VPL Wrap: The one that got away

A weekend which initially looked to be a reasonably stock-standard round of Victorian Premier League matches turned into an exciting collection of games highlighted by Miron Bleiberg's return to the State League, a big upset with Hume City defeating South and Richmond again lamenting the one that got away.



Pascoe Vale 0
Bentleigh Greens 1 (Batsis 51')
Hosken Reserve

One goal was enough for Bentleigh Greens to take all three points from their encounter against Pascoe Vale. Evan Batsis' strike in the early stages of the second half shot Bentleigh up to second place on the VPL table.

Pascoe Vale take on in-form Dandenong Thunder next week while Bentleigh Greens host Melbourne Knights on Friday night in what should be an interesting contest.


Oakleigh Cannons 0
Dandenong Thunder 1 (Bran 58')
Jack Edwards Reserve

Miron Bleiberg's return to coaching in the VPL was spoiled by a second half Bryan Bran penalty. The Grand Final rematch lived up to expectations however as the visitors were clearly the better team on the night and were deserved of the three points.

Next week Dandenong take on Pascoe Vale in the last of five home lockout matches while Oakleigh travel to South Melbourne who will be eager for three points.


Hume City 3 (Sumbul 24’ Ofli 28' Canham 81’)
South Melbourne 2 (Hatzimouratis 45’ (pen) Kelly 58’)
Broadmeadows Valley Park

Hume City caused arguably the upset of the round after defeating powerhouse South Melbourne in a thrilling encounter. South looked to complete yet another come from behind victory in a matter of weeks however a late Sean Canham strike sealed all three points for the hosts.

Hume take on winless Richmond next week while South Melbourne play host to Oakleigh Cannons.


Northcote City 2 (Piemonte 58’ Obradovic 88’)
Green Gully Cavaliers 0
John Cain Memorial Park

Northcote City extended their unbeaten 2013 VPL season with a 2-0 victory over Green Gully. The hosts overpowered the Cavaliers in the second half, leaving them with only one win on the board after six rounds.

Former Melbourne Victory player Rodrigo Vargas will be disappointed after receiving two yellow cards late in the game, leaving him out of next week's clash against Port Melbourne. Northcote City travel to Southern Stars.


Melbourne Knights 3 (Alijenad 6' J.Colosimo 76 A.Colosimo 78')
Southern Stars 0
Knights Stadium

Melbourne Knights secured their first win since Round Two in a fairly lacklustre game at Knights Stadium. Shayan Alinejad scored the opener after just six minutes before brothers Jacob and Anothony Colosimo both stamped their names on the scoresheet in the second half.

Melbourne Knights take on Bentleigh Greens next week in a mouth-watering clash while Southern Stars will host undefeated Northcote City.


Richmond 1 (Karaham 5')
Port Melbourne Sharks 2 (Ibrahim 17' Sarkies 49')
Kevin Bartlett Reserve

Looking for their first win of the season, Richmond took an early lead against Port Melbourne with Karahan's header after just five minutes. However, former Melbourne Heart players Kamal Ibrahim and Kristian Sarkies sealed the three points for the visitors with goals either side of the break.

Cellar-dwellers Richmond host Hume city next week, while Port Melbourne take on Green Gully.

Ladder after Round Six

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Northcote City SC	6	6	0	0	20	3	17	18
2	Bentleigh Greens SC	6	4	1	1	11	4	7	13
3	South Melbourne FC	6	4	0	2	13	9	4	12
4	Melbourne Knights FC	6	3	2	1	10	7	3	11
5	Dandenong Thunder SC	6	4	1	1	11	4	7	10
6	Port Melbourne Sharks SC	6	3	1	2	8	6	2	10
7	Hume City FC	6	3	0	3	8	15	-7	9
8	Pascoe Vale SC	6	2	0	4	6	8	-2	6
9	Oakleigh Cannons FC	6	1	2	3	4	9	-5	5
10	Green Gully Cavaliers SC	6	1	1	4	6	10	-4	4
11	Southern Stars FC	6	0	2	4	3	12	-9	2
12	Richmond FC	6	0	0	6	7	20	-13	0

Round Seven Fixtures
Bentleigh Greens v Melbourne Knights, 8:15pm Friday 24 May, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Richmond v Hume City, 8:30pm Friday 24 May, Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Dandenong Thunder v Pascoe Vale, 3pm Saturday 25 May, George Andrews Reserve
Green Gully v Port Melbourne, 3pm Saturday 25 May, Green Gully Reserve
Southern Stars v Northcote City, 6pm Saturday 25 May, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
South Melbourne v Oakleigh Cannons, 5pm Sunday 26 May, Lakeside Stadium

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Lee named Olympic head after coaching walk-out

Sydney Olympic have announced Grant Lee as their new head coach for the remainder of this season as well as 2014.

