MATCH OF THE ROUND
Avoca 0 – 2 Killarney
Killarney makes BPL history as they are the only club to finish the season with a perfect winning record, 18 wins from 18 games, after their 2-0 victory over the Sharks in the final match of the round this year.
Looking to spoil their historic day, Avoca was unlucky not to open the scoring early when presented with a great chance only to be denied by an outstanding save from the Killarney goalkeeper Declan Drake. 30 minutes into the contest Killarney would grab their first of the day through Nathan Baxter after he made room for himself inside the box and calmly finished into the top corner. The Terriers could have extended this lead even more in the first half, but Avoca keeper Phil Anderson denied at least three goals with great saves in the opening 45 minutes.
The second period saw Killarney control the majority of possession but struggled to extend their lead through good defending and goalkeeping by Avoca. It wasn’t until 15-minutes to go Killarney would finally double their advantage when a shot from Blake Silvers was deflected past the Avoca goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Despite not getting himself on the scoresheet Sunday afternoon, Terriers striker Adam Woodbine would be crowned the 2022 BPL Golden Boot Winner as he finished the season with 13 goals to his name.
Neal Hide congratulated the opposition who deserved the victory after an amazing season. “As Champions, Killarney played with quality and great commitment and deserved to win. Avoca battled bravely and went close, but Killarney was the stronger team and deserved to win. Congratulations to them for all that they have achieved this season.”
Killarney coach Chris Ackerley commended his side for finishing the season undefeated but is already focused on the next task at hand. “It was a victory against a very tough Avoca side. An amazing feat by the boys to go through the regular season undefeated. Now for Kanwal which will be difficult.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Luke Dunkerley
Southern Ettalong 2 – 0 Kariong
Southern solidify their spot in the top four with a clean sheet victory as their opposition Kariong could not get the results needed to avoid relegation therefore, Kariong will re-join Division 1 for the 2023 season.
Southern Ettalong knew the scenario before the battle to make sure the playing pitch at James Browne Oval was as good as possible despite the rain they received leading up to Sunday. It was win and you play finals football, lose and the season was over. The Lions also knew the opposition was fighting for BPL survival and that they had taken the three points when they met earlier in the season. The first half saw an even contest with both sides creating chances and some good football being played, especially by the visitors Kariong who moved the ball well when in possession. Even though both sides had chances, the score remained locked at 0-0 at halftime.
The second half saw the even ledger continue until midway through the half when Southern shifted the ball to the right where midfielder Jacob Lepre cut inside his defender and slipped a perfectly timed pass to fellow midfielder Charlie Polson who lobbed the Kariong keeper with precision to put his team in front. The scoreline was doubled 10 minutes later when Charlie Polson won the ball at halfway and charged towards Kariong’s goal. Polson had options to his right but took on the responsibility of finishing himself and executed to perfection with a finish into the top right-hand corner of the net to secure Southern’s spot in the Finals with a 2-0 victory.
Dale Eggleton commended the opposition and their calibre. “Kariong were courageous in defeat and again showed the quality of the league and competition.” Eggleton also spoke on how his side must carry this attitude in the finals series. “For Southern Ettalong it’s now take on the finals with the same attitude, win and we advance lose and our season is over.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Anthony Kabbout
Wyoming 1 – 4 Berkeley Vale
Despite the loss to Berkeley Vale in First Grade, Wyoming picked up wins in the lower two grades to claim the points needed to avoid relegation as the Tigers will remain in BPL for 2023 as the Wombats fall two points short of Finals Football.
With two wins needed in their lower grades, Wyoming selected their squad on the day accordingly which left the Tiger’s First Grade understrength as the result was never really in doubt for Berkeley Vale. Scott McGinley was in great from in front of goal this past Sunday as he was able to secure two goals to his name in the first half to give his the lead at the break.
Berkley Vale continued to dominate against the understrength Wyoming squad and another two goals for Scott McGinley took his total of the day to four goals and finished the year as the Wombats leading goal scorer with nine goals to his name. Lachlan Fenton was able to grab Wyoming’s only goal on the day to ruin Berkeley Vale’s attempts of keeping a clean sheet. Despite their win, the 2022 Association Cup winners fell short of their goal of making finals football as they were relying on Kariong to pick up a win over Southern.
