5 Things to Watch for in Round 10 of the IPL*
A couple of teams were knocked around the park last weekend while Woonona continued their decent recent form and Wollongong Olympic were held to their second draw in as many weeks. Round 10 promises to throw up a few noteworthy talking points so let’s go over the five things I’ll be looking out for this weekend.
1 — Have the Sharks finally found their bite?
After losing their opening seven matches of the season, Woonona have managed to win three matches in a row in all competitions. The latest was a confident 2–0 victory away to Picton and while the Rangers aren’t the highest calibre of opposition, it was the most assured performance I have seen from Woonona in the last two seasons. Speaking on the FSC Weekly, Woonona coach Dan McGoldrick sighted his side’s ability to put in a 90 minute effort as one of the reasons for the upturn in form, “The Corrimal and Picton games are the two games where we have stayed in the contest for the whole time which at least gave us the chance to get the win.”
On Saturday they host Tarrawanna who have won five on the bounce in all competitions. Despite this, Woonona have a great opportunity to catch them out as the Blueys played a strong side in their 7–2 Bert Bampton Cup win over South Coast United on Wednesday night and they may also have half an eye on next week’s Round 7 FFA Cup clash with Hakoah Sydney City. Tarrawanna by one.
2 — Can the unbeaten Albion Park White Eagles go to the top of the table?
A few days before the start of the season I didn’t have Albion Park in my top five and now nine rounds in they are seemingly still flying under the radar despite being the only undefeated side left in the league. Last week’s 6–0 thumping of the Fernhill Foxes saw them jump over Wollongong Olympic into second and sit just one point behind competition leaders Bulli who wouldn’t you know, they play this Saturday.
The match at Balls Paddock is arguably the White Eagles’ toughest test to date and a win for Paul Carter’s side would not only put them on everyone’s radar but it would also put them on top of the league. Two weeks ago they were able to hold Olympic to a 1–1 draw at the PCYC, on that occasion, I was extremely impressed by their defensive display and they will need to replicate that performance if they are to get any joy against a Bulli side who may have recaptured their mojo after beating Port Kembla 4–0. Draw for mine.
3 — Port seem to be suffering from a Grand Final hangover
Port Kembla are continuing a trend which has emerged over the last two seasons of Grand Final winners struggling at the start of the next campaign. In 2016, Wollongong United collected 16 points from their first nine matches while in 2017, Albion Park had accumulated just 10 — both teams missed out on the top five in these respective seasons. Port Kembla are right in the middle of these two teams with 13 points but a failure to get a win on Saturday will see them level with the White Eagles after the same period last season.
Last weekend they were easily accounted for by an out of form Bulli and though Kyle Senior was sent off minutes before halftime, a few reports suggested they had given up the ghost well before then. Now they face the daunting task of taking on a Wollongong United outfit who are finally hitting their straps after five wins on the spin in all competitions. If they Noel Spencer’s side can’t step up their game for Saturday and results go against them they could find themselves as low as ninth and six points off the top five by Sunday night. I have United down to win this one.
4 — Can South Coast United end their near-record losing run?
Tarrawanna inflicted South Coast United’s ninth straight league defeat when they punished them 6–3 last Sunday. This weekend, United take on Cringila and another loss would see them equal Picton’s 2012 record of 10 matches without a point — a run which coincidentally started and ended with results against South Coast.
From the matches I have watched, it astounds me how United are yet to pick up a point as they have performed well against much more fancied opposition such as Olympic and Wollongong United. However, it is the gut-wrenching defeats to Fernhill and Picton which have left the club in the predicament they are in. Player-coach Greg Valic is hopeful a couple of senior heads will return to the squad after run outs in the midweek Bert Bampton Cup defeat but they would do well to get a result out of a Cringila side desperate to get back in the winners’ circle. My head says Cringila 2–1.
5 — The match of Round 10 is actually in the District League
Coniston versus Bellambi is shaping up as a cracker of a match. Yes, I know this isn’t a Premier League fixture but it features two sides who could realistically be playing in the top tier in the very near future. Neither side have dropped a point this season they have combined for a staggering 77 goals which is two more than the next three teams combined and just five less than the remaining seven.
Also, these two clubs have experienced some difficult times in recent years so it is heartening to see them in such a strong position. Check out my write up on what I think is the match of the round across the top two divisions this weekend.
