NSW Super League Round 17 Review
Anybody from Mounties down to St George could yet feature in the finals, while a run of poor form could also see a few finish down at the other end. There are plenty of questions to be answered over the next five weeks.
The Golden Boot is equally competitive, with Gosue Sama and last season?s winner Dimitri Zakilas seemingly going head to head, week after week, with each getting another goal this weekend, taking their tally to fourteen apiece.
Northern Tigers v Dulwich Hill
Northern Tigers overcame their shock midweek loss and kept their hold on first position with a 3-0 defeat of Dulwich Hill at Mills Park, two spectacular goals by Max Glanville the highlight.
It was perhaps a less than vintage performance by the Tigers, at least in the first half although they did show patches of their good style as the game progressed throughout the second.
Dulwich Hill, after their midweek win at Mounties, had arrived at Mills hoping to further improve their position, but despite starting well, weren?t able to rally this time.
It had not looked good for the Tigers early, Rob Morrison and Fabio Ferreira having chances and it was one such entanglement with Ferreira which saw the Tigers keeper Stuart Page retire hurt, after twenty five minutes. On came substitute keeper Brandan Bowd, and he proved to be an able understudy.
The match came to some life just after the half hour mark, after Dulwich Hill had been awarded a free kick just outside the Tigers area. With the kick coming to nothing, a quick break by Glanville down the left earned the Tigers a great chance to score before Trinity Allen quelled the first chance, and the second was cleared off the line. Dulwich Hill heavily disputed the outcome of their freekick, claiming the kick had been charged down well within the ten, but to no avail.
As it was, the scoreline remained at 0-0, but Glanville was to make it count five minutes later. Allen punched clear but the ball fell to Glanville, loitering on the edge of the box, and his shot was hammered into the net, in off the cross bar.
It seemed a relief for the Tigers who, after losing to Fraser Park last Wednesday, could ill afford further dropped points, as fellow title challengers Bankstown City FC continue to drive out results, and they started to put their game together. They almost had a second, Glanville again sharp down the left, before being brought down by James O?Rourke. O?Rourke received a yellow for the foul, maybe fortunate it was not of a different colour.
Daniel Cunningham then got free down the left as well, and crossed dangerously, but Allen again saved Dulwich Hill.
At 1-0 at the break, Dulwich Hill were still in with a shout but it became a tougher fight ten minutes into the second half. A great low cross from the right from Travis Cooper evaded the despairing O?Rourke, and Liam McCreesh had the simple task of slotting home.
Robbie Shields was introduced into the game on the hour as Dully looked to get amongst the goals, and then Mirza Sehic came on at the back, allowing Matt Toogood to push further forward, but the chances were few and far between. The final ball just failed to materialise, and Bowd was rarely put to task.
When Glanville then scored his second, a cracker from well outside the area, and into the top corner, it was all over. It was a brilliant strike and there was no way back for Dulwich Hill from there.
Northern Tigers 3 (Max Glanville 39?, 75? Liam McCreesh 56?) v Dulwich Hill 0
Sunday 15 July 2012
at Mills Park, Asquith
Referee: Steve Lucas
Assts: Brett Lorimer and Louis Cummings
Northern Tigers: 1. Stuart Page (36. Brandon Bowd 26?) 4. Michael Rolston 2. Travis Oughtred 5. Daniel Cunningham (12. Rhys Williams 78?) 3. Jamie Lobb 13. Travis Cooper 14. Brendan Salameh 16. Steven Baveas 8. Max Glanville 10. Liam McCreesh (7. Adam Hett 82?) 24. Tom Spencer.
Subs not used: 9. R Blaker 11. R Mapu
Yellow Cards: Daniel Cunningham
Coach: Jason Eagar
Dulwich Hill: 22. Trinity Allen 25. James Morrison 18. James O?Rourke 7. Matt Toogood 3. Joseph Savor (5. Mirza Sehic 67?) 11. Calum McGrouther 38. Matthew Clowes 12. Rob Morrison (14. Matt Ferreira 16?) 16.Ryan Jones (10. Robbie Shields 60?) 2. Fabio Ferreira 9. T Sunamoto.
Subs not used: 21. L North 29. C Shelston
Yellow Cards: James O?Rourke, Matt Toogood.
Coach: Paul Carter
Bankstown City FC v Spirit FC
It may have been a little below par Bankstown City FC but the win came regardless, though not without overcoming a well organised and tough Spirit FC.
It was the class in front of goal which counted, Robbie Mileski giving the Lions the lead but Spirit, well up for this game, drew level through Adam Savetta. But when Gosue Sama is in your side, goals are always likely, and it proved no different on Saturday, Sama putting Bankstown City back in front three minutes later.
The three points were well earned though George Nohra was quick to pay tribute to the opposition.
?Spirit had a very good game plan and all merit to them. It was a very tricky game to be quite frank and they made it very tough?.
?But I think the difference is that we had that x factor. Robbie Mileski would be great in any league and the two [with Sama] link up very well. We probably could have had a few more, we had plenty of one-on-ones, but we just couldn?t finish. Missed a penalty too?.
?It was probably our worst game of the year but you can?t take anything away from Spirit. They matched us for intensity and made us work hard?.
Bankstown City Lions 2 (Robbie Mileski 57? Gosue Sama 67?) Spirit FC 1 (Adam Savetta 64?)
Bankstown Berries v Mounties Wanderers
It is twelve points from twelve now for Bankstown Berries and they are hitting form ajust the right time as the fight for the finals increases.
Ante Deur put them in front from the spot after Kodjo Adjassou was brought down in the box and a second to Steve Wright, scoring from a rebound, gave the Berries a comfortable half time lead.
