MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kariong v Wyoming
The two current lowest clubs on the BPL club championship ladder will battle it out for crucial points this weekend in the round 17 match of the round.
Kariong will be hoping to finally return home this Sunday after their last weekend’s match of the round clash against the Entrance that was scheduled for Kariong Oval was washed out. This weekend fixture with Wyoming holds just as much importance for the Cougars as both of these clubs currently fill the bottom two spots on the club championship. At this point in time, Kariong is just one point above Wyoming, Kariong will be determined to extend this gap come Sunday and repeat their performances from earlier in the year when they were able to pick up a win in first grade and under 21’s. With the backing of their home crowd, Kariong will be hard to beat as they ultimately look to climb out of the relegation zone.
Ryan Finch spoke on the importance of this weekend’s match of the round clash. “This weekend’s games are very important to us in regards to the club championship, especially considering how close it all is right now. We know that after beating Wyoming comfortably last time they will come out looking to make up for that result. They have had some important players return to action since that game however I am fully confident in my team’s ability and on our day, I believe that we are able to beat anyone in this league.”
“We have had some good performances in our last few games which have shown in our results. I am looking forward to what I am sure will be a fast-paced game with both teams hungry for the win and wanting to take control from the first whistle,” added Finch.
After having their round 16 fixture against Southern Ettalong postponed, a well-rested and refreshed Wyoming side will be eager to get back onto the park as they have their sights set on overtaking their opposition on the club championship ladder. Wyoming will be anticipating an extremely different encounter this time round compared to their 4-1 loss from earlier in the year against Kariong. Since that fixture, Wyoming has welcomed back key players to their squad who will play a vital part in their chances of winning this weekend. Knowing how much is up for grabs come Sunday, Ian McAndrew will have his side well drilled and well prepared to take maximum points in all three grades which could serve as a turning point in the Tigers’ season.
“We have to set up like it another week, it’s been a tough season so far for us, but every game has its own individual challenges and that’s what we are focusing on this week. We aren’t worried about relegation at this moment as there are seven more games of football to be played. There have only been two teams that have played us off the park this year, Killarney in both games and Berkeley, the rest of the games we have been in the game for a long majority when little mistakes have cost us. If we can limit those mistakes and take our opportunities, we will be right in this match,” commented Ian McAndrew
McAndrew also went on to add “Kariong played well against us last round and deserved the points. I am sure they will be up for another hard-fought match.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Damien Bury
Southern Ettalong v Terrigal
Coming off their best performance of the season, Terrigal will look to emulate last weekend’s win as they travel to James Browne Oval and take on Southern Ettalong.
After having their round 16 fixture against Wyoming washed out, Southern will enter this weekend’s clash with Terrigal well rested and ready to pick up an important three points. Southern is still coming off their dominant 3-1 win over the Entrance which was the Lions’ first win since they defeated Terrigal all the way back in round 8. Dale Eggleton’s squad will take plenty of confidence into this weekend knowing they have what it takes to beat their rivals.
In that fixture from earlier in the season, it was Jack Ellwood’s double who steered Southern to a 2-1 victory over the O’lads. After missing quite a few weeks through injury, Ellwood made his return to his side in their last fixture and once again was a vital piece in the midfield, adding a goal to his name which took his tally for the year to six. With Southern’s chances of making finals football slim, a loss this weekend could potentially rule out any hope of making the top four so this weekend will serve as a must-win for Dale Eggleton and his squad.
Last weekend Terrigal was once again forced to give up their home ground advantage as Duffy’s Oval was deemed unplayable due to the wet weather. Marty Griffith’s men have only had the opportunity to play at their home ground once and on that day, they were able to pick up their biggest win of the season, defeating the Entrance 7-1. Although playing away from home is far from ideal, this did not seem to affect this O’lads side who put together a stellar performance last Sunday against Woongarrah.
Terrigal was able to defeat the Wildcats 4-1 at Hamlyn Terrace thanks to a double from Tyson Cosgrove and also goals to both Mark Partridge and Mahkye Brownlie. Brownlie now takes his goalscoring total of the year to seven as he joins two others at the top of the golden boot standings. Having only seen defeat four times this season, Terrigal will be out to right their wrongs from earlier in the season and take three points away from home once again.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Miles Allen-Scott
Avoca v The Entrance
Avoca will look to overcome their biggest defeat of the season and mirror their earlier win over The Entrance when the two sides clash at Pluim Park this Sunday.
It was a day to forget last Sunday for Neal Hide and his Avoca squad who conceded 10 goals in a single game to record the biggest loss in the competition. In that 10-2 defeat against Kanwal, Avoca easily played their worst football of the year as they now must turn a new page and look to rebuild and bounce back this Sunday. Avoca was without their ever-important captain Nixon Jowett and also attacker Josh Menzies which left the Sharks understrength.
