders, but the E-Gals will be looking past that now as they looked to jump Southern with a win against them this weekend.
Steve Donaldson will have his side well-drilled as they want to keep in touch with the top of the pack. Another loss this weekend could see Umina slip seven points behind the league leaders but with Woy Woy facing the very tough Terrigal, it’s a great opportunity for Umina to close the distance if they can secure a win over a well-rested Southern & Ettalong.
East Gosford v Kanwal
Kanwal, who currently remain only one point behind their opposition will look to jump East Gosford if they can pick up the victory come Sunday.
A late registration for East Gosford allowed former WPL Golden Boot Jessica Dominello to join the Rams for the remainder of the 2022 Season. Jess who started the year playing in NPL in Newcastle, played her first game for East Gosford this past weekend and was instrumental in their 5-2 win over Killarney, Dominello also recorded a goal to her name. This is a massive addition for Jorge Chavez and the Rams squad.
East Gosford will face another tough test this weekend in Kanwal, but East Gosford seems to be finding their form as of late. After a loss and a draw to start the year, The Rams have now won two in a row as they look to make it three this weekend. Yasemin Lawson has already had a big involvement at her new club having scored five goals in four games, that’s a third of the total goals East Gosford have as a whole. Lawson will hope to keep her form this weekend and deliver her side another win.
Much like their opposition, Kanwal started their year off slow as they saw defeat in their opening two fixtures. However, Allan Bourke and his squad have turned things around in recent weeks, recording an impressive 3-2 win over Killarney and followed that up with an emphatic 9-0 win over Ourimbah. In that win, Kanwal recorded a total of six different goal scorers.
Jennifer Reeves has been outstanding for the Bulls so far this season, scoring at least one goal in every game as she records a total of seven for the year already. However, Reeves remains three goals behind golden boot leader Emily Diaz. This fixture set to be played at Hylton Moore Oval is sure to be a very close and exciting game and one we can possibly expect to see in the finals at the end of the year.
Woy Woy v Terrigal
League leaders Woy Woy who are fresh off their statement win over competition favourites Umina now turn their attention to another extremely tough challenge in Terrigal.
Woy Woy is coming off their best win this season after taking down WPL favourites Umina. Woy Woy entered their match with a solid gameplay that worked to a tee against the E-Gals. Another big factor in their win was the late signing of former WPL Golden Boot winner Tahlor Thackray. Tahlor re-joined her former teammates at their new club and played in her first match this past weekend. Tahlor was instrumental for Woy Woy in her debut as she scored two goals to solidify Woy Woy on top of the table.
Woy Woy now enjoys a four-point lead on the rest of the competition but after flying under the radar to start the season, Woy Woy will now enjoy having a target on their back for the remainder of the year. This shouldn’t phase this Woy Woy squad who have multiple WPL winners in their squad and are used to teams wanting to knock them off their throne. This will defiantly be the case when they welcome Terrigal this weekend to Austin Butler Oval.
Terrigal has been very unlucky with washouts and postponed games but the O’lasses finally got to play their third game of the season when they met Wyong on Wednesday night at Pluim Park. Terrigal ended up beating Wyong as they scored twelve unanswered goals against the Emu side. A big standout in front of the goal for Terrigal in that fixture was Candice Phelan who recorded five goals all to herself.
Lily Brooks (2), Rachel Darby (2), Jordyn Toms Wedge (1), Emma Power (1), and Caitlin Johnson (1) also all recorded goals to their names in that empathic win over Wyong. After having little game time it’s quite a short turnaround for Terrigal who has the tough task of Woy Woy this Sunday. Terrigal possesses quality all over the squad so this shouldn’t be a problem, but match fitness might be an issue in the later stages of this fixture. Either way, it is sure to be a close encounter as Terrigal look to gain some momentum with back-to-back wins.
