NSW Super League Round 21 Review
The Lions left it late against Fraser Park, scoring twice in the final ten minutes while the rest of the top five was confirmed, with Mounties Wanderers and Macarthur Rams completing the finals contenders.
After a close battle, Dulwich Hill succumbed to the bottom rung after a narrow defeat at Sydney University.
Northern Tigers v Bankstown Berries
An impressive second half performance by Northern Tigers saw them come from a goal down against Bankstown Berries to grab a 2-1 win, staying one point clear at the top of the league, with one game remaining.
It had looked at one stage like it would all go awry for the Tigers, none more so than after the half hour mark when David Stojic shot the Berries in front. It was a goal which had threatened to arrive, the Berries taking the game to the Tigers to that point. Stojic?s effort came following a cross from Ben Delicata, the strike taking a slight deflection on the way to goal.
It could very easily have been two within moments, when Dimitri Zakilas did exceptionally well in connecting first time to an Aram Tayebi pass. But the shot just flew over the cross bar.
Apart from a Max Glanville opportunity, well saved by George Bouropolous, and a Tom Spencer shot which went across the face of goal, the Tigers had not caused Bouropolous too much concern.
But that all changed in the second half when it looked a different Tigers. Down 1-0 and the title on the line, they had to produce and we saw the football they have shown throughout the season. Some slick passing, good movement and the chances started to arrive. Rhys Williams made a good run down the right before feeding Glanville, who didn?t quite connect and Paul Davies rose splendidly but headed over from a corner.
Sandwiched between these two was a golden chance for Tayebi, who had plenty of time and space to shoot, after Zakilas set him up perfectly, but the shot went wide. It was a narrow escape for the Tigers, who would really have had the job in front of them had that gone in.
With thirty minutes left, and still a goal down, Adam Biddle entered the fray to boost the Tigers? chances, and on sixty six minutes, the equaliser came and with it, a sense of relief around Mills Park. Davies, who was really coming into the game by this point, challenged well before the ball came to the feet of Glanville, inside the six yard box, and who had the simple task of slamming it into the net. And slam he did.
The Tigers took control after this, and it almost became two after Michael Rolston?s corner was headed against the bar by Spencer. But just two minutes later, the goal the Tigers and their supporters were seeking arrived. Again it was Glanville, from a fine Williams run, who was in the right spot to hammer home.
The action took a turn for the worse after a behind the play altercation between Peter Peralta and Travis Oughtred saw them both see red. Down to ten each, with fifteen minutes to play, the Tigers were content with their lead, putting men behind the ball to negate the Berries attack. Substitute and debutant Glen Downey came into the defence to cover for Oughtred?s departure, with Glanville leaving the scene but it was the Tigers who were inches from their third.
With Bouropoulos taking a free kick well up the park, the clearance found its way to Biddle, who shot well on target from the half way line, towards the empty Berries net. Only a sprint of Olympian standard saw Bouropolous snatch the ball off the line with centimetres to spare.
Northern Tigers 2 (Max Glanville 66?, 74?) v Bankstown Berries 1 (David Stojic 32?)
Sunday 12 August 2012
at Mills Park, Asquith
Referee: Adam Susz
Assts: Luke Burley and Michael Wiener
Northern Tigers: 1. Stuart Page 12. Rhys Williams 2. Travis Oughtred 4. Michael Rolston 3. Jamie Lobb 6. Paul Davies 10. Liam McCreesh 16. Steven Baveas 14. Brendan Salameh (11. Adam Biddle 61?) 8. Max Glanville (15. Glenn Downey 78?) 24. Tom Spencer.
Subs not used: 7. Adam Hett 17. Will Thom 36. Brandon Bowd
Yellow Cards: Paul Davies, Max Glanville.
Red Card: Travis Oughtred
Coach: Jason Eagar
Bankstown Berries: 22. George Bouropoulos 7. Peter Peralta 2. David Gardner 4. Alex Becerra 3. Steve Wright 12. Stefan de Jesus 21. Ben Delicata (9. Ante Deur 76?) 18. David Stojic 11. Aram Tayebi 16. Brad Gibson (8. Kodjo Adjassou 58?) 19.Dimitri Zakilas.
Subs not used: 1. Nestor Tsioustas 15. Peter Crevani 17. Michael Zezovski.
Red Card: Peter Peralta
Coaches: Matthew Ribarovski and Tony Pace
Bankstown City FC v Fraser Park
There was plenty of action at Jensen Park, with two penalties, one saved, three red cards and two late goals. The result went in favour of Bankstown City FC who now take the title fight right down to the wire.
They had to work hard though against a determined Fraser Park, who ended the game with nine men, following the sending off of both Diego Arroyo, in the first half, and Sam Mehana, in the second. The Lions were also reduced, with Gosue Sama being red carded late on.
Michael Frost saved the first penalty but couldn?t prevent Gosue Sama putting the Lions in front with their second spotkick, with Nicolo Sama making it 2-0 in time added on.
