MATCH OF THE ROUND
Kanwal 3 – 1 Killarney
A highly anticipated second meeting between Kanwal and Killarney saw The Bulls come out victorious in this Match of the Round showdown thanks to a Cal Dunkerley hat-trick against the Terriers.
Both teams had a lot to play for. Kanwal wanted the victory to keep up with the competition leaders, while Killarney needed the win to stay in the hunt for a top 4 finish.
It was a tight opening to the game, with Cal Dunkerley having the best chance to open the scoring, but his shot was hit straight at the keeper.
Killarney would start to gain the advantage of possession and field position, earning several corners and free kicks, but Kanwal’s defence held strong.
Kanwal would be first to score with Cam McPhan picking up a loose ball on halfway and running at the Killarney defence before playing the ball out wide to Mason Lavery, who whipped in a low cross that wasn’t dealt with by the keeper and Cal Dunkerley was on hand for a tap in to give Kanwal a 1-0 lead.
Kanwal had a chance to double the lead when Zac Moore stole the ball on the edge of the box and dribbled at goal, but he hit his shot straight at the keeper.
Killarney had multiple chances cleared off the line as the Terriers could not break their deadlock in the opening period as the score remained 1-0 in favour of the Bulls.
Kanwal were able to double the lead early in the second half when Cal Dunkerley ran onto the ball and found himself one-on-one with the keeper, making no mistake and getting his brace.
It wasn’t long before Kanwal got a third and Cal got his hat-trick with a fantastic near-post header, giving the keeper no chance.
Killarney would get one back after Kanwal failed to clear, and Jay Swadling was able to squeeze the ball between the keeper’s legs to make it 3-1.
The Kanwal defence were able to keep their composure and saw out a relatively comfortable 3-1 win.
Ryan Walker was pleased after the game. “Killarney are always a threat, and I thought we dealt with most situations well tonight.”
“My defenders were extremely strong. Special mention to Cal Dunkerley, he is on fire at the moment and was well supported by his midfield.”
“Good luck to Ackers and the boys. It’s been a difficult year for them, but they are always a difficult team to play against.”
Chris Ackerley looks to another big fixture this weekend, where they look to bring in some crucial points. “Congratulations to Kanwal, who never stops, and pressures you right from the first minute, onto next week with another big game.”
Match Official – Preston Lorusso
Berkeley Vale 6 – 0 Avoca
Five goals in the second period saw Avoca unable to record consecutive victories as the home side, Berkeley Vale, recorded their biggest win of the 2025 season.
The game started fairly evenly, with Berkeley Vale having more possession and Avoca being organised behind the ball, making it tough for the opposition, and looking dangerous on the counter.
Content with the opposition controlling the ball, Avoca almost made it until halftime with the scoreline untouched, but Berkeley Vale was able to find the breakthrough in the 43rd minute.
Unable to clear their lines after keeping out a dangerous cross from the left, Avoca would be forced to deal with another attack. This time, a cross from the right found an unmarked Jakeb Brownlow, who headed home for the game’s first goal.
The second half saw a clinical Berkeley Vale make the most of their opportunities. The first goal after the break came after ten minutes when Ashton Hurley placed a ball over the top of Avoca’s backline, finding Conor Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick took one touch into the box and cooly placed the ball into the bottom corner to double the Wombats’ lead.
Four minutes later, Scott McGinley scored the goal of the night. Receiving the ball on the edge of Avoca’s box, Scott finessed the ball into the top right corner to extend Berkeley’s lead to 3-0.
Looking to take some of the spotlight away from his brother, Paul McGinley was next on the scoresheet as he tapped home from close range.
A quick transition from defence to attack and some silky footwork from Jakeb Brownlow saw him grab his brace after finishing in a crowded box late in the contest.
Paul McGinley put the finishing touches on the tremendous outing, once again finishing from close range inside Avoca’s box after some individual brilliance from Conor Fitzpatrick.
“Whilst the scoreline blew out, Avoca were well in the contest, and if they can continue to believe in what they are doing, I think that they can survive this year. I don’t believe that the position they are in at the moment is deserved,” spoke Mark Pratt after full-time.
