5 Things to Watch for in Round 6 of the IPL
It was goals galore last weekend with 25 across the six matches. Bulli’s 8–0 win over Fernhill and Corrimal’s 5–0 victory over South Coast United laid on a bulk of those goals, however, Wollongong Olympic also did some heavy lifting by netting four against Wollongong United. Now we turn our attention to Round 6, here are five things to keep an eye on.
1. Cringila begin life without Savor
On Tuesday Wally Savor departed the Lions to take up the head coaching position at NPL 2 club St George Saints FC. Savor had done a commendable job during his 27 game spell with the Cringila and since his departure, the club has been scrambling to find a suitable replacement.
The club informed me that they hoped to have someone in place for this weekend’s match against Wollongong Olympic by Thursday. As of 12 pm on Friday, they are yet to appoint anyone and it is my understanding this is because they do not wish to rush the decision. Former Olympic coach Rob Birkin took training on Tuesday while former Cringila coach Milco Saveski took training on Thursday, neither will be taking a head coaching role at the club.
A side note to this match will be Nuno Pires returning to the PCYC. The athletic forward has been in fine form for the Lions netting on four occasions and he’ll be keen to get amongst it on Saturday. Stefan Dimoski is another ex-Olympic player in Cringila’s ranks, however, I have been informed he will not be taking part in the match after an agreement made between the two clubs during his transfer.
As I said on the FSC Weekly, I would have tipped Olympic regardless of who was in charge at Cringila so it’ll be a tough ask for the side currently sitting in 5th.
2. Port under pressure
“We struggled for creativity in the top third and we struggled to keep the ball,” is what Port Kembla coach Noel Spencer said after his side’s 3–1 defeat to Olympic in Round 2 of 2017. Over a year on, the same line could have been used when analysing Port’s 2–0 loss at home to Tarrawanna last Sunday.
The reigning Grand Final winners and the regions most successful club have had a turgid start to the season with their only two wins coming against lowly South Coast United and Picton. In their two defeats, they shipped five against Corrimal and against Tarrawanna they seemed to give up the ghost at halftime. While their draw against Albion Park White Eagles saw them lose the lead when the Eagles were down to ten men.
I appreciate the side has experienced a lot of changes over the offseason and their injury record hasn’t been excellent. However, I and many of the patrons of Wetherall Park on Sunday expect more than predictable and plodding football.
The season is young, things can change quickly, but the pressure will be on if Port fail to pick up three points against a Woonona outfit yet to get on the board this season.
3. Tarrawanna take on the White Eagles in a top five tussle
Sunday’s matchup between the Tarrawanna Blueys and the Albion Park White Eagles at Tarrawanna Oval shapes up to be the match of the round. I predicted these sides to finish in 4th and 5th place respectively so any advantage either side can claim at this stage of the season could prove crucial.
Tarrawanna have won three on the spin in all competitions and they’re unbeaten in four. Against Port Kembla on Sunday I was extremely impressed by the link up between their front three of Liam Unicomb, Jared Fish and Brad Acev while Ricky Goodchild is yet to be integrated back into the starting lineup after his injury layoff. Things are on the up at the Blueys with the 4–0 defeat to Bulli seemingly an age ago.
As for the White Eagles, Paul Carter’s side are yet to experience defeat in eight competitive matches and they sit in 3rd spot, four points off the top. Last week I mentioned how their striking options were a little thin, they have added Aaron Cimitile to their squad while Hikaru Kawasakiya returned to the bench against Picton.
Both clubs have an FFA Cup match on the following Wednesday which could impact how the coaches approach this match. I can’t split these two but it is interesting to note that Tarrawanna haven’t beaten Albion Park since Round 21 of 2014 where they got up 3–0.
4. Fernhill can put lipstick on a fox, but it’s still a fox
The Foxes came crashing back to reality last weekend via an 8–0 thumping at the hands of competition heavyweight Bulli. The defeat comes after the side’s brilliant start to the season which saw them joint second after four rounds.
Fernhill have proved me (and everyone else for that matter) wrong in the sense that, with nine points, they won’t be coming last. However, the manner of the defeat to Bulli highlights how this is not a side capable of mixing it with the big boys when they turn up to play.
Now they go up against Wollongong United who are on the brink of crisis mode. Given that, I can see Fernhill getting a result here, do I think they will? No.
5. Wollongong United…
If Port Kembla are under pressure then Wollongong United are on the verge of a disaster. Questions were asked after they were knocked out of the FFA Cup, concerns were voiced when they were beaten by Corrimal and the reaction after their 4–0 drubbing by their biggest rivals Wollongong Olympic was well, simply no comment.
The unavoidable fact is United are the league’s biggest spenders and they said their aim was to reach the national draw of the FFA Cup and win the league, both are beyond them at this point. Over the summer the club drafted in a number of “marquee” players who in all honesty are yet to step up to the mark.
I have been informed that the players are firmly behind coach Jeff Allport which is heartening to hear because he is a quality individual and a capable coach. I expect United to beat Fernhill this week. They have Bulli in Round 7 and well, we will discuss that one next week.
