Super League Round 8 Preview

But football is a funny game and round eight should throw out its usual collection of curly matches and twisted results.
After relinquishing first place last week, Bossy Liverpool will be tested when they visit Garside Park to take on Granville Rage on Saturday night (7.30pm kick-off). With Liverpool and Granville held to scoreless draws last week (by Uni and Mount Druitt), both sides will be looking to clock some goals and net a result. Bossy are yet to upset the Rage in three games of Super League football, losing 1-0 and 2-0 at Moorebank before snaring a 2-2 draw at Garside in their last encounter last July.
Fairfield City Lions will need plenty of resilience to overcome a string of injuries and be competitive against St George Saints at Norford Park on Saturday night (7.30pm). Fairfield, now dead-last on the ladder, are certainly no strangers to adversity. They survived a torrid 2007 by scooting away from the relegation zone via a string of positive results, including a 1-1 draw with eventual semi-finalists St George at Norford last August. The Saints won their earlier encounter 3-1 at home, but the Lions have a 3-2 win at Norford in 2006 to show they beat the odds.
The Fraser Park Dragons versus Northern Tigers fixture at Fraser Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off) is shaping up as a cracker of a match. The two combatants share third place on the ladder and the Dragons will be keen to overturn a succession of poor results against their opponents. Fraser Park have not beaten Northern since a 4-0 drubbing in March, 2004, with the Tigers winning four of the next six meetings, including 4-0 and 3-1 (at Fraser Park) last year. But the Dragons are a different outfit in 2008 and will definitely take some beating this time round.
PCYC Parramatta Eagles and Sydney University will both be full of confidence when they clash at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon (3pm). After a dreadful start to the season, Uni have claimed a win and draw over top-five teams in the last two rounds, while Parramatta smashed 2007 grand finalists Northern Tigers by three goals last weekend. Both teams sit in the bottom half of the ladder and will look for a win to keep pace with the leaders. Last year?s fixtures resulted in 1-0 home wins.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers have the unenviable position of being next in the firing line when they host bulldozers Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Popondetta Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Mount Druitt is yet to win a game this season, while Bonnyrigg are yet to lose one. But even with 2-0 and 3-0 victories over the Rangers last year, a classy side like Bonnyrigg won?t be taking them lightly, particularly with Mount Druitt showing their stubbornness in registering four draws so far in 2008.
Rockdale City Suns welcome Central Coast Lightning to the Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon (3pm) in a crucial game for both clubs. Rockdale stumbled out of the top-five following last week?s 3-0 loss to leaders Bonnyrigg, while Central Coast finally got their season going with a 5-1 annihilation of bottom-side Fairfield. The Coast is yet to win a game against Rockdale, who claimed two home wins (2-1 and 2-0) over the last two years. But the Suns will be wary of the Lightning strike power, which has scored plenty of goals despite their lowly standing.
-By Daniel De Nardi