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MATCH OF THE ROUND

Woongarrah v Southern & Ettalong

With only two points currently separating these two clubs on the ladder, the Round 12 Match of the Round sees Woongarrah host an underperforming Southern & Ettalong.

Woongarrah enters this week’s Match of the Round coming off just their second win of the season. Last week the Wildcats enjoyed a 2-0 lead over Avoca before letting in three unanswered goals before the break to trail 3-2 at halftime. However, Luke Rogers’s men clawed their way back into the game in the second half and were rewarded with a 4-3 win and all three points. That win also saw Woongarrah jump out of the relegation zone which is a big focus for this squad who believe they have what it takes to stay up in the BPL next year. Woongarrah’s biggest loss of the season so far has come at the hands of Southern so expect the Wildcats to be at their best this Sunday.

Rogers is anticipating another gruelling contest for his men as he states that both sides are desperate for the points. “Dale’s side beat us three-nil in the opening round of the season and I’m expecting another tough battle against them. Southern are above us on the ladder but I know they will be desperate for the points just as much as we are. Our aim will be to improve on last week’s performance.”

Southern is currently on their biggest streak without a win of the season. The Lions, who were looking like serious contenders at the start of the year have failed to live up to those expectations week-to-week as they have had an unfortunate run of injuries which have affected the team immensely. There have only been glimpses of what this side is capable of, especially in their terrific 2-1 win over Terrigal back in round 8. This was the last time Southern was able to pick up a win in the competition, losing 3 of their next 4 games and having one draw. Southern currently remains five points out of a spot for finals football, so a win this weekend is a must if the Lions wish to make the top 4 at the end of the year.

Dale Eggleton knows not only what this game means to him and his players, but to the opposition as well. “The game will have huge importance for both sides as we start the second half of the season. We are striving for consistency in our performances over the ninety minutes and looking to execute our decision-making much better as well.”

“I have no doubt of the ability throughout the squad but now is the time to start getting results. It will be well earnt if we are to be successful as Woongarrah are a tough side, especially at home and they will be confident after their come from behind win against Avoca last week,” voiced Eggleton.

MATCH OFFICIAL – David Richardson

Terrigal v Avoca

After a seven-goal thriller in the first encounter of the year, these two sides are scheduled to face off at the prestigious Pluim Park once again.

Terrigal enters round 12 coming off a 3-1 win against Wyoming. Terrigal currently holds the third-place spot sitting on 18 points with a record of 6 wins and 3 losses. Stuart Adams has once again been an instrumental part of his team’s success as the former BPL Player of the Year sits with 2 others on top of the golden boot standings. Mahkye Brownlie also joins his teammate Adams at the top of the standings with six goals.

Terrigal acquired Brownlie away from the Entrance for the 2022 season and the attacker has hit the ground running for the most part. These two will be out to further improve their goalscoring record, Especially Adams who faces his former club in Avoca. Terrigal already boasts a win over Avoca in the competition, but that result could have easily gone either way after a late comeback attempt from the Sharks almost saw them split the points. However, on that day it was Terrigal. That were corned winners as the O’lads will look for a similar fate this weekend.

Avoca has had an inconsistent run of performances in the first half of their 2022 season. The Sharks lost their opening three games before getting the inaugural win in round 4 with a 3-0 win over Kariong. Neal Hide’s squad are yet to put back-to-back wins together in their opening nine games as the Sharks find themselves in the outright sixth on the ladder, sitting on 10 points after 9 games.

Avoca will face the same run in the next three weeks as they did in the opening three weeks of the competition, playing Terrigal, Southern, and Killarney. Avoca will be looking to showcase how far they come and look to improve on their opening run of results that left them with zero points. When Avoca play to their ability, they can go head-to-head with any team in the competition but it’s all going to be about finding consistency for this young squad as they still hope to play finals football.

MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson

Killarney v Wyoming

Killarney will look to keep their dominant, unbeaten run going in front of a home crowd as they welcome an improving Wyoming squad.

Another dominant win last weekend against their local rivals saw Killarney take their record to 9 wins in 9 games as the Terriers enjoy a 7-point cushion on top of the BPL table. A clinical first half in round 11 saw Chris Ackerley’s men enjoy a 3-0 lead at halftime. The Terriers took their foot off in the second half as they walked away 4-0 victors in last week’s Match of the Round.

That win signified their sixth clean sheet for the season, with the Terriers only conceding 5 goals total in 9 games, a truly outstanding feat. That win also saw Adam Woodbine notch his sixth goal of the season as he is tied with two others at the top of the golden boot standing. Once again Woodbine has been instrumental in leading this team on this unbeaten path as the veteran striker is set to face off against some former teammates in this weekend’s clash. Wyoming is one of the three teams to record a goal against the Terriers this season so expect Killarney to amend that the second time around.

Wyoming was unable to follow up their inaugural win of the season with another three points in front of a home crowd this past Sunday. The Tigers welcomed Terrigal to Alan Davidson Oval where they found themselves down 2-0 in the second half. However, their Coach Ian McAndrew stepped up to fire a rocket free-kick into the back of the net to give his side a chance and some hope of a comeback. It was just not meant to be for Wyoming who conceded again late to lose 3-1 to the O’lads.

Wyoming has come an extremely far way since the start of the season when the squad was struggling immensely for numbers. Although they have still lost a few players to injuries, the return of Matt Hall and Jared Mcnee will be crucial for the Tiger’s attempts of avoiding relegation. Matt Hall has already made his mark in such a small time, scoring the winning penalty against Southern to hand Wyoming their first win of the season. These two along with Ian McAndrew will be looking to guide their young teammates on a path of success for the rest of the year, starting with the difficult task of league leaders Killarney.

MATCH OFFICIAL – Damien Bury

Kariong v Berkeley Vale

Kariong will be out to right their wrongs from their last clash with Berkeley Vale as the Cougars were the better team on that day but didn’t leave with any points to show it.

After seeing defeat in all three grades last weekend, Kariong now finds themselves at the bottom of the club championship at the halfway mark in the competition. Kariong was faced with the difficult task of travelling to Wadalba Sports Complex and taking on second place Kanwal. After going two goals up, Kariong seemed to switch off and allow Kanwal back in the game in the second half as the Bulls score three unanswered goals to walk away 3-2 winners. These dropped points could be crucial come to the end of the season.

A missed penalty from their captain Nick Trengrove can be looked at as a vital point in their opening game against Berkeley Vale. After going down 1-0 to the Wombats, Trengrove had a golden opportunity to equalise, but his attempt was meant by the opposition goalkeeper who denied the skipper. Kariong created multiple other chances on the day, but it wasn’t meant to be for the Cougars as the result finished 1-0. Kariong however will take a lot out of that game, especially their performance and will know come this Sunday that if they can repeat that form, they are a good shot to walk away from the fixture with some crucial points.

Berkeley Vale finally got their season back on track with a win in round 11 over Southern & Ettalong. Berkeley Vale was scheduled to play their first game at their home ground Mingara Oval, but the rain on Saturday forced the game to be moved to Pluim Park. After holding a 1-0 lead over the Lions, the wombats allowed Southern back into the game until Scott McGinley stepped up for his new club and scored a screamer to give his side all three points. That marked Berkeley’s second win in their last six games.

Mark Pratt’s side currently finds themselves sitting in fourth place, 11 points behind league leaders Killarney. Pratt’s side were heavy favourites on paper to win the competition at the start of the year with all of their new signings. Although this side managed to win the Association Cup, a terrible run of injuries and trouble finding a stable training facility has seen the Bats underperform in recent weeks. Berkeley Vale will look to become a force within the competition as they start to welcome their players back and find a consistent training schedule.

MATCH OFFICIAL – Hugo Fonseca

The Entrance v Kanwal

The Entrance will be out for revenge against Kanwal from round 3 when the Bulls scored in the final minutes to take the win away from the Reddies.

After a very lacklustre run in pre-season, the Reddies opened the BPL competition facing off against Kanwal. In that match, the Entrance thought they had wrapped up the draw only to concede in the dying stages and start their year off with a 1-0 loss. The Entrance has come a very long way from their opening matches in the Association Cup, but recent weeks have not been kind to the Reddies who have been on the wrong end of some big scores.

The Entrance faced the biggest defeat of the competition in round 10 when they faced a fearless Terrigal side who defeated them 7-1. Only two weeks before that the Entrance was once again beaten by Avoca, this time 6-1. After facing everybody in the competition once now, this side along with the coaching squad will know what to expect as they look to get back to winning ways and keep their distance from the bottom of the club championship.

Kanwal looks to keep their dominant run of performances going as they head into the second half of the season. Kanwal currently sits in second place with a record of 6 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. Their only loss of the season of course came at the hands of the unbeaten Killarney side who defeated the Bulls 4-3 back in round 6. In the first half of the year, Kanwal has shocked many as they continue to prove they are a true title contender.

It was their captain Kyle Price who stepped up for his side and scored that late goal against the Entrance to hand The Bulls their first victory of the year. Kanwal will be determined not to leave it that late the second time around as they have the tough task of facing a determined Entrance side away from home. Much like their first encounter you can expect a tough and close game come Sunday.

MATCH OFFICIAL – Mark Roberts