Points are at a premium and they are necessary for all eight teams as the National Premier League enters the final run-in. And those points could not be more prized than for the two teams meeting at Solar Mad Stadium in Griffith on Saturday afternoon as Yoogali SC welcome League Champions O’Connor Knights.
The Knights are seven points off the summit, albeit with a game in hand, and simply cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to retain the crown that they won majestically in 2023. Meanwhile, Yoogali are three points adrift of the safety line, a place currently occupied by Canberra Olympic.
Olympic’s vastly superior goal difference, means that Yoogali cannot rely on drawing level on points and therefore must find at least one victory between now and when the curtain falls on the regular season with their final home game of the year against Tuggeranong United.
They have hope. Last time the Knights made the trip interstate it took a goal late in stoppage time for Micheal Adams to seal a 2-1 victory, one of a number of goals that the O’Connor men have cored late this term. The Knights will be hoping for a more relaxing time in this one, but Yoogali are out to make sure it’s a bit more uncomfortable.
Watching on, simultaneously playing their own fixture the same afternoon, Canberra Olympic could make Yoogali’s challenge a whole heap harder of they can secure a rare victory and put a major dent in Tigers FC hopes of a place in the top four and finals football when he pair meet at O’Connor Enclosed.
Olympic’s performance in narrowly falling to a 0-1 defat to Gungahlin United was commendable, they defended like Trojans, putting their bodies on the line, and seeking to confound the Gunners at every turn. With Seb Usai near-on unbeatable between the posts, they almost achieved their goal of at least a point.
Another performance of such defensive quality, allied with a bit more offered in the attacking third, could pay dividends against an out of form Tigers FC side who have only picked up one point from their last five NPL fixtures, a run of form at the wrong time of the season.
In that span the Tigers have also conceded fourteen goals, three a game apart from the 2-2 draw at Tuggeranong United in Round 16. Sam Whithear scored twice that day, but an Achilles injury will likely rule the talismanic skipper out of action here. Can Olympic take full advantage and save their season?
Whilst all this is happening the table-topping Gungahlin United will be preparing to try and take another step closer to securing the League Championship crown as they make the short journey across the border to take on Monaro Panthers at the Riverside stadium in the evening match.
Matches under the lights at the Queanbeyan venue seem to inspire Gungahlin who have made a habit of winning at the ground in recent years, even going so far as to rearrange some of their postponed matches there, finding goals very easy to come by in the process.
Gunners are on a hot streak, having won the last seven matches in succession, amongst a plethora of goals, but no-one in black and white will need reminding that the last club to lower their colours was the Panthers, Monaro handing out a 3-0 schooling back in Round 10.
Monaro’s form has been indifferent since that night, picking up only eight points from the resulting twenty-seven on offer, slipping off the title pace and now keeping an eye on those around them as they seek a place in the top four. Putting a dent in the Gunners title run would be a perfect response to recent travails.
Finding form at the right time is almost an annual tradition for Canberra Croatia who, on a run of only one loss in their last dozen NPL matches, have played themselves back into title contention. The visit of a Tuggeranong United side to Deakin Stadium should hold no fears, albeit the men from the Southside will be treated with a healthy dose of respect.
That’s because this Tuggeranong outfit is the best one that’s graced Kamabh for quite some time. Twenty points, and an outside chance of sneaking into the top four should they pick up some positive results and other s go their way, Croatia will know that a real test awaits them.
They need look no further back than the incredible events of Round 4 when United upset Croatia 3-2 at Greenway, although since then Croatia exacted some measure of revenge with a 3-0 win at Deakin Stadium. Having drawn the last pair of matches in the league 2-2, coming from two behind against the Knights having led by two against Tigers, Tuggeranong will be primed.
Croatia need to keep winning if they are to harbour designs on the silverware, and catching Gungahlin United, and cannot afford a slip-up against the team currently sitting in sixth place.
FIXTURES
ROUND 18
Saturday 10 August
Canberra Olympic v Tigers FC (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Yoogali SC v O’Connor Knights (Solar Mad Stadium, 13:15)
Monaro Panthers v Gungahlin United (Riverside Stadium, 17:45)
Sunday 11 August
Canberra Croatia v Tuggeranong United (Deakin Stadium, 15:00)
All matches are streamed live on BarTV Sports.
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United* | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 17 | +28 | 40 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 35 |
| 3 | O’Connor Knights | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 33 |
| 4 | Monaro Panthers | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 17 | +13 | 28 |
| 5 | Tigers FC** | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 22 | +15 | 25 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 20 |
| 7 | Canberra Olympic | 17 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 20 | 48 | -28 | 6 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 17 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 59 | -51 | 4 |
TOP SCORERS
17: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
11: Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers), Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)
8: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights)
6: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Own GOALS
5: Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
4: Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
3: Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
2: Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Tyson LIVERMORE (Monaro Panthers), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Kristian TOKIC (O’Connor Knights), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Jack BITANI (Tigers FC), Samson CARR (Tigers FC), Izach CLEMENTS (Canberra Olympic), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Adam DE FRANCESCHI (Monaro Panthers), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Lachlan FIELDS (O’Connor Knights), Axel GARBIN (Yoogali SC), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Marley JACKSON (Tigers FC), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Christopher JOHN (Yoogali SC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Chirstian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Tuggeranong United), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Patrick MITCHELL (Monaro Panthers), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Alessandro PENA (Tigers FC), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Antoni TIMOTHOEU (Gungahlin United), Ryan ZANATTA (Yoogali SC)
*Gungahlin United deducted three points for field an ineligible player in the 3-0 win against Tigers FC
**Tigers FC awarded a 3-0 win, and three points, for Gungahlin United fielding an ineligible player
