Arrive Alive Women?s Super League Round 16 Preview

Last Sundays? matches showed that, no matter where they are on the table, every club in the league is still hungry for points.
Thursday night at Valentine Park saw the long awaited second clash between Inter Lions and Sydney Tigers. These two sides had gone hammer and tongs at each other at Concord Oval earlier in the season and the rematch looked a thriller. How wrong can we be!
Inter Lions were at their scintillating best, producing their finest performance of 2009. Joe Baldacci?s girls scored some of the season?s best goals in a display of football that left everyone breathless. This game showed everything that Inter Lions are capable of; a team performance of significant magnitude. Sydney Tigers were powerless to make an impression and sank to a loss that must place doubts on their ability to do more than just make up the numbers if they should make it through to the finals.
Natalie Spirovski was dominant, Catherine Cannuli weaved magic, but EVERY Lions player was on top of their game.
The score you ask? Inter Lions 11, Sydney Tigers 1. Yes, you read that correctly, 11-1. What a win by the premiership favourites.
Pity the poor PCYC Lady Hawks who now travel to Ron Routley Reserve on Sunday to face the rampant pride of Lions.
PCYC have been in good form in the last few weeks with a number of very competitive performances against teams higher on the competition ladder. The Lady Hawks seem to have learnt from experience and have formed a great base on which to take the club forward in 2010. This season is far from over yet for the new club with their girls obviously keen to finish the season in good style. This will be their sternest test to date but the Lady Hawks have nothing to lose in taking the game up to The Lions.
If Inter Lions come ready to play in the same fashion they did on Thursday evening at Valentine Park then the scoreboard attendant at Ron Routley Reserve will be kept very busy. That?s not a slight on the ability of their opponents but rather a wrap for the best team in the Arrive Alive Women?s Super League. Yes, I admit to being a fan of the talented Inter Lions squad but I?ve been waiting all season for the parts of the Inter puzzle to click into place. If their demolition of the Sydney Tigers is a sign that the girls are stepping it up a gear we?re all in for a treat come finals time.
I don?t envy PCYC Lady Hawks in trying to close down the Inter Lions machine. 
Southern NSW FC will be keen to take all the points when they host the Gladesville Ravens at Ison Park.
Southern NSW are on the cusp of another finals appearance but have to keep winning to maintain the pressure on the likes of Sydney Tigers and Central Coast Lightning. Successive losses to Inter Lions and Sydney Tigers may not look like good form coming into this vital match but Southern NSW are a resilient side. Their season may well be on the line this weekend so one can assume that the Nowra lasses will be primed for battle. I know that their coach is growing in optimism!
Gladesville Ravens is a team that no-one would be looking forward to playing at the moment. Whilst their finals hopes are out the window the girls from Gladesville have obviously made a pact to finish the 2009 season with a bang. They?ve shown in recent weeks that they certainly wouldn?t be out of place in the play offs; if only they?d found this level of play a little earlier in the season! The girls now appear to be on a mission to wreck the season of every other finals contender so it?s look out Southern when The Ravens come to town.
This will be one of the better games of the weekend. It?s really anyone?s game.The Northern Tigers will be trying to derail the Central Coast Lightning express at Parklands Oval.
Central Coast are in third spot on the table right now and seem to have plenty of momentum. A hard fought scoreless draw in Bathurst with the Western NSW Panthers followed their convincing win over Blacktown Spartans at Francis Park. The Lightning seem to have grown in confidence as the season?s progressed; their improvement is coming at the pointy end of the season when it really counts. This is a side capable of doing some damage in the finals.
The Northern Tigers will give a good account of themselves. Despite their position at the bottom of the ladder they?ve put up some competitive performances during the season. Injury, inexperience and plenty of dents to their confidence haven?t helped their cause but I have a soft spot for this little bunch of battlers. Maybe they have an upset or two left in them yet?
Central Coast Lightning need look no further for inspiration than to their club?s Under 12 Girls side which won the Cheryl Salisbury Cup this week at Valentine Park. The Lightning have a finals spot to play for, Northern Tigers their pride. Which one will win the day?
The Western NSW Panthers will continue their charge for second place in the finals line up when they meet St George FC at Proctor Park in Bathurst.
The Panthers had a tight match with Central Coast Lightning last week but the one point from the draw will keep their noses just in front of the chasing Lightning. With a narrow loss to Inter Lions followed by an equally narrow win over PCYC Lady Hawks, The Panthers seem to be in reasonable touch. They look the team most likely to stretch Inter Lions come the finals so they?ll be keen to keep things rolling with a win over the disappointing St George side.
St George will go into the match praying for a repeat of their last performance in Bathurst. The bus ride home was very enjoyable after St George came to town and upset The Panthers earlier in the season. Unfortunately, rather than being the expected lift for their season, things then went pear-shaped and it?s been a downhill spiral for the Saints since. However, the girls found a lifeline in their 1-1 draw with Blacktown Spartans last Sunday. Can they produce another upset this weekend?
The Panthers will be hot favourites to take the points here. They were last time St George visited Bathurst too! Beware the banana skin girls.
Our final game for review this week sees Blacktown Spartans hosting the Sydney Tigers at Francis Park.
The last clash between these two sides saw Sydney Tigers snatch a late equaliser that denied The Spartans all three points. That seems to have been the story of Blacktown?s season; some excellent efforts surrounded by a mixture of misfortune and inconsistency. That said, 2009 has been much better for the Blacktown girls than 2008. The Spartans probably need just a touch more experience in their line up and a greater value of possession. They?re by no means incapable of upsetting some of the more highly fancied sides in the league.
What now for the Sydney Tigers? There had been some promise of the girls hitting their straps but the result against Inter Lions must be a damaging blow to both confidence and morale. This squad has some of the most talented players in the competition but it?s just not happening for the Leichhardt girls. Their finals place is by no means guaranteed with this Sunday?s game being a real test of The Tigers character. Can some of the big names step up and turn the tide? I?ve got to say that I?m hoping so as this is potentially too good a team to bow out with barely a whimper.
The Spartans certainly look to be meeting The Tigers at the right time. The season is on the line for The Tigers and they need a big effort here.
It looks like another big weekend for football. I smell an upset or two in the air so be prepared for some surprises. Whilst Inter Lions have made the Minor Premiership race a one horse affair the remaining finals spots are still wide open. Who?ll come to the fore in the remaining weeks of the competition?
Good luck to everyone this weekend.
-By Ross Anderson