Avoca’s Mitch Harrison shared a similar view, “Despite the scoreline, I’m still taking some positives. Our squad was down to bare bones today, and we made things difficult for Berkeley for the first hour.”
“I said after our round 1 match I felt they were the best side we’d played, and I think they showed that again with their ruthlessness late in the game. Trengrove was a real standout for them tonight. I don’t think he lost the ball all game and won everything.”
Match Official – Michael Tohme
Budgewoi 4 – 1 Ourimbah
Despite an early goal, Ourimbah were unable to put an end to Budgewoi’s reign as Haydn Appo’s clinical first-half performance was more than enough to claim their 11th win of the season.
Ourimbah’s keeper Drew Lawther was called into early action, making three great saves in the opening ten minutes.
With early momentum well on Budgewoi’s side, some individual brilliance down Ourimbah’s left-hand side by Linkin Pappalardo saw him elude Budgewoi’s high pressure as he broke towards goal.
Linkin found the run Noah Wharton, who drove into the opposition box and fired a low, powerful shot into the bottom corner to take the lead, stunning the Budgewoi crowd.
Nonetheless, Budgewoi got the game back on level terms not even a minute after play resumed from the opening goal as Chris Lennon was played in behind the Ourimbah defence and expertly converted his one-on-one chance.
Lennon was involved once again in the next goal, this time turning provider as he was played into the box by Tajh Werner.
Lennon picked the ball up close to the sideline and found the bounding run of Werner, who tapped home from inside the six-yard box to give Budgewoi a 2-1 lead after 25 minutes.
Budgewoi soon made it three. 28 minutes into the game, Lennon again found himself in on goal with only the keeper in his way. Lennon dribbled all the way to Lawther and then around him, finishing in an open net.
With little time remaining in the opening period, Budgewoi put the icing on the cake. Finding space down their left wing, a ball was delivered into the box for Werner, who finished home from an almost identical spot to his first goal.
The second half was a much more even affair between the two teams as both sides kept attacking each other, but both defences held strong.
Despite a stalemate in the last 45 minutes, the damage was already done for Budgewoi, who now have some breathing space on top of the MPL ladder.
Ian McAndrew commended the opposition coach, also giving out high props to their main attacker. “First of all, Hayden has some outfit up there, and they play great football. It was a game of two halves. One half had Chris Lennon played, the other didn’t.”
“He is by far the best player in the Comp by a country mile. He was the difference in the game, smart and well-timed runs and the composure to hit the back of the net.”
McAndrew also voiced, “Good luck to Appo for the rest of the season and with Semi’s, they will take some beating if they are all fit.”
“Although we conceded early, we were pleased with our energy and intensity from the outset. The second half plateaued somewhat, but overall, it was a good win today”, commented Haydn Appo.
“Managing our injuries will be a telling factor over the coming weeks. Congrats to Macca and his boys. They came out strong in the second half and fought to the very end. We look forward to meeting them again next year.”
Match Official – Jasper White
Woongarrah 3 – 3 Southern & Ettalong
The second meeting of last year’s preliminary final did not disappoint. A 6-goal blockbuster saw Woongarrah continue their season-best form while the visitors drop points for just the third time.
It would take Southern only five minutes to create their first real chance of the game. Their striker, Jayke Browne, would beat the keeper with his shot going wide past the post in a one-on-one opportunity.
Southern would dominate field position for the next 10 minutes and have some half chances. However, Woongarrah would be the first to score when a Sean Jackson ball found Jayden Rogers, who had lost his defenders.
Rogers took one touch in the box to evade the oncoming keeper, smashing the ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle to give the home side the lead.
Southern would chase an equaliser and see a glancing header go wide. Only minutes later, Sean Jackson would almost score, beating two defenders only to have it stolen before he could shoot from close range.
The second half produced five goals, with Southern being the first on the scoresheet to level the contest.
A long throw from Southern would result in a corner. From the corner, Jayke Browne would find himself unmarked for a free header six yards out and would make no mistake of his opportunity.
20 minutes later, Woongarrah would take the lead once more when Gryffyn Stevenson would fire one from distance, leaving the keeper standing as his effort found the bottom corner.
Their second lead of the fixture would not last long. Within a few minutes of going up, a cheap turnover from the Wildcats would lead to a ball in behind their defence.
Browne got to the ball first, firing a shot at the near post where the goalie seemed to have it covered. However, the ball snuck past the keeper, which should have been a routine save, and the score was level once more.
Four minutes later, Southern would lead for the first time in the game. High pressure from Theo Forsberg saw Woongarrah turn the ball over. Forsberg played the ball into the box, finding Sam Webb, who placed the ball into the bottom corner to take the game to 3-2 in favour of the visitors.
As time ran out, Southern looked to see out the game while Woongarrah pushed for an equaliser. With 2 minutes to go, Jayden Rogers would shoot from outside the box, curling it past the keeper and into the side netting for the final goal of the game.
Woongarrah would almost get all 3 points during a goalmouth scramble, but a clearance off the line would deny them, and the scoreline remained 3-3.
“Very pleased with my boy’s efforts,” commented Luke Rogers. “Could have done some things better, but overall, it was a good performance.”
“Both sides had some key players missing, and I feel it shows the depth we have in the squad with the result. I wish Pagey and his boys all the best for the rest of the season.”
“We have found this road trip to be a tricky one over the last few years and today was no different. Credit to both sets of players, it was a good battle that went right down to the final bell,” reflected Matt Page.
“I thought we played pretty well for most of it, with the final ball or a bit of composure up top not allowing us to convert as much as we would like. We did enough to take the lead late, but we were punished for a couple of lapses in defence. We will need to fix up those things if we want to keep competing at the top.”
“Praise to Luke, AJ and the Woongarrah lads, they worked hard, took their chances well and I have no doubt they’ll keep picking up points for the rest of the year.”
Match Official – Luke Dunkerley
Terrigal 3 – 0 Wyoming
Old Boys Day at Duffy’s Oval did not disappoint for the O’lads who were able to defeat Wyoming for a second time this year, lifting them off the bottom of the table and delivering much-needed confidence ahead of their biggest game of the year next week.
Terrigal looked for a fast start in this crucial clash, knowing nothing but a win would be enough for them.
On a pitch that made it very hard to play football, an early shot was blasted from the edge of the box by Ryan Pearce, drawing a great save to the goalkeeper’s near post.
Terrigal we’re applying some intense pressure early, but continually thwarted by some more good saves and last-ditch efforts.
That was until Terrigal Skipper Max Vegter found himself up the field and fired a shot into a hard Duffy’s surface with the ball bouncing high, just enough to beat the Wyoming keeper and make it 1-0.
Wyoming were threatening from long throws and set pieces, but nothing clear cut came of it as the whistle blew for half time and an extremely important second period for both teams got underway.
The Olad’s dug in and were able to contain everything Wyoming threw at them. A fine save from Jackson Odell, and another goal-line clearance kept them in the lead.
As the game got toward the business end, Terrigal super substitute Harry Stone beat a high line and got through one-on-one with the opposition keeper and slotted his chance in the bottom corner, making it 2-0 and giving Terrigal some breathing room.
With five minutes to go, Wyoming pushed hard for a goal through bombing boys forward, leaving them light at the back.
A ball played up top to Ryan Pearce was tipped into the path of Harry Stone who was able to turn provider as he cut the ball into the path of Mitch Allen who finished into an open net, securing Terrigal’s third win of the year.
A disappointed Scott Snodgrass stated post-match, “It was a stop-start game on a terrible pitch. Terrigal showed up and were committed from the get-go. We were sluggish, and it took us time to get into the game.”
“We had some good moments but just couldn’t capitalise. Terrigal were simply more disciplined than us today, and Pearcey and his team deserved the win. We were clearly second best and need to lick our wounds and go again.”
Match Official – Anthony Kabbout
Golden Boot Standings –
| 12 | Jacob Lepre (Southern), Christopher Lennon (Budgewoi) |
| 11 | Logan Moore (Kanwal), Tahj Werner (Budgewoi), |
| 9 | Charlie Entwistle (Budgewoi), Conor Fitzpatrick (Berkeley Vale) |
| 7 | Stuart Adams (Budgewoi) |
Points Table –
Division 1
Round 16 Results –
Points Table –
