Super League Round 14 Preview

Both teams were the pre-season picks of many coaches, but while Rockdale have powered their way to the top of the leader board, Granville has taken a little bit longer. The Rage have returned to Garside for a long stretch and would love to make up for their 0-2 loss to the Suns in round three. Rockdale have won three of their past four league meetings.
Round 14 of the 2009 NSW Super League sees St George Saints meet Sydney University at St George Stadium on Saturday night (7.30pm kickoff) in a battle for both sides to stay in touch with the top-five. Two points separates the Saints from Uni, and not much separates them historically either. The two teams share three draws and two wins apiece, including a 2-2 draw the last time they met, at Hensley Athletic Field in March.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers play Fraser Park in a tense bottom of the ladder struggle at Fraser Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm kickoff). With a draw and two wins apiece from five league encounters, this match should also be tightly contested, particularly with both sides staring down the barrel of possible relegation. Mount Druitt will be buoyed by a 4-2 win from their round three encounter.
A resurgent Bossy Liverpool take on highflyers Spirit FC at Ernie Smith Reserve on Sunday afternoon (3pm). The defending champions were well beaten 3-1 by Spirit in round three, but they are a whole new football team these days and will be coming in off the back of successive 4-1 victories (over Uni and Mount Druitt). Another win will lift them further off the bottom of the table, whereas a win to Spirit could see them fly to the top of the table.
PCYC Parramatta Eagles welcome Central Coast Lightning to Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Parramatta will be keen to bounce back from last week?s 3-1 loss to Rockdale, while Central Coast will be pumped after a gallant showing in their 1-0 loss to the Tigers. The Lightning haven?t beaten the Eagles since their first encounter in May 2007, drawing once and losing three times since then, including a 2-0 loss to Parramatta in round three.
Northern Tigers tackle Macarthur Rams in a top-five tussle at Mills Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). The fifth-placed Tigers sit a point behind third-placed Macarthur on the ladder and can do their finals credentials a world of good if they can get on top of the fancied Rams. Macarthur have only beaten Northern twice in nine Super League matches, but both victories have been in the past three meetings, including their 4-1 win in round three earlier this year.
-By Daniel De Nardi