The two undefeated NPLW leaders will meet early afternoon on Saturday, and what better stage than McKellar Park to host the first league duel between Belconnen United and Canberra Olympic.
This fixture has undoubtedly become the main event in recent years, with two Grand Finals, a Federation Cup final and a Charity Shield between the two. They meet on Saturday, both undefeated in the league, and in great form.
The Blue Devils somewhat went from underdogs to favourites since the season started, mainly thanks to their seemingly bottomless pit of talent upfront. Reilly Yuen and Alyssa Di Campli alone have racked up twelve goals, more than their opponents as a team has scored this year. They have also conceded only four goals, showing how well Ailish McDonagh and Monique Pinkiewicz adapted quickly to the Belconnen way.
Olympic is the only team with a better defence, with a meagre two goals conceded so far. Olympic will be eager to impress upon their opponents their status of NPLW champions and put the Blue Devils three points in their rear mirror.
The O’Connor residents created a multitude of opportunities last week against ANU, and with a bit more composure, Tianah Miro or Bessie Riethmuller could very well have had their name on the scoresheet several times. Facing the Blue Devils is as good a time as any to score when it counts most.
On Sunday, the Southside Derby sees West Canberra Wanderers hosting Tuggeranong United at Wanderers Park. This time, two winless teams will face each other. The Wanderers have observed the last two weekends from the sidelines, the time to regroup and devise a plan to get their first success of the season.
Only Sarah Whitfield has been able to score for West Canberra so far this season, and finding her company must be the priority for Steve Rohan-Jones and his team. Defensively, they have already shown the resilience and solidity necessary to get results along the way. Trust Amy Wiggan to be on fine form again, with the added motivation to face her former club.
Tuggeranong has had a rough week, twice facing a ruthless Belconnen armada. Sarah West and her players have seen what success looks like, giving a good account of themselves despite conceding nine times in two games.
Emily Pearce, at the sore end of it, has been an asset for Tuggeranong since joining in the off season. As comfortable ball to feet and she is with gloves on, she will have an important role to play if her team is to get their first win of the season on Sunday.
The weekend ends at Deakin Stadium, where 4th and 5th place Canberra Croatia and ANU WFC meet to get away from the bottom of the table. Zoran Glavinic and his team are not used to being in the bottom four, but it is the cost of the last-minute heartbreak at Gungahlin last Sunday. The talent at Deakin should place this team in contention for a title, the Deakin club need a winning streak to go back where they belong. A win at home against the ANU feels like a must for Canberra Croatia.
The University Club is in the middle of a complicated schedule. After facing Olympic twice, they travel to Deakin before hosting Belconnen in ten days. The first two duels did not go their way, but the team Is improving and slowly finding their groove after a busy off-season.
The repositioning of technically sound Letisha Babic as a centre back and the defensive intensity of Briana Maguire made an impression last Sunday, and have their work cut out for them at Deakin too. If they manage to bring the danger upfront early on and be more efficient, an upset could even be on the cards.
FIXTURES
ROUND 6
Saturday 11 May
Belconnen United v Canberra Olympic (McKellar Park, 13:45)
Sunday 12 May
West Canberra Wanderers v Tuggeranong United (Melrose Synthetic, 12:45)
Canberra Croatia v ANU WFC (Deakin Stadium, 16:30)
All matches are streamed live on BarTV Sports.
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | +15 | 12 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 12 |
| 3 | Gungahlin United | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 9 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -3 | 3 |
| 5 | ANU WFC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 | -12 | 2 |
| 6 | West Canberra Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -5 | 1 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 | -11 | 1 |
TOP SCORERS
7: Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
5: Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Alex MARTENS (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
4: Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia)
3: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
2: Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Pascale LA HEI (Belconnen United), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Sarah WHITFIELD (West Canberra Wanderers)
1: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Jaya BOWMAN (Canberra Olympic), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Sofia CHAVERRA (ANU WFC), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Corinne DENTON (Gungahlin United), Jade EMMS (Belconnen United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Croatia), Saskia NEWMAN (ANU WFC), Ella PALFRAMAN (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Bessie RIETHMULLER (Canberra Olympic), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Olympic), Jane VANZINO (Canberra Olympic), Matylda WELLS-SHEATHER (Tuggeranong United), Kayla WRIGHT (Gungahlin United)
