This season gets more interesting by the week and there is no doubt that any team in Super League can beat any other, Hills’ recent heavy defeat of Spirit and Dulwich Hill’s win over St George midweek evidence of that.
There can be no rest for any club and any hint of complacency can quickly be undone. The round this week sees another six matches, all of which can go either way, and as the season heats up, points dropped could be crucial.
The five Saturday matches are headlined by second placed Spirit FC meeting third placed Macarthur Rams at Christie Park, with both sides coming off losses. Spirit especially, have hit a mini form slump, losing two straight after having made it to top spot a couple of weeks ago. With the Rams only one point behind and with a game in hand, a Spirit victory is needed to keep Macarthur at bay. The Rams though, have Blacktown Spartans and Granville Rage breathing down their necks and so they have their own reasons for needing points here.
West Sydney Berries against Northern Tigers is another game of interest. The Berries have brought Damon Collina and Philip Zabaks into the club as they seek to retain their hold on first place and the possibility of an immediate return to the Premier League. But as the Berries have found out, Super League is not easy and the Tigers will be stern opposition. They have a well organised defence and the renowned Berries strike power will need to be on song if they are to come away with the points here. Northern Tigers will have Gavin Forbes back this week after he missed last weekend’s game through suspension while Max Glanville gained some game time last Sunday after an extended absence.
Blacktown Spartans v St George is a tough one to read. The Spartans have been very impressive thus far and loiter dangerously in fourth spot, with two rescheduled home games up their sleeve. While no one at the club is getting too far ahead of themselves, six points from those games would see the Spartans top of the league. They played their Waratah Cup quarter final on Wednesday against APIA Leichhardt and continued through to the semi finals after a 2-0 win and this was with ten men for seventy minutes after the early dismissal of Daniel Cornett. St George also played midweek, losing their rescheduled game from last round to Dulwich Hill. The Saints have dropped points alarmingly recently and really need a win to get back on track. They will have captain Simon Verrender back after he was suspended against Dulwich Hill while Fred Umlil has rejoined the club, after a few years away, from Fraser Park. But the Spartans will be a tough nut to crack and while St George won 3-0 back in round four, a similar result here would require a turnaround in Saints’ current form.
The final team making up the current top five is Granville Rage and they travel across town to Fraser Park. The Rage scored at the death against the Berries last Sunday to snare a point and remain only one win off top, with their game in hand scheduled for next Wednesday against St George. They would have welcomed the Saints’ loss to Dully, that result ensuring that a four point gap remained between fifth and sixth. But Fraser Park are well up for a tough game. They played Central Coast on Wednesday and got themselves a point in a 1-1 draw. So they are starting pick up points now as they look to move away from the basement.
At Hensley Field, it is Sydney University v Hills Brumbies. The Brumbies’ gallant Waratah Cup run came to an end at Manly on Tuesday, but the Premier League side needed a late goal in extra time to take the win. Hills will now be able to concentrate solely on Super League survival which, in truth, they will need to do. The bottom three have all picked up points recently and it is clear that this relegation battle will be fought tooth and nail. Uni still have hopes of a finals berth but will need to start turning those draws into wins to make headway. They had a good result away at Mills Park last Sunday with a good performance to boot, so the Brumbies will need to be careful.
The only Sunday game is Dulwich Hill v Central Coast at Arlington Oval. After Dully’s great win on Wednesday, they will be seeking another three points here. They defended well against St George, and the signing of central defender Mirza Sehic from Fraser Park, looks to be a strong addition to their squad. The Coast, after drawing against Fraser Park, moved above Northern Tigers and to within a point of St George but still five points away from a finals spot. They will need three points here to make some inroads on the teams above them.
By Peter Rowney
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