State League Division 1 Round 22 Preview

In an unorthodox and unlikely ending, all clubs in the top half of the ladder play one of the other teams in the top six, and likewise, the bottom six come up against each other.
All eyes will be at Francis Park, for the tension-filled blockbuster between Blacktown Spartans and Inter Lions.
Both clubs have 36 points, with Inter lying in 4^th position and the Spartans in 5^th, separated only by goal difference.
The equation is somewhat complicated for the neutral fan.
A victory to either team will guarantee the winners fourth spot, and participation in the elimination semi final next weekend.
A loss will not necessarily mean elimination for the losers, as long as sixth placed UNSW doesn?t come up trumps against Schofields.
A draw will mean that Inter qualify, but Blacktown will then be sweating on the UNSW result to see whether they have grabbed the final spot in the five.
Confused? Then get out to Francis Park and watch the action unfold in what promises to be an absolute cracker.
CSI Sport Ground will host the second, tension filled match of the round, with Schofields Scorpions taking on UNSW.
Schofields have been in scintillating form of late, and even though the result will not have any bearing on who they play in the semi final next weekend, I?m sure they will be looking to continue their recent successes and carry that form into the top five series.
The ?students?, on the other hand, have had a remarkable rise during the second round of competition this year, and the thought of falling at the last hurdle should be enough to inspire them to produce the goods.
It is a rare occasion indeed that a match between teams positioned 1^st and 2^nd on the ladder is ranked third in terms of importance during a round of games, but that is exactly the situation at Cook Park where Mounties take on league Premiers, Dulwich Hill.
Dully have finished first already, and will have a rest weekend in the first week of the semis, whilst Mounties will play Schofields in the first semi final, no matter what the result here on Sunday.
May be an opportunity for both coaches to rest some players with any niggling injuries, keeping the squad fresh and fully equipped for the top five series.
Sydney Wanderers take on Hills Brumbies at Hajduk Stadium, where a win may push the home side into seventh position on the ladder, and complete a resurgence of some kind to give respectability to their season.
Balmain SC have done admirably in their first season in the Division following promotion, and will be looking to finish their season on a high with what would be an unlikely home win against Hurstville ZSC.
Fairfield City Lions and Stanmore Hawks do battle at Norford Park, in a match between two teams that promised much at the beginning of 2009, but delivered little in the end.
Fairfield would be disappointed given their relegation from the Super League last year, whilst Stanmore flickered around the brim of the top five before dropping away during the second round.
Division One
Top Goalscorers -Week Twenty One
The race for the golden boot in Division One has hit the home straight, with the finishing line of 4-45pm on Sunday afternoon representing the completion of the final set of matches, those of Round 22.
Dully sharpshooter, Neil Philippou, has one hand on the trophy following his recent form, holding the lead currently on 18 goals, and he comes up against Steve Biviano of Mounties on Sunday, who sits a hat trick away on 15.
Hurstville?s Stiven Kostanic lead the way for quite a while going into the final rounds, and two goals last weekend puts him on 17 goals and sees him back in the picture with one match to play.
Glenn McPherson of Schofields currently sits on 16 goals, within striking distance, as is  one of his opponents on Sunday, Stuart Meney of UNSW, who is one behind on 15.
18   ? Neil Philippou (Dulwich Hill)
17   ? Stiven Kostanic (Hurstville ZSC)
16   ? Glenn McPherson (Schofields)
15   ? Steve Biviano (Mounties FC), Stuart Meney (UNSW)
11   ? Wissam Hijazi (Stanmore Hawks)
9   ? Todd McCrae (Schofield Scorpions)
8   ? Dusan Mihajlovic (Dulwich Hill), James Kovas (Inter Lions)
7   ? Rafael Bove (Dulwich Hill), Sam Messam (Dulwich Hill), Stephen Tresoglavic (Mounties FC)
6      ? Lorenzo Merlino (Balmain SC), Nick Paradisis (Dulwich Hill), Daniel Borg (Sydney Wanderers), Nabil Codmani (Fairfield City), Domenic Dimento (Inter Lions), Daniel Cornett (Blacktown Spartans), Wand Jajaw (Blacktown Spartans), Adrian Vizzari (Inter Lions).
-By Frank Speranza