SUPA IGA NPL NSW Men’s 2 – Finals Week 2 Preview
Another two finals games take centre stage in the Mens 2 competition this weekend, with both fixtures having their story to tell.
Semi Final 1
Mounties Wanderers (3rd) v Fraser Park (4th) Saturday 7pm, Sydney United Sport Centre, Edensor Park
Mounties Wanderers must be wondering what went wrong last Sunday. A late equaliser against a nine man Macarthur with extra time looming had put Mounties in the box seat but a winner with three minutes to go by Ko Kimura scuttled the Mounties’ hopes. That loss see the Wanderers enter the elimination semi final against a buoyant Fraser Park who dispatched of Bankstown Berries in a scintillating second half display last weekend.
The record between the two this season is difficult to match up. While both sides claimed a win, Fraser Park’s victory came after the abandonment at half time of their rescheduled round fourteen fixture. Mounties had led 2-1 at the break of that first match and had seemed comfortable but turned over the lead when the remaining half of the game was played a week later. The lost three points may not have ultimately affected Mounties’ final position, but the win ensured that Fraser made the finals.
Fraser are enjoying their moment in the sun. It has been a long time since they played finals football and they are hell bent on making the most of it. They will have the services of Robert di Meglio and Davide Talone this weekend, both returning from suspension, so that will prove to be a boost to their squad. Carlo Musumeci went off injured early in the game against the Berries so he may be in doubt but otherwise Fraser Park should be close to full strength.
Mounties’ Alvin Singh looked worse for wear at the end of the ninety minutes last Sunday after a torrid game, while Peter Day retired hurt earlier in the match, but with their season on the line, Mounties are sure to have their best team on the park. They will regard last Sunday as a lost opportunity so expect there to be no repeat of that lapse this weekend.
Semi Final 2
St George (1st) v Macarthur Rams (2nd) Sunday 3pm, Jensen Park, Sefton
The two best teams in the competition meet in the major semi final of the weekend with the winner progressing straight through to the Grand Final in two weeks time. This game promises to be another ripper with, perhaps surprisingly for all of St George’s dominance this season, the Rams having slightly the better record between the two this year.
The first clash back in round two saw the Rams victorious by 3-2 while the return at St George Stadium resulted in a 1-1 draw. There is unlikely to be too much in this one either, despite the Rams being reduced to a bare bones squad at such an important time of the season. The send offs to Adam Wither and Joel Craig last Sunday will see them miss out this weekend at least, and with the Rams having already suffered through injury and other absences, it is likely that their bench will be largely composed of Under 20s.
But as last Sunday’s game showed, the Rams know how to dig deep. And with a strong keeper in Chad Taylor, an almost impregnable defence, skilful midfielders such as Neftali Gonzalez, and a long time scorer of goals in Shannon Hankin, Macarthur’s first eleven can be a match for anybody.
St George will have enjoyed the week’s break from competition. It has been a superb season so far for the Saints, their title win their first in thirty years. Not since the NSL title success of 1983 has St George topped a league competition and while they may well celebrate their most recent title, the Saints are well aware that the season’s aims are not over yet. The Grand Final is the next target and the quickest way to that aim is victory this weekend.
They have a full squad to choose from, with the two leading scorers in Juan Chavez and ex-Ram Sam Messam heading the charge. Chavez and Messam totalled thirty goals between them this season, only three shy of Macarthur’s season total. So we have the competition’s best attack against the competition’s best defence. Which one will give?
