Palm Beach Sharks (8th) v Moreton Bay Jets (6th)
Saturday, 8th June 2013 – Mallawa Complex, 5:30pm

A hat-trick from Royce Brownlie for the Jets was enough to cancel out a brace from Palm Beach’s Justyn Mckay when these sides met in the 1st round of the NPL Queensland.

Palm Beach will no doubt be buoyed by their come-from-behind victory in their Round 11 fixture against CQFC Energy, with the side rallying from 2-4 down to win 5-4 whilst playing with just 10 men for the majority of the game.

The Jets, meanwhile, will be anxious to get a win under their belt after coming close last weekend in a Round 5 catch-up match against second placed Brisbane City where the Jets initially took the lead before a 4 minute lapse allowed City to score three quick goals.

A win for the Jets could see them close the gap with the top five teams, whilst a win for the Sharks could see them overtake the Jets on the ladder and move into 6th position.

Redlands United (4th) v Brisbane Strikers (3rd)
Saturday, 8th June 2013 – Cleveland Showgrounds, 6:00pm

Redlands will be keen to reverse the result from the first meeting of these two sides which saw Brisbane Strikers take the 3 points at home with a 2-1 victory over Redlands United in Round 1 of the NPL Queensland competition.

Sitting, four points behind 3rd placed Strikers, 4th placed Redlands will no doubt want to bridge the gap between the two, especially with Sunshine Coast FC nipping at their heels, only a point behind in 5th place.
In case the 3rd v 4th plot wasn’t enticing enough, it will also be the first time Strikers will face off against their ex- captain, Nick Robinson, who ironically scored the goal which sealed the Strikers win over Redlands in the first match.

Another key personnel change from that first match is the loss of Brisbane Strikers’ prolific goal scorer, Matt Thurtell, who is out for the remainder of the season through injury, though having put three goals away over Northern Fury in Round 11, Strikers will no doubt feel some confidence in their goal scoring abilities.

QAS (12th) v Western Pride (9th)
Saturday, 8th June 2013 – Kippen Park, 6:30pm

The last time these two sides met, it ended in a 2-2 stalemate in the first round of the NPL Queensland competition, a reasonable result given the unknown entity that was Western Pride in their first ever game as a club, and the youthful exuberance of the QAS always an added variable in a contest.

However, with the season now at the halfway point, and both sides settled into the competition, some would say a result would still be quite difficult to predict between these two sides.

Despite sitting in 9th place on the ladder, Western Pride have a formidable defence which is reflected in their Goals Against tally which remains one of the best in the league, whilst the QAS who sit bottom of the ladder, can boast a win over 3rd placed Brisbane Strikers.

The QAS come into the match on the back of a promising 2-2 draw with Moreton Bay Jets after rallying from 2-1 down to claim a much needed point.

Western Pride, despite losing 1-0 to Olympic FC, can take heart from the fact that they managed to hold out the league leaders for the majority of the match and but for a defensive mistake that led to an own goal, can also boast keeping the highest scoring team goalless.

Sunshine Coast Fire (5th) v CQFC (11th)
Sunday, 9th June 2013 – Sunshine Coast Stadium, 2:00pm

A win for Sunshine Coast this weekend could potentially see them back into the top four of the competition while their opponents, CQFC, will be hoping to start the second season on a winning note after a tumultuous start to the competition.

The Fire have lamented their poor finishing in front of goal of late but should feel buoyed by the fact that 7 of their 26 goals came against CQFC in Round 1, as well as the 4 they put away against FNQ FC in Round 11.

Their defence on the other hand has proven to be formidable, boasting the least goals conceded in the league, with only 15 goals finding their way through the Fire’s back line.

Hoping to put a dent in Sunshine Coast’s goals against tally though, is CQFC and their leading goal scorer Chris Geddes who sits second on the Golden Boot tally after scoring all four goals in the Energy’s 5-4 loss to Palm Beach Sharks in Round 11.

Also spurring on the visitors will be a thirst to prove themselves to their new coach, Raymond Wood, who will have his first match in charge this weekend after his recent arrival in Rockhampton from the UK.

Northern Fury (7th) v FNQ FC (10th)
Sunday, 9th June 2013 – Townsville Sports Reserve, 3:00pm

Another eagerly anticipated match on the NPL calendar is the clash of Northern Fury and FNQ FC Heat, a match that certainly did not fail to bring the drama in the opening round of the NPL.

The North Queensland derby ended 4-1 in favour of FNQ FC when the sides first met, a game that also saw the Fury reduced to 10-men for the majority of the match.

Since that match however, FNQ FC have struggled to find momentum, with only two wins under their belt since first meeting the Fury, only one of which was away.

Fury, on the other hand, have four wins under their belt and with all of those coming at home, FNQ FC will no doubt be wary of their visit to the Townsville Sports Reserve this weekend.

For the Heat, a win could potentially boost them up the table and would put them on equal points with the Fury, while for the Fury, a win will move them closer to the top 4 and will restore their confidence in their home form which could prove vital for the following two rounds, both of which are also in Townsville.

Olympic FC (1st) v Brisbane City (2nd)
Sunday, 9th June 2013 – Goodwin Park, 5:00pm

A big crowd is anticipated for a mouthwatering top of the table clash between Olympic FC and Brisbane City at Goodwin Park to see out Round 12 of the National Premier Leagues Queensland.

Both sides will be brimming with confidence coming into the game with Olympic undefeated after the first eleven rounds, and Brisbane City who are undefeated since Round 3 of the competition.

City will no doubt take heart from the presence of NPL Queensland leading goal scorer Antonio Murray who did not play in the Round 1 fixture between the two sides but with captain, Danny Byrne, and Tim Smits also featured in the league’s top scorers, Olympic should feel confident in their own striking abilities.

A contributing factor to the match could be the mid-season break that took place last weekend which gave Olympic FC a week off from NPL competition while Brisbane City played Moreton Bay Jets in a catch up of their postponed Round 5 match.

With both teams aiming to maintain their undefeated streaks, has the weekend off given Olympic a welcome rest to allow them to rejuvenate before another 11 weeks of fixtures or has the break stalled their momentum which carried them through the first half of the season undefeated?

 

Words: Alison Buckley (Football Queensland)