Flight Centre Premier League Weekly Preview - RD13
Fractional results and performances have so many teams hanging on by a thread, it seems as if something is about to crack and the top four might get a little bit more shape to it. Might. Another weekend with some big games, none more so than the first one up at Kippa-Ring between the Power and the Tigers. On with the show... Peninsula Power vs Eastern Suburbs Saturday 5pm at AJ “Jock” Kelly Field Peninsula Power continued their up and down form when they were beaten comprehensively last weekend at Lions Stadium which must frustrate the hell out of their supporters. Two points off the lead in fifth place, this game has added significance with their opponents having played one extra game. The puzzlement continues and it’s still impossible to tip them with any confidence. Eastern Suburbs are top of the table for probably the first time since Warren Moon was captain/coach as they continue to make light of their two game advantage. They were unstoppable last weekend, completely destroying Logan FC. The addition of Youeil Shol and Abe Yango has given them close to the best attacking trio in the league. Only consistency can stop them being genuine title contenders. The only way to tip Peninsula is by tossing a coin while the Tigers are ultra-impressive. Cracking game this one which could shape their seasons. Prediction: Easts 3-2 Grange Thistle vs Logan FC Saturday 6pm at Lanham Park Grange Thistle conjured up a mighty performance in the mid-week Westfield FFA Cup suggesting they are finally fulfilling their promise. The addition of some new imports has changed their structure and with rumours of more arriving who knows what will happen. They have every chance of suffering a hangover from that game but one can only assume they will stay at that high standard. Logan FC brought all the troubles of the past back down on their heads with an astonishingly bad defensive performance against Eastern Suburbs last weekend. Down by six goals at halftime is the stuff of nightmares. Never has a four point gap, from fourth place, been so vast and their season could very well be over. They have to rebound from that and they have to do it straight away. Grange are a different proposition and are unlikely to remain the whipping boys but this game doesn’t have the allure of the Cup. Prediction: 2-2 draw. Holland Park Hawks vs Albany Creek Saturday 6:15pm at Whites Hill Reserve Holland Park Hawks bowed out of the Westfield FFA Cup with their heads held high but it was last weekend’s Flight Centre Premier League game which was the real head scratcher. Down 3-1 after half an hour, up 4-3 at halftime and 7-3 winners. At least they are scoring plenty of goals and the post Dan Smith crash has been avoided. They need some more goals from Marek Madle. Albany Creek cruised past Ipswich Knights last weekend and move back into third place which is where they belong after a much-improved first half of the season. This is much tougher. They only past Hawks in the first game because of ill-discipline by their opponents and much interest will surround their performance here. Vital game this one, but at the moment they pretty much all are. Intriguing contest which could easily go either way. Hawks love playing up at the hill which will give them a slight edge. Prediction: HPH 2-1 Souths United vs Mitchelton Saturday 7pm at Wakerley Park Souths United remain an enigma with good results interspersed between dodgy performances. Difficult to assess just what the 0-0 outcome at Underwood Park means but a lot of teams will struggle to do the same this season. It’s getting to the point where draws aren’t enough and a string of wins is necessary to stay in touch. They can win this game but it seems unlikely. Mitchelton have two games in hand and are still favourites to take out the title. They’ve been resilient and at times spectacularly good. As we know, any slip-ups can be catastrophic but of any team in the league, Mitchy are the one almost certainty of making the top four. One thing that could give them a further boost would a nice high scoring thrashing of someone. On form alone, there can only really be one outcome and Souths will start to fall away with too many more losses. Prediction: Mitchelton 2-0
Lions FC vs Capalaba
Saturday 7pm at Lions Stadium
Lions FC finally found the spark with an impressive win over the old enemy Peninsula at Lions Stadium and by all reports their performance was equally as good as the result. They need a few things to go their way but even from seventh place still have a decent shot at winning the league. After so many games with endless shots with no result are the floodgates about to open?
Capalaba have a severe case of schizophrenia which is not only manifesting from game to game but even within two halves. New imports have helped of course but it’s still a roller-coaster ride out at John Fredericks Park. Travelling to Lions Stadium is not going to help their cause and they may have caught this weekend’s opponents at exactly the wrong time. Vastly improved but still a bit of a nut job.
Lions shouldn’t have too many problems disposing of the Bulldogs but on their past record who really knows what might happen. Prediction: Lions 3-1.
Ipswich Knights vs Rochedale Rovers Sunday 3:15pm at Eric Evans Oval Ipswich Knights are in real danger of falling off the face of the Earth with results being horrendous. Last week’s 3-0 loss to Albany Creek was actually an improvement which is scary. They lost Andy Butler this week which compounds the issue when they probably could do with bringing in a few players. Surely things can’t get any worse? Let’s hