MATCH OF THE ROUND
Killarney v Kanwal
The round 15 match of the round will see first place Killarney welcome second place Kanwal to Edsaac Oval as the Bulls look to be the first team to defeat the undefeated league leaders.
Killarney’s perfect season was almost stopped back in round 6 at the hands of Kanwal who took it to the league leaders in a game that finished 4-3 to the Terriers. Amazingly out of all of their 10 games, this was the only instance where a side was able to score more than one goal against the defensive backline of Killarney. Despite conceding three goals, Killarney was still able to walk away with the win and will be expected to do the same this Sunday in front of a home crowd. A win over Kanwal this weekend would see the Terriers jump a massive 10 points clear in first place which will set them up for a fantastic finish to the season where they looked to be crowned league champions for the sixth consecutive season.
Chris Ackerley admitted that the recent weeks have had both a positive and negative effect on his unbeaten squad. “Huge game with both sides playing well so far this season. The bad weather has been good and bad for our side. The bad part being no training but the good is that everyone is now available after a pretty bad injury run.”
Ackerley is well aware of their opposition’s threats and will look to improve on their result from earlier in the season. “Kanwal is a young, quick side with a sprinkling of experience who like to play a high-paced game which we will be wary of. They scored three goals in the first round against us which we will sure try not to let happen again. Hopefully, we will be able to train Thursday to prepare and select a side for the weekend.”
Kanwal has had an extraordinary opening half of the season by their own standards after finding themselves in a relegation battle last year. Ryan Walker’s bulls side deservedly find themselves in second place with their only loss of the year coming at the hands of Killarney. Kanwal’s James Scott received a red card in the first half of that fixture, so the Bulls will be fired up to take it to the Terriers and look to keep all eleven men on the pitch this time around. Kanwal as a team has shown real resilience and an ability to grind out a result in their games as all top teams do. This weekend could serve as a preview of this year’s grand final as the two best teams are set to battle once again.
Ryan Walker is anticipating a very good matchup come Sunday when they face the league leaders. “I think it should be a very good game played at a high intensity, I expect Killarney to be structurally strong in defence, quick on the attack and very discipline as they always are.”
Walker states that he is optimistic that things will be different the second time around. “However, I do believe it will be a completely different game to last time though.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson
Terrigal v Berkeley Vale
Terrigal will look to further extend their gap over Berkeley Vale as the O’lads look to repeat their round 6 win over the Wombats.
Terrigal will be extremely eager to get back onto the park after their disappointing draw with Avoca in their last fixture. On that day Terrigal was winning 2-0 but a lapse of concentration saw the O’lads concede two quick goals and ultimately forced to split the points in round 12. With their round 15 opponents Berkeley Vale only sitting three points below them on the ladder, Terrigal will be hoping to further solidify their place inside the top four and create an even bigger gap between the third and fourth spot with a win on Sunday.
Terrigal got the best of the Wombats when they faced earlier in the year, with a 4-2 win at Chittaway Oval. In that result that Terrigal well deserved the three points, and Marty Griffiths and his side will be confident they can repeat this performance again against an underperforming Berkeley side. Terrigal will once again look to Stuart Adams and Mahkye Brownlie who have both recorded six goals to their names and share the top spot of the golden boot standings, these two will be instrumental in the result of the fixture.
Berkeley Vale enters round 15 still looking to bounce back from their biggest defeat of the season, a 4-0 loss to Kariong in round 12. Mark Pratt’s has been dealing with an injury-filled squad, making it hard for his team to find a consistent starting side and that has shown in their results. A win in that fixture against Kariong would have seen the Wombats jump to equal points with Terrigal and create a 7-point buffer between fourth and fifth spot.
If Berkeley fails to win again this weekend, that gap between fourth and fifth could close to just 1 point and the race for the final top four spot would open wide up. After a few weeks off due to the wet weather, Berkeley Vale should welcome some of their key players back from injury as they prepare for what could be their biggest fixture of the year. Berkeley recorded a win over the O’lads in the 2022 Association Cup final, so this squad knows they have exactly what it takes to claim the win on Sunday.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Jason Blackwood
Wyoming v Woongarrah
Wyoming is scheduled to host Woongarrah this Sunday for this extremely important fixture that could have massive repercussions for both clubs in their relegations battles.
When these two sides last met it looked like Woongarrah were going to claim all three points but a last-minute equaliser from Wyoming’s veteran Darren Cooper saw the two sides split the points in a 1-1 draw. That draw, along with a 2-1 win over Southern & Ettalong marks the only two results Wyoming has been able to claim this year as the Tigers find themselves in last place with four points and also bottom of the club championship ladder.
However, Wyoming now compared to the start of the season has welcomed back quite a few key players to their squad who were missing through injury. These additions have already made their mark and were vital in Wyoming’s first win of the season. Wyoming’s captain Matt Hall who was sidelined for over a year made his return and scored the winning penalty in that fixture against the Lions. Wyoming youngsters will look for a lot of guidance from these experienced players as they look to climb out of relegation with a win this weekend.
Luke Rogers’s side is enjoying their best run of the season as they remain unbeaten in their last two games. Heading into round 11, Woongarrah only had one win under their belts which came in round 4 when they beat Kariong 2-1. Round 11 saw the Wildcats come back to beat a resilient Avoca 4-3. Rogers men then follow that win up with another comeback win, this time against Southern (3-1).
In that fixture against the Lions, Woongarrah conceded first and were then shown a red card as their goalkeeper Joshua Master was sent off and subsequently will miss this weekend’s clash. Despite going a goal down, a hattrick to their main striker Jayden Rogers was the difference as the Wildcats claimed the win. Woongarrah will be determined to keep their excellent run of results going and this time see out a win against last-place Wyoming.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Miles Allen-Scott
Avoca v Kariong
Kariong will look to build on their tremendous win in their last game with another victory this weekend which would see the Cougars overtake the Sharks on the BPL ladder.
Avoca enters their round 15 clash with Kariong coming off their heroic comeback against Terrigal in their previous fixture. Avoca, who were down 2-0 in the second half, rallied together with two quick goals to stun the O’lads and secure a point for their club. The Sharks sit in sixth place, five points outside of the top four. Being one of the four finalists in the Association Cup, Avoca will still have its sights set on finals football come the end of the year.
Avoca successfully was able to defeat this Kariong outfit earlier in the year with quite a convincing 3-0 win. Tyler Wade found himself on the scoresheet with a double in that fixture and Wade will be hoping for a similar fortune this weekend as he looks to be the one to go as the outright leader on the Golden Boot standings. Neal Hide will have his side well prepared coming into Sunday as the Sharks look for their first win in their last three games.
Although they have not played in over two weeks, Kariong will be still feeling the positive effects of their historic wins in their last match against Berkeley Vale. Kariong was able, for the first time in the club’s short BPL history, to pick up a perfect nine-point weekend as they defeated Berkeley Vale in all three grades in front of a home crowd in round 12. Ryan Finch and his squad will be out to repeat that feat again this weekend.
That 4-0 win against Berkeley Vale also marked Kariong’s first clean sheet in BPL and also their biggest win so far in 2022. Defeating a top four side will give this Cougar’s side plenty of confidence as they look to climb out of the relegations zone. Kariong is currently only one point behind Woongarrah who are safe in the club championship but the Wildcats play last-placed Wyoming so Kariong might need to grab some crucial points to stay within distance of relegation safety.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Luke Dunkerley
Southern & Ettalong v The Entrance
A 6-goal thriller between these two sides that ended in a draw earlier in the year, Southern will be out to right their wrongs and get back to winning ways as they host an underperforming Entrance side.
Southern has struggled immensely to live up to their ability this season as many picked this side on paper to challenge for the title of league champions. After 10 games, Dale Eggleton’s side finds themselves in seventh place with a record of 3 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses. This comes as a surprise to many, but the Lions have had terrible luck with injuries sweeping through their squad which has not made things any easier.
In their last game, Southern was leading 1-0 against a 10-men Woongarrah side before eventually going down and seeing defeat. This is the second time this season Southern has led against a side that has had a player sent off and has gone on to lose. Now winless in their last five games, Southern must turn things around this weekend if they wish to save their season and will look to start an unbeaten run in front of a home crowd this Sunday.
Before their last game, the Entrance was told by their now former coach Patrick Zwaanswijk that he would be stepping down as head coach due to personal reasons. This has made room for Josh Rose and Ray Seers to both take up the positions of head coaches for the remainder of the season. This weekend will serve as their first full game in charge of the Reddies as they hope to turn their recent results around and get back to winning ways.
When the Entrance last met this Southern side, it took an heroic comeback for the Reddies to walk away with a point after the fixture ended 3-3 thanks to a late goal from Entrance veteran Zac Anastas. The Entrance has gone their last two games without recording a single goal to their name so there will be an extra focus on their attack to start performing for their side once again as they hope to distance themselves from the relegation battle.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Isaac Kastelan
