Southern & Ettalong v Woongarrah
Two of the competition favourites will headline Magic Round this Saturday night under the bright lights of Pluim Park as the Lions look for redemption over The Wildcats who ended their 2024 season in last year’s elimination final.
Southern have hardly put a foot wrong so far in 2025, going undefeated in their association cup matches as well as their opening three fixtures this season. But it hasn’t been a straightforward, smooth sailing process for the Lions who are one of just two teams yet to record a loss after the opening three rounds.
Their opening bout with Killarney saw Southern secure a 3-2 victory away from home. During that contest Southern found themselves 2-goals down with less than ten minutes to go, but somehow Page’s men were able to dig deep and grind out a victory.
Their second fixture saw them host Budgewoi in a highly anticipated contest which also ended 3-2 in favour of Southern.
This time it was Southern who almost gave up a 2-0 lead as Budgewoi climbed their way back on level terms, but once again Matt Page’s men were able to find the goal necessary to claim all three points.
Last weekend saw Southern travel to Wadalba Sports Complex for a top-of-the-table meeting with Kanwal. The meeting did not disappoint as both teams played a high level of football for the entirety of the match and after an intense ninety minutes, both sides would have to settle for a point.
Page reflected on the good and bad areas from his side in their opening fixtures. “To be honest, we can improve on all areas of our game. We’ve incorporated a few new faces into the group this year and whilst those combinations have started to gel, they are only going to get better as we play more matches.”
“We’ve managed to score a few goals from set pieces so far, which always helps, and we’ve created quite a few chances and good situations from open play, but we’ve been guilty of not taking advantage of those situations and that’s something we need to start getting better at.”
“I’m saying that we’ve stayed undefeated through the Cup and a tough opening three rounds, so I know we’ve built a decent platform to further build upon.”
Southern and Woongarrah had some interesting battles in 2024. Their first meeting in round 3 saw these two sides split the points in a 3-3 draw after the Lions came back from a 3-goal deficit.
The reverse fixture later in the season saw League Champions Woongarrah claim a 2-0 victory in front of a home crowd.
Their final fixture in 2024, and the most important, saw these two sides meet for a spot in the Grand Final as Woongarrah prevailed once again over the Lions with a 2-1 victory.
With quite a history, Page is anticipating another close contest on Saturday night. “Woongarrah will be a very tough test this week. From what I’ve heard they’ve recruited well, replacing guys like Rosey and Patrick with some younger but quality players.”
“They’ve started the season in form again, winning the cup and only dropping points to Berkeley Vale. No doubt we will have our work cut out for us in containing their quality, but we’ve had a decent start to the season and hopefully that’ll continue this weekend.”
Page also added what is required from his team to come out on top this weekend. “We will have to be good everywhere to get the points on Saturday. It will be important we don’t turn the ball over cheaply and keep our concentration for the full 90 minutes because they do have the quality to punish mistakes.”
“But if we get our game on, we feel we can match it with anyone. Saturday night at Magic Round we get to test that out.”
Woongarrah will still be feeling the highs of their 2025 Association Cup win from Anzac Day last Friday. The Wildcats stepped on the pitch for their first Cup final in the club’s history and were able to defeat their northern rival 1-0.
“The cup win was a great achievement,” spoke Luke Rogers. “It meant a lot to all involved as it was the first Association Cup title for Woongarrah. Every bit of silverware counts and hopefully this will help build some confidence in what we are capable of achieving.”
Scheduled for a short turnaround just two days after their Cup game, Woongarrah’s round 3 fixture was postponed, allowing the squad to be well-rested as they enter this weekend.
Woongarrah owns a record of one win and one loss to start the season. Their win came in round 1 against Avoca, defeating the Shark 2-0. Their loss was the following week in a Grand Final rematch as Berkeley prevailed 2-0 over the Wildcats.
Rogers touched on the positives and negatives from their opening two fixtures. “Opening rounds have shown early on that we have great depth within the squad. Need to improve on our final third but I’m sure that will continue to improve weekly.”
Looking to avoid back-to-back defeats in the league, Rogers stated the key to success for his squad is quite simple.
“I know it sounds cliche but to be successful on Saturday night, we will have to improve on our last performance and make sure we take our chances.”
“I’m anticipating a really tough game, all three games were really close last season, and Matt has improved his side from last year. They have started the season well also. It will be a great game to watch for the neutral supporter.”
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
All Magic Round Fixtures –
