Roy Skillen 1Tigers stalk the final five
August 11th 2008 01:37
Two weeks ago, the Northern Tigers were on the verge of a mid-table finish to the defence of their Super League title.
After a 5-2 demolition of bottom-placed Fairfield City Lions on Saturday night, though, they are still in contention to make the final five.
The regular season is only a fortnight away from completion and there is a logjam for fourth and fifth spot. The top three will be made up of Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Parramatta Eagles and FC Bossy Liverpool, but fourth and fifth will be filled by two of: Granville Rage (29 points after 20 games), Rockdale City Suns (27pts after 20), Central Coast Lightning (26pts after 19), the Tigers (25pts after 20), Fraser Park Dragons (24pts after 18) and St George Saints (22 pts after 18).
The wet weather this year has meant teams like the Lightning, Dragons and Saints have games in hand, which makes the final five even more difficult to pick.
For the Tigers, though, it is a matter of concentrating on their remaining two games to finish their year on a high and hope the results fall their way to see them grab fifth spot on the table.
Against the Lions, the side showed the form they are capable of, with Gledhill, Davies (2) and Kevin Garcia getting on the score sheet in a match they dominated from the outset, including forcing an own goal.
Coach Hugh McCrory already made it clear in the last couple of weeks that finishing the year well was the priority and refused to predict his team's chances at making the finals.
The 4-1 and 5-2 trouncing of the Dragons and Lions respectively has helped the North Shore outfit's goal difference, but a win against the Suns at Mills Park on Sunday would crucially see them leapfrog the former Premier League outfit on the table.
The side were boosted by the return of talented midfielder James Stubbs-Mills against the Lions – who also scored two in the first-placed Tigers under 20s reserves' 6-3 win over the Lions – and will be looking to every source of inspiration against the Suns next week.
Other season-deciding matches in the round include Rage v Lightning at Garside Park, Eagles v Dragons at Melita Stadium for the final two spots, while top dogs Bonnyrigg will look to bury Bossy Liverpool in their top-three blockbuster at Ernie Smith Reserve and take the title that the Tigers took from them last year.
The Tigers play the Suns in the match of the year at Mills Park on Sunday at 3pm, with the under 20s, two weeks away from the league title, playing at 12.30pm.
After a 5-2 demolition of bottom-placed Fairfield City Lions on Saturday night, though, they are still in contention to make the final five.
The regular season is only a fortnight away from completion and there is a logjam for fourth and fifth spot. The top three will be made up of Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Parramatta Eagles and FC Bossy Liverpool, but fourth and fifth will be filled by two of: Granville Rage (29 points after 20 games), Rockdale City Suns (27pts after 20), Central Coast Lightning (26pts after 19), the Tigers (25pts after 20), Fraser Park Dragons (24pts after 18) and St George Saints (22 pts after 18).
The wet weather this year has meant teams like the Lightning, Dragons and Saints have games in hand, which makes the final five even more difficult to pick.
For the Tigers, though, it is a matter of concentrating on their remaining two games to finish their year on a high and hope the results fall their way to see them grab fifth spot on the table.
Against the Lions, the side showed the form they are capable of, with Gledhill, Davies (2) and Kevin Garcia getting on the score sheet in a match they dominated from the outset, including forcing an own goal.
Coach Hugh McCrory already made it clear in the last couple of weeks that finishing the year well was the priority and refused to predict his team's chances at making the finals.
The 4-1 and 5-2 trouncing of the Dragons and Lions respectively has helped the North Shore outfit's goal difference, but a win against the Suns at Mills Park on Sunday would crucially see them leapfrog the former Premier League outfit on the table.
The side were boosted by the return of talented midfielder James Stubbs-Mills against the Lions – who also scored two in the first-placed Tigers under 20s reserves' 6-3 win over the Lions – and will be looking to every source of inspiration against the Suns next week.
Other season-deciding matches in the round include Rage v Lightning at Garside Park, Eagles v Dragons at Melita Stadium for the final two spots, while top dogs Bonnyrigg will look to bury Bossy Liverpool in their top-three blockbuster at Ernie Smith Reserve and take the title that the Tigers took from them last year.
The Tigers play the Suns in the match of the year at Mills Park on Sunday at 3pm, with the under 20s, two weeks away from the league title, playing at 12.30pm.
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