Futsal Premier/State League Round 10 preview
Futsal Premier League round 10 shapes as a pivotal round with Dural against leaders Campbelltown, Mountain Majik meet Inner West, Phoenix host Enfield, and UTS Northside play Mascot.
This summer’s tournament has become a riveting pressure-cooker with Quake (21 points), Rovers (19), Warriors (19) and Magic (18) all in line for premiership honours, but this weekend could make or break attempts from fifth-placed Majik (12) to down down the status quo. Magic (162 points) also strengthened their hold on the club championship, moving away from Warriors (144) and Rovers (131).
Dural Warriors face a real test from frontrunners Campbelltown Quake at Dural Sport & Leisure Centre. Dural’s lost two of their last five matches and host a Campbelltown side that’s won four straight to top the pops with five rounds remaining. Quake’s only won one of their last seven encounters with Warriors, Dural winning 5-2 in round three and who could forget their 6-0 thumping of Campbelltown in last summer’s championship decider. Only three points separate the top four sides, leaving no margin for error!
Mountain Majik tackle Inner West Magic at Valentine Sports Park in what could be the Mountain men’s last throw of the dice. An inconsistent season’s left Majik stranded in fifth place, six points behind Magic with a ton of work to do (they play Dural next and Enfield in the new year). Inner West head into the fixture on a five game unbeaten run (three straight wins), they haven’t lost a road game this summer, and claimed all three meetings between the sides (6-0 in round three). Majik will need to plug up their defence to stand any chance (40 goals leaked in nine games).
Phoenix host Enfield Rovers in an important fixture at Ryde Sports & Community Centre. Enfield were bowled over by Inner West last week to drop two of their last three games and allow Campbelltown to skip past them at the tabletop. Rovers have won their past four Phoenix contests scoring 28 goals and they currently boast the league’s best offensive output with 41 goals in nine runs. Phoenix have gone a dozen games without victory at Ryde (losing eight straight at home) in what’s been a couple of tough seasons.
UTS Northside take on Mascot Vipers in an interesting affair at Sydney Academy of Sport & Recreation. Both sides have struggled this summer – UTS the lowest scoring team with 19 goals and Mascot the highest conceders with 48 goals leaked – to make for an intriguing clash; But throw in a breakthrough 8-3 win to Vipers in round three (their first open men’s victory in 15 matches), the fact Mascot haven’t won an away game for 10 games, and there’s more extras than in Ben Hur!
State League Round 10
State league round ten starts with top-versus-bottom when win-less Mount Druitt Town Rangers host unbeaten leaders Eastern Suburbs Hakoah at Kevin Butts Stadium, second-placed Boomerangs welcome Botany Bay Pirates to Canberra’s mpowerdome, and the rising Raiders (five straight wins) meet International Football School Futsal at Liverpool’s Whitlam Leisure Centre.
Sutherland Shire want to add to their four straight victories against Sydney Futsal Club at Marrickville PCYC, South Coast Taipans tackle Western Wolves in a big match-up at University of Wollongong Sports Hub, West City Crusaders face Parramatta Pumas in a mid-table stoush at Penrith Valley Regional Sports Stadium, while third-placed Sydney City Eagles have the bye.
The results leaves the ladder a right royal mess with first-time leaders Easts (20) heading a traffic-jam of Boomerangs (18), Eagles (18), Raiders (16), Sutherland (15), Wolves (13), Crusaders (11), Pumas (11), and even Sydney Futsal Club (8), Pirates (8) and Taipans (7) can cause a playoff picture impact.
It’s still very tight in the club championship with Sutherland (164), Hakoah (159), Taipans (151), Boomerangs (151) and Eagles (147) caught up in a five-way battle for the title (Sutherland, Boomerangs and Eagles have byes to come).
-By Dan De Nardi
