Super League Round 19 Preview

Both sides have taken maximum points from their past six matches, and we have to go back to round twelve to find when they last dropped any points.
With the title still up for grabs, and if the Berries, who have kept within striking distance of the top two over the past month or so, hold any hopes of usurping the league leaders, they will need to take the win and three points here. With Northern Tigers still to come, the Berries have that chance, but it will take an error-free performance against the Lions to claim this victory.
This result may come down to the goal opportunities for the league?s leading scorers. Both the Lions? Gosue Sama and the Berries? Dimitri Zakilas have fifteen apiece, and while both sides will take the win no matter who scores, the strong likelihood is that it will be these two who will dominate the scoring.
Watching the result with keen interest will be Northern Tigers. They remain one point behind Bankstown City and need the Lions to slip up somewhere to take advantage. They will be ready to pounce too, as they take on Mounties Wanderers at Mills Park on Sunday. The Tigers bounced back from the loss to Fraser Park with two wins but they will face a strong test against the Mounties. They returned to form last weekend against Fraser, but their squad numbers have been stretched in recent times, and will now also have to do without Greg Baldock this weekend, red carded last Saturday.   
But if the top of the table is creating a lot of interest, there is just as much down at the bottom.
St George v Dulwich Hill will have a big influence on the final standings. The Saints gained a little breathing space though with its 5-1 win over Fraser Park on Wednesday night, and now sit four points above Dully, with a game still in hand. St George?s goalscoring woes are well behind them now, with thirteen in their past four games, but with Dulwich Hill desperate for the points, there is nothing guaranteed here. Fabio Ferreira, currently in South Australia trialling with the A-League?s Adelaide Utd, will be back for Dulwich Hill for this one.
Also of interest is Granville Rage v Sydney University on Sunday. The Rage still have their hopes of the five and will need to win here to keep them alive while Uni, who finally started scoring last weekend, still have to drag themselves away from the bottom. They won?t be helped by last week?s injury to defender Oliver Skelding, who lasted just eight minutes against St George, or the absence of Matt Demetriou, out for the season. The likely additional absence of Liam McConaghy won?t aid their cause either, but the young guns who have come up from the Under 20s, and who showed their worth last round, will give the Rage something to think about.
The remaining two matches of the weekend take place on Saturday night. Macarthur Rams v Hills Brumbies will have a bearing on both ends of the table. The Rams should be safe in fourth now, although the Mounties may have something to say about that, but three points here for the Rams should almost make that spot certain. For Hills, they are not yet clear of the relegation spot, and will need a few more points yet to consider themselves safe. Their recent results have blown hot and cold, with two wins and two losses from the past four, but with a 10-9 goal difference. Scoring goals doesn?t seem to be an issue, their tally of thirty two only bettered by the league?s top three teams. But their goals against is the league?s highest, by some margin, so expect some attention here.
Fraser Park and Spirit FC meet at Sydenham. The past fortnight has been tough on Fraser and they need a turn of fortune here. They have suffered three defeats in a row, a run of results which has really affected their finals hopes. The absence of Danny Wilson has not helped of course nor has the injury to captain Paulo Oliviera, so Fraser Park will need to dig deep over the final month. Spirit are not quite out of the finals hunt but three points here are imperative.
St George v Fraser Park
Round Thirteen Rescheduled
Wednesday 25 July 2012
St George moved into eighth position after a comprehensive 5-1 defeat of Fraser Park on Wednesday night, a 4-0 half time lead ensuring it was ultimately a comfortable victory.
But there were certainly scares in the opening minutes with the Saints goal seeming to have charmed life. Carlo Musumeci hit the inside of the post in the opening minutes but the ball rolled along the goal line before being cleared while Fraser did have the ball in the net minutes later, before the goal was disallowed for offside. Wassim Hijazi then hit the side netting after a backpass went awry, St George living somewhat dangerously early on.
But once Michael Yarnold scored with a superlative volley from outside the area, and David Smith made it two a minute later, St George dominated from then on. By twenty five minutes it was 3-0, Simon Verrender bursting through the middle to score, before Smith set up Yarnold for another before half time.
Midway through the second half Sam Messam made it 5-0 before Fraser Park finally hit the net, Wassim Hijazi bringing it back to 5-1. But by then it was all academic.
St George 5 (Michael Yarnold 17, 42?, David Smith 18?, Simon Verrender 25?, Sam Messam 70?) v Fraser Park 1 (Wassim Hijazi 74?)
Under 20s; St George 3 (Andrew Katsoukis, Steve Grbevski 2) v Fraser Park 0
-By Peter Rowney