3 Things to Watch for in Round 17 of the IPL
With Wollongong Olympic dropping points and Port Kembla beating Tarrawanna, Round 16 wasn’t a good one for the IPL hype train.
There is no doubt the shock of the weekend came on Sunday with South Coast United beating Corrimal 2–0 to record their first win in exactly 365 days. Could an even bigger upset be on the cards this weekend? Let’s go over the three things I will be looking out for in Round 17.
1 — Can the inconsistent Blueys rise to the occasion?
After going down to Port Kembla last weekend, Tarrawanna face an uphill battle to finish in the top five. The Blueys are currently five points adrift of 5th-placed Port Kembla and defeat against the 3rd-placed Albion Park White Eagles on Saturday could all but end their chances of playing in September.
Tarrawanna have had an inconsistent middle period of the season with two wins, one draw and four defeats in their past seven matches. Coach Peter Willis acknowledged this when interviewed for the Illawarra Mercury.
“We have lacked that confidence and consistency in the front third, that has been the main area we have let ourselves down,” Willis said.
“Against Port Kembla, it probably looked as if it would be a stalemate but one mistake by us and they win the game.”
The White Eagles won the reverse fixture at Tarrawanna Oval 3–1 thanks in large part to a Shayne Ardle brace. The utility player is one of five Albion Park players who have scored five or more this campaign while new signing Ryojiro Shimizu also scored on his debut last weekend.
Last time out Paul Carter’s side picked up a 2–0 win away to Picton. They’re looking to secure their grip on third but I think this match could end as a draw — which if Port Kembla beat Woonona would widen the gap between 5th and 6th to seven points.
2 — Wounded Wollongong United’s place in the top five isn’t secure just yet
Wollongong United’s midweek 3–1 defeat to Wollongong Olympic in the semi-final of the Bert Bampton Cup means Grand Final trophy is the only silverware the side can salvage from a season which promised so much. However, with 31 points to their name and a host of players unavailable for selection, finals football isn’t assured just yet.
Jeff Allport has an ever-growing list of players unlikely to be available for selection for various reasons for Saturday’s match against Fernhill. The list includes; Alvin Ceccoli, Nathan Elasi, Matthew McNab, Jake Leighton, Zac McLaren, Lachlan O’Connor, Stephen Domenici, Cody Waller and after Tuesday night, Daisuke Yuzawa and Sam Munro.
Fernhill no longer have much to play for so United will still be considered favourites despite their Kemblawarra Fury circa 2017 list of outs. This being said, the Foxes still have the players to spring an upset which could raise the tension at Macedonia Park with Bulli, Cringila (rivals), South Coast United, Port Kembla and Albion Park White Eagles still to play.
3 — Can South Coast United pull off the upset of all upsets?
South Coast’s 2–0 win over Corrimal was not only their first win in a year but it also saw them jump off the bottom of the table for the first time since Round 6. Now, player-coach Greg Valic faces the daunting task of setting up a side to get something out of top of the table Bulli on Sunday
Considering the differing successes of the two clubs in recent years, United have a decent record against Bulli managing to win or draw half of the last 10 meetings. What will be interesting to see is how Valic approaches the match as it comes a week before their crucial encounter with fellow relegation battlers Picton. Does Valic look to go for an unlikely — and perhaps season defining — win against Bulli and risk getting flogged or does he set up in damage limitation mode in order to carry some momentum from the last three weeks into the Picton match?
Of course, United are a Croatian club and Sunday is a historic day for the Australian-Croation community with Croatia playing in their first ever World Cup final — less than 12 hours after this match. Can a little bit of Modric magic dust off onto the region’s only Croatian club? Probably not but it would be brilliant for the title race as well as United’s hopes of remaining in the division.
