The NSW Super League finals series gets underway this weekend with the two games spread across both Saturday and Sunday.
The elimination semi final kicks off the proceedings when fourth placed Macarthur Rams take on fifth placed Granville Rage at Lynwood Park on Saturday evening (7pm). It is the second season in a row that the Rams are in the knock out semi final and they will want to go a step further than they did last year when eliminated by Spirit FC after extra time.
There is nothing between these two sides though. Both matches this season have ended in a 1-1 draw and it is likely that this game will be just as close. There will be plenty of strike power on show that’s for sure, with the Rams’ Shannon Hankin and Chris Gomez having scored twenty between them this season while Granville’s Kris Holbrook has got thirteen of his own.
But while the Rage will need to keep an eye on the Gomez/Hankin roadshow, they will do well to keep Steve Lloyd under wraps too, the tall striker having got six to his credit.
Add Craig Cooley, with his renowned overlaps, and the Rams are dangerous going forward. The Rage backline, led by captain Daniel Carozza, and with the experienced Jason Holmes in goal, will be more than keen to show their worth. It is three years since the Rage last made the finals, they won’t want this one to end in the first week.
The preliminary semi final on Sunday pits West Sydney Berries (2nd) against St George (3rd) at Lidcombe Oval (3pm). Both clubs had aims for the premiership this season and while the Saints never quite got into pole position, the Berries certainly did and it was only a late stumble that saw them relinquish number one spot in the final few weeks. They will be seeking to make amends and certainly showed their intent last week, defeating Spirit 7-0 away. That is sending a warning by anyone’s measure.
The Berries were the league top scorers with a massive 52 goals in the “goals for” column and they have any number of players who can hit the back of the net. Dimitri Zakilas and Kodjo Adjassou formed a lethal partnership up front last weekend, their pace proving a handful, in the absence of the injured John Tsironis. Stefan de Jesus and Ante Deur also scored regularly this season so St George will need to keep a close watch.
One thing in St George’s favour is that if the Berries have the best attack in the league, the Saints have the best defence. Only 26 goals were conceded, the best of any club and the central defensive pairing of Mark Bariamis and Michael Smith will be marshalling the backline again. Bariamis, with the Berries last season, won’t need any special encouragement this weekend.
The season kicked off with this fixture way back in round one, the 1-1 draw seeing a share of the points. But the Berries comfortably won in the return at St George Stadium, by 3-0, inflicting on the Saints their biggest loss of the season, the only time during the year that St George conceded three in one game.
So there is plenty to prove this coming Sunday, for both sides, and it a tasty prospect indeed.
In the Under 20s finals, the elimination semi final sees Central Coast play Hills Brumbies at Lynwood Park on Saturday (ko 4.30pm) while the preliminary semi final at Lidcombe Oval on Sunday features Spirit FC v St George (ko 12.30pm).
-By Peter Rowney
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