Super League round 19 Review
The White Eagles flew to a three point lead over Parramatta after the Eagles lost 1-2 to lowly-placed Sydney Uni, while Liverpool stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Granville at home to slide four points behind the undisputed leader.
Granville consolidated fourth spot on the ladder, five points clear of a real ripper of a race for fifth spot. A battle between Rockdale (on 24 points), Fraser Park (24), Central Coast (23), St George (22) and Northern Tigers (22) will make it an interesting three-week run to the finals, with the Saints and Fraser Park still to fit in two catch-up games (including one against each other). Similar tallies in goals for and against only adds to the playoff intensity.
The relegation fight is just as enthralling with Uni?s upset win drawing them level with Mount Druitt on 18 points (with virtually identical goal differences), four ahead of Fairfield, who have a game in hand, albeit against leaders Bonnyrigg. While all point will be tough to come by, the round 21 clash between the Lions and Uni is shaping up as a key fixture.
Bonnyrigg bulldoze Mount Druitt
An inspired performance from midfielder Irkay Gurbuz spearheaded Bonnyrigg White Eagles to a 4-1 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers at Bonnyrigg Sports Club on Saturday night. The zippy centre scored all four of Bonnyrigg?s goals and played a big role in keeping Mount Druitt?s desperation in check, helping the White Eagles to a healthy lead at the top of the championship table.
Gurbuz netted in the 12th and 37th minutes before Rangers player Brendan Mitrovich gave the visitors some hope with a goal just before halftime bringing the score back to 2-1. But it was to be Bonnyrigg?s night with Gurbuz restoring a two goal buffer when he completed his hattrick in the 75th minute ? and he added one more for good measure inside the closing minutes to round out a convincing 4-1 victory.
To Mount Druitt?s credit, they are just the fifth team to find a way past the Bonnyrigg defence this season (interestingly, the bottom three sides Lions, Uni and Rangers have all scored against the White Eagles, joining the Saints and Eagles for that honour). Mount Druitt are now in real strife, facing games against finals hopefuls Central Coast, St George and Northern in their closing three matches.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 4 (Irkay Gurbuz 12/37/75/88m) Mount Druitt Town Rangers 1 (Brendan Mitrovich 45m)
Saints crucify Lions
Finals aspirants St George Saints accounted for danger side Fairfield City Lions 3-1 at Belmore Sportsground on Saturday night. It was a great result for St George, who welcome back key player Simon Verrender this weekend following his four-week suspension, are now poised for a top-five strike. The Saints are two points behind fifth-place with a couple of catch-up games to squeeze in the three-week run home. Fairfield?s loss keeps them in the dreaded bottom spot.
It was the first points the Saints have taken since mid-June in a run which saw them lose four on the trot, but they came out firing on all cylinders against the Lions. Sustained early pressure resulted in a Fairfield defender handballing inside the box, Goran Popovski converting a seventh-minute penalty to send St George in front 1-0. The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Mitchell Fihlebon scored his fourth goal of the season, and the Saints held a 2-0 halftime advantage.
Perhaps sensing the situation, Fairfield took more control in the second period and exposed the St George defence on several occasions. Yavuz Ekinci came close to reducing the deficit when his shot was palmed away by Saints goalkeeper Trinity Allen before being cleared off the line by Daniel Fallico. Serkan Erel finally drew a goal back for the Lions, scoring from a very tight angle in the 77th minute, but a red card to a teammate two minutes later for dissent effectively ended their chances of a positive result.
A fast finish from St George, with leading scorer Nick Polimenakos adding spark off the bench, saw opportunities fall to Polimenakos and then Kurt Crnic. Fairfield?s Nabil Codmani also missed a golden chance to equalise ? his free header from a corner sailing over the bar, before St George finally sealed victory in the dying moments. Polimenakos flicked to Crnic, who crossed to an unmarked Hussein Rachid, and the promising junior made no mistake in front of an open goal, his first senior strike for St George. An undisciplined blast from Saints player Vince Savoca only earned him a red card seconds out from the fulltime whistle.
