Round 18 Preview – Men’s State League
The 4 questions that will finally be answered in the ultimate round of the Men’s State League Competition.
Can Bankstown hold on and win the Premiership over Camden?
Who will be crowned Club Champions – Camden or Nepean?
Which teams will qualify for the finals series?
And which unlucky team will take home this season’s wooden spoon?
They’re the questions on every fan’s lips as we enter the final and most exciting round of the competition.
Camden Tigers (2nd) vs Nepean FC (3rd) – Sunday 3pm
This is the big one.
With just 11 points separating these two sides in the Club Championship and 21 points up for grabs, this match will decide which club is eligible for promotion from the Men’s State League competition.
The script could not be any more dramatic.
Camden, with the best attack in the league, and a goal scorer in Jayden Russell who has scored more goals on his own than 30% of the teams in the competition; verses Nepean, with the best defence in the league and an attack that is beginning to fire with 7 goals in 2 games.
Fans couldn’t ask for a more exciting match-up.
“The best club in the Men’s State League competition” – it’s an enviable title. One that many teams can only dream of.
On Sunday night, the dreams of either Nepean or Camden will come true in the most anticipated clash of the season.
FC Gazy Auburn (10th) vs Wagga City Wanderers (9th) – Sunday 3pm
Like a game of pass-the-parcel – only with a prize nobody wants – FC Gazy and Wagga City have been trading ownership of the wooden spoon all season.
But the music is about to stop and you don’t want to be the one holding the parcel.
The spoon looks destined to be going home with FC Gazy, who sit three points behind Wagga City.
Three points is obviously not an insurmountable task, but the five-goal gap in goal differential could prove a mountain too high to climb.
FC Gazy put three past UNSW last week and will be hoping to take that goal-scoring form into this game against Wagga. They will also be buoyed by the fact they defeated Wagga in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Wagga make their last road trip for the season, much to the delight of their fuel tanks and wallets.
Season 2017 has been a steep learning curve for Ben Schmid’s team. Their spirited displays have often yielded nothing more than disappointing defeats.
A year to forget for both Wagga City and FC Gazy, but one they’ll always remember if they’re the ones left holding the dreaded wooden spoon on Sunday afternoon.
Hurstville City Minotaurs (7th) vs Bankstown United (1st) – Sunday 3pm
Bankstown are just 90 minutes away from being crowned premiers in the Men’s State League competition.
With a five point goal differential in their favour against rivals Camden, a draw should be enough for Bankstown, although knowing the attacking firepower Camden possess, Claudio Canosa will not want to leave anything to chance.
The Minotaurs season has receded into obscurity in recent weeks, but will revel in the opportunity to thrust their name in the headlines by spoiling Bankstown’s party.
If Peter Sarikakas’s side manage to claim an unlikely victory, it would open the door for Camden to steal the premiership trophy off Bankstown in dramatic style.
Whose name will be etched on the famous trophy at the end of this match?
Will it be Bankstown?
Or will it be Camden?
Prospect United (6th) vs Hurstville FC (4th) – Sunday 3pm
Prospect fought bravely, but their draw at home to Camden last round has brought the curtain down on an entertaining and promising season.
In just 12 months, Darren Camilleri has transformed his team into a genuine championship threat, and there will undoubtedly be many teams in the top four pleased to see Prospect miss out on the finals this year.
Hurstville FC’s incredible run of six wins from seven games has seen them surge up the competition table, and are now on the verge of qualifying for the finals.
With UNSW just one point behind in fifth, Hurstville FC know anything other than three points could see them crash out of the top four altogether.
But collecting three points away to Prospect is no easy feat. They haven’t lost at home since round 2 and beat Hurstville FC resoundingly earlier in the season.
Can Hurstville FC claim one final victory to secure their place in the top four? or will Prospect break their hearts and answer the prayers of hopefuly UNSW fans?
Western Condors FC (8th) vs UNSW (5th) – Sunday 3pm
Cross your fingers, arms, toes and legs UNSW fans because if your team is going to have any chance of playing finals football, you need to beat Western Condors and hope Prospect can take a point or three off Hurstville.
It’s not an impossible scenario.
But UNSW can only control their own result and will need to perform at their best to take all three points off Western Condors.
A surprise draw against Camden in round 16 has reminded all in the competition just what Condors are capable of, and after UNSW’s stuttering form of late, victory is far from guaranteed.
No doubt UNSW will have their spies out keeping a watchful eye over proceedings between Prospect and Hurstville, and news filtering out from that match will unquestionably have an impact on the result and emotion of this game.
UNSW know what they have to do to keep their end of the bargain, will Prospect do the same?
Form Guide:
Hurstville FC (W,W,W)
Nepean FC (W,W,W)
Bankstown United (W,W,L)
UNSW (W,L,L)
Prospect United (D,W,W)
Camden Tigers (D,D,W)
Western Condors (L,D,L)
Hurstville City Minotaurs (L,L,W)
FC Gazy Auburn (L,L,L)
Wagga City Wanderers (L, L, L)
– By Ryan Latty
