Super League Round 22 Preview

Bonnyrigg will be celebrating their minor premiership, but they will also want to enter the finals with some momentum, while Parramatta, Liverpool and Granville will also be laying down the platforms for their finals foray.
Behind them, Rockdale (28), Northern Tigers (26), Central Coast (26), St George (25) and Fraser Park (24) will battle it out for fifth place, the latter three with catch-up games to play ? St George at the Central Coast (Wednesday night) and Fraser Park at Liverpool (Thursday night). All round 22 games will be played on Sunday (kickoff 3pm).
Bonnyrigg White Eagles may have bagged one trophy for the year, wrapping up the minor premiership last weekend, but they won?t be taking their foot off the pedal when they face Central Coast Lightning at home on Sunday afternoon. A big crowd is expected at Bonnyrigg Sports Club for what should be a very good match. Not only are Central Coast in good running for the fifth playoff position, the Lightning also boast an impressive record against the White Eagles, winning four of their five Super League meetings, including a 1-0 victory at Pluim in round 11. Overall, the Coasters have scored 14 goals to Bonnyrigg?s four.
Fraser Park and Bossy Liverpool will be sick of the sight of each other with two meetings planned this week. Fraser Park plays a catch-up match at Liverpool on Wednesday night before hosting Bossy in the final game on Sunday afternoon. While Liverpool has basically sewn up third place, Fraser Park will need to win both games to have a mathematical shot of making the top-five. But Fraser Park hasn?t beaten Bossy since 2005, and can only claim one win from their six Super League encounters.
Fairfield City Lions tackle PCYC Parramatta Eagles at Norford Park on Sunday afternoon with little more than pride to play for. Fairfield endured a rough season in Super League, with injuries and inconsistency dogging their 2008 campaign. They will finish in clear last spot but they can make a statement to their fans with a good showing against second-placed Parramatta on Sunday. The Lions are yet to beat the Eagles in three Super League fixtures, but they did craft a fine 2-2 draw at Melita Stadium earlier in the year, Eagles player Michael Fallah equalising in the last minute of the game.
Finals-bound Granville Rage will have a point to prove when they take on St George Saints at Garside Park on Sunday afternoon. A force to be reckoned with in 2008, Granville have not defeated St George in two years ? including a 1-0 loss back in June ? and can distill some finals fear into the Saints should they win a midweek game at Central Coast. St George might not be all that afraid having won three on the trot against Granville, but they did suffer an inexplicable 3-2 loss to Mount Druitt last week.
Last year?s grand finalists Northern Tigers travel to Popondetta Park on Sunday afternoon full of hope against Mount Druitt Town Rangers. The Tigers have to win and pray that Rockdale, Central Coast, St George and Fraser Park fail in their final dashes to have any chance of making this year?s playoffs. Interestingly it?s Mount Druitt that holds a slight edge historically, with a 3-1 win at Mills Park in round 11 following a 1-1 draw and tight 0-1 loss to the Tigers in 2007.
Rockdale City Suns play Sydney University in a key clash at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.  History shows a closeness between the clubs with Rockdale winning 1-0 at home in 2006, followed by a 0-0 draw and 0-1 loss to Uni (at Ilinden) in 2007. This year, Rockdale blitzed Uni with a three-goal first half setting up a comfortable 3-1 victory in June. Uni will want to finish the year positively on Sunday, but Rockdale can throw all the playoff pressure on their rivals with a final-round win.
-By Daniel De Nardi