The Capital Football OPC National Premier League reaches Round 18 this weekend with the top three seeking to secure the points to take another step towards potential entry into the Australian Championship competition at the end of the current campaign.
Currently top of the table, and with a six-point lead over their rivals, Canberra Croatia make the trip across the ACT/NSW border to face Queanbeyan City at their vocal home ground of High Street.
This will be the league leaders second trip to City this term, their previous resulting in a gritty 2-0 away victory, however having fallen to a surprise loss to Yoogali SC at Deakin Stadium, the visiting team will need to alert unless their lead at the top of the table continues to whittle away.
Queanbeyan, meanwhile, are hanging on to fourth place on the table despite their 2-1 loss to Gungahlin United, the gap over fifth placed Tuggeranong reduced to two points and little room for error.
This will be the third NPL meeting between the teams with Canberra Croatia having won both previous encounters, with Queanbeyan City yet to score an NPL goal against Croatia, having lost 5-0 and 2-0, but they did score in the Cup Final, and will need a repeat of that performance to gain what would be an historic victory.
Over the road at Stryda Park Monaro Panthers will be seeking the chance to take advantage of any Croatia slip-up when they meet a struggling O’Connor Knights under the Saturday evening floodlights.
Panthers were unable to close the gap on Croatia by more than a point last weekend, having had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Tuggeranong United at Kambah 2, a scoreline that might have been tipped in their favour had Robert Tkatchenko not seen his last minute penalty saved.
In five games played at the Riverside Stadium, Panthers have won only once, Knights have triumphed four times, and there has never been a draw, but Knights form has been wretched lately, the team on a streak of losing the last seven NPL matches they have played, last winning in Round 10 against Tigers FC.
Panthers are unbeaten in their last three NPL matches, winning two and drawing one and in Connor Mynott-Smith have a player in good form. He has scored in each of his last four NPL fixtures.
The other team in the title fight, Tigers FC, were the big winners last time out managing to close the gap on Croatia with a win over the Knights meaning they moved three points closer with a game in hand adding more significance to their home match with Gungahlin United at the AIS.
The Tigers were convincing in their win in Round 17 and are getting players back from their lengthy injury list at just the right time of the campaign, meaning they will be favourites for the points here.
Gungahlin though have rediscovered some form of their own, the pairing of Japanese imports Yoshida Shoki and Ayumu Kimura becoming an ever-increasing force of nature in the font third, and a problem Tigers will no doubt be acutely aware of heading into the fixture.
Being just five points behind Queanbeyan City, Gunners will be eagerly awaiting the final four matches of the year knowing that a continuation of their fine recent form could well land them the coveted fourth finals place and keep the 2024 Champions season alive.
Yoogali SC return to Griffith this weekend to take on finals chasing Tuggeranong United at the Solar Mad Stadium entering the match in rare confidence having secured a quite remarkable victory last time out.
A maiden success over the perennial title winners Canberra Croatia, and at their fortress of Deakin Stadium, was one of the results of the season and quite probably the best performance that the men from the Riverina have given in the topflight of Capital Football.
A young, hungry, and enthusiastic team were simply superb in the 2-1 win and will seek to lift themselves closer to the pack above them against a Tuggeranong team that enter the contest having drawn 1-1 at home with Monaro Panthers.
Tuggeranong can sense finals football, and know that a win from their journey into the Riverina heartland, could stand them in good stead heading into the run-in. It won’t be an easy task though and this match has the potential to swing in either direction, being too close to call.
FIXTURES
ROUND 18
Saturday 9 August
Tigers FC v Gungahlin United (AIS, 15:00)
Queanbeyan City v Canberra Croatia (High Street, 15:00)
Monaro Panthers v O’Connor Knights (Stryda Park, 17:45)
Sunday 10 August
Yoogali SC v Tuggeranong United (Solar Mad Stadium, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 17 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 20 | +44 | 39 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 24 | +12 | 33 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 46 | 18 | +28 | 30 |
| 4 | Queanbeyan City | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 27 | -9 | 23 |
| 5 | Tuggeranong United | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 37 | -16 | 21 |
| 6 | Gungahlin United | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 42 | -18 | 18 |
| 7 | Yoogali SC | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 37 | -15 | 12 |
| 8 | O’Connor Knights | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 52 | -26 | 10 |
TOP SCORERS
14: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
13: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
12: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
11: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
8: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
6: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC)
5: Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
4: Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers)
3: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Stefan DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC / Gungahlin United), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Isaac DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Alex-Junior MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Daler TOKHIROV (Yoogali SC), Noah VANDERPOL (Queanbeyan City), Hamish WALES (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
18: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
9: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
8: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
5: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia)
4: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Riley BROWN (Gungahlin United), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Matt GRBESA (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Steven KRESKAS (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), AJ MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers), Cassidy SCHLESINGER (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City)
