NSW Super League Round 21 Preview

The postponement of four matches last weekend and the further postponement of the midweek rescheduled fixtures mean that it is likely that the final line-ups won?t be known until 4.45pm on the final day of the regular season.
It is the relegation struggle though which takes centre stage first as Fraser Park meet Dulwich Hill in the sole Saturday fixture. A win for Dulwich Hill here will see them safe but that is clearly a result Fraser Park will do anything to avoid. It really looks like it will be coming down to the final weekend before the wooden spoon is known, a stressful time indeed for the bottom three clubs.
All five games on Sunday will have a bearing on spots two through to five. There are six remaining clubs striving for four spots, simple maths showing that two will be disappointed in just over a week?s time. While Northern Tigers look strong in their position, where they finish within the five is still unknown. They play Sydney University at a venue still to be decided and even though Uni fell by the wayside last weekend, they showed enough to indicate that the Tigers will have to work hard for the points.
Third placed St George travel to Ernie Smith Reserve for a tricky encounter against fourth placed FC Bossy. The Saints would not have been happy at turning over a 2-0 lead against Central Coast last start, and will be looking to get back on the winning trail. They defeated Bossy just a few weeks ago but it was a fairly even match up and it will pay to keep an eye on the dangerous Danny Wilson, who has been in top form recently.
Macarthur Rams, fifth on goal difference, entertain the visiting Central Coast.  While one might normally expect a victory for the home side here, bearing in mind the difference in importance of the game for the respective sides, the Rams? loss two weeks ago to Mount Druitt should be enough to ensure that they don?t make the same mistake again. The Rams can ill afford to drop further points especially as their two remaining fixtures are against fellow finals aspirants.
Granville Rage face the unenviable task of travelling to Melita Stadium to meet the new Premiers Parramatta Eagles. The Eagles are in a buoyant mood and will relish the opportunity to perform in front of their home crowd, a week after winning the title. Parramatta were keen to have the title wrapped up before meeting Rage, knowing how tight and difficult the match would be. But Parramatta were at the top of their form last week so the Rage will need to fire if they wish to come away with something this Sunday afternoon. The Eagles will have a formal presentation done in capturing the 2010 Super League Premiership title.
The other club expecting to play finals football is Spirit FC. They still have a game in hand which may help although the Tigers may not agree. But while Spirit need the points, so does Mount Druitt Town Rangers, their visitors this weekend. The Rangers are just two points ahead of Fraser Park, with the two sides to face each other in the final round. But they are desperate and their recent good results do show they can pull of a shock result or two.
The end of the season may be drawing nearer but there are still many unanswered questions as we head into the final fortnight.
-By Peter Rowney