Monaro Panthers roared into the 2025 National Premier League campaign with a 5-2 hammering of Tigers FC in the Battle of the Big Cats at Stryda Park, formerly the Riverside Stadium, in front of a large and boisterous crowd under the Friday Night Lights.
The home side were simply electric and, after an even opening to the contest, emerged much the stronger of the side as four debutants found their way onto the scoresheet, the goal-rush begun by Daniel Barac who slide into poke home in the seventeenth minute following an insightful cross from Robert Tkatchenko.
Ten minutes later it was two as Christian Kreskas supplied an inch-perfect cross for Michael Piccolo to despatch with real venom on the volley, flashing his shot past Willem Lejeune in the visiting goal to have the hosts 2-0 up at the interval.
There was more to come. Kreskas corner was glanced home by Barac, before Panthers turned over ball high up the park allowing for Piccolo to feed Stephen Domenici, the striker gleefully rounding the goalkeeper to smash home from close range.
Marko Milutinovic bundled home with ten minutes to go for the Tigers, and Nik Popovich colly despatched his second of the season after Tomohiro Ogawa had charged down a clearance to add some consolation for the Tigers, but in between times, Panthers added a fifth as Ben Basser-Silk followed up substitute Giuseppe Tine’s saved shot to net and ensure a handsome opening day win for the home team.
Canberra Croatia got their season off to a flying start and secured the bragging rights in the Croatian derby by defeating O’Connor Knights 4-1 in front of the Knights own support at O’Connor Enclosed on a picture-perfect autumn afternoon in the national capital.
Two goals within sixty seconds of each other gave the visitors the perfect start and Daniel Sparrow was heavily involved in both. It was his cross that was steered past his own goalkeeper by debutant Buddy Abbas after eleven minutes, and it was Sparrow who swept home after sensational approach work by Thoams James less than a minute later.
The Knights were second best in most departments, but got themselves back into the contest in first-half stoppage time as Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu collected a Micheal Adams chip to ram a fierce half-volley high above Sam Brown in the Croatia goal to reduce the arrears.
If that was the spark to ignite Knights, it was doused three minutes after the break. From a Knights corner, Croatia broke. Keegan Vucetic freed Marko Jadric with a superb pass allowing Jadric to run and square for James who’s back-heel flick was exquisitely executed for 3-1.
There was time for one more, Nikola Jadric who last played in the NPL in 2019 before heading to Croatia, fired home through a ruck of players after excellent work from substitute Nick Pratezina.
Tuggeranong United and Gungahlin United emerged from week’s in which they progressed in the Hahn Australia Cup to claim a point each from a goalless draw at Kambah 2, a result that was a fair reflection on what was in the main an even contest between the teams.
Both sides could point to moments in the fixture in which they may have garnered all three points, Romeo Jambrek missing the best chance for Tuggeranong as he failed to convert a one-on-one opening, whilst Dennis Ayo was unable to repeat his cup heroics blasting over from close range after the ball broke to him kindly off the otherwise superb Cole Falco.
The only other moment of note was a hugely unorthodox tackle from the hosts centre-back Daniel Grove who felt that tackling a forward with his face was the way to halt a Gungahlin attack. Probably not recommended!
A sensational save from Nick Middleton ensured Queanbeyan City ended their big day, their return to the top-flight after a fifteen-year absence, with a point with a point blank save from Yoogali SC lynchpin Darren Bailey to preserve a 1-1 draw at High Street in an entertaining match.
Middleton brilliantly blocked from Bailey in the final minute to ensure a share of the spoils, after earlier denying Jayce Dotson with a fine one-handed parry. The ‘keeper was powerless to stop Bailey’s penalty seven minutes after the restart though, the second goal of the season from the Scottish winger.
Earlier, Queanbeyan had given the home support the ideal start to life in the top-flight and it was unsurprising that it was Argentine forward Nico Abot who netted on the occasion of his fiftieth NPL appearance.
Thomas Blazevski broke the Yoogali offside trap and squared for Abot who, opportunistically, was able to back-heel his finish past Michael Di Paoli and into the bottom corner. And the South American might have made it two when he blazed over at the top of the box in the second-half.
Yoogali dominated possession and territory in the second stanza and might have taken the points back to Griffth but for Middleton’s intervention.
RESULTS
ROUND 1
Friday 4 April
Monaro Panthers 5 (Barac 17’, 66’, Piccolo 27’, Domenici 75’, Basser-Silk 82’) Tigers FC 2 (Milutinovic 80’, Popovich 90+4’)
Saturday 5 April
O’Connor Knights 1 (Ahmed-Shaibu 45+3’) Canberra Croatia 4 (Abbas 11’ (og), Sparrow 12’, James 48’, N. Jadric 81’)
Sunday 6 April
Queanbeyan City 1 (Abot 38’) Yoogali SC 1 (Bailey 53’ (p))
Tuggeranong United 0 Gungahlin United 0
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Monaro Panthers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 3 |
| 3 | Yoogali SC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Queanbeyan City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Tigers FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 1 |
| 8 | O’Connor Knights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
2: Darren BAILEY (Yoogali SC), Daniel BARAC (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC)
1: Nico ABOT (Queanbeyan City), Lukman AHMED-SHAIBU (O’Connor Knights), Ben BASSER-SILK (Monaro Panthers), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Jayce DOTSON (Yoogali SC), Nikola JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Michael SOUTHAM (Tigers FC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
TOP ASSISTS
2: Christian KRESKAS (Monaro Panthers)
1: Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Thomas BLAZEVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Marko JADRIC (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Croatia), Tomohiro OGAWA (Tigers FC), Michael PICCOLO (Monaro Panthers), Nick PRATEZINA (Canberra Croatia), Joe PREECE (Yoogali SC), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Croatia), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Giuseppe TINE (Monaro Panthers), Robert TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers), Sam WHITHEAR (Tigers FC)
