Women’s State League Round 12 Preview
Round 12 of the Women’s State League could see the Western NSW Mariners and Bankstown City pull significantly clear of other contenders.
Parramatta FC and St. George FC will be looking to secure crucial victories to keep themselves in contention.
Bankstown City FC vs. Mt. Druitt Town Rangers FC – Sunday 28 June, 3PM at Jensen Park
These two western Sydney sides have endured quite different seasons. Second place Bankstown City will be fighting for a chance to overtake the Western NSW Mariners this Sunday, while Mt. Druitt sit in the middle of the table and have their targets set primarily on securing a spot in the finals series.
Bankstown City had a week off last week, where their fixture against Southern Districts was rained out. Conversely, Mt. Druitt have played two games in the last seven days. On Sunday they endured a difficult trip to Proctor Park, where they were beaten by the first placed Mariners. Nevertheless, they followed this up with an impressive 5-1 victory against Southern Districts midweek. Bankstown City may have enjoyed their break, but could be rusty coming up against a warmed up Mt. Druitt side; this could prove pivotal.
Western NSW Mariners FC vs. Parramatta FC – Sunday 28 June, 3PM at Proctor Park
The Mariners are sitting pretty atop the Women’s State League table, a position they’ve held for most of the season. Their victory against the Mt. Druitt Town Rangers was not as comfortable as they’d have liked last Sunday, but three points nonetheless. Parramatta FC will likely prove an even more difficult challenge, and emerged victorious the last time these two sides faced each other.
However, Parramatta’s form has been fairly unpredictable of late. Ignoring last week’s rained out fixture, they have lost twice in the last three games, both to APIA Leichhardt. In between these losses, however, they beat one of the competition’s strongest sides in Bankstown City. Perhaps having a week off will help the team refocus, and certainly a win this weekend would be a huge achievement.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC vs. Southern Districts Emeralds – Sunday 28 June, 7PM at Lambert Park
The APIA Leichhardt Tigers look a completely different team in the second half of this season, and are blazing a trail through their opposition. Certainly, their midseason recruitment has helped them turn around a disastrous start to the season with astonishing efficacy. Last week’s victim was the Gladesville Ravens, who the Tigers proceeded to defeat twice within three days. APIA now sit in sixth place, their highest position all season, and look certain to compete in the finals at the end of the season if their form continues.
Southern Districts have lost all but one game this season, and sit firmly at the bottom of the table. That being said, their one victory all year came against APIA Leichhardt, and the Emeralds will be determined to repeat this result. But such an occasion is unlikely, as the Tigers look unstoppable in current form.
St. George FC vs. Gladesville Ravens – Sunday 28 June, 7PM at St. George Soccer Stadium
As they have all season, St. George will be looking to keep up with the Western NSW Mariners and Bankstown City ahead of them on the table. They now lie eight points behind Bankstown, albeit with a game in hand. St. George’s round eleven fixture was washed out, preventing them the opportunity to stave off fourth place Parramatta FC. Nothing less than three points against the Ravens this weekend will be satisfactory.
Gladesville have slumped into the bottom third of the table, and will have to work very hard to climb their way back out in the next few weeks. Two losses during the week to the APIA Leichhardt Tigers saw them overtaken by both the Tigers and Mt. Druitt Town Rangers on the ladder, where they now lie in penultimate place. An upset win against St. George would be the perfect start to any revival.
-by Daniel Palmer, Women’s State League Reporter