?It was a pretty tough game,? St George coach John Calleja said. ?We played well in first half, but went to sleep a bit in the second. We probably defended too deep and let Fairfield dictate the pace of game. At 2-1, the whole coaching staff were nervous. I thought we might stumble at the last hurdle, but some good interchange play at the end saw Hussey head home at the back post. I was very relieved in the end, as it keeps us alive in the semi-final hunt. The last couple of weeks will very interesting as there is a lot to play for.?
The Saints have some tough match-ups coming up, including games against playoff chasers Rockdale, Granville, Central Coast and Fraser Park. For Fairfield (who drew 1-1 with Liverpool midweek), they still have to face top two sides Parramatta and Bonnyrigg, plus last year?s grandfinalists Northern Tigers, in a testing run home. But the crunch game will be against fellow strugglers Sydney Uni in round 21.
St George Saints 3 (Goran Popovski 7m pen Mitchell Fihlebon 17m Hussein Rachid 90m) Fairfield City Lions 1 (Serkan Erel 77m)
Suns set on Coast
Rockdale City Suns made the most of their Saturday night trip up the freeway to Pluim Park, beating Central Coast Lightning 1-0. It was sweet revenge for Rockdale, who lost 1-0 at home the last time the two sides met, and it was an unlikely source that provided the Suns win. With both teams trading blows, and missing some great chances to score, it was left to halftime substitute Orhan Dincer to score his first goal of the year inside the final 20 minutes and hand Rockdale the much-needed victory.
It was only the third time Central Coast had been held scoreless all season ? and just the third time the Suns had held their opposition to nil. The win also boosted Rockdale into the top-five at a handy time of the year, with important matches against St George and the Northern Tigers (and Uni) to come over the next two rounds. The Lightning, one point behind the Suns, play the Rangers, Rage, White Eagles and Saints.
?It was a tight game, and going to Central Coast and getting three points isn?t easy,? Rockdale coach Michael Grbevski said. ?We missed a few in front of an open goal and I thought, here we go again, but Orhan Dincer hit a good through-ball on the turn into the bottom left corner to get us home. When substitutions come off, they?re all good moves. When the other teams play their catch-up games, we?ll know exactly where we stand. We?re a chance, the boys know that and we?re ready for it.?
Central Coast Lightning 0 Rockdale City Suns 1 (Orhan Dincer 69m)
Liverpool, Granville draw
Granville Rage made a statement in its 1-1 draw with Bossy Liverpool at Ernie Smith Reserve on Sunday afternoon. After Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw with bottom side Fairfield during the week, they would have been keen to flex their muscles at home against another top-five side heading into the finals. Instead, they were tested by a solid Granville performance, the stalemate extending the Rage?s unbeaten Super League run against Bossy.
Granville took advantage of a fatigued Liverpool outfit and pressed hard in the first half, Jason Garrido?s strike on the half-hour mark handing the visitors a surprise 1-0 lead. Bossy retaliated with some enterprising attacking raids, but it was left until the last minute again, Sasa Drca equalising in the 89th minute. It was the sixth goal Liverpool has scored in the closing five minutes of matches this year.
?Granville played much better than us in the first half, but I feel my players were very tired from the Thursday night game,? Bossy coach Mile Tododrovski said. ?It was a very open game in the second half and, thankfully, we get a goal in the last few minutes. The goals we are scoring at the death is not that lucky, it?s the result of big pressure. I?m very proud of my boys? achievements this season, and we will push for more.?
In a big test of Liverpool?s credentials, Bossy play big guns Parramatta and Bonnyrigg in the next two rounds, followed by a double encounter with Fraser Park to close out the season. Fourth-placed Granville also has a tough finish, meeting Bonnyrigg this weekend before ending with matches against playoff contenders Central Coast and St George.
Bossy Liverpool 1 (Sasa Drca 89m) Granville Rage 1 (Jason Garrido 31m)
Uni ground Eagles
An outstanding performance from Sydney University saw them defeat high-flying PCYC Parramatta Eagles 2-1 at Uni Oval on Sunday afternoon. The win couldn?t have come at a better time for a Uni outfit struggling to keep their place in Super League. The result also dented Parramatta?s lunge for the minor premiership, with Bonnyrigg skipping three points clear with a game in hand at the top.
