5 Things to Watch for in Round 8 of the IPL
After a couple of noteworthy results last weekend, Round 8 promises to throw up some interesting talking points. Perhaps the most prominent feature will be the significant drop off in temperatures across the region after a couple of months of unusually warm weather. It will be just 15 degrees come kick off in the match at Ocean Park on Saturday, however, it’s expected to feel as low as 8. Anyway, let’s check out the five things to keep an eye on this weekend.
1 — Albion Park face an Olympic test of their credentials
The match of the round will feature the best team in the league in Wollongong Olympic and the only undefeated team in the Albion Park White Eagles.
Olympic have won six out of seven league matches this season including a grinding 1–0 win over Port Kembla last weekend. Yusuke Ueda scored the winner just before halftime and the forward leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals after scoring in all but one match.
As for the White Eagles, they bounced back from FFA Cup disappointment by recording a comfortable 5–0 win over Woonona. Kody Maude scored a brace while Chris Gomez and Hikaru Kawasakiya also scored — Paul Carter’s side doesn’t have a Ueda-like figure up top but this attacking trio seems to be clicking.
Another subplot to this one is is Olympic juggernaut Vaughan Patterson playing his first competitive match against the side he skippered to Grand Final glory in 2016. No doubt he’ll be keen to find the back of the net on Saturday.
Albion Park deserves to be where they are but they are yet to face the big boys. Olympic are most certainly one of the big boys so they’re my tip for this one.
2 — Corrimal striker stokes are a concern
Corrimal suffered a slight setback last Sunday when they were beaten 2–0 by Tarrawanna. The defeat ended a five-match unbeaten run which had the side as high as fourth. On Wednesday night they were able to recover and record a 3–1 win over Picton to progress to the fourth round of the Bert Bampton Cup. While Corrimal did enough to get the result, what was evident was the lack of a proper number 9 with midfielder Mohammed Ellahi playing up top.
Van Elia has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury while Tim Wylie has been given a fifty-fifty chance of playing this weekend against Woonona. With or without a recognised striker, Corrimal, with the likes of Masahiko Morita and Takeru Okada should have enough firepower to kill off the Sharks. However, with Wollongong Olympic and Bulli on the horizon, their lack of options up front will hinder them.
3 — Tarrawanna trio of ex-Rangers to take on Picton
Daniel Goodhew, Brad Durrant and Brad Jones were integral in Picton’s rise from the second division to Premier League finals football but over the summer the trio made the move to the Tarrawanna Blueys. Goodhew and Durrant have been ever-present in Tarrawanna’s starting eleven this season while Jones has had to bide his time behind first choice goalkeeper Adam Rodriguez.
This weekend they go up against their former side for the first time in a competitive league match. The trio started in the Blueys’ 4–0 win over the Rangers in the Preseason Cup, however, the extra edge of a regular season match will provide a compelling subplot.
Tarrawanna recovered from their set back against Albion Park a fortnight ago with a win in the FFA Cup followed by a solid 2–0 win over top-five rivals Corrimal. As for Picton, they are in a relative purple patch which includes their first win of the season over South Coast United and narrow defeats to the White Eagles and Port Kembla. I watched Picton against Corrimal in the Bert Bampton Cup on Wednesday night and although they went down 3–1 there were positive signs for Brett Morley’s men.
4 — Fernhill have convinced me to tip them, sort of
Fernhill picked up their fourth win of the season with a 1–0 win over Cringila last weekend. I have been told the Foxes were without four first-team players for the match and they at times rode their luck (including Cringila missing a penalty), however, Shinsei Tanaka’s fifth goal of the season sees Bruce Tilt’s side stay within striking distance of the top five.
Next up is a home match against an out of form Port Kembla which starts an interesting month-long spell where they also have Albion Park, Corrimal and Picton. If they are to still be in the hunt for finals come the turn of the season, results in two of these matches is close to a must.
I have tipped against Fernhill every week thus far, a trend which will change this week. I reckon they can pick up a draw here though Port could be buoyed by the potential return of Cameron Morgan.
5 — Are Wollongong United turning a corner?
How things can change, 100 minutes of football ago Wollongong United were 1–1 against Fernhill and three points outside the top five. Play those 100 minutes and they end up beating the Foxes 3–1 before knocking off a previously perfect Bulli 1–0 in a cagey affair which sees them firmly inside the top five.
I spoke with United boss Jeff Allport on this week’s FSC Weekly and he admitted being able to name defenders Mark Every, Lachlan O’Connor and Matt Gordon in the same matchday squad for the first time this season was a huge positive. Apparently Every put in a massive performance while Gordon was able to complete the whole match which wasn’t expected. A solid backline could be key to United going forward.
United will be firm favourites in every match they play up until Round 16 when they travel to the PCYC. If they are to mount a serious comeback in the title race, they will probably need to collect at least 20 of 24 points on offer.
They face South Coast United on Sunday at Dandaloo, anything less than three points and they may as well not have beaten Bulli.
