The time for talking is once again over and the time for action on the field of play is back as the 2024 National Premier League season roars into life with a quartet of fixtures across three days of what is sure to be absorbing, and highly entertaining, matches.
All eyes will be focused on the Riverside Stadium on Friday evening as the new campaign officially starts for the men, the Monaro Panthers playing host to Canberra Olympic in a match that will see both teams roll out new-look outfits under the watchful eye of new men ion the dugout.
Both Paul Macor at the Riverside, and Victor Yanes at Olympic, are new to their respective teams but know each other very well indeed, Macor having made the journey from O’Connor to Queanbeyan at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Yanes, of course, is an Olympic playing legend.
Whether the former player can bring that guile and nous shown on the playing fields to the coaches box will form an interesting subplot to what is sure to be a highly charged occasion on the pitch. Indeed, matches between the clubs generally are eminently watchable.
Olympic have won a staggering nine out of the twelve matches thy eave played away to Monaro in the NPL era, but Monaro have won six of the last nine meetings between the clubs, including the penalty shoot-out victory over Olympic in the semi-finals of the Australia Cup Qualifying in 2022.
The League Champions O’Connor Knights begin the defence of their title won in such emphatic fashion last term when they host Tigers FC at O’Connor Enclosed on Saturday afternoon.
The supe-consistent Knights squad won the league by a mammoth fifteen points come the final tally at the end of the 21-round 2023 season but were defeated in the Grand Final on a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out loss to their great rivals, Canberra Croatia at Deakin Stadium.
Knights haven’t officially lost for sixteen NPL games, their last setback a 0-3 reverse ironically at home to Tigers FC in Round 7 last season. Since then, they have scored at least one goal in every single match in which they have taken part. Their formidable attacking prowess will be back, supplemented by the signature of Jackson Paesler from Gungahlin.
Tigers have been in recruit mode as well during the off-season as new Head coach Ali Efe starts to put his unique signature on the always-watchable Tigers FC group. There have been twenty-four goals scored in the six NPL matches played between these two clubs, and this encounter promises more of the same.
Gungahlin United have lost their last five finals matches, the GF in 2020, and then semi-finals and preliminary finals in 2022 and 2023, so will begin the quest to break that hoodoo when they meet Tuggeranong United at the Australian Institute of Sport on Saturday afternoon.
Tuggeranong’s last win against Gungahlin came in Round 5 2020 when they triumphed by 2-1 thanks to goals from Euan Peterkin and Marco Gayer, with the Gunners unbeaten against Tuggeranong United in their last five meetings, having won four and drawn one of those games.
Gungahlin have an enviable record at home to Tuggeranong having not even dropped one point in seven fixtures, a perfect twenty=one from twenty-one in their ledger, and Mitch Stevens’ group will be keen to reverse that trend.
Both teams have recruited well, Tuggeranong looking outside of the local scene and welcome in a trio of new arrivals from interstate. Should they gel quickly, perhaps the men from the South will feel that they can provide something of a surprise to start the new season.
League newcomers, Yoogali SC, begin their National Premier League journey with arguably the toughest task imaginable, as they roll out the red carpet to the Grand final winners, and the Australia Cup Qualifying Cup holders, Canberra Croatia.
Solar Mad Stadium will no doubt attract a good crowd for the inaugural match in the competition for the home side who propelled themselves into the elite of the back of a string of superb performances in the Capital Premier League last term.
Their home form was significantly better than on their travels, and that will need to be the case once more if Yoogali are to keep themselves in contention with the top half of the league table, and a shot at finals in their first year.
Croatia meanwhile have made significant changes to their playing staff seeing a wealth of experience depart the club to be replaced by the next generation of stars, all under the watchful eye of new Head Coach Gaby Wilk, who has bene versing their progress in the age-grade ranks. Yoogali promises a tough examination of their credentials first-up.
FIXTURES
ROUND 1
Friday 5 April
Monaro Panthers v Canberra Olympic (Riverside Stadium, 19:30)
Saturday 6 April
O’Connor Knights v Tigers FC (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Gungahlin United v Tuggeranong United (AIS Grass, 15:00)
Sunday 7 April
Yoogali SC v Canberra Croatia (Solar Mad Stadium, 13:15)
All matches are streamed live on BarTV Sports.