Following the surprise resignation of coach Peter Tsekenis, assistant coach Peter Papoythis and captain Phil Makrys, Olympic officials have acted swiftly to make the most of what is an unfortunate situation.

Tsekenis coached Olympic for two and a half seasons and led the club to a Championship in his first year but has been unable to replicate this success in subsequent seasons. Olympic currently sit sixth after nine rounds of football in the IGA NPL NSW Mens 1.

Lee is a former Olympic legend having won a Grand Final with the club in the National Soccer League (89/90).

Club President Chris Tsioulos was on hand today to welcome Lee back to Sydney Olympic.

"I'm privileged this afternoon to announce the stalwart of Sydney Olympic, a Grand Final hero, in his appointment as first grade coach for season 2013 and 2014.

"On behalf of all the fans, the players and the Board of Sydney Olympic I'd like to welcome you on board.

"We hope you are able to achieve the same levels of successes as a coach as you did as a player at Sydney Olympic.

"As fond as the old memories are we're quite certain you're going to make new memories."

Watch the full interview below:

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Fighting from the Yellow Corner – and the winner is?

Contrary to all the hype surrounding the Victorian Women’s Premier League this year, on a cold winters Tuesday night under lights in a remote area of the northern suburbs, a team of highly skilled, warrior-like females are plying their craft against the opposite sex in a bout that many feel is unwinnable. Who said?

Words and images By Craig Stockdale

Bystanders from the opposing team are curious as to who these band of females are, can they even stand up to the pressure and why would they even pit themselves against a superior DNA that delivers greater speed, faster twitch fibers and more testosterone than the opposite sex could cumulatively fathom.

“Ladieeeees and gentlemeeeeen, wearing the blue shorts and fighting from the yellow corner, this unit hails from the many varied suburbs of Melbourne, weighing in at less pounds than their competition, a much better looking package and with an impressive start to the season of three fights; one win, one draw and one loss. Coached by the smiling assassin of the FFV, pleeeeease welcome to the arena the princesses of the pitch, the warriors of all women, yes the mighty NTC Women of Victoria.”

As the referee approaches the competitors to flip the coin, the Moreland “Maulers” U15A boys seem tentative, a little perplexed at the fact they are playing against an unknown rival but with a spring in their step awaiting the sound of the whistle to start Round One of this much anticipated encounter.

With a defense that any fighter would find impenetrable, Brianna “Breezer” Davey is marshalling the goal mouth and is ably supported by the awesome foursome; Bella Scott, Alex Natoli, Maddie Stockdale and The Football Sack's Stephanie Catley – a defensive line any coach would dream of. Protecting the midsection from any upper-cuts are the audacious and rambunctious Cindy Lay, Zoe Stamatopolous and Kate Fatopoulos and providing the left and right jabs for a possible TKO are the flamboyant and feisty Dani Gudelj, Edita Mackaj and Pheobe Parker.

The pace is frenetic as the competitors size each other up early in the competition. Defensively, NTC are very strong and protect the many advances made by Moreland. Maintaining possession and dancing around the ring, the NTC advance forward from defense and with bullet like passing, land the ball at the feet of a very talented Matildas player who in turn cracks a left foot missile onto the cross bar that denies NTC first blood. The match is physical to start but the rivals are respectful of the contest and each other with the match of a very high caliber – some great skills on display here across the entire pitch by both sexes.

Minutes later, Moreland counter punch and through a break in the mid section, size up an opening and with the aid of the gale force wind that now prevails, nail a floating 55 footer over the head of the NTC keeper and into the left hand corner of the net.

