3 Things to Watch for in Round 15 of the IPL
South Coast United caused the upset of Round 14 while Wollongong United and Port Kembla picked up wins which have turned the top five race on its head. A mention also for Zivko Jovanovski who picked up his first win with Cringila last weekend, it took eight matches and it was not for a want of trying but singing the team song with a new club is no doubt a positive experience.
Round 15 is set to be an absolute doozy, so let’s get into it and go over the three things to look out for.
1 — Bulli beat Olympic and it’s Game. Set. Matc…
Despite their coach George Antoniou playing it down, Wollongong Olympic’s ambitions of claiming their first league title since 1994 effectively go on the line on Saturday when they meet Bulli at Balls Paddock. Bulli lead Olympic by two points with eight matches remaining and if Matt Bailey’s side were to get up, most punters would be willing to start etching their name into the trophy.
The Bulli/Olympic rivalry has been a compelling watch over the past two seasons — stemming back to Olympic knocking Bulli out of the 2016 finals series. Since they have been by far the two best sides in the division averaging 2.52 points per match across 72 matches.
Of course, last season’s League Championship was decided in this exact fixture with a Dylan Lewis goal securing the title in front of a bumper crowd. Lewis was again the pain in Olympic’s behind when his late penalty sealed a 2–1 win at the PCYC earlier this season despite Olympic dominating the match.
The two sides warmed up for the match with regulation 4–0 wins over lower midtable opposition and neither have dropped a point in their previous five matches. Saturday’s encounter is sure to be a compelling watch. I am tipping a nil-all draw with plenty of action- as you were.
2 — Pressure building on Tarrawanna and Corrimal
Port Kembla’s clutch win over fellow top five contenders Corrimal last Sunday may prove to be a pivotal moment in this season’s scurry for finals football. Not only did Noel Spencer’s side jump into the top five for the first time since Round 2 but they also opened up a two-point gap between themselves and 6th placed Tarrawanna and 7th placed Corrimal.
Port meet Picton at Wetherall Park on Saturday and while the Bushpigs have shown they can cause an upset in recent weeks, most would expect a home win. In that case, the pressure is on the Blueys and the Rangers to prevent the two-point gap from widening.
Tarrawanna take on Cringila at Crehan Park in a match the Blueys will be considered as decent favourites given 1 — How well they played against Wollongong United last weekend 2 — Cringila don’t really have anything to play for 3 — they have won 12 of the last 15 against the Lions. Blueys win here for mine.
Corrimal though, they face a markedly sterner test in the shape of the Albion Park White Eagles. From all reports, the defeat to Port highlighted the weaknesses in this Corrimal side — notably the lack of an out and out goalscorer.
Albion Park come into this match on the back of a shock 2–2 draw with bottom of the table South Coast United but they are probably just two wins away from pinning down a spot in September.
The reverse fixture finished in a nil-all draw — Corrimal will likely need more than that to keep within touching distance of Port. They do have a good record against the top sides so an unsurprisingly suprising 2–0 win could be on the cards.
3 — Can South Coast United capitalised on the beached Foxes?
Seven days ago I felt South Coast United where within a round of having their fate all but sealed but a creditable 2–2 draw against rivals Albion Park White Eagles has them potentially within 90 minutes of lifting themselves off the canvas for the first time since Round 6.
On Sunday they host Fernhill who haven’t won in their past four matches and haven’t troubled the scorers in their past three. Admittedly, that is a better record than South Coast in their past four, however, the Foxes season is all but over and it could simply come down to the intangible of United needing IT more.
In Round 4, Fernhill won 3–2 in the dying stages after trailing 2–1 with less than 10 minutes remaining. I am tipping a draw here but a South Coast win combined with a Picton defeat will see Greg Valic’s side overtake the Bushpigs on goal difference.