Mark Pratt gave his praise to the opposition for securing their spit in BPL for next season. “Congratulations to Ian and Wyoming on avoiding relegation and they can build on the youth that they have at their disposal for next year.” Pratt also went on the congratulate Killarney for making history this past weekend. “I’d like to congratulate Chris and Killarney on another outstanding season and good luck to all teams that have made the finals.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson
Kanwal 1 – 4 Terrigal
Terrigal cruised to a victory over Kanwal who rested numerous First Graders this past weekend leading into finals football.
It was a perfect start to the day for the Bulls as their U21’s recorded a victory to secure a top two finish and their Reserve Grade side got the job done and secured the minor premiership. With the second spot already secured, Kanwal went into the final fixture of the year with a relatively understrength team and a number of players playing out of position. Kanwal started enthusiastically and was well in the game until they lost their striker after just 10 minutes of play. Mark Partridge led the scoring when after 12 minutes on the clock broke down the left flank and drilled into the bottom corner to give the O’lads the lead. 10 minutes later Terrigal were awarded a penalty and Stuart Adams took charge and stepped up to make it 2-0 in favour of his side. Kanwal was able to pull one back after a Kurtis Mohan free kick was dropped by the Terrigal keeper and Ryan Gusse pounced on the error and tapped in to go into the break at 2-1 down.
Terrigal would again dominate possession in the second period, but time and time again were frustrated by the work rate in the middle of the park by both Harry Bates and Andy Halliwell who constantly broke up Terrigal’s attacking threats. However, Terrigal would remain patient, and Stuart Adams would pick up his second of the day and the 10th of the season when breaking through the Kanwal back line to make it three. Mark Partridge sealed the three points when his free kick eluded all the contesting players and bounced through to make it 4-1. Kanwal had several chances of their own late in the game with the woodwork or wayward passing not helping in their effort of reducing the deficit as the game finished 4-1.
Ryan Walker was proud of the boys that played and the effort they put in today. “Thank you to all the boys that helped out to ensure third grade and reserve grade could remain at full strength and achieve what they needed to achieve. Some of the boys playing first grade today hadn’t played first grade for many years.”
After their straightforward win, Martyn Griffiths now has his sights set on finals football in all three grades. “It was a comfortable afternoon really. We could’ve scored more but it was a day to keep ticking over and be ready for finals football against Southern next Saturday. Looking forward to finals football again in all three grades, exciting times for the club.”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Mark Roberts
The Entrance 4 – 1 Woongarrah
The Entrance hosted the already relegated side Woongarrah side for their final game of the season and came from behind to secure their second 9-point Sunday in back-to-back weeks.
It was their Old Boys Day at Pat Morley oval this past Sunday with the Reddies taking on the Wildcats for what was the final game of the season for both clubs. It was the Reddies that started the game off strong with a few nice efforts on goal only to be denied by the crossbar and a very determined Woongarrah keeper that made some very important saves to keep his side in the game. It was a counter-attacking play that would see Woongarrah take the lead against the run of play that was well finished by Bailey Koopman as Woongarrah would hold this 1-0 lead into halftime.
The second half saw the Reddies come out of the sheds determined to get back in the game and did so through Lachlan Pettitt who fired a shot on target that levelled the score at 1-1. The second half was all one-way sailing and in-form striker, Ashton Hurley finished off a very nice goal to give his side a 2-1 lead. It was soon to be another goal for Hurley who timed his run perfectly as veteran striker Zac Anastas threaded a pass in between the lines and Hurley made no mistake taking on the keeping and grabbing his second of the day. Hurley was able to solidify his hat trick late in the game with again a nice team goal that would see the final result finish 4-1.
“Very happy to finish off the season with great team performance. It was very important to come out in the second half and score a few goals, especially on Old Boys Day.” Said Ray Seers.
MATCH OFFICIAL – Preston Lorusso
Golden Boot Standings –
| 13 | Adam Woodbine (Killarney) |
| 11 | Tyler Wade (Avoca), Chris Lennon (Kariong) |
| 10 | Stuart Adams (Terrigal) |
| 9 | Chris Lennon (Kariong), Mahkye Brownlie (Terrigal), Scott McGinley (Berkeley Vale) |
| 8 | Keith Gumbs (Southern), Daniel Bird (Terrigal) |
| 7 | Jason Cozens (Kanwal), Ethan Hall (Killarney), Jameson Flynn (Southern), Ashton Hurley (The Entrance) |
Points Table –
Club Championship –
Division 1
Round 14 Results –
Points Table –
Club Championship –
