The National Premier League returns midweek for a trio of matches which will have a massive bearing on the standings at the top of the table, with most eyes fixated on Stryda Park, the home of Monaro Panthers as they welcome Canberra Croatia for a summit meeting.
The teams have met in the NPL on 28 previous occasions with Canberra Croatia winning 22, Panthers 3 and three draws, whilst the Panthers have only ever won one home match against Croatia in their history, taking just four points from a possible 42 available.
Perhaps more telling is the pair of matches the teams have played in 2025, both at Deakin Stadium, and both resulting in comprehensive home victories as Croatia won the Australia Cup Qualifying tie 4-0 and the subsequent league match 3-0, as part of their majestic early season form.
Monaro have fallen five points off the electric pace that Croatia pace set prior to the Cup Final and Panthers may be hoping that their exertions on Cup Final Saturday may take something out of their opponents.
South Jerrabomberra Regional Sporting Complex will be the venue for the clash between Queanbeyan City and Tuggeranong United, a contest that will be vital for their pursuit of top four places.
Queanbeyan are, much like Canberra Croatia of course, coming into the fixture off the back of the Cup Final and much might depend on the course of events at McKellar Park for how they will react to this match.
The last time these two met was at High Street where, after Steve Nealon had put Tuggeranong ahead, Thomas Blazevski struck home a well taken equaliser to make sure the spoils were shared.
United will eye the match as a real opportunity to take a giant stride towards making a top-four spot their own, whilst City will have aspirations of their own in that area. These two have recent history in the Capital Premier League and this will be another chapter in that book.
The final match of the midweek triple treat sees two clubs used to recent success lock horns in the unedifying position of the lower reaches of the table as Gungahlin United meet O’Connor Knights at Gungahlin Enclosed.
The current League Champions, and former Cup holders who met in the season opening Charity Shield, have since had a disastrous 2025, the Gunners rooted to the foot of the table and the Knights only a couple of points better off.
The last round saw Gungahlin lose 2-4 to Tuggeranong United, a performance that swung on the dismissal of Luca Florez and a Tuggeranong goal within a minute of each other.
Knights meanwhile were suffering the embarrassment of derby day humiliation at the hands of Canberra Croatia, a 1-9 reverse being a result that all connected with the O’Connor club would like erased from the history books. They need a recovery, and they need that to start now. The Gunners though require exactly the same.
FIXTURES
ROUND 9
Wednesday 11 June
Gungahlin United v O’Connor Knights (Gungahlin Enclosed, 19:30)
Queanbeyan City v Tuggeranong United (South Jerrabomberra, 19:30)
Monaro Panthers v Canberra Croatia (Stryda Park, 19_30)
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Canberra Croatia | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 5 | +32 | 21 |
2 | Tigers FC | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 18 |
3 | Monaro Panthers | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 16 |
4 | Tuggeranong United | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 18 | -11 | 10 |
5 | Queanbeyan City | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | -10 | 9 |
6 | O’Connor Knights | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 36 | -11 | 7 |
7 | Yoogali SC | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 24 | -11 | 5 |
8 | Gungahlin United | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 25 | -20 | 5 |
TOP SCORERS
9: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers)
8: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
6: Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
5: Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
4: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC)
3: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Own GOALS
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
1: Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Nim TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
12: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers),7: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
5: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
4: Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
3: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), William AKIO (Tigers FC), Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)