NPLW Round 12 Preview
Contributed by Ryan Doyle
Belconnen United FC vs Gungahlin United FC | Saturday, 3pm @ McKellar Park
It’s a 1st v 3rd clash out at McKellar Park on Saturday when Gungahlin United take on an undefeated Belconnen side. The last time these teams met was in round three where the Blue Devils ran out 5-0 winners at Gungahlin Enclosed. Defensive errors in the first half saw Gungahlin go into half time 4-0 down, but the visitors do still have the 3rd best defensive record in the league only conceding 12 goals, 5 of which came from that game. Last week they put in a composed performance to defeat Tuggeranong at GEO but prior to the bye and break they were beaten by Canberra FC at Deakin Stadium. In third spot currently they are just one point above Canberra FC but remain six ahead of Woden-Weston, who still have some chance to break into the four. Gungahlin have troubled Belconnen at some points and struggled at others, but this is a match in which they will need to put in a strong performance.
Belconnen meanwhile will be keen to extend the gap between themselves and the Canberra United Academy in second, who while three points behind have played an extra match so far. Belconnen will finish prior to the Academy kicking off, meaning they can put the pressure on them with a win, but a Gungahlin win or draw would do the same given they are just one point behind the Academy. The Blue Devils sat out last week with the bye, but the week prior saw off Woden-Weston in the Federation Cup Final. They are still undefeated in all competitions this season and it will take a strong outing from Gungahlin for that to change here.
Canberra United Academy vs Wagga City Wanderers | Saturday, 5pm @ Hawker
Wagga City picked up their second win in first grade and moved off the bottom of the table as a result. They will face a different test here though than they did against Monaro, taking on the high-flying Canberra United Academy. This is the Wanderers only clash away from home in the second half of the season, which bodes well for a strong finish to the campaign. They were beaten 4-0 by the Academy at home earlier in the season but not totally outclassed, and still have the ability to give CUA trouble in some areas of the pitch. One variable that could shape the outcome is the synthetic turf, although Wagga City were more than competitive at Melrose in the Wanderers derby earlier this season.
The Academy thumped Olympic last weekend to the tune of 7-1, and Hayley Taylor-Young is well and truly in form having netted five of those seven. She leads the Golden Boot with 22 goals and will cause the visitors some problems here. The speedster scored a hat-trick when the two sides met in round three and Wagga City will be hoping to avoid a repeat and will need to shut down balls from midfield that play her into space. A win here for the Academy won’t lock in a finals spot as such, but it will put them 10 points ahead of fifth spot which will be a big gap to close.
Tuggeranong United vs Monaro Panthers | Sunday, 3pm @ Greenway
Tuggeranong will host Monaro on Sunday afternoon at Greenway with both teams looking to move away from the base of the table and closer to the top four. The Panthers come in off the back of consecutive defeats, with a loss to Wagga City in Wagga Wagga last weekend the most recent. Ian Worthington’s side are down on numbers with a host of injuries across the squad and there are likely to be a few players backing up between reserves and firsts. But with their round 13 match already played, the side will have plenty of time off, not playing again until the 21st July due to a fixture free weekend.
Tuggeranong played well against Gungahlin last weekend but were unable to pick up their third win in a row and will look to get back to winning ways against the Panthers. They knocked off Monaro 3-2 for their first win of the season way back in the campaign and a double is on the cards here. United’s squad has slowly returned to something approaching full strength during 2019 and results have shown as such; last week’s 3-0 was a very different affair to the 6-0 earlier on in the year. A win here would pull them within three points of Woden-Weston in fifth spot.
Canberra Olympic vs Canberra FC | Sunday, 3pm @ O’Connor
Canberra FC will be chasing a second win in a row when they visit Canberra Olympic at O’Connor on Sunday. They will know Gungahlin’s result when they kick off on Sunday, and whether they can jump United into third spot, and potentially the Academy into second spot if Nik Brozinic is granted all his wishes. Brozinic’s side were held well for 45 minutes by Woden-Weston last time out but netted twice in the second half to take all three points and a win here would put them nine points clear of Woden-Weston, albeit the latter will still have two games in hand.
Olympic were thrashed by the Academy last weekend and will be keen to rebound but it won’t be easy against their club rivals. Olympic haven’t picked up points since a round nine win over Wagga City with losses to the Panthers and Academy since then. Goals have been a source of frustration with only eight scored in nine matches, while conceding 48 in the process. It will be tough for them to shut up shop against a top-three attack in the league, but they can certainly look to frustrate their opponents who will be pushing for goals.
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