Kanwal v Berkeley Vale
This top-four encounter between Kanwal and Berkeley will see these two sides square off for the second time this season as the Bulls seek another victory over the Wombats as they have their sights set on the top of the table.
Kanwal had the daring task of getting their season underway in an away fixture at Mingara Oval to face last year’s MPL First Grade Grand Final winners.
During that round 1 contest, spectators were treated to a 7-goal thriller as Ryan Walker’s men walked away victorious 4-3.
“I thought it was a great result for us, however, I am sure both teams believe they can make many improvements from that first game,” stated Walker.
Despite so many goals during their initial meeting, Kanwal held the lead throughout the entire match and coach Walker commented that the reason for the win was the work rate his side was able to produce not only in attack but also in defence.
Walker is coming off the 2025 edition of North vs South where he was head coach for the Men’s North side. “I enjoyed the experience,” said Ryan.
“For me, I was interested to see the character of a lot of the boys who we chose, many of them I’ve seen play for years and I know they are all good footballers, but it was good to see they all got along and from what I could gather I think they enjoyed the experience “
This Kanwal side who could have finished the final day of the year last season in first place have once again asserted themselves as title contenders in 2025.
Walker and this close-knit group seem to be evolving every year and this year they are a team you must be at your best to face as they can turn nothing into something thanks to the dangers they possess up front.
Back-to-back Golden Boot winner Logan Moore is looking for an unprecedented third straight goalscoring crown as he currently remains just one goal behind Southern’s Jacob Lepre.
Moore currently makes up over 50% of Kanwal’s goals scored in 2025, but his attacking partner Cal Dunkerley has also been handy in front of goals in recent weeks, notching three goals to his name in his last two fixtures.
Having already put four past Berkeley Vale this year, Kanwal will be hoping they can continue this success when these two sides meet on Sunday at the home of the Bulls.
“I am anticipating a fired-up Berkeley team, I am sure after last year’s efforts they would like to be pushing first place and to do so they are going to need to beat us and start a run.”
Walker also mentioned, “Defence for us is going to be the key, last game we scored an own goal and had two keeper errors, so if we can fix that up, we should be hard to beat.”
Berkeley Vale has a tremendous opportunity to make up some ground on third-placed Kanwal this weekend.
Despite sitting four points behind the Bulls, Mark Pratt’s side still has a game in hand over their opposition so two wins will elevate Berkeley back into third place.
Pratt, a seasoned MPL coach, reflected on the opening round result against Kanwal and if anything in the competition has surprised him at this stage of the season.
“It was a close contest that we could see that the Kanwal coach and team has evolved into a team that is not as one dimensional as it once was which I think is good for both them and the competition.”
“The competition hasn’t produced any real surprises, to be honest apart from where Woongarrah are sitting which is a surprise.”
Berkeley Vale enters round 10 coming off their second loss of the season. A slow start saw Pratt’s side go 3-0 to Budgewoi away from home before almost coming back before time ran out and the game ended 3-2.
Despite a six-point gap between Berkeley and fifth place, a loss this weekend could be detrimental to their hopes of a first-place finish as this Wombat side will be hungry to add more silverware to the trophy cabinet after last’s Grand Final victory.
From the outside looking in, it seems Berkeley Vale are yet to hit their stride in 2025. After coming off such a high ending last season, once this side can get back to their weekly best not many other sides can compete with this outfit.
Looking forward to the tough task ahead, Pratt voiced that his side must get off to a fast start this weekend otherwise they may be looking to do things the hard way for a second straight week.
“I’m expecting much of the same from Kanwal, they have been consistent all year, and they are always up for the game with us, especially at their home pitch.”
“A better start is required than what we had last week to help keep Kanwal and their supporters a little quieter than normal.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
All Round 10 Fixtures –