Avoca will now get the opportunity to overturn that defeat into a learning lesson and hopefully bounce back against an Entrance side desperate for points. Earlier in the year, Avoca recorded their biggest win of the season over this weekend’s opposition when they beat the Reddies 6-1. This will definitely be on their players’ minds come Sunday as they look to emulate that performance and grab their fourth win of the season.
The Entrance was one of the four teams that didn’t make it to the field last weekend as their match of the round clash with Kariong was postponed due to the wet weather leaving Kariong oval unplayable. After a rather impressive start to the season from this young Entrance side, a string of lack-lustre performances and results has left the Reddies in a fight to avoid relegation.
Josh Rose and Ray Seers are still searching for their initial first-grade win since taking over for Patrick Zwaanswijk and they will be hoping the pristine pitch of Pluim Park will suit their play style as they look to pick up valuable club championship points. In their last four fixtures, the Reddies have only been able to find the back of the net twice so the focus will remain on their attack as they look to find their winning ways
MATCH OFFICIAL – David Richardson
Kanwal v Berkeley Vale
Fresh from their 10-goal thrashing of Avoca, Kanwal will look to keep this momentum going as they welcome fourth-place Berkeley Vale to Wadalba Sports Complex.
Last weekend the Bulls celebrated a day for past players and club sponsors for their round 16 clash against Avoca and what a special day this turned out to be for all involved at Kanwal. Ryan Walker’s side was able to put together the biggest win of the BPL season as they defeated Avoca 10-2. Bailey Appo and James Scott both recorded hattricks for their side in that fixture as they were an instrumental part of their dominant win.
The tough challenge Kanwal faces this weekend is repeating that same performance against a tough Berkeley side desperate for a win. Kanwal will once again enjoy the luxury of playing at their home ground this weekend. Earlier this season Kanwal recorded a 1-0 victory over this Berkeley outfit as the two sides met midweek at Pluim Park. On that night Kanwal was missing quite a few of their usual first graders but still found a way to grind out a result and get the win which they will look to repeat come Sunday.
Berkeley Vale would have felt hard done after their last weekend’s round 16 fixture against league leaders Killarney. Berkeley Vale’s Oscar Torres was deemed to handball the ball in his own box which led to the only goal of the game as the Wombats lost 1-0. In that fixture, the Wombats were forced to call up Dane Hole from their MAA1 team as their usual goalkeeper Steven Grimmitt was sidelined due to an injury.
Hole was exceptional between the sticks on his first-grade debut, keeping his side in the contest with some terrific saves throughout the ninety minutes. Bailey Garland was another name Mark Pratt was forced to leave off the team sheet as the attacker has missed a handful of games in a row. Garland’s absence has been evident in their results as Berkeley Vale has only managed to score 1 goal in their last three games. Berkeley will be in desperate need to pick up the win as they look to remain in the top four come the end of the season.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Mark Roberts
Killarney v Woongarrah
Feeling the highs of another clean sheet performance from last weekend, Killarney will look to remain unbeaten as they are set to battle a hungry Woongarrah side.
Killarney narrowly edged out Berkeley Vale last weekend thanks to an Adam Smith penalty. Smith’s goal was the only difference between the two sides as Killarney walked away with a 1-0 win in a very tight battle. That was their third 1-0 win this season as Chris Ackerley’s side continue to find a way to win in tough battles. Last weekend also served as Killarney’s eighth clean sheet for the season as the Terries have conceded 10-less goals than the second-best defensive side in the league.
With only six games remaining it’s hard to look past the incredible feat that Killarney could go their entire season unbeaten in first grade. After their opening 12 fixtures, Killarney maintains a perfect win record with 12 wins. Having already beaten every side once this season the Terriers have the difficult task of repeating that performance week in and week out as every club they face will be determined to hand them their first loss of the year and expect no exceptions this Sunday.
After enjoying their best run of form in the season, picking up three straight wins to get their season back on track. Luke Rogers’s men failed to keep that momentum going last weekend as they fell 4-1 to Terrigal in front of a home crowd. Rogers stated after that loss he fails to remember a time his team played that poorly as they look to regain their form for their important clash with Killarney this Sunday.
Woongarrah were only moments away from being the first team to take points from Killarney when these two sides met back in round 8. With the score locked at 0-0 deep into injury time a late freekick that was awarded to the Terriers saw Jordyn Preston find the back of the net and shatter this Wildcats’ side as they lost 1-0. With their finals hopes potentially on the line this weekend, it’s a must-win come Sunday for the Wildcats.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Anthony Kabbout