Bankstown City Lions 2 (Gosue Sama 82? Nicolo Sama 91?) Fraser Park FC 0
Sydney University v Dulwich Hill
It was a bleak night at Hensley Field, and it ended in gloom for Dulwich Hill whose loss to Sydney University in this relegation battle made certain that Dully would finish bottom of Super League.
It was a cruel finish for Dulwich Hill, who only conceded in the 89th minute, and the likely draw up until that moment would have taken this fight right down to the final weekend.
But it couldn?t have been more timely for Uni?s Liam McConaghy, who missed much of the season recuperating from a pre-season operation, and whose goal secured survival. It may only have been his second of the year, but its importance could not have been more crucial. The wild touchline celebrations a clear showing of what the goal meant to Uni.
This single goal confirmed the closeness of the contest, though.
?It was an arm wrestle of a game, ?said Uni?s John Calleja. ?Both sides had a go and we both had decent chances, though we probably had the better second half. I felt a bit nervy before the game but the players were switched on, knowing the importance of the match?.
?But they kept calm, and it is a relief to get the result. Maybe now, we can see if we can climb a spot or two with our last game?.
?It was a season which just hasn?t worked for us?, said Dulwich Hill?s Paul Carter. ?And at the end of the day, we became a nervous side. If we managed to get through the first fifteen minutes, we would be ok, though we would then get nervous for the final five minutes?.
?But hopefully, we will have the chance to right this season. There are some very good people at Dulwich Hill, who have the right things at heart, and the setup is spectacular. But it is in the lap of the gods now?.
Sydney University 1 (Liam McConaghy 89?) v Dulwich Hill 0
Macarthur Rams v Spirit FC
Macarthur Rams suffered their second defeat in three days, succumbing to Spirit FC 3-0 at Lynwood Park, to drop to fifth on the table.
Cameron Jones put the visitors in front on the half hour with an excellent free kick from outside the box, before Slaven Ljuboja, against his old club, doubled the lead fifteen minutes after the break, taking advantage of good work by Greg Giovenali. An own goal twenty minutes from time ensured a comprehensive victory for Spirit, their first win in eight games.
?To be fair, it has been coming?, said Spirit?s Dean Savetta. ?We have been a better side that what our results have shown recently. But the Rams did have their chances, hitting the post a couple of times in the first half.?
?It was probably the fresher legs which saw us through, considering their tough match on Thursday, and they showed a bit of fatigue?, was the honest appraisal.
Macarthur Rams 0 Spirit FC 3 (Cameron Jones 31? Slaven Ljuboja 61?, Own goal 71?)
St George v Mounties Wanderers
Mounties Wanderers secured their top five position with an emphatic 5-0 away victory over St George, which in turn scuppered any chance the Saints may have had of sneaking into the finals.
Played in atrocious conditions, it was Mounties who dominated this match from start to finish, and once Mark Symington put the visitors ahead in the fourteenth minute, from a Daniel Willoughby cross, it was uphill for St George from then on.
A second to Symington, two minutes after the break, put Mounties in a commanding position, which was only strengthened seven minutes later when Klime Sekutkoski headed home, following another cross from the right.
St George, perhaps flattened by the tough midweek clash against Bankstown City FC, had little answer to Mounties, who simply ran away with this result. Daniel Mitwali made it four with a left foot screamer before Reece Iredale completed the rout eight minutes from time.
St George 0 v Mounties Wanderers 5 (Mark Symington 14?, 47?, Klime Sekutkoski 54?, Daniel Mitwali 77?, Reece Iredale 82?)
Granville Rage v Hills Brumbies
Granville Rage?s finals hopes disintegrated at Garside Park after Hills Brumbies came away with an impressive 3-0 victory, moving them to eighth position on the table.
Brad Robertson got the Brumbies off to a great start after three minutes before doubling the lead six minutes before the break. The result was put beyond any doubt when Russell Farrell scored with just under half an hour left.
Granville Rage 0 Hills Brumbies 3 (Brad Robertson 3?, 39? Russell Farrell 64?)
Under 20s
The pendulum swung back in favour of Spirit FC after they defeated Macarthur Rams 1-0 while Northern Tigers could only draw 2-2 against Bankstown Berries. Nick Paras put the Berries in front after thirty minutes but it just took a minute before the Tigers equalised through Greg Lynch. The Berries took the lead for the second time via Peter Dimitropoulos, but a Lynch penalty with eight minutes left, secured a share of the points.
St George won their seventh match in a row to move into third spot in the Under 20s, defeating Mounties Wanderers 4-1. A penalty to Andrew Katsoukis opened the scoring for the Saints before Steven Grbevski doubled the lead. Mervan Cakal brought Mounties back into the match with the second penalty of the game but Grbevski again, and a fourth to Elias Xanthos, saw St George safely home. It has been an impressive run of results for St George who have found the back of the net thirty two times in those seven games.
GRADE 20: Macarthur Rams 0 Spirit FC 1, St George FC 4 Mounties Wanderers 1, Sydney University 3 Dulwich Hill 1, Bankstown City Lions 4 Fraser Park FC 0, Granville Rage 2 Hills Brumbies 1, Northern Tigers 2 Bankstown Berries FC 2.
-By Peter Rowney
