The top two meet at the Australian Institute of Sport on Saturday afternoon as the National Premier League Round 12 kicks off with a blistering fixture between Tigers FC and Gungahlin United, with only one point separating the pair heading into the showdown.
Gunners had the upper hand in the previous meeting between the teams, winning 3-0 on the field, but seeing the result overturned off the field, due to the fielding of a player not included on the match card. That still stings Gungahlin, who will be keen to get the job done here.
In 20 NPL matches between the teams there has been 74 goals scored with the teams sharing them equally at 37 goals each, whilst heading into this match, Tigers are unbeaten in their last five and have lost just one of the last six played.
Gungahlin meanwhile have really shaken off their inability to find the net, having gone three matches without a goal they have now struck thirteen times in the last two outings. There’s every chance that this game features a barrage of goals as well, with both attacks in red hot form.
Since learning their fate in the Australia Cup Round of 32, the wheels of the O’Connor Knights momentum has fallen off somewhat, successive 2-4 defeats to fellow title contenders Canberra Croatia and Gungahlin United hardly ideal preparation ahead of the BBBQ derby against Canberra Olympic.
The Knights though will no doubt be eyeing off the chance to turn over their co-tenants again, having defeated them 2-1 in Round 7 courtesy of a 94th minute Niko Kresic goal, as well as dumping them out of the Australia Cup with a 2-0 win in the Fourth Round.
It’s not too strong to suggest that the 2024 NPL campaign has been an unmitigated disaster for Olympic, their latest humiliation being a 1-6 home thumping by Croatia in the ‘Canberra Classico’ last weekend. That meant Olympic has conceded 36 goals with only Yoogali having a more porous backline.
Olympic are still in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle if Yoogali can start finding some points, so a more hardened approach is required this time out. Shoring up the defensive frailties is paramount, but with the Knights going through an uncharacteristic slump, maybe hope springs eternal for Olympic.
On-for, on-fire in front of goal, and in a wonderful run of form, Canberra Croatia will be seeking to extend their seven-match unbeaten run when they meet fourth-placed Monaro Panthers in a hugely important match at Deakin Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams have met twice this season already, sharing the points after a 0-0 draw at this venue in Round 7, shortly after the Panthers had dumped Croatia out of the Australia Cup with a 3-2 success in Round 5.
Monaro might find that this is a Deakin club cut from a very different cloth however, the slick football we have witnessed, especially in the past fortnight, has harkened back to the glory days under Dean Ugrinic, and mirrors the run of form they found at the end of 2023.
With the top two meeting twenty-four hours’ earlier, there may be an opportunity for one of these to close the gap on the league leaders and, with games ticking by each week, the importance of a win against those around you on the league table cannot be underestimated. Except this one to be a cracker.
Meanwhile, Tuggeranong United will be thinking along similar lines as they welcome Yoogali SC back to Kambah 2, the scene of their 6-0 destruction of the men from Griffith earlier in the season.
With the top four all involved in head-to-head meetings, there is every chance that three points for Tuggeranong against the team at the bottom of the table, and still without a point, could propel them into genuine contenders for a place in the top four, of which they currently sit six points adrift.
A battling point against Monaro at the Riverside Stadium last weekend meant Tuggeranong moved onto fifteen for the campaign, one more than they managed in the entirety of the 2024 campaign, tangible proof of the continued improvements being made at Kambah.
Yoogali meanwhile are seeing time running out on their NPL adventure. They realistically need seven points to go above Canberra Olympic, due to their inferior goal difference, and need to start picking those up now. If they can travel with the belligerence they show at home, they could trouble Tuggeranong. Their need is great.
FIXTURES
ROUND 13
Saturday 6 July
O’Connor Knights v Canberra Olympic (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Tigers FC v Gungahlin United (AIS Grass Field 1, 15:00)
Sunday 7 July
Canberra Croatia v Monaro Panthers (Deakin Stadium, 15:00)
Tuggeranong United v Yoogali SC (Kambah 2, 15:00)
All matches are streamed live on BarTV Sports.
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Gungahlin United* | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 25 |
| 2 | Tigers FC** | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 8 | +21 | 24 |
| 3 | Canberra Croatia | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 31 | 17 | +14 | 23 |
| 4 | Monaro Panthers | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 21 |
| 5 | O’Connor Knights | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 20 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 15 |
| 7 | Canberra Olympic | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 36 | -16 | 6 |
| 8 | Yoogali SC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 50 | -43 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
14: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (Gungahlin United)
8: Atiya WARAGA (Canberra Croatia)
6: Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers)
5: Augustine BANGURA (Gungahlin United), Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Own GOALS
4: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Michael KATSOULIS (Gungahlin United), Davaadelger OKTYABRI (Tuggeranong United), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Gungahlin United)
3: Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Alen JAMES (Canberra Olympic/O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
2: Joshua DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (Canberra Olympic), Tyson LIVERMORE (Monaro Panthers), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Daniel OLAOYE (Gungahlin United), Jackson PAESLER (O’Connor Knights), Joshua PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Niko PERINOVIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jordan REZEK (Tuggeranong United), ROMEO (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Harry TRUMAN (Canberra Olympic), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
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), 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), Chirstian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Jack LEVERETT (Tuggeranong United), Santiago LUPINO (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Shinzaburo NAKAYAMA (Canberra Olympic), Alessandro PENA (Tigers FC), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Canberra Olympic), David SESELJA (Canberra Croatia), Patrick SHORE (Canberra Olympic), Julian SMITH (Gungahlin United), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Kristian TOKIC (O’Connor Knights), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), 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
