NSW Super League Round 16 Preview

posted by Artie on July 1, 2010

More action is assured in the Super League this weekend (Round 16). The Mills Park game should be a cracker between teams sitting 2nd and 4th, and Parramatta will be wanting to keep their 1st place intact at Melita Stadium. Whatever game you take in however you never know, with this league, how it will end.

Friday

A 'new financial year special?' - Friday night football at FS Garside Park. At 8:00pm Granville Rage host St George Saints in a game that the home side will want to use to get back on course for a finals berth after faltering in losing away to Mount Druitt on Sunday.

The five day turnaround for Rage may give their opponents St George some edge, with the Saints having picked up points through Denis Cutura's brace - and they also recorded a win over these opponents in round 5. Rage's coach Nick Porreca will want Sunday's flatness gone and will be looking to the likes of Kris Holbrook to re-find his scoring touch.

Saturday
Three games this Saturday night:

Dulwich Hill are back at home at Arlington Recreation Reserve with the visitors being Mt Druitt Town Rangers. Rangers may be still cock-a-hoop after that win over Rage but that will depend on how they went in a rescheduled game mid-week. Their reshaped defence may be crucial.
The home side missed game time last weekend and will want strikers such as Jay Lucas and Tony Faria, and Michael Lloyd-Green, to contribute. Yellow cards may take their toll on Mount Druitt but with Eddie Georges back to his best they certainly can't be discounted.

Down the road at Fraser Park visitors Central Coast Lightning will be hoping their inconsistently decent form will become consistent when they take on fellow cellar dwellars Fraser Park in one of those 'six-pointers'.

Fraser Park got on the scoresheet last weekend through Blaz Dejanovic but player/coach Ante Juric, while leading from the front, will want Alex Smith to also chip in if they are to get a winning margin. Lightning's coach Peter Preston may have found his best formation now if recent games are any indication and will hope that his strikers grab some goals to go with those contributions that have been coming from elsewhere.

Faltering Sydney University are due to host Macarthur Rams at Hensley Athletic Field - but do check this website's fixtures page for ground information on the day.

Macarthur's coach Claudio Canosa will be concerned by his team's second half capitulation to Northern Tigers but with Sam Messam in your line-up expect some goals from the Rams. Having slipped to 8th on the league table the 'students' should still realise that Macarthur are only 3 points ahead in 5th and coach Joahn Caruana will know that if they get some back to back wins they will rise up soon enough. Look out for some more goals from Christian Soares.

These games are due to commence at 7:30pm (Grade 20 at 5pm)

Sunday
Two more games on Sunday afternoon

In-form Northern Tigers are at home at Mills Park, Asquith, and the visitors are FC Bossy Liverpool. The Tigers will be 'battle hardened' after taking on Central Coast Mariners this Thursday evening and it be a real test to see if FC Bossy can stopping their rise (which may have coincided with the contributions of Korean Park Sung-yun).

Liverpool for their part have picked up four wins from four and with 4th spot will be gunning for bigger things. They have to hope that Alex Asanovic brings his shooting boots up the M7 and they can expose Tigers recently fixed frailty in defence.

Parramatta Eagles faltered again last weeekend and they didn't need a team like Spirit FC to come to Melita Stadium in-form. What a tick that would be on their new leadership if they could knock off the league leaders one weekend and Marconi in the McDonalds Cup Final the next.

You wouldn't want to wager against the Eagles as they may have let Spirit get one over them in round 5 and but they won't be so obliging again. The Eagles coach Brian Dene will have done his homework, especially on Leonardo Papanicolaou.

These games are due to commence at 3pm (Grade 20 at 1pm)

Get out to a Super League game this weekend, as you can be assured of a quality football experience, and perhaps another upset or two.