Mt Franklin Women's Premier League Preview - RD8
Approaching the halfway point and it’s all Mitchelton’s to lose, but deeper down the ladder there are some significant games this weekend which could shape the season for six clubs. Whilst all three of those games will take place on Saturday, the threat of heavy rain casts a shadow over both Friday night match-ups - Keep an eye on the radar folks. On with the show.... Logan Lightning vs Mitchelton Friday 8:30pm at Cornubia Park Logan Lightning have lost to teams around them, Annerley and Virginia United, over the last few weeks which sees them falling off the pace more than they would like and requiring some good results in the near future. But home games don’t get much harder in the league than playing a Mustangs team which has scooted away to an extended lead at the top of the table. Mitchelton are seven games into the season and are miles ahead of all their competitors with an incredible goal average of just under seven per game, only four conceded and a last outing in which they hit the target eleven times. Upsets of this magnitude have happened before but all the elements have to fall against them. It’s more likely they will have one eye on second placed Capalaba in the following fixture. Even if Logan can hold them for a while, the Mustangs will eventually open the floodgates as they continue a record-breaking season. Prediction: Mitchelton 5-0 Capalaba vs Souths United Friday 8:30pm at John Fredericks Park Capalaba will be kicking themselves for failing to take anything more than a draw against Pine Hills last weekend, conceding two points which will more than likely ensure they aren’t able to finish any higher than second further down the track. Anything other than a win this weekend will entail a mighty collapse in form and only complacency would allow that to happen. Souths United are in for a long season as they struggle to keep pace with the rest of the league and an unfortunate Elaine Watson Cup draw sees them heading to Teralba Park to play league leaders Mitchelton in the next round, who inflicted their most recent defeat. Time is a great healer though and they will be more competitive as the season rolls on, such is the nature of football, so at the moment results aren’t as important as performance. Souths will be heartened by the Bulldogs inability to find the net last weekend but even a spirited performance probably won’t be enough. Prediction: Capalaba 3-1 Annerley vs Virginia United Saturday 3:15pm at Elder Oval Annerley are in the top four and genuine semi-final contenders but last weekend’s narrow loss to Peninsula, who climbed above them on the ladder, will be fresh in their minds. They wouldn’t want to make that two losses in a row because this game needs to be won so they can put three points between themselves and a side who can cause them trouble. An earl goal could prove enough to pressure their opposition. Virginia United are sixth and would be reasonably happy with that despite some dodgy results along the way. Importantly for their momentum, their best win was when they beat The Gap 2-1 at Albert Bishop Park. Confidence is a difficult thing to harness but a result like that is a great start. They will need to be at their best when they travel to Elder Oval but a result is a real possibility. A tricky tie for Annerley who should come away with the points but things haven’t gone quite as well as they’ve liked so far. Prediction: Annerley 2-1 Eastern Suburbs vs The Gap Saturday 4:30pm at Heath Park Eastern Suburbs are perennial contenders but this season so far has been less than impressive despite pushing Mitchelton harder than anyone else has and scoring three times. Big losses to Pine Hills and Capalaba suggests 2017 could be a struggle but they still have games in hand against Souths and Logan which may provide less of a challenge if they start to find a good run of form. The Gap may live to regret narrow losses against Logan and Virginia United, particularly if they can’t get anything when they cross the river to Heath Park. Still, it’s early in the season and teams are still sorting themselves out although their catch-up game against the Bulldogs could come back to haunt them. Plenty of history between these clubs which ensures an intriguing contest. Vital contest for both teams with the Tigers probably being under more pressure for a result. Should be lots of goals. Prediction: Easts 3-2 Pine Hills vs Peninsula Power Saturday 7pm at James Drysdale Reserve Pine Hills aren’t quite the team who beat Power impressively in last year’s preliminary final and this game as a contest which could define their season, even with only eight games played. They’ll need to lift if they are to be competitive even taking into account their draw at Capalaba last Saturday. A win would see them jump their Northern rivals and move into the top four. Peninsula Power are third with a game in hand against Logan meaning three points from their trip to Pine Hills will give them a handy buffer, particularly if Virginia United can get something from Annerley. Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem, it’s the other end of the park where they have had trouble. A tightening of defence is needed if they don’t want to get into another shoot out like their 4-4 and 5-5 draws. This game has the potential for a goal every ten minutes unless one of the defences stands up to be counted. Prediction: 4-4 draw