Stunned, the NTC get back up from the canvass and gain back the ascendancy in possession, advancing through the midfield and distributing out to the wings where the ‘Black Caviar’ of women’s football, Steph Catley, dances around the competition and once again eludes the opposition’s defensive line to bury a 40 foot arrow over the outstretched hands of the Moreland keeper to even up the points of the match. 1-1 and what a fight!

The style of play is fast and furious and yet Moreland remain calm, waiting for their opportunity to pounce once again. A bold and certainly opportunistic shot was taken from the left wing by a Moreland midfielder that caught the NTC napping and once again restored the ascendancy to the male dominated opponent – score line at the end of Round One was Moreland 2 - NTC Womens 1.

No-one was privy to the discussion in the yellow corner pending the start of Round Two, but whatever was said NTC came out determined to square the ledger and advance at every given opportunity to take the fight up to their opponent. Coming on from the bench, Kat Bellesis, Lucy Kennedy and Kat Smith all provided fresh legs for NTC to exploit as they searched and probed for an opening. Battered and bruised, NTC step forward to punish the opposition and deny any forward advances.

Good possession football, skillful evasions and a very gutsy determination saw the NTC push their opponent further into the corner and through a smart passage of play, the aggressive nature of Cindy Lay produced the result all were waiting for. A right foot bullet that ‘flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee’ evaded a perplexed Moreland Keeper to square the match to the much delighted die-hard parents freezing to death on the sidelines.

With the result now determined, the referee held both arms of each opponent aloft to announce the match a draw – a fitting end to an event that held spectators speechless for the majority of the evening.

The next fight will again be a worthwhile bout and I suggest if you are interested in seeing some of the best female skills on display against a high quality opposition, you get yourself down to the Darebin International Sports Centre on a Tuesday night for a 7pm kick off and support the NTC Women’s outfit.

And the Winner is?

Football in Victoria.

Stocky's Scribbles has returned in style to bring updates on Football Federation Victoria's NTC Women's team as they battle the boys in the rough Melbourne winter. Featuring Westfield W-League players and the upcoming stars of the future, the NTC is the pathway for girls in Victoria.

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NSW Wrap: Bonnyrigg, Sutherland win again

Bonnyrigg White Eagles continued their undefeated season with a 2-0 win over fierce rivals and third placed Sydney United. 

Bonnyrigg inflicted just United’s second loss of the season and moved three points clear of second place Sutherland Sharks who also collected the three points over the weekend against Blacktown Spartans. 

Central Coast Mariners Academy 2-2 Manly United
(Lawson 42’ (og), Cirjak 81’),               (Sim 68’pen, 71’)

The Mariners academy picked up their second point of the season with a late goal to equalise against Manly after the hosts took the lead just before half time through an own goal.

Tomislav Cirjaks 81^st minute strike cancelled out a Mat Sim three minute brace in which he scored through a penalty and a deflection. Cirjak’s power shot was struck to well and Dylan Mitchell couldn’t keep it out.

Under 20’s: Central Coast 1-5 Manly
Next Week: Rockdale City Suns v Central Coast Academy
                  Manly United v Sutherland Sharks

Blacktown City 3-0 Marconi Stallions
(Gaitatzis 36’, Major 45'+1’, Rooney 62’)

Blacktown City continued their fine form and moved into fourth spot on the ladder as they put three past Marconi on Saturday night.

Harris Gaitatzis found himself unmarked in the box in the 36^th minute and finished the tap in after Ryuji Miyazawa provided the ball across. The home side followed it up nine minutes later in a crushing blow to Marconi’s spirits as Travis Major scored from close range right on half time.

The ever reliable Rooney added another just after the hour mark to end the game.

Under 20’s: Blacktown City 2-1 Marconi
Next week: Blacktown Spartans v Blacktown City
                  Marconi Stallions v Sydney United

Sutherland Sharks 3-1 Blacktown Spartans
(Elasi 16', 47' Nikas 38'), (Kondek 85')

Sutherland Sharks ensured they maintained only a three point gap between leaders Bonnyrigg and themselves as they continued their fine start to the season which has seen only one loss.

Panni Nikas found the net in between an Nathan Elasi brace, and a three goal Sutherland lead just moments into the second half was too big a gap for the Spartans.

