The Youth Report (Division One) – Round 22

The other five fixtures were washed out, casualties of the wettest July in sixty-one years. That gives us an opportunity to take a look at what might happen over the next few weeks to determine which teams will qualify for the finals series and which teams will miss out.
Club Championship
Balmain East Tigers had taken eight of the first round points from their meeting with Inter Lions and this week then went one better when they pocketed nine points from the encounter.
Hills Brumbies had bagged ten of the available points when they faced Northbridge in the first round but that was reversed this time around when Northbridge earned ten points from the day.
While the Club Championship does not have a finals series, there is still a great deal of interest in the standing of each and every club on this table and in the race to claim the top spot.
All the clubs in the top six will be very aware that with fifteen points on offer on each match day, the race for the title is far from over. At this stage there are only seventeen points separating first from sixth and so the points to be gained from the remaining fixtures, when added to those which can be earned from catch-up matches, are extremely valuable.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers are the frontrunners on this table by a margin of a single point with Gladesville Ryde Magic right on their heels and St George only seven points adrift at third.
Stanmore Hawks are two points behind the Saints at fourth with Hakoah three points further back at fifth and sixth placed Camden Tigers are only another four points away.
Then there is a gap of thirty-two points to seventh placed Hurstville City Minotaurs who are sixteen points ahead of Hills Brumbies with Southern NSW twenty-one points further adrift at ninth place.
Tenth placed Balmain East Tigers are just four points further back and they are followed by Springwood United who are nine points behind Balmain, then a gap of ten points to Northbridge, four more to Inter Lions and then eighteen points to Nepean.
Grade 13
Balmain East Tigers had suffered a 3-1 loss in their first round clash with Inter Lions but Balmain really turned the tables this week when they produced a 1-0 victory.
Northbridge and Hills Brumbies had played a genuine thriller when they met in the first round when the match finished in a 3-3 draw
Looking at the race for the finals, Camden Tigers have lead of two points at the top of the table with six games left on their schedule while Hakoah, Southern NSW and St George occupy the next three places and they are separated by goal difference. Hakoah have five games to go and the other two still need to play six matches.
One behind that trio are fifth placed Gladesville Ryde Magic who have another five games followed by Mt Druitt Town Rangers who are one point further back and they also have five more matches.
With six games still to be played Hurstville City Minotaurs have an outside chance of reaching the play-offs but they are seven points behind the Rangers and they will need some very good form and a lot of luck if they are to make it.
While none of the other teams can make it to the finals, they can all have an impact on which teams qualify and which teams miss out.
Grade 14
Balmain East Tigers had come up with a 4-1 success when they last saw Inter Lions and they completed the double this week when they posted a 1-0 success, an outcome that has moved them up one place to fifth.
Hills Brumbies were 8-2 winners when they played against Northbridge in the first round but the tables were really turned this time as Northbridge produced a 6-1 victory that has left them in eighth position.
Regarding the race for berths in the finals series, Stanmore Hawks are the competition frontrunners by a margin of five points and they have five games to play while second placed St George have six matches to go.
Three points further back are Mt Druitt Town Rangers with five games left in the competition and they have established a gap of four points over fourth placed Hakoah who also have five games to play.
Balmain East Tigers are six points away at fifth and they now have only four games remaining while Camden Tigers are only a point further back with six matches left on their schedule.
The only other team to be considered is Gladesville Ryde Magic but they are seven points behind Camden with five games to go. They will need a lot of luck and some superb form if they are to make the grade.
Grade 15
When they met in the first round Balmain East Tigers were 3-1 winners and this week they were able to complete the double when they once again defeated Inter Lions, this time with a 1-0 scoreline. That was enough to move them two places up the table to third position.
Northbridge had taken the first round points with a 3-0 win over Hills Brumbies and they were able to complete the double this week when they were 1-0 winners and that has moved them up one place to seventh.
In the run into the finals, it would seem that the teams to compete in the play-offs has already been decided but it remains to be determined in which order they will finish so they all have much to play for.
Unbeaten Mt Druitt Town Rangers need only two points from their remaining five matches to claim the Premiership as they are seventeen points clear of their nearest rivals.
Second placed Southern NSW have to play six more matches before the finals and they have a goal difference advantage over Balmain East Tigers who now have only four more games in the competition.
Stanmore Hawks and Gladesville Ryde Magic are three points further back at fourth and fifth and both teams have five games to go.
Grade 16
Last time they saw each other the match between Balmain East Tigers and Inter Lions ended in a 1-1 draw but on this occasion Inter grabbed all the points when they came up with a 1-0 result. That has left the Lions at ninth while the Tigers are still in eleventh position.
Northbridge had suffered a 2-1 first round loss to Hills Brumbies and this week the Brumbies claimed the double when they registered a 5-2 result and they have climbed two places up the table to sixth.
In the race for the finals Hakoah have a lead of two points at the top of the ladder with six games to go while second placed Gladesville Ryde Magic are just one point in front of Stanmore Hawks and they both have to play six more matches while fourth placed St George are only one point further back with five games to play.
Fifth placed Hurstville City Minotaurs are three points behind the Saints with six matches left on their schedule and then there is a gap of two points to Hills Brumbies who still need to play five games while seventh placed Springwood United are just one point away with seven games up their sleeves. Camden Tigers are two points back and they are due to play six more matches.
Inter Lions still have an outside chance of reaching the finals but they will need to combine some good form with a heap of luck if they are to manage the task.
Grade 18
Balmain East Tigers and Inter Lions had battled out a 1-1 first round draw but this time around Inter took the maximum points when they were 1-0 winners and that has left Inter in twelfth position and Balmain are still thirteenth.
Hills Brumbies had produced a solid 7-1 victory when they met Northbridge in the first round so quite a number of eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that Northbridge had reversed that outcome by winning this week?s match 3-1. The previously unbeaten Brumbies have retained the top spot on the table and Northbridge have climbed one place to tenth.
The overall picture of the race for the Premiership and places in the finals series has the Brumbies three points clear at the top of the table with five matches to play while Gladesville Ryde Magic are second and Camden Tigers are one point further back at third. Both Magic and the Tigers have six matches left to play and both will play the Brumbies in the coming weeks.
Fourth placed Stanmore Hawks are six points further adrift and they need to play six more matches and they are three points ahead of St George who have five games remaining on their schedule.
Then there is a gap of seven points to Hurstville City Minotaurs and Hakoah who have another six games and five games respectively while eighth placed Mt Druitt Town Rangers are one point further back with five matches to go. If they are to reach the finals series, these three teams will need to really produce some excellent form and hope that some of the teams ahead of them fall into a hole over the coming weeks.

– Barry Davis