Super League Round 1 Review

But the big winners from the round are PCYC Parramatta Eagles who defeated Mount Druitt 5-0 at Popondetta Park to show they mean business again this year.  The other winners from this weekend include Dulwich Hill, on their return to this league, St George and FC Bossy.  
Match of the Week – Granville Rage v Sydney University
Granville Rage and Sydney University battled hard but ultimately had to settle for a share of the points in a 1-1 draw at Garside Park.
Uni could perhaps consider themselves the less fortunate as the better chances fell their way but good goalkeeping and some desperate defending kept them at bay.
The visitors had some good chances in the first half but Jason Holmes, with the saves, and David Comito, with a goal line clearance, kept the score 0-0 at the break.
Holmes again came to the Rage?s rescue just after half time when he saved superbly from Liam Delaney but it wasn?t long before Uni got the goal their play deserved. Good lead up work down the left saw Christian Soares cross strongly to the far post, where the ball was headed back across the face of goal before Michael Dowling had the simple task of knocking it away.
To this point, University had looked the stronger of the two, with the front running Soares, Dowling and Delaney all causing trouble for the Rage defence.
But Granville managed to draw level only ten minutes later when Kris Holbrook and Uni keeper James Lowery both raced for a hopeful lob only for Holbrook to get their first. Despite being under pressure, Holbrook remained calm and worked the ball into the empty net.

Late on, both sides had the chance to take all the points with Uni having the best opportunity. Carlos Villazon received a perfect through ball, and did well to round Holmes. It seemed just a case of slotting it away but Maurice Aliberti, appearing from nowhere, lunged at the final moment to keep the ball out.
Then it was the turn of the Rage, with a Nathan Rivera free kick slamming against the bar with just minutes remaining.
In the dying seconds, substitute Daine Merrin was marched after receiving a second yellow but in the end, the spoils were shared, perhaps a just result on the opening day.
Granville Rage 1 (Kris Holbrook 64?) v Sydney University 1 (Michael Dowling 54?)
Sunday 21 March 2010
Garside Park, Granville
Referee: Brendan Johansen
Assistants: Mick Backo and Chris Peck
Granville Rage: 1. Jason Holmes 3. David Comito (4. Maurice Aliberti 66?) 5. Mauricio Islas 7. David Harding 9. Kris Holbrook 10. Fred Graham (8. Phillip Pyliotis 75?)11. Nenos Bobo 13. David Carrozza 14. Christian Bottalico 17. Nathan Rivera 18. Pasqualino Cappuccio (23. Devrim Huseyin 63?)
Subs not used: 12. Michael Giurgis 22. Craig Morley
Yellow cards: Daniel Carrozza, Pasqualino Carpuccio, Kris Holbrook, Maurice Aliberti, Nathan Rivera
Red cards: Nil
Sydney University: 1. James Lowery 2. Alexander Bit 3. Joseph Savor 4. Simon Turner 6. Clive Delaney 7. Martin Havern (15 Carlos Villazon 75?) 8. Rob Morrison (21. Daine Merrin 55?) 9. Michael Dowling 10. Christian Soares 11. Liam Delaney 17. Paul Medulla.
Subs not used: 13. Daren Vujovic 20. Jonathan Faerber 23. Ihsan Savran.
Yellow cards: Rob Morrison, Liam Delaney, Daine Merrin
Red Cards: Daine Merrin
Dulwich Hill v Northern Tigers
Dulwich Hill came up trumps in their return to Super League after overcoming Northern Tigers 2-1 on Saturday night with two late goals from Jay Lucas.
Lucas, an off-season signing from Bonnyrigg White Eagles, equalised from the spot with just nine minutes to go and then cruelled the hopes of the Tigers when he scored the winner deep into injury time.
In an evenly contested matchup, and in a game of high tempo and quality, Northern Tigers had taken the lead not long after half time when Paul Davies netted on 53 minutes. This period of the game was the Tigers? best but despite dominating at this time, they couldn?t seal the game.
Dulwich Hill, pushing a third man up front, duly got their reward when Neil Phillipou was brought down in the box and Lucas converted.
Then right at the death, a superb first time cross from Phillipou on the right found Lucas who, sliding in from six yards, secured the points.
Hill coach Mark Stachan was a very pleased man after taking the points.
?Yes, I am very happy to win after our first game back in Super League after four years. It was a fantastic game for the neutral and though we started the better, the Tigers also had their stronger period too.?
?But we put on the pressure without losing our patience, and, after pushing a third man up front, it gave us an extra target to aim for?
Tigers mentor, Jason Eager, not surprisingly, was not as buoyant.
?It is very disappointing. I thought we should have closed the game down but we fell asleep and they equalised from a counter attack?
?We certainly did enough to win early on but we took our foot off the pedal for ten minutes. But we have worked very hard pre-season and we will be back for next week?.
Dulwich Hill 2 (Jay Lucas 81? pen, 89?) v Northern Tigers 1 (Paul Davies 53?)
Macarthur Rams v Spirit FC
Reigning champions Spirit FC had to work hard in their match up against Macarthur Rams with the game finishing all square at 2-2.
Spirit took the lead just after the half hour when Ben Gough, attacking the Rams defence, shot across the face of the keeper, netting nicely in the far corner.
But Macarthur equalised five minutes before half time when Alvaro Malmierca netted.  The home side then took the lead through Cortez before the visitors themselves drew level via the boot of Ashley Balcomb.
It was a fine strike by the 18 year old, a 30 yard screamer which dipped and swerved on its way to goal.
Jason van Blerk was satisfied with the shared points.
?It was great entertainment. It was very warm out there which made things difficult but I am pleased to get two goals away from home?.
?The two goals conceded though were disappointing. One from a set piece and another after we lost the ball cheaply. But it was a fair result?.
Macarthur Rams 2 (Alvaro Malmierca 40?, D Cortez 60?) v Spirit FC 2 (Ben Gough 34?, Ashley Balcomb 67?)
St George v Fraser Park
It was an understrength St George who faced Fraser Park at a baking St George Stadium but they did enough to come away with the win that they did, in the end, deserve.
Ivan Kovacevic was tested on a number of occasions, early on from Peter Crevani and then Ryo Maekawa. But he managed to repel most of which came his way until Maekawa, after some intense St George pressure broke the deadlock just after the hour. 
The Saints looked likely to score a second, with Brad Gibson going close on more than one occasion but Fraser Park held firm.
And with the minutes ticking down, Fraser Park had their best chance of the day but Carlo Musumeci?s shot from a tight angle, just squeezed across the face of goal, failing to cross the line by centimetres.
St George 1 (Ryo Maekawa 64?) v Fraser Park 0
Mount Druitt Town v PCYC Parramatta
PCYC Parramatta took the honours this week with a comprehensive 5-0 victory away to Mount Druitt. The 1-0 half time scoreline, courtesy of S Ardell gave no portents of what was to come.
But a second half flurry saw Ardell get his second before further goals to Patrick Gatt, Chris Camilleri and Daniel Fogarty sealed the comprehensive victory.
Mount Druitt Town 0 v PCYC Parramatta Eagles 5 (S Ardell 5?, 51?, Patrick Gatt 70, Chris Camilleri 74, Daniel Fogarty 87?)

FC Bossy v Central Coast Lightning
Central Coast took the lead but FC Bossy took the points after a late goal from Asanovic, with the three minutes left on the clock, sent the Coast away empty handed.
Central Coast had taken an early lead via Jamie Lobb on the quarter hour mark but Slaveski equalised just before the break.
FC Bossy 2 (D Slaveski 43?, A Asanovic 87?) v Central Coast 1 (Jamie Lobb 15?)
-By Peter Rowney