Round 18 preview

Views: 802 Posts: 9
Mr Entertainment
wrote on 31-Jul-19 16:08

Well i know it's been a bit of time away from this beautiful media outlet, but who could keep me away with only 2 rounds to play.

A lot of hype around who is going to get relegated, but let go through it one by one with some seriously dramatic games to play out this week.

Love this time of year..


Epping Fc v Ravens

By far the ugliest game this round with both managers having been slapped with the ugly stick multiple times over the years. Apart from looks, both teams are exactly where they should be - on the bottom - playing pretty much the ugliest brand of football known in the GHFA.

Epping setup with a narrow 4-4-2 with literally no width, and have maniac's in the center of the park who will kick and scream for everything including the half time whistle. Now compare that to a kick and chase team in the Ravens(disguised as zebras) who wil setup with a 4-3-3 with Jack(in the bean stalk) in the center of the park and some of the hardest hitting Center backs in the league and we have a mouth watering state of origin style game.

Key features would be to see if Mitch Bradshaw anchors the defence again or is he suspended for an acculuation of yellow cards? or will Dennis Garde add to his tally of Goals on the Stadio de YMCA? It may come down to freshly demoted reserve grader Manuel Napoli being injected late to steal the winner for Ravens.

To add more salt to your mouth, currently this game is the only uncovered game in the PL this weekend according to the GHFRA website.

My tip - Ravens 2-1 in an extremely close one



Penno v North Epping Rangers

Penno who started the season so strong being finalist in the GHFA cup and with cementing their spot in the top 4 a few weeks back, seem to have taken their foot off the gas and have to beware of the ever so desperate North Epping squad as they out of the bottom 5 teams have the hardest run home.

It's pretty obvious that Penno are light on numbers with a completley new backline and missing key midfielders. I wonder if these guys are preserving their squad for the finals as they are pretty much guarenteed a finals birth in both grade, which is very commendable by any stretch of the imagination.

North Epping on the other hand, have pulled some massive results in recent weeks and from what we can see are starting to gel. Their young squad should be able to match the Penno midfield(as it is riddled with injury) and with the knowledge that YMCA & RAVENS will do battle this week it could see them left on the bottom with one to go if they don't get at least one point. This will be very disappointing for their young coaching staff after only being promoted to the PL some 3 seasons back.

For once this season the rangers can't blame the surface for an uneven bounce as it will be played at the amazing pennant hills football facility.

My tip - North Epping in an upset 3-2 with Penno stacking their reserve grade squad to 100% lock in a reserve grade finals berth.



West Ryde v West Penno

The battle of the WEST. Newly crowned champions West Penno vs Relegation struck West Ryde.
Gone are the days of Coach Jules, here are the days of the new WPH! With West Penno being by far the stand out team in the comp by light years, it's hard to see them loosing this one. Super stars all over the pitch from Golden boot Kane Glavicar accompioned with the lightening quick Timmy Irvin( aka DASH) and backed by Zalunardo, Manuels and Luke Glavicar, one would assuming its not a matter of winning, it's a matter of winning by how much?

Having said that, West Ryde are the only team to take points off West Penno beating them in this same clash Round 1, 2-0 at Campbell Park - No mean feet. Beat an unbeaten team of superstars on their home ground!

To be quite honest, it doesn't really surprise me that much, Rovers have been a decent building squad over the past few seasons and well deserve to be in the PL. From what we have seen this year it's been one of those years for the Rovers, knocking over the best in the business and coming unstuck against the cellar dwellars. It's really about who is available and who turns up come 3pm down at the freezing LH Waud pitch on Sat.

West Ryde, along with the Hawks find themselves in a very weird position where they can still be relegated and still make the 4. It's almost uncanny how it's going to pan out over the next 2 weeks.

My Tip - How can i go past WPH - WPH 3-0


Normo v Epping Eastwood

Both teams are on a 0 goal difference after 16 games! Normo 23/23, Tigers 24/24!

Over the years there is no love lost between these two heavy hitters. It was only last year that Normo were flying high with(and i'm happy to be corrected) not loosing a game at this point in the competition. A stat almost unheard of in the modern game these days. But EEW lead by Michael Mouysis have literally a team full of superstars in Peaty, Turner, Wright, Mcgoogan. The real question is who will they risk fielding as these aging superstars are approaching their expiry date.

The team from Boronia need to be on their best behaviour as they have already lost 2 competition points this season for what can only be described as "grubbiness" and furthermore their supporters have been put on a bond with the GHFA for Match day abuse towards officals. Lucky there is a fence around Normanhurst oval to seperate supporters..
The real question is can the Tigers bounce back after having their pants pulled down last year.

Normo on the other hand are coming off a win which secured survial in the 2020 GHFA PL and funnily enough can still technically make the 4 with some late season heroic's.

