5 Things to Watch for in Round 2 of the IPL
Round 1 of the Illawarra Premier League down, let’s look ahead to Round 2 which is sure to throw up a few interesting points for debate. Here are the five things I’ll have my eye on in the local top flight over this upcoming Easter weekend.
1 — Fernhill’s Round 1 win doesn’t prove anything YET
The Foxes pulled off the result of Round 1 beating Tarrawanna by a goal to nil. The win marked Fernhill’s return to the top flight and in all fairness, they should have scored one or two more while the Blueys barely had a shot in anger.
Fernhill boss Bruce Tilt was emboldened post-match, (understandably so after I wrote his side off in my season preview only three days earlier) he talked the talk and his players are backing him up by walking the walk.
Though, they haven’t proved anyone wrong just yet. They now travel up Memorial Drive to take on a Woonona side that finished last in 2017 and were on the end of a 5–1 drubbing in Round 1. This will be the only Premier League game on Saturday so a fair crowd should be on hand with many expecting Fernhill to get a result.
This will bring its own pressures.
The word is Fernhill will be without a couple of key players (information I didn’t have when I tipped a draw on the FSC Weekly), so I think the Foxes may come crashing back to reality.
2 — Will the real Tarrawanna please stand up?
Regardless of how well Fernhill played, Tarrawanna were woeful. I expected — and still do expect — big things from the Blueys this season and coach Peter Willis admitted post-match that Sunday’s performance wasn’t up to the necessary standard.
His side now faces the ultimate test of playing the 2017 League Champions Bulli and this year’s title favourites Wollongong United back to back. When I asked Willis if his side would bounce back he said, “You got to, they’re two of the better sides in the league so if you don’t you’re going to get walloped,” he’s right…
Tarrawanna had two narrow defeats to Bulli last season and a decent record against last year’s top three. I have this one pencilled in as a draw but I think I’ll need to get the eraser out before this Good Friday clash.
3 — Cringila need to be clean sheet conscious
With 53 goals against, Cringila were the league’s second-worst defence in 2017 and Saturday’s 3–1 defeat to the Albion Park White Eagles didn’t convince me they have sorted things out at the back.
All three of Albion Park’s goals were, in part, a result of substandard Cringila defending. The first came from a sloppy clearance while the second saw Hikaru Kawasakiya head home unmarked from the edge of the six-yard box. The final goal was a rerun of the Three Stooges with a long ball causing two Cringila defenders and the goalkeeper run into each other, allowing Kawasakiya to tap into an empty net.
Cringila coach Wally Savor must be trying to tighten the screws at the back this week heading into the match with Corrimal. The Rangers’ Japanese dup Masahiko Morita and Takeru Okada have the potential to cause all sorts of issues for the Lions, so a clean sheet would be a major confidence boost.
4 — Shohei who?
The last two season’s at the Albion Park White Eagles will be remembered as the Shohei Okuno era. The Japanese midfielder was an incredible talent but with the 2016 George Naylor Medalist gone, another White Eagle will need to fill the void.
Over the weekend, the man with his hand up was compatriot Hikaru Kawasakiya. The 27-year-old scored a double which showcased his diverse attributes. Kawasakiya was on the books at Albion Park last year, though he didn’t seem to be at the forefront of either Jeff Allport or George Antoniou’s plans.
This isn’t the case with new coach Paul Carter who has heaped praise on the versatile midfielder-come-forward on every occasion I have spoken with him. “He’s 100 percent class. If you want to see someone with beautiful technique and that knows how to play football, he’s the guy you want to come watch,” is the summation Carter gave after the Cringila match.
The White Eagles’ host Port Kembla on Good Friday who are a step up from Cringila so I will be keen to hear how Kawasakiya fairs.
5 — Wollongong United, take two
Oddly enough, the Round 1 match between United and Corrimal was washed out which means my number one and two from last week still apply.
Their two title rivals — Wollongong Olympic and Bulli — got off to strong starts to the season which already gives them a three-point lead. Obviously, United have that game in hand, however, it is supposed to be played within three weeks of the original date. This means they will need to play three games in a week during a tricky opening month of the season where they will face Tarrawanna and Olympic.
I expect them not to have any issues given their squad but being behind the eight ball from the off isn’t ideal.
