MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kanwal 1 – 2 Berkeley Vale
In one of the most anticipated games of the season with third and fourth place going to battle at Wadalba, a tough battle was expected and delivered as Berkeley Vale’s injury-time winner saw them take all three points on the road.
The game started with both Berkeley Vale and Kanwal coming out physically, determined to get a result.
Ten minutes into the game, Berkeley Vale took the lead from a Paul McGinley corner, which flew directly into the goal.
Despite a claim from Nick Trengrove having the final touch, the goal was awarded to the Berkeley Vale midfielder.
From that point on, Berkeley Vale looked to stamp their authority on the game, maintaining the majority of ball possession. Kanwal was it’s own worst enemy in the first half with some poor passing which allowed Berkeley to control possession. However, neither team created too many clear-cut chances.
As the half progressed, at the 34-minute mark Logan Moore produced a great save from Jack Arigho which resulted in a Kanwal corner.
The corner produced a challenging delivery that saw a goalmouth scramble which Berkeley Vale cleared finally on the third attempt. Kanwal continued this pressure until the half-time break, but the score remained 1-0 in favour of the visitors.
Kanwal came out for the second half and immediately improved their passing and were able to get an even share of possession, but Berkeley had the first real chance of the half, however, the shot was just wide.
As anticipated, Kanwal eventually got their reward on the 60-minute mark when Berkeley Vale failed to clear their lines from a Kanwal attack and midfield general Rory Rizzi-Lutgerink was on hand to usher the ball into the goal.
The next 30 minutes produced a tactical battle between the two teams. Both defences held strong for most of the half. Both teams would push players forward in the last 10 minutes with Kanwal having a few chances to seal the game.
However, it would be Berkeley who would come away with the victory with an injury-time winner. Their efforts were eventually rewarded with a goal from Conor Fitzpatrick after a perfectly timed Felix Beed through ball in the 92nd minute.
Berkeley Vale coach Andre Gumprecht said after the game “It was an important game for us, we knew it was going to be a battle, so it was crucial our midfield rose to the occasion.”
Kanwal Coach Ryan Walker was gutted after the game. “It is always a great battle with Berkeley and unfortunately the close calls didn’t go our way today.”
“We probably weren’t at our best in the first half and that didn’t help, but I was pleased with our second-half performance and the boy’s efforts late to try and seal the win.”
“Credit to both defences today. Good luck to Gumps, Pratty and the Berkeley boys for the rest of the season, I’m sure they will be fighting for the title again come season’s end.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
Ourimbah 1 – 3 Wyoming
For the second straight week, an action-packed second half saw Wyoming again come from behind to claim victory, sweeping rivals Ourimbah in 2025 as the Tigers finish the round in fifth place on the MPL ladder.
Despite no goals in the opening period, it was a back-and-forth contest between two evenly matched sides who were willing to give it their all to walk away from Ourimbah Oval victorious.
Despite feeling they had the better of play in the first 45, Wyoming found themselves down just a few moments into the second stanza.
Ourimbah’s Matt Hall picked out Noah Wharton who linked with Jameson Fylnn for a sharp one-two as Wharton was able to evade his defenders and tuck the ball home into the bottom corner.
Down but not out, Wyoming continued to rally together in the hopes of finding an equaliser. A moment of brilliance saw Jacob Gilbert fire a long-range effort on goal that was too good to be dealt with by the Ourimbah keeper.
Applying plenty of high pressure, and forcing turnovers in the Ourimbah backline, Wyoming were able to produce two more goals.
Jordy Stephen put Wyoming ahead after a swift play down the left saw a ball played to Stephen’s on top of the box who fired low into the bottom left corner to give Wyoming a 2-1 lead.
Substitute Reegan Cairns put the nail in the coffin as Wyoming once again won the ball up high, Cairns found himself one-on-one with the opposition keeper as he tucked his chance away to send the travelling supporters into hysterics.
“We arrived confident after last week’s win against Woongarrah and felt we were familiar with how Ourimbah would play and had a game plan to try and exploit and break down their block which has been so effective to date,” noted Snodgrass.