That said, this is one of most probably the juiciest match up of the modern day Premier League. Both teams very quick, very direct and very physical. I can almost guarentee there will be a red card or two in this on with challenges flying left right and center.

Remember that it was this fixture 3 years ago with the scores locked at 1-1(EEW needing to win to win the comp), EEW score to make it 2-1 and the ref blunder pulled it back to 1-1, however credit to the genuine blokes from Normo literally gave the goal to EEW and the game finished 2-1 and won them the comp.

This time round it won't be like that at all, both team everything to play for.

My Tip - Normo 1-0 in a desperate, physical encounter on Normanhurst Oval.


Hawks v ST Andrews

Another two heavy hitters go at it hammer and tong with second place ST Andrews visiting the Hills Hawks at Hayes park.
Funnily enough, these teams have conceeded the same amount of goals, however are seperated by 10 competition points and 4 places!

What has happened to the high flying Hawks? After the GHFA Cup win, one would imagine they would be guarneteed survival in the PL and possibly tipped to make the top 4, yet at the turn of the round they were last and facing relegation! To their credit, the pitch fork farmers from Galston clawed their way back to 5th with a real chance of making the 4 only to fall to Normo last weekend! They will be hoping that the Vriens twins can bag a few more to secure their unlikely finals birth or is their management setting up for a point?

Hawks like Rovers, they find themselves in one of those weird positions where they can make the 4 and still also be relegated.

The ever so strong STA, well they are pretty much where we expect them to be come this time of year. While Brendan Carrig has been knocking goals in for fun this season, it seems that there is light years from the rest of his team mates even if 5 of them are from the spot. In my view, STA are the set peice kings, with being very lethal from the high ball into the box. Can the Hawks neutralise this threat? We will see come Sat.

My Tip: STA in a tight one.

Grant Night
wrote on 31-Jul-19 17:05

>>>My Tip - Normo 1-0 in a desperate, physical encounter on Normanhurst Oval<<< WHOMEVER plays the long ball will win,,, the pitch is super bouncy. the light rain in the past couple of days might have soften it just a bit.

In the know...
wrote on 01-Aug-19 08:04

Mcgoogon a massive lost to the tigers he won’t be back for 2 weeks.

Cheese TV
wrote on 01-Aug-19 10:00

What a time to be alive!!!

Oi
wrote on 01-Aug-19 10:09

I don’t think YMCA’s style of football is that bad, if anything, they are decent at passing the ball. I remember them having some skilled players who play well. Ravens on the other hand, I don’t know what the club is doing but the kick and chase football they play is shocking. YMCA will be fine as a club, they have a fantastic field, players would be keen to play there. As for the Ravens, with a field like that and the style of football they play, without some serious recruiting they will find themselves playing in All Age soon.

Got to love the Tigers
wrote on 01-Aug-19 15:06

Great read Mr E >>Remember that it was this fixture 3 years ago with the scores locked at 1-1(EEW needing to win to win the comp), EEW score to make it 2-1 and the ref blunder pulled it back to 1-1, however credit to the genuine blokes from Normo literally gave the goal to EEW and the game finished 2-1 and won them the comp. << Just a slight correction to the above, EEW won that game but not the comp, there was still an abandon game to play, NOR vs EEW, All EEW needed was a point to win the comp, and would have got it had they just accepted the original score when the game was abandoned, but no they squealed like baby pigs and the GHFA made the teams play the balance of the game (43 mins). EEW came to the ground the cases and supporters expecting to get the point and win the comp. Normo however did not read the script and won the game 2-0 took the comp from the tigers, and Penno won that year. What is happening with this years ressies abandon game between EEW & HWK, cant hear the Triers squealing this time, funny that?

Here's Why
wrote on 01-Aug-19 16:09

Oi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ravens on the other hand, I don’t know what the > club is doing but the kick and chase football they > play is shocking. If you had a midfield as terrible as them you'd bypass them too

ravensaregoingdown
wrote on 02-Aug-19 07:02

Here's Why Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Oi Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Ravens on the other hand, I don’t know what > the > > club is doing but the kick and chase football > they > > play is shocking. > > > If you had a midfield as terrible as them you'd > bypass them too too true they've got a first grade midfield that 2 years ago was playing reserve grade in a team coming dead last not sure why the coach thinks theyre first grade quality it also doesn't help that they have a lack of quality up front their main striker Bruno still holds onto the fact that he trialled overseas when he was 18 and loves telling everyone about it. however he forgets to add in that he wasn't scouted, his parents just paid thousands of dollars for him to do go do a few training sessions in England.

Johnny
wrote on 02-Aug-19 08:05

Great read Mr Got to love the Tigers! Its being replayed Sunday.........

Author:
Subject: