Super League Round 21 Review

The race for the finals is also open with three clubs now fighting for the last two spots. Spirit FC made all but sure of a top five finish after defeating the Coast at Pluim Park while Sydney University and Macarthur had excellent wins against the Premiership contenders.
Likewise, at the bottom, the relegation battle will also go down to the last weekend with Fraser Park and Mount Druitt fighting it out to see who drops down to Division One.
In the goalscoring stakes, Troy Eedy of Mount Druitt drew level with St George?s Juan Chavez, both now with twenty one goals apiece. Tim Simpson of Spirit FC and Sydney Uni?s Christian Soares both scored this weekend to take their tally to fourteen each.

Eagles taught a lesson by Sydney Uni
Sydney University overcame an increasingly desperate PCYC Parramatta at Melita Stadium and triumphed with a 2-0 victory which leaves both the Premiership and the finals makeup still well up in the air.
Uni took a first half lead through their top marksman, Christian Soares, on the half hour and maintained their lead till halftime.
It was a wonderful goal by Soares, who slalomed past two defenders, before cutting back and placing a left footed shot sweetly into the top corner, for his fourteenth of the season.
But almost immediately after the re-start, the game was held up for a number of minutes when Uni?s Paul Madulla was concussed and had to receive treatment on the field before eventually being stretchered off.
The enforced break though didn?t cause the visitors too much concern as, once the game restarted, they amply took care of the Parramatta attack which could not quite get over the top of a resolute Uni.
While the Eagles mounted sustained pressure as they looked the draw level, University, defending at times in numbers, accounted for everything which Parramatta could throw at them.
But while Parramatta couldn?t breach the Uni defences, the visitors showed how it was done at the other end when Tim Stewart, unmarked in the box, headed neatly past Stacey Alogdellis, after a pinpoint cross from the right.
This second goal, with just a quarter of an hour to go knocked the stuffing out of Parramatta who could perhaps see their title ambitions fast slipping away. 
Though they tried hard to recover, it was just not working out for them on a difficult night. Even a late penalty was to prove no consolation as Daniel Borg plied his spotkick wide of the mark.
In the end, it was a perfect three points for Uni, their second win in a week, and keeps their finals hopes well and truly alive. Parramatta, following results elsewhere, can perhaps be fortunate that they can still have their eyes on the main prize.
John Caruana, Uni?s coach, was a very happy man after the victory.
?We worked really hard and our energy was good. We have a few young players in the team but we kept our tempo high? he explained.
?We have a lot of respect for Parramatta but it just wasn?t to be their night?.
In regards to the semi finals, he continued ?Our semis really started last week (against Northern Tigers) but we aren?t there yet. Next week against Granville Rage will be very tough as they beat us last time so we still have it all to do?.
PCYC Parramatta 0 v Sydney University 2 (C Soares 30?, T Stewart 75?)
Rams pip Suns in thrilling match-up
Macarthur Rams and Rockdale turned on the goals in an amazing opening half hour which saw five goals scored before the thirty minutes was up.
Aaron Cimitile got the ball rolling for the Rams when he netted after just seven minutes and before Rockdale had time to recover, scored his second goal just three minutes later.
Rockdale must have wondered what hit them and when Scott Goodwin put Macarthur three goals to the good on eighteen minutes, the Suns really seemed down for the count.
But Sam Awad had other ideas and just two minutes later he reduced the arrears to 3-1 to give the Suns a sniff of a comeback.
And when Joshua Lawson made it 3-2 eight minutes after that, the Suns really were back in the hunt.
But despite tremendous effort from both sides, the scores remained unchanged for the remainder of the game.
Macarthur with their win, remain in with a good chance of making the finals while Rockdale can give thanks to Sydney Uni for keeping their Premiership ambitions alive.
Macarthur Rams 3 (A Cimitile 7?, 10?, Goodwin 18?) v Rockdale 2 (S Awad 20?, J Lawson 28?)
Spirit sting Lightning
Tim Simpson scored his fourteenth goal of the season to claim the three points for Spirit FC against the Central Coast Lightning.
Simpson?s strike, a volley from eighteen yards, was enough for victory in a game of few chances.
Spirit coach, Jason van Blerk, was a content man after the win.
?It is always hard to play the Coast up there, and they are always hard to beat. It was a difficult match, but we were very professional?.
The win keeps Spirit in third place and a certain finals spot, which only the mathematicians would dispute.
Central Coast 0 v Spirit FC 1 (T Simpson 35?)
Stalemate at Garside Park
Granville Rage and St George played out a 0-0 stalemate at Garside Park in a tight affair which keeps the Saints in the finals chase.
Excellent goalkeeping from Jason Holmes early in the game kept the Rage level after good chances fell to both Kyle Fifield and Tanju Balabanel.
Granville, though, after withstanding a smart St George opening twenty minutes, began to produce some chances of their own but some less than clinical finishing meant that the St George goal remained intact.
A second half send off to Fifield, for a second yellow card offence, reduced the visitors to ten but it was to cause no change to the end result.
Granville Rage 0 v St George 0
FC Bossy Liverpool remain alive as Fraser plunge further into trouble
It was excitement plus at Ernie Smith Reserve on Sunday as relegation threatened FC Bossy and Fraser Park squared up in a match which would see the winner confirm their Super League status for next season while condemning the loser to another nervous week. 
And the winner proved to be FC Bossy who eventually took the points in a topsy turvy encounter, sneaking ahead in a five goal thriller.
They went one down though when David Wilson put through his own net on the half hour, the ball slicing off the midfielder?s boot, leaving Chad Taylor helpless.
But Wilson was able to make amends when only moments before halftime, he scored with a close range header to take the teams in 1-1 at the break.
And within two minutes of the restart, it was Wilson who almost scored again when he was clear on Ivan Kovacevic but Kovacevic closed down well denying what looked a certain goal.
Fraser Park, not to be outdone, certainly had chances of their own, Leigh Gunn putting over and Alex Smith slicing wide from two very good opportunities.
Then for Bossy, Baturay Akin ran half the length of the pitch, chased by defenders, but he also sliced wide of the mark.
But it was Wilson again, who got on the scoresheet for the third time, when he looped a shot into the top right corner after Kovacevic had been caught in two minds on the edge of the area.
To their credit, Fraser Park weren?t done and it was substitute Nick Kougious who potted the ball past Taylor only one minute after having come on, to equalise and set up a barnstorming finish.
Unfortunately for the visitors, it was Bossy who ultimately prevailed when Kocanic turned well inside the box, scoring the winner with only seven minutes to go.
FC Bossy 3 (Wilson 43?, 65?, Kocanic 83?) v Fraser Park 2 (Wilson og 29?, Kougious 72?)
Rangers still alive after victory over hapless Tigers
Mount Druitt rose to the occasion, as they needed to do, and took all three points from a fast fading Northern Tigers, to give themselves a two point advantage in the battle against relegation.
Caetano Lima gave the Rangers the lead they were looking for just after the half hour mark before Geoff Dwyer got the Tigers back on level terms early in the second half.
But from then on it was all Mount Druitt as they knocked in three goals in the space of nine minutes to quickly run up a 4-1 lead. Adam Luzi was the first to put the Rangers back in front before Brendan Mitrovich made it 3-1 not long after. And when Troy Eedy made it 4-1 just two minutes after that, it was surely all over.
Andrew Christiansen did manage a reply for Northern Tigers but it was never going to be enough to turn back the tide.
Northern Tigers 2 (G Dwyer 57? A Christiansen 77?) v Mount Druitt 4 (C Lima 32?, A Luzi 59, B Mitrovich 66?, Eedy 68?).
-By Peter Rowney