Canberra Croatia will attempt to summit the National Premier League for at least a day when they kick off Round 4 of the local competition with a visit to Gungahlin Enclosed to take on Gungahlin United on Friday evening.
Fresh off the back of testing cup encounter with fellow title chasers Monaro Panthers, Croatia, who have scored fifteen times in three league games this season to date, will be heavily backed against the winless Gunners who have yet to score this season.
Indeed, the Gunners goalless streak now stands at close to 400 minutes, and after suffering a third blank in succession against Tigers FC at South Jerrabomberra Regional Sporting Complex last weekend, the home side are in desperate need for someone to break that duck.
Croatia have had no such issues and in Thomas James possess the league’s most creative outlet, the forward already has five assists and seven goal contributions in total in 2055. They’ll be out for more on Friday.
Tigers FC appear to have discovered some form after a slow start to the new campaign, registering successive 4-0 victories and will now welcome Tuggeranong United to the Australian institute of Sport seeking to continue that run.
William Akio found his scoring touch against Gungahlin in Round 3, his hat-trick including two well-taken strikes and a confident penalty, and the international winger is improving by the game, along with the rest of Ali Efe’s charges.
Tuggeranong have an in-form striker of their own in young Steve Nealon, the gifted attacker who spent a week at A-League Premiers Auckland FC a fortnight ago has scored five times this term, a cup hat-trick against Canberra Olympic added to the match-winning brace against Yoogali last week.
If a trip to Griffith is any indicator, this has the potential to be the match of the round. Tigers and Tuggeranong both look in fine fettle.
Monaro Panthers are riding a crest of a wave at the moment, the men from Stryda Park having scored twenty-three goals in four matches heading into their midweek cup assignment at Deakin Stadium, before returning home to meet Yoogali SC.
Whilst the goals they have ben scoring, and the sheer weight of them has been impressive, defensively the Panthers have been sound as well, three league goals conceded in three games a decent record.
Yoogali SC have never beaten Panthers, their three attempts to date seeing a goalless draw in Round 14 last season their best return, that point at the former Riverside Stadium being their first in the NPL.
In US import Jayce Dotson, they have a player who looks to be a regular supply line of goals, but it might be their defensive prowess that is most under scrutiny when they come up against the relentless Panthers.
There’s an intriguing battle set for O’Connor Enclosed when O’Connor Knights and Queanbeyan City meet with both teams searching for a first win of the season and, in the case of the Knights, a first point.
Queanbeyan had an NPL wake-up call in the shape of a trouncing from Canberra Croatia at Deakin Stadium in Round 3, after a pair of draws had got their campaign off to a decent start.
Knights meanwhile have had a horror year. A five-goal second-half capitulation to Gungahlin in the cup, followed by the concession of thirteen goals in their opening trio of NPL matches means they are staring up at everyone else from the foot of the table.
Given they were crowned League Champions in 2023, this is some fall from grace, and they will need their experienced players to pick themselves up and lead the resurgence. Whilst it’s not crisis time just yet, a loss to Queanbeyan might start the questions being asked once more.
FIXTURES
ROUND 4
Friday 2 May
Gungahlin United v Canberra Croatia (Gungahlin Enclosed, 19:30)
Saturday 3 May
Tigers FC v Tuggeranong United (AIS Grass 1, 15:00)
O’Connor Knights v Queanbeyan City (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Monaro Panthers v Yoogali SC (Stryda Park, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Monaro Panthers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 9 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 9 |
| 3 | Tigers FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 6 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 4 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 2 |
| 6 | Queanbeyan City | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 2 |
| 7 | Yoogali SC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 2 |
| 8 | O’Connor Knights | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | -12 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
4: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
3: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
2: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Own GOALS
1: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
5: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
3: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
2: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia)
1: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