Elasi’s first was driven home on the right of the area, an impressive shot hit too well for ‘keeper Carlos Saliadarre. His second showed some great skill as he latched onto a great ball, beat the keeper and slotted home between two defenders. Wedged in between was Nikas’ ferocious hit from the edge of the area in the 38^th.

Greg Kondek found an 85^th minute consolation goal with a nice header across the goal into the bottom corner.

Under 20’s: Sharks 3-0 Spartans
Next week: Manly United v Sutherland Sharks
                 Blacktown Spartans v Blacktown City

Bonnyrigg White Eagles 2-0 Sydney United
(Canak 27', Chun 59')

A goal in both halves was enough for Bonnyrigg to take out one of the biggest fixtures in the New South Wales National Premier League calendar against their fierce rivals Sydney United.

Despite not their best performance of the season, it keeps them seven clear of United who sit in third place, with Sutherland in second just three points the leaders.

Alexander Canak scored the opener through a set piece as he got a slight touch to guide the ball into the far corner from Tynan Diaz’s free kick.

Just moments after prolific goal scorer Robbie Younis missed a great header chance, Bo Hyun Chun found the second for the White Eagles with a stunning 25 yard drive that Liam Reddy couldn’t keep out, getting a hand to it.

Under 20’s: Bonnyrigg 1-3 Sydney United
Next week: Sydney Olympic v Bonnyrigg White Eagles
                 Marconi Stallions v Sydney United

Sydney Olympic 2-0 South Coast Wolves
(Gauthier 54’, Haydar 80’)

Two second half goals for Sydney Olympic saw them overcome a disappointing South Coast Wolves at Belmore Sports Ground.

The win puts Olympic back into mid-table, just three points behind rivals Sydney United. The home side missed a few first half chances, but Amaury Gauthier and Ibrahim Haydar ensured they wouldn’t be made to pay for it.

Gauthier found himself beating two defenders in the box and latching onto a rebound to finish into the open net after his original shot was well stopped. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Haydar headed home with inch-perfect accuracy as he found the far bottom corner.

Read The Football Sack’s full match report here.

Under 20’s: Olympic 2-3 Wolves
Next week: Sydney Olympic v Bonnyrigg White Eagles
                      South Coast Wolves v APIA Leichhardt

APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1-3 Rockdale City Suns
(Taneski 88’ (pen) )            (Marlow 68’, Gan 70’, Cardozo 73’)

Six second half minutes saw Rockdale fire three goals past APIA Leichhardt in a game that looked set to finish goalless before the visitors blew the match out of the water between the 68^th and 73^rd minutes.

Themba Muata Marlow first headed home from a corner whipped into the far post, before Brendan Gan went up to also score with his head from a short corner routine. Richard Cardozo completed Manly’s six minute hattrick with an outstanding bicycle kick goal after a deflection sat up beautifully for him.

Nik Taneski’s 88^th minute penalty was only a consolation goal after he missed a penalty only two minutes earlier. The result means APIA continue to struggle down in second last place while Rockdale remain in the top five.

Under 20’s: APIA 3-1 Rockdale
Next week: South Coast Wolves v APIA Leichhardt
                  Rockdale City Suns v Central Coast

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QLD Wrap: Top-four trio fall in Round Nine

Round Nine of the National Premier Leagues Queensland was highlighted by a trio of upsets as top-four teams Brisbane Strikers, Redlands United and Sunshine Coast all suffered defeat.

It was a series of results which saw Olympic FC move six points clear in first while the two northern clubs both managed victories.

Credit: Football Queensland

Palm Beach Sharks 3 (Panic 16', 27' Kyle 33')
Brisbane Strikers 2 (King 45' Taylor 90+3')

A first-half Palm Beach blitz relegated Brisbane Strikers to a second consecutive defeat on Saturday evening with the hosts holding on at Mallawa Complex despite a late Strikers comeback.

Creative spark Alex Panic was the early instigator of the Sharks' upset with a brace prior to the half-hour mark, and he was joined on the scoresheet by one-time Sydney FC forward and developing strike partner Jarrod Kyle shortly thereafter.

Strikers' Greg King continued his hot scoring form from the wing this season with a long-range seventh goal in nine matches moments before the break, but it wasn't until deep in stoppage time when Josh Taylor, in the absence of the injured Matt Thurtell, struck that they managed a second.

