Futsal Premier League Open Men’s Round 10 Preview
A top of the table clash highlights round 10 of the Futsal Premier League Open Men competition this weekend as we enter the final month of action.
With just four weekends of the regular season left, the stakes are high on the pitch this Saturday evening.
Eastern Suburbs Hakoah Futsal Club v Boomerangs FS; Saturday 18 November, 5:20pm, Heffron Centre
If the first meeting between these two was a guide, this should be a good one as Eastern Suburbs Hakoah host Boomerangs FS at the Heffron Centre.
The hosts Eastern Suburbs Hakoah will be favourites for this one as they look to cling onto a top four spot four points above the chasing pack.
Fortunes have improved in recent times with ten of their fourteen points coming in their last five including a 5-3 victory over Macarthur Quake last weekend. In terms of who to look out for, George Lethbridge and Cesar Perego are worth keeping an eye on. While they could be down a couple of players after last week.
It’s been a tough spell for Boomerangs FS in the Open Men’s competition losing their last four fixtures. Sitting eight points below their opposition this weekend, they are very much outsiders heading into this one.
Last weekend, they were on the end of a disappointing 8-2 defeat after taking the lead early. Nicholas Rathjen was their best throughout so he could be a crucial player if they are to succeed here.
Rewind back to the first meeting, this one finished 7-6 in favour of Eastern Suburbs Hakoah. More of the same please!
Dural Warriors v UTS Northside Futsal Club; Saturday 18 November, 5:20pm, The Centre
You have to go back to the 2018 Semi-Finals for the last time Dural Warriors secured back-to-back wins in this competition. Can they do break that bit of history against UTS Northside this weekend?
Last weekend, the Warriors showed what they are capable of with an 8-2 victory over Boomerangs FS at the same venue. Sitting four points behind Eastern Suburbs Hakoah above them, they could be knocking on the door of the top four by weekends end.
Back to last weekend, coach Blake Rosier was pleased with his side’s effort coming from behind with Ahmed Sweedan and Cameron Philp the standouts, Sweedan scoring a hat-trick on the evening.
This will be a meeting between 5th in the Warriors and 6th in UTS Northside and it could well decide who will be pushing on the top four in the remaining rounds. UTS Northside for their part are in not-so-great form.
Yes, last weekend was a result they probably would’ve taken before the game but one they walked away disappointed afterwards. Jett Griffiths put in a big performance in goal while Kyle Devine impressed further up the pitch.
Having overtaken UTS Northside in the standings last week, can Dural Warriors solidify their place and potentially mount a finals challenge here?
Mountain Majik Futsal Club v Mascot Vipers; Saturday 18 November, 5:50pm, Valentine Sports Park
The top two sides face off as Mountain Majik host Mascot Vipers in what could be a finals series preview at Valentine Sports Park.
Both these sides come into this one in good form with one loss between them in a combined 10 games. Let’s change things up and start with the Mascot Vipers who are still unbeaten in 2023, four points behind this week’s opposition.
They pulled out a draw from near certain defeat last weekend against UTS Northside. Scoring two goals in the final three minutes, it was the experience of Nathan Niski and Ethan De Melo who found the net when they needed it. They’ll be without Daniel Fornito who saw red last weekend.
Mountain Majik are in a similar vein of form with four victories in a row seeing them open up a four-point lead at the top after nine games.
Scoring nine goals more than the next best in the competition, they are in scintillating scoring form (47 all up). Last weekend they scored an impressive victory over Enfield Allstars with Jordan Guerreiro, Corby Fowler and Robson Aparecido de Souza all scoring braces.
Mountain Majik suffered a rare loss in the last meeting between these two sides, they will be looking for revenge in this one.
Enfield Allstars v Macarthur Quake Futsal; Saturday 18 November, 6:50pm, Morris Iemma Indoor SC
After two consecutive defeats, Enfield Allstars will look to bounce back when they host Macarthur Quake in the late kick off.
Sitting five points above fifth place, the Allstars have a significant buffer inside the top four. Regardless, they will want to be picking up results heading into the final weeks of the season.
Last weekend, they were beaten by Mountain Majik away from home. The Allstars struggled to quell the momentum shortly after half time. Though they did score the first and last goal in the game courtesy of Luiz Lobo and Dominic Cox.
They face Macarthur Quake who have nothing to lose ahead of this one. Sitting at the bottom of the table, they have shown encouraging performances in recent weeks.
The main story of round nine regarding the Quake was the two new faces who made an appearance in Josh Da Silva and Alexander Euripidou who have strengthened the Quake further so look out for them here.
After an encouraging few games and a few new faces, can Macarthur Quake stage an upset in this one?
By Justin Smith