That lead was extended on the hour when Dimitri Zakilas scored his fourteenth goal of the season, before the second penalty of the night was awarded, this time to the Mounties, and converted by Daniel Mitwali.
?I am very happy with the performance?, said the Berries? Tony Pace. ?The first half was good although we probably dropped off a little in the second?.
?But it is our fourth win on the trot and we will try and keep our focus to keep third spot. The second bite of the cherry is important, and we will continue to work hard?.
?The boys were there last year, and we will be trying to emulate that this season?.
Bankstown Berries 3 (Ante Deur pen 21? Steve Wright 42? Dimitri Zakilas 60?) Mounties Wanderers 1 (Daniel Mitwali pen 67?)
Macarthur Rams v Sydney University
Macarthur Rams returned to winning ways defeating Sydney University 3-1, but they had to come from behind to do so.
Liam McConaghy put Uni ahead after twenty five minutes, shooting across the face of goal, but the Rams managed to draw level just two minutes later, Adam Wither rising to head home from an inswinging free kick.
In the second half, Ryan Marchant put the Rams in front, catching out the Uni defence before Emanuel Elali made sure of the result, twenty minutes from time.
The result keeps Uni bottom of the table, but there is plenty of fight still left.
?I can?t say a bad thing about the players,? said Uni?s John Calleja. ?We were up for this one, and Liam took his goal very well.?
?But their set pieces were always a concern for us, with their height, and Wither?s goal was well taken?.
?We got caught out for their second, and while we were still in the game at 2-1, once they got the third, it was a mountain too high to climb?.
?But we kept fighting and didn?t drop our heads, and it [the season] is certainly not over yet?.
Macarthur Rams 3 (Adam Wither 27? Ryan Marchant 60? Emmanuel El Ali 70?) Sydney University 1 (Liam McConaghy 25?)
Fraser Park v Hills Brumbies
It was a fine night for Hills Brumbies who travelled to Fraser Park and came away with a 4-1 win.
It couldn?t have started any better with Dragan Savic controlling well to score two minutes in, but it was in the second half that the goals started to flow.
Eros Bergamin scored immediately after half time to give Brumbies a small buffer before Wassim Hijazi, in excellent goalscoring form this season, brought Fraser Park back into the game on fifty minutes.
But two goals in three minutes gave Hills plenty of breathing space, Bergamin scoring again with a marvellous volley and then Keunike Maralit knocked in the fourth.
?Even though we were one up, I wasn?t too happy with the first half,? explained Hills? Mark Abi-Arrage. ?We turned over possession far too easily and didn?t take control of the ball. But we were a lot more aggressive in the second half and more hungry.
?We also thought that Fraser may have been a bit heavy from their midweek game, and if they were, we wanted to make sure that they knew it?.
But it was the second goal by Bergamin that had Abi-Arrage effusive in his praise.
?We talk about goals of the season, but that one was special. Eros received the ball on the left hand side and it went like a rocket into the top of the net, from a volley. Had that been scored in the Euros or something, they would still be talking about it?.
Fraser Park FC 1 (Wassim Hijazi 50?) Hills Brumbies 4 (Dragan Savic 2? Eros Bergamin 46?, 69? Keunike Maralit 70?)
St George v Granville Rage
St George claimed their third win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Granville Rage, Michael Yarnold scoring the winner nine minutes from time after the Rage had fought back from 2-0 down.
Sam Messam had led the Saints to a two goal half time lead, but some intense second half pressure by Granville brought them back to 2-2. Manut Yel got the first after sixty seven minutes and then a Michael Smith own goal drew the Rage level.
But Yarnold, after being put through by John Nassif, earned St George all the points, although Pablo Cardozo, with two shots against the post within sixty seconds in time added on, may have made the result a little more comfortable.
St George 3 (Sam Messam 38?, 43? Michael Yarnold 81?) Granville Rage 2 (Manut Yel 67?, Michael Smith own goal 76m)
Leading Goalscorers
14 – Gosue Sama (Bankstown City FC)
Dimitri Zakilas (Bankstown Berries)
12 – Almir Dizdaric (Granville Rage)
10 – Robbie Shields (Dulwich Hill)
Tom Spencer (Northern Tigers)
9 – Max Glanville (Northern Tigers)
8 – Wassim Hijazi (Fraser Park)
7 – Stefan Donevski (Macarthur Rams)
Fabio Ferreira (Dulwich Hill)
Sam Messam (St George)
Robbie Mileski (Bankstown City FC)
Under 20s
Spirit FC continue to dominate the Under 20s competition, earning a 4-1 win away at Bankstown City FC, with Northern Tigers second after their 1-0 win over Dulwich Hill, while Sydney University stay in third following their 1-0 win at Macarthur.
There were famous St George names on the scoresheet in the 6-3 win over Granville Rage. The Grbevski and Ilic names rang strong during the old National League days, and it is now the sons of Michael and Zoran who are wearing the red and white, and scoring goals. Steven Ilic put St George ahead after just six minutes but it was four goals by Stephen Grbevski which grabbed the headlines. Two before the break and another two after, sandwiched a goal by Matthew Miedzinki as St George ran up the goals. A hatrick by Granville?s Gawdat Abdalla ensured it was not all one way traffic.
Mervan Cakal got the goal for Mounties in their 1-1 draw at Bankstown Berries with the home side?s goal being scored by H Elhajj.
GRADE 20: Bankstown Berries 1 Mounties Wanderers 1, Fraser Park FC 1 Hills Brumbies 3, Bankstown City Lions 1 Spirit FC 4, Macarthur Rams 0 Sydney University 1, St George FC 6 Granville Rage 3, Northern Tigers 1 Dulwich Hill 0.
Rescheduled Round 13: Mounties Wanderers 2 Dulwich Hill 2.
-By Peter Rowney