Palm Beach duly preserved their lead to stay within reach of mid-table and drop their visitors down to fourth. 


Moreton Bay United Jets 1 (Brownlie 61')
Olympic FC 3 (Byrne 6', 90+4' Heath 83')

Olympic FC capitalised on the points dropped by their nearest competitors in the second of Saturday's matches to crack open a six-point lead at the top in edging past Moreton Bay at Wolter Park.

Two goals beyond the 80-minute mark sealed a hard-fought victory for the league-leaders as it looked as though Royce Brownlie's 61st minute equaliser might have secured a point for Moreton Bay, who were chasing a place in the top six.

Captain Danny Byrne had earlier given Olympic a dream start on their visit to Brisbane's northern suburbs and slashed the Jets' hopes of a late leveller with a second in the 94th minute, adding to the impact of young winger and substitute Matt Heath. 


Northern Fury 4 (Edds pen 34' Read 51', 72' Navarro 86')
Redlands United 2 (Way 47', 53')

Redlands United slipped six points behind pacesetters Olympic on Saturday night as Northern Fury put four past the league's second-placed side at the Townsville Sports Reserve.

Fury Player/Coach Gareth Edds restored himself to the starting eleven and had an immediate impact for his young side by handing them a first-half lead from the penalty spot.

The six minutes following the resumption saw Redlands back in contention from Reuben Way's quickfire double - his tenth and eleventh goals of the season - drawing the Devils level prior to the hour mark despite Alex Read also netting.

That was all the notice the hosts needed to re-ignite their push for a third victory, and undefeated record, in four home matches with Read notching a second and centre-forward Jake Navarro adding late polish, ensuring the former A-League club's elevation to sixth.


Western Pride 6 (Drager 30', 60', 90+3' Woodruffe 40', pen 45' Jordan 57')
CQFC Energy 2 (Waterland 24' Crowley 83')

Local hero Peter Drager slammed an evenly-spaced hattrick to fire Western Pride to their third and most emphatic victory of the campaign in Saturday's final fixture.

The Ipswich product has adjusted well to NPL life after consistent seasons of goalscoring at Eric Evans Reserve and produced that quality once more against Central Queensland with goals on the half-hour, hour and final whistle.

CQ would have expected more when Sander Waterland side-volleyed home a sharp move for an Energy lead, but a pair of close-range finishes from Drager and attack partner Russell Woddruffe, plus a penalty from the latter, swung the match heavily into Pride's favour by half-time.

Will Jordan's classy dribble and finish notched a fourth for the Ipswich side, added to by a further double from Drager; the loping striker's neat footwork first allowed him to follow-up on Aaron Christensen's incisive dribble, before he completed the treble by again positioning himself well to nod in Woodruffe's cross.

Braydon Crowley's first of the season was a small consolation for CQ but ultimately one that has no bearing on their last-placed position.


Sunshine Coast FC 0
Brisbane City 1 (Murray 85')

Antonio Murray's goal-fuelled campaign for an A-League contract received another boost at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Sunday as the lethal striker scored the winner in Brisbane City's most important win of the season.

Murray's 85th minute goal punished Kevin Aherne-Evans' Fire team, who possess the stingiest defence in the league, on the ladder as well as the pitch by lifting City above their weekend hosts and into third with a match in hand.

Sunshine Coast, meanwhile, fell to fifth, two points off the top four and needing to find the attacking verve of their free-scoring opponents above.


QAS 2 (Ronto 42' Schiavo 90+2')
FNQ Heat 3 (Carroll pen 35', pen 56', 76')

A hattrick from Far North Queensland's Jamie Carroll, assisted by two penalties, secured the Cairns club a 3-2 win over the Queensland Academy of Sport at Meakin Park.

The final match of the round pitted eleventh against ninth on Brisbane's south side, making Heat's victory and Carroll's influential performance all the more impressive given the distance of travel involved.

The 2012 QSL MVP runner-up made his mark through the middle part of the match with three goals, meaning Alex Schiavo's late header wouldn't keep FNQ from recording a second victory in the state capital in three weeks.

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BPL Wrap: Big wins for Eastern Suburbs and Wolves

Lions' Shoheel Kahn the difference against Rochdale.

Round 9 of the BPL threw few surprises as the two front-runners recorded convincing victories to maintain their solid run of form. Power, Capalaba and Easts grabbed vital wins to keep hot on their heels, while Brisbane Force enjoyed their first three points of the season – predictably against UQ. 


Capalaba   3:2   Ipswich Knights

A brace from Antony Schiavo helped Capalaba to a narrow home victory over Ipswich that sees them climb into the top four for the first time this season.

Everyone will be talking about…

Capalaba’s solid home form. This was the Dogs’ third consecutive victory at John Fredericks Park, with Wolves the only visiting side able to muster a win there this season.         

Yeah, but what happened?

Schiavo’s exhilarating run of goals continued as he got his name on the scoresheet midway through the first half. Mathias Waldmann then brought justice to the scoreline for the visitors in what was an even opening stanza. Schiavo struck again 20 minutes after the restart, before Scott Sargent sealed the result for the Dogs. A last-gasp penalty from Mitchell Davis made the scoreline look a lot tighter than it was on the balance of the second 45.  

The numbers:

Capalaba – Schiavo’25, ’64; Sargent ‘77

Ipswich – Waldmann ’39; Davis ‘90+4

Looking ahead...

Capalaba’s top four credibility will be tested when they travel to high-flying Lions next week, while Ipswich will look to bounce back at home to Easts.   

Wolves FC   5:1   North Star   

A breathtaking individual display by five-goal Kado Aoci stole all the plaudits as Wolves thumped North Star at Carmichael Park.  

Everyone will be talking about…

Aoci’s brilliant five. A deadly display of execution lifted Wolves’ number nine to the top of scorer’s charts with a remarkable 14 strikes from eight games.

Yeah, but what happened?

The Aoci show got under way with barely five minutes on the clock, as Wolves took ascendancy and dominated an overpowered North Star midfield. For all their chances, Wolves found it difficult to break through the last line of defence, but Aoci’s second goal right on half-time eased the home side’s frustrations. He didn't have to wait long to complete his hat-trick, scoring immediately after the restart. An unfortunate own goal soon after pegged the score back to two goals, but Aoci again responded almost immediately with his fourth. A perfect night’s work got better as the pocket-rocket made it five with 15 minutes to play to the ovation of the home crowd.      

The numbers:

Wolves – Aoci ‘5, ‘45+2, ’46, ’53, ‘77

Star – OG ‘52

Looking ahead...

Albany Creek’s defence could be next in line for an Aoci battering in a week’s time, while Star will be desperate to get something out of their match with Logan.

Rochedale Rovers   0:2   Lions FC  

A late Shoheel Khan brace firmly cemented Lions’ position as league leaders and condemned Rochedale down to an unfamiliar seventh on the table.

Everyone will be talking about…

Lions’ solidity and Rochedale’s inconsistency – the powerhouse of previous seasons seems no more – this their second consecutive loss to a top two team.    

Yeah, but what happened?

Coming in on the back of a 0-3 battering at Wolves last week, Rochedale looked more composed and fought out an even first half against the league leaders. As the second period wore on, Rovers were finding it difficult to maintain a high tempo and Khan pounced on tired legs at the back. The striker opened the scoring with 15 to play and soon after sealed the result with a smart finish.                        

The numbers:

Lions – Khan ’75, ‘82

Looking ahead...

Rochedale will be glad a difficult and fruitless streak of games is over as they host UQ nest week. Lions welcome Capalaba knowing in-form Wolves are hot on their heels in second.     

Logan Lightning   0:1   Peninsula Power

A first-half strike from Shaun Feuerriegal was enough to see Power collect all three points on the road at Logan – seeing them climb to third on the ladder.

Everyone will be talking about…

Offside calls that twice denied Power. A marginal decision went against Feuerriegal in the first half, but Baird’s disallowed finish had Power fuming.

                

Yeah, but what happened?

Although Power started the stronger with Warren Moon testing Brendan White in the opening moments, Logan settled in quicker and created the best chances of the first half. Power opened the scoring against the run of play when Michael Butters delivered an inch-perfect cross for Feuerriegal to calmly slot home. The second half was a case of whether the visitors could clinch the sealer, with Logan finding it difficult to penetrate deep into their opposition’s half. It wasn't to be for either side, with Power holding on with their third consecutive clean sheet.                     

The numbers:

Power – Baird ‘35

Looking ahead...

Power will be eager to maintain their solid defensive record and run of form when they host Brisbane Force next Saturday. Logan keep losing narrow games and will have their sights on all three points at North Star.   

Brisbane Force   3:1   UQFC

The winless drought is over for Brisbane Force as they recorded their first three points of the season in a comfortable home victory over UQ. 

Everyone will be talking about…

Can Force build on the victory? Having shown plenty of promise over the past few weeks, Force finally has a win on the board – can they now back it up or will it be a one-time hit against hapless Uni?

Yeah, but what happened?

UQ were once again deplorable in the first half and outrun by a hungrier and more composed Force side. Goals from Guy Bimrose and Lachlan Munn seemed to have sealed the result before half time, but the hosts added a third soon after the restart. UQ managed to grab only their third goal of the season midway through the second 45, but were once again outclassed by a fellow struggler.                         

Looking ahead...

Force have it all to do if they are to back up their victory at an in-form Power side, while UQ will be expected to continue their pointless season at Rochedale.

Eastern Suburbs   5:0   Albany Creek

A three-goal blitz late on from Easts blew out the score as the Tigers climbed to within a point of fourth placed Capalaba.   

Everyone will be talking about…

The fall of Albany Creek. The surprise packet of the opening rounds of the season, Creek have been brought back to ground in this their second consecutive loss without being able to muster a goal.

Yeah, but what happened?

Easts showed vigour and speed off the blocks and deservedly took the lead through Jordan Farina in the sixth minute. Although the hosts were the dominant enforcer, Creek managed to contain their attacks and went into the break trailing by the solitary goal. The start of the second period mirrored the first, with Easts showing more hunger and doubling their lead through Justin McMullen. The Tigers would have undoubtedly had the memory of Capalaba’s stunning late comeback fresh in their minds and they put any such possibility to bed during a sensational six minutes of play. First McMullen completed his brace, then shortly after Apai Ukuno turned it into a rout. Daniel Cunha made it five moments later to sound warning bells in Creek’s defence.

The numbers:

Easts – Farina ‘6; McMullen ’58, ’83; Ukuno ’86; Cunha ‘89

Looking ahead...

Easts may enter the top four with a win at Ipswich next week, while Albany Creek can easily find themselves in what earlier looked like an unlikely scenario of three consecutive defeats after they host Wolves.

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NSW: Olympic return to winners circle against Wolves

Sydney Olympic bounced back from a disappointing performance last week with a solid 2-0 victory over the South Coast Wolves at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday. 

Amaury Gauthier and Ibrahim Haydar goals offered a just reward for a match controlled by the home team for a large majority of the 90 minutes, with small pockets of resistance from the Wolves quickly thwarted.

The first half an hour saw Olympic create many chances down both wings, with the overlapping fullbacks giving the Wolves wide defenders plenty of headaches.  But despite numerous crosses and set piece opportunities, the home side couldn’t find the net with scrappy last-gasp defending from the Wolves proving to be enough to keep the scores level.

South Coast tried to alter the flow of the match with a switch of mentality and formation, and two promising counter attacks were only ended due to impressive cover defence from young centre back Brendan Hooper.

 

The home side almost took the lead not long before half time through a rocket Petar Markovic free-kick, only for Wolves keeper Thomas Hamilton to prove himself up to the task. The Wolves responded in the first minute of the second half when Sam Matthews forced Paul Henderson to stretch with a lob shot destined to find the net.

Apart from a free Jacob Timpano header at the far post going wide across the face of goal in the 72^nd minute, it was the last real memorable moment of the match for the Wolves as Olympic raised the tempo and ran the visitors around the park in the second half.

The opening goal from Gauthier saw him beat two defenders in the box, and to Hamilton’s misfortune, the originally saved shot deflected back in the path of Gauthier who tapped it in.

Elsid Barkhousir and William Angel both had great oppurtinites to add to the lead, with Barkhousir’s 61^st minute shot well saved and Angel’s 71^st minute mistimed volley flying over the bar. Eventually it was Haydar who did find the second goal after he headed home ten minutes from time to cap off a deserving three points for Olympic.

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