“I felt we had the better of the first half but nothing to show for it and after the break were down 1-0 quickly, resulting from disappointing defending. Still, I was pleased with how we responded after that and cometh the man cometh the hour with a bomb by ex-Falcon and man of the match Jacob Gilbert giving us the equaliser.”
“Younger players Jordy Stephen was superb in the role I gave him lining up against Matty Hall and substitute Reegan who applied so much high ball pressure in his time on the field. Really pleased with the win of both grades. Wish Ian Mac and his squad all the best.”
Ian McAndrew commended the opposition, admitting his team was second best. “Wyoming was too good, and they taught us a lesson, and it was something our players needed.”
“It’s a nice wake-up call for us. We now need to battle and get around each other and fire up for the Killarney game and bounce back.”
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley
Terrigal 0 – 5 Budgewoi
Another dominant display, this time on the road from Haydn Appo’s side, sees Budgewoi secure their seventh win of the season remaining four points behind first-place Southern who they play this weekend.
Adjusting to the differences in the pitch between their home ground and Duffy’s Oval, it took some time for Budgewoi to get going but still found themselves in the lead after 20 minutes of play.
A long throw into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Terrigal defence, causing a goal-mouth scramble that Tahj Werner navigated through a crowded box to fire Budgewoi into the lead.
Budgewoi doubled their advantage seven minutes later when a ball into the midfield was played to Stuart Adams. Adams dummied the ball, taking the defender out of the question as Charlie Entwistle was on queue to fire home from the top of the box.
Budgewoi’s third came just before halftime. A corner delivered into a dangerous spot in the six-yard box was met by defender Liam Sterrett who used his height to head the ball first time for his first goal of the season.
Coming off their biggest win of the season, Terrigal looked to find that momentum from last week in the hopes of salvaging points from this fixture in front of a home crowd.
After a better start, Budgewoi’s backline couldn’t be broken and mid-way through the second period Appo’s men extended their lead to 4-0.
Another dangerous Tahj Werner corner saw his dangerous delivery this time beat everyone as he was able to find the back of the net directly from the corner for his second goal of the day.
The fifth and final goal of the day was Budgewoi’s best one yet. A deep free kick from Stuart Adams would be claimed by the Terrigal number 1.
However, the goalkeeper could only clear as far as Adams who took one touch and fired home from long range to wrap up a stellar performance by Budgewoi.
“Duffy’s is a concern for any side, especially its unpredictable surface,” voiced Appo. “Luckily, we got on top early and were disciplined enough to continue. A clean sheet is always a bonus.”
“The game was played in good spirit, and we’d like to thank Ryan and his boys for their hospitality back at their sponsored club. We wish them all the very best for the second half of the season.”
Terrigal’s Ryan Pearce added, “It’s a very disappointing result for us after a great result last week.”
“I thought we started well, winning the ball in high areas and just missing some quality to get the opener. However, Budgie took their chances superbly. They are an organised, fast and creative side.”
“Once they got their first, they didn’t take the foot off the gas, and we couldn’t match them. Congratulations to them on the result, they will go far this year.”
Match Official – Rodney Mcleod
Southern & Ettalong 2 – 0 Killarney
A Jack Ellwood double sees Southern sweep Killarney in 2025, keeping their unbeaten season and top-of-table spot alive with another well-rounded performance.
Southern welcomed Killarney Vale to a bumpy James Browne Oval on Sunday, with the visitors looking to upset the ladder leaders and stay in touch with the top four.
The Lions started the match well, mounting a few early raids on the Terrier’s backline resulting in comfortable saves for Declan Drake in goal.
It would only take 10 minutes for Southern to get the match’s opening goal. An interception from Matt Page in defence found the attacking run of Jack Ellwood.
Ellwood managed to head the ball first time to Noah Ajala who returned the ball on top of the box to Ellwood who took his first touch on goal and was able to slot the ball into the bottom corner.
Ellwood had chances to double the lead in the 14th and 20th minute, but wayward shooting would keep the attacker at bay.
Killarney’s first real attempt on goal in the 22nd minute saw Dane Johnson save the near post effort from Lucas Dominello.
