Southern & Ettalong v Kanwal
Southern will welcome Kanwal to James Browne Oval on Sunday for a top-four battle as these two title contenders face off for the first time in 2024.
These two sides who have both led the competitions at different stages this season are both preparing for one of their toughest challengers yet.
The home side will enter Sunday coming off a busy week having faced Avoca last Sunday and last year’s Grand Finalist Terrigal on Tuesday night.
The Lions were successful against the Sharks, defeating Avoca 1-0 thanks to a Jack Ellwood header, but were unable to claim victory over their fierce rivals Terrigal mid-week which ended a stalemate in a 0-0 draw.
Southern will be raring to get back on the pitch ahead of Tuesday night’s draw as the Lions had multiple opportunities to secure the three points but were unable to find the back of the net.
Head coach Matt Page spoke on the team’s recovery ahead of their showdown with the Bulls. “We have been very light on numbers in the last few matches due to injuries and holidays, but talking with a few coaches around the league, it seems like many other clubs are in the same boat. And all the sides at the moment are dealing with midweek catch-up games.”
“At this time of year, it’s just a matter of banding together as a squad, sharing the workload, and trying to get as many points as possible. The lads are doing that at the moment, but the challenge is to keep that up until the squad numbers improve.”
Sunday will mark Southern’s first home fixture in over nine weeks as their beloved fortress of James Browne Oval was closed for repair. Page commented on how the squad is feeling about returning to playing in front of a home crowd.
“It feels like an age since we had a home match, and the squad is really looking forward to playing in front of our local crowd again. We’ve managed to get a few points on our travels but like everyone, we enjoy being at home and playing on the familiar surrounds of JBO will hopefully give us an edge on Sunday.”
Although Southern currently occupies second on the ladder, if Kanwal is successful on Thursday night against last-place Woy Woy, The Lions will drop down to third place as the Bulls would have a one-point advantage heading into Sunday.
Tuesday night marked only the second time this season that Southern wasn’t able to get themselves on the scoresheet in ninety minutes of football as Page will be hoping his side who boast the best-attacking return currently in the competition can get back to their usual goal-scoring ways.
However, Page is expecting a formidable opponent and knows how effective Kanwal can be when at the top of their game. “Whilst I’ve heard a bit of negativity about the playing style of the Bulls, at the end of the day senior football is results-driven, and you don’t get to be sitting where Kanwal are this deep into the season without getting results.”
“Their direct style has obviously been effective, and we don’t underestimate the challenge we have ahead of us. I know they have a resolute defensive line and speed to burn up front. The danger of their front pairing is definitely something that we will need to be particularly wary of on Sunday.”
“We will need to be on our game at both ends of the field if we are to be successful this weekend. We do have to be aware of the dangers Kanwal possesses, but we also have to try and implement our game plan. We will need to stay patient and not get pulled out of our structure too much.”
“Concentration for the full 90+ minutes will also be a major focus for us. We believe if we can get our game right, we can be successful, and we look forward to attempting to do this against one of the top sides this Sunday.”
Kanwal are coming off their most important win of the season, not only did the Bulls defeat the most in-form team in the league last Saturday, but they also recorded the double over their local rivals Woongarrah in 2024 to claim maximum bragging rights.
As always the derby was an intense, back-and-forth affair. Despite winning 3-1, the last goal didn’t come until the final stages of the match as Jason Cozens secured victory for his side with a free kick and a goal-of-the-season contender.
Walker voiced what that result and getting back to winning ways meant to him, his players and the club. “Of course, it is always good to beat your rivals but really we just needed a win to bounce back from our last two results.”
Kanwal recorded back-to-back losses for the first time this season last week. They welcomed the Wombats to their home ground and despite leading 2-0 at the break, Kanwal went on to record a 4-2 loss in that top-of-the-table clash.
Their other defeat came mid-week when they met the reigning league champions and premiers Killarney who handed the Bulls their biggest defeat of the season (4-0).
Although Walker is aware of the significance of Sunday’s fixture and the impact it could have on their success this season, he is not looking past the test of the Roosters as all his attention is focused on them.
“I am not sure what to expect from Southern, I have seen some score lines they have put on teams so we will have to be on our game defensively, However, we are not focusing on that at the moment as Woy Woy is our focus as we play them next.”
Match Official – Jasper White
All Round 14 Fixtures –