Matthew Carnuccio put Uni in front just before halftime, but the Eagles responded through Mario Ghobrial on the hour-mark to level up the scores. It was Ghobrial?s sixth of the year but it wasn?t enough to bring Parramatta points after Uni forward James Hardy bobbed up in the 87th-minute to grab a winner for the home side. Uni are now four points clear of bottom side Fairfield, who they play in round 21 (in between matches against Fraser Park and Rockdale).
Parramatta coach Jason Falzon was disappointed his team broke an unbeaten streak going back 13 games, but took the loss in his stride. ?The boys just didn?t come to play,? he said. ?For some reason, we were out of sorts. We created enough chances; we just didn?t play our best. Our hats go off to Sydney Uni because they needed the three points for their survival. I think it will be important to go into the finals with confidence, we just have to keep going with our heads up as all these games are tough.?
Parramatta play a blockbuster against third-placed Liverpool this weekend before meeting Fraser Park and Fairfield to round out the regular season. Uni also take on Fraser Park, this weekend, ahead of a crunch game against Fairfield and a final-round match at Rockdale.
Sydney University 2 (Matthew Carnuccio 38m James Hardy 87m) PCYC Parramatta Eagles 1 (Mario Ghobrial 60m)
Tigers let loose on Fraser Park
Northern Tigers coach Hugh McCrory must have been wondering where his team had been all season after they annihilated Fraser Park 4-1 at Mills Park on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers have been desperate for goals, having been held scoreless more times than any other side this year (eight times in 18 games), but they let loose against Fraser Park to maintain their faint hopes for a finals berth.
After a goal-less opening half-hour, goals to Marcus Frost and Tim Gledhill (penalty) gave Northern a 2-0 halftime lead, their lead goalscorer Daniel Nash extending the margin to three goals moments after the restart. Fraser Park rallied to finally get on the board through Dani Delgado in the 78th minute, but a Thomas Spencer strike 10 minutes later ? his fifth of the season ? consolidated a three-goal Tigers victory.
It was good form from Nash, who has now scored seven goals for Northern. It will certainly brighten their spirits ahead of a relatively easier run home than their finals rivals. The Tigers play bottom side Fairfield before meeting Rockdale in a crunch game, rounding off with a trip to Mount Druitt in the last round. Fraser Park has to play five games in the next three weeks, including a double-encounter with Liverpool and big matches against Parramatta and St George.
Northern Tigers 4 (Marcus Frost 28m Tim Gledhill 42m penalty Daniel Nash 48m Thomas Spencer 88m) Fraser Park 1 (Dani Delgado 78m)
This week?s games
There?s plenty to play for in round 20 of the NSW Super League, with the finals less than a month away. Top-five side Granville host Bonnyrigg on Saturday night, while finals hopefuls Northern Tigers visit Fairfield on the same night. On Sunday afternoon, top-three sides Parramatta and Liverpool go head-to-head at Melita Stadium, neighbours Rockdale and St George battle it out at Ilinden, fifth-placed Fraser Park welcomes a desperate Sydney Uni, while Central Coast travel to Mount Druitt.
Round 19 results
Northern Tigers 4 (Marcus Frost 28m Tim Gledhill 42m penalty Daniel Nash 48m Thomas Spencer 88m) Fraser Park 1 (Dani Delgado 78m)
Sydney University 2 (Matthew Carnuccio 38m James Hardy 87m) PCYC Parramatta Eagles 1 (Mario Ghobrial 60m)
Bossy Liverpool 1 (Sasa Drca 89m) Granville Rage 1 (Jason Garrido 31m)
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 4 (Irkay Gurbuz 12/37/75/88m) Mount Druitt Town Rangers 1 (Brendan Mitrovich 45m)
Central Coast Lightning 0 Rockdale City Suns 1 (Orhan Dincer 69m)
St George Saints 3 (Goran Popovski 7m pen Mitchell Fihlebon 17m Hussein Rachid 90m) Fairfield City Lions 1 (Serkan Erel 77m)
-By Daniel De Nardi