10 minutes later a good chance for SEU goes begging, thanks to good defending from Killarney’s Callum Mcintosh.
Southern thought they had doubled the score moments before halftime after a great play and a great ball from Alfie Martin found Ellwood who couldn’t get a good connection with the shot.
The opening five minutes of the second half saw Killarney’s best chance of the match, with the ball squared across the face but Ackerley can’t get onto it.
At the 60-minute mark, Southern eventually doubled their advantage. Jacob Lepre put Matthew Jacobsen in on goal as Killarney’s Declan Drake would come off his line to meet Jacobson in a 50/50.
The tackle would fall perfectly into the path of Jack Ellwood who would tap home into an empty net for his brace, giving Southern a 2-0 lead.
A deep free kick from Lepre 72 minutes into the contest saw Ellwood almost clinch his hat-trick, but his header narrowly missed the bottom corner.
No real events occurred in the later stages of the game as SEU comfortably ran out the game for their eighth win in nine games.
A proud Matt Page commented on the contest, “Killarney looked to be down on troops a bit, but I was happy my guys were able to grind out a solid win.”
“We restricted them to very few chances and whilst we only converted two of our chances, I felt we were pretty comfortable throughout the match.”
“We’re now looking forward to an exciting top-of-the-table clash in both grades against Budgewoi next Sunday.”
Chris Ackerley also spoke on the match as his side drops down to sixth place, “A better effort than last week against Terrigal, Southern have a very good side, and that’s why along with the other top four, they are well in the mix to take out the league champions.”
Match Official – Danny Horstead
Woongarrah 2 – 2 Avoca
Two sides meeting for the second time this year and in need of important points saw Woongarrah unable to hold onto a 2-goal lead in front of a home crowd as a determined Avoca side salvaged a point from the crucial contest.
In a game full of momentum swings, the opening twenty minutes was played in Avoca’s half as Adam Hall would have the first real chance of the game but spray it over from close range.
Despite having less of the ball, Avoca had the best opportunities in the opening period as Cooper Ebrington and Jackson Carr failed to find the back of the net, drawing good saves from opposition keeper Corey Hedges.
Ridge Mapu would have Woongarrah’s best chance of the half, getting away from the Avoca backs, only to be pulled back on his run to goal which did enough to see his shot hit the keeper.
Halftime saw the introduction of Jack Gallagher who would instantly make an impact, finding the net from close range with a powerful header for the game’s first goal.
30 minutes later Gallagher would score again, this time producing a stunning long-range effort from halfway, beating the Avoca keeper to give his side a 2-0 lead.
After the second goal, it was all Avoca who peppered the goal for the rest of the game, with Oliver Chippendale supplying a tidy finish after a nice Jackson Carr pass to take the deficit back to one goal.
The equaliser came after Liam O’Connor received a cross-field pass from Owen Bradstreet, cut inside and bent a shot into the top corner that the keeper couldn’t keep out.
Avoca pushed hard for the equaliser and missed some big chances, including Liam O’Connor who hit the bar with a well-struck shot.
Nonetheless, an intense finish would see no more goals as the score finished 2-2.
“Congratulations to Avoca on not giving up and getting the draw,” spoke Luke Rogers. “We did enough to win the game again but just doing some small things that are costing us.”
Avoca’s Mitch Harrison also commented on the fixture, “Although they’re not having the season they expected, Woongarrah have quality players that can hurt any team. They fought hard today, particularly Alex Govorcin who kept us at bay by himself at times.”
“I felt we’d done enough to win the game, but unfortunately just fell short. I’m extremely pleased by the effort and fight shown by our players. The performances have been much improved over the last couple of games, hopefully, we can work hard and continue that trend.”
Match Official – Preston Lorusso
Golden Boot Standings –
| 11 | Jacob Lepre (Southern) |
| 10 | Logan Moore (Kanwal) |
| 9 | Christopher Lennon (Budgewoi) |
| 8 | Tahj Werner (Budgewoi) |
| 7 | Stuart Adams (Budgewoi), Charlie Entwistle (Budgewoi) |
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 12 Results –
Points Table –
