It’s the Battle of the Big Cats to claim the title of OPC National Premier League Grand Final winner as Tigers FC and Monaro Panthers meet at McKellar Park in the denouement of the local league season.
The match promises much, a team that has never won an NPL Grand Final, Tigers last success coming in 2012 before the transition into the new era, against a team that has won once under the NPL umbrella, a 2022 defeat of Canberra Croatia.
Second on the regular season table, Tigers FC had the week off after their Qualification Final victory over Canberra Croatia at Stryda Park in Queanbeyan and sat back to watch the Panthers defeat Tuggeranong United in the Elimination Final, before ending Croatian hopes of a treble last weekend.
A goal from Connor Mynott-Smith, the in-form Panthers attacking midfielder, sealed Monaro’s place back in the big show, where they meet a Tigers team whose results this season against the Panthers have gradually improved. After losing 5-2 in Round 1, they drew 2-2 in Round 8 before finally winning 2-1 in Round 16.
Outside the NPL there have been two meetings between these teams in which Tigers showed their claws managing to score ten goals to three in reply, winning 5-1 in a 2013 Round 5 Cup tie, and 5-2 in the 2021 Australia Cup Qualifying Final.
Goals have been a feature in games between these teams throughout the history of the NPL. In total there have been 130 goals scored in the 32 matches with Panthers having scored 41 and Tigers a whopping 89. It would seem highly unlikely that a goalless draw is in store in this one!
Both teams have been amongst the goals this season and in Daniel Barac the Panthers have a player who has hit twenty in the league. His ability to find the net, and often on the big occasion, makes him a player very much to keep an eye on, especially his partnership with Stephen Domenici.
For Tigers, skipper Sam Whithear is the man who might make the difference. His calming presence and reading of the game make him a threat at both ends of the pitch. His contribution could be critical.
Everywhere you look, there are match-ups to savour. This clash should be a cracker. Which Big Cat will roar the loudest come full-time?
FIXTURE
GRAND FINAL
Saturday 20 September
Tigers FC v Monaro Panthers (McKellar Park, 19:00)
Admission: $5
Concession (Students/Pensioners): Gold Coin
Under-14: Free
Program: $2
TOP SCORERS
20: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
16: Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
15: Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United)
12: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers)
11: William AKIO (Tigers FC)
10: Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
9: Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers)
8: Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia)
7: Jenno CERUTI (O’Connor Knights), Own GOALS
6: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Danny REID (Yoogali SC)
5: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
4: Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers/Tigers FC), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers), Loick Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers / Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
3: Mason DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Stefan DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC/Monaro Panthers), Zac LAWRENCE (Tuggeranong United), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia), Sam WHITEHEAR (Tigers FC)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Gabriel AYUEL (Queanbeyan City), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC / Gungahlin United), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Sam RACITI (Yoogali SC), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
1: Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Fabian CACOPARDO (Yoogali SC), Isaac DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Luca FLOREZ (Gungahlin United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Chistian JUNNA (O’Connor Knights), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Alex-Junior MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Nathen MEGIC (Tigers FC), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Jack PERAIC-CULLEN (Canberra Croatia), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Joey SEO (Yoogali SC), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Daler TOKHIROV (Yoogali SC), Noah VANDERPOL (Queanbeyan City), Hamish WALES (Tigers FC), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
TOP ASSISTS
24: Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia)
10: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
9: Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Maxx GREEN (Canberra Croatia)
8: Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Phakedi MANDA (Monaro Panthers/O’Connor Knights), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia)
7: William AKIO (Tigers FC), Yoshida SHOKI (Gungahlin United)
6: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC)
5: Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers), Tony SPASESKI (Canberra Croatia), Keegan VUCETIC (Canberra Croatia)
4: Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers/Canberra Croatia), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Danny REID (Yoogali SC), Thomas ROBERTSON (Gungahlin United), Shandon WHITEHEAD (Tigers FC), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC), Kobi YARIYARI (O’Connor Knights)
3: Daniel COLBERTALDO (Canberra Croatia), Giancarlo D’ADDARIO (Gungahlin United), Josh DE ROSSI (Yoogali SC), Chaise DONETTO (Yoogali SC), James DRISCOLL (O’Connor Knights), Cole FALCO (Tuggeranong United), Aisosa IHEGIE (O’Connor Knights), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Jack LEVERETT (Queanbeyan City), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Joshua MILICEVIC (Tigers FC), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Noah STEINACKER (Tigers FC), Luke STEVENS (Tuggeranong United), Ryan STRAUB (Monaro Panthers), Nicholas SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Riley ZSUZSA (Canberra Croatia)
2: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights/Tigers FC), Angus BAILEY (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (Gungahlin United), Nikita BYRNES (Gungahlin United), Abderrahim DELLAHI (Queanbeyan City), Nic EMANUEL (Tuggeranong United), Bevan FOXALL (Tuggeranong United), Daniel GALIC (O’Connor Knights), Michael JOHN (O’Connor Knights), Nikos KALFAS (Tigers FC), Loick LESPINASSE (Gungahlin United), AJ MALAUULU (Gungahlin United), Josh PEDERSEN (Tuggeranong United), Alessandro PENA (Tuggeranong United), Marko RATHOUSKI (O’Connor Knights), Robbie RIMMER (Yoogali SC), Daniel ROBERTS (Queanbeyan City), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia),
1: Samuel ABA (Queanbeyan City), Niko ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Augustine BANGURA (Tigers FC), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Seth BONNETT (Queanbeyan City), Sam BROWN (Canberra Croatia), Fabian CACOPARDO (Yoogali SC), Nick DAHL (O’Connor Knights), Xabier DAVIES (Tuggeranong United), Dylan DEEP-JONES (Monaro Panthers), Bailey DICKENSON (Gungahlin United), Jacob DONADEL (Yoogali SC), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Jack ELLWOOD (Monaro Panthers), FERNANDO Jorquera (Monaro Panthers), Marco GAYER (Monaro Panthers), Matt GRBESA (Canberra Croatia), Hayden HOLLINGER (Yoogali SC), Romeo JAMBREK (Tuggeranong United), Mitchell JERVIS-HAMILTON (Monaro Panthers), Ryan KEIR (Canberra Croatia), Ayumu KIMURA (Gungahlin United), Niko KRESIC (O’Connor Knights), Steven KRESKAS (Queanbeyan City), Luca MACOR (Monaro Panthers), Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers), Harry MARTIN (O’Connor Knights), Archie MCGREGOR (Tigers FC), Max MELLICK (Monaro Panthers), Steve NEALON (Tuggeranong United), Ibrahim OBEID (O’Connor Knights), Deacon PALOMBI (Gungahlin United), Nicholas PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Charlie RAE (Queanbeyan City), Sam ROESTBAKKEN (Monaro Panthers),Luke SAKAMOTO (Tuggeranong United), Tim SANTOS (Tuggeranong United), Vincent SANCHEZ (O’Connor Knights), Cassidy SCHLESINGER (Tuggeranong United), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Daniel SUBASIC (Canberra Croatia), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Kristian TOKIC (Queanbeyan City), Archie VARNES (Tuggeranong United), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)
