After a midweek hiatus for the Hahn Australia Cup Qualifying semi-finals, the Capital Football National Premier League returns with a repeat of both last four matches in a bizarre quirk of the fixture list.
High Street in Queanbeyan will be the venue for the first as Queanbeyan City welcome Tigers FC for the very first time in NPL action following their promotion from the Capital Premier League last season.
City have been turning their compact home venue into something of a fortress since their elevation to the top-flight remaining undefeated at home securing draws with Yoogali SC, Gungahlin United and, last weekend, Tuggeranong United following their memorable win over Monaro Panthers.
This will be another test of those credentials against a Tigers FC team who, with the three points, would go top of the table again, a position they briefly held at the conclusion of Round 7.
It’s been an excellent turnaround for the Tigers who had managed just one point from their opening six but are now looking at a run that has propelled them into title contention. Having played a game more they can’t afford a slip-up though and City are poised and waiting.
Following their cup semi-final meeting at Kambah, Tuggeranong United and Canberra Croatia meet again on Sunday, this time the venue being Deakin Stadium as the league leaders meet the team currently fourth.
Croatia have looked much like their old selves this season, the memories of a poor start to 2024 distant ones at that as the ref machine has clicked into gear. Only a narrow 2-1 loss to Tigers has blemished their record to date, as United come calling at a venue they have only ever gathered five points from.
Indeed, unlike at Kambah, Croatia never seem to have to many problems dispatching Tuggeranong at home and, judging by the way they have been sweeping past opposition at their home in 2025, they will be confident they can add their Southside visitors to the list.
Tuggeranong this season have proven a tough nut to crack. Much like their hosts, and Tigers FC, they have lost just once in the league, but four draws have held them back from challenging the top three. Changing that in this encounter would send a definite statement.
It is not quite desperate times at O’Connor Knights, but the rumblings of discontent can be heard emanating from their O’Connor Enclosed base as the team at the foot of the league table welcome Yoogali SC to Caberra in Round 7.
Defeat to Gungahlin United in Round 6 has left the Knights a point adrift at the foot of the table and staring at the ignominy of remaining there should they fail to defeat a Yoogali side who have grown into this competition since two-thirds of the way through last term.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. A lavish intake of players in the off-season has perhaps disrupted the formula that worked so well for the Knights in the past two campaigns, and the change of coach has yet to paid dividends.
Yoogali meanwhile were hugely unlucky not to gain something tangible from their trip to Canberra last weekend, and a meeting with Tigers FC. Goals, which were a problem last year, seem to be flowing with more regularity, but they need to tighten up defensively if they are to push on towards the top four.
Stryda Park will be the venue for the Saturday evening meeting between Monaro Panthers and Gungahlin United, an encounter that usually delivers plenty of goals to satisfy NPL fans in Canberra.
Getting a maiden win of the season last time out, a 2-1 home win over O’Connor Knights, will have eased tension in the Gunners ranks with the return of midfield dynamo Josh Gaspari a huge boost and no coincidence that their form picked up with the return of their talisman.
Yoshida Shoki took his winning goal well, and claiming that success, scoring goals and repelling the Knights at the other end makes for a confident Gunners team heading to meet a Panthers side coming off the back of a second defeat in successive matches.
After blitzing the competition in their opening four matches, the Panthers have hit a roadblock over the past fortnight, closing to both Queanbeyan City and Canberra Croatia, and need to rediscover their early season mojo. They will fancy that, at home under the lights, this might be the time.
FIXTURES
ROUND 7
Saturday 24 May
Queanbeyan City v Tigers FC (High Street, 15:00)
O’Connor Knights v Yoogali SC (O’Connor Enclosed, 15:00)
Monaro Panthers v Gungahlin United (Stryda Park, 17:45)
Sunday 25 May
Canberra Croatia v Tuggeranong United (Deakin Stadium, 15:00)
ROUND 6
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 4 | +19 | 15 |
| 2 | Tigers FC | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 14 |
| 3 | Monaro Panthers | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 12 |
| 4 | Tuggeranong United | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 7 |
| 5 | Queanbeyan City | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 6 |
| 6 | Yoogali SC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 5 |
| 7 | Gungahlin United | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | -11 | 5 |
| 8 | O’Connor Knights | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 4 |
TOP SCORERS
6: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
5: Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
4: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
3: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
1: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nim TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
TOP ASSISTS
7: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
4: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
3: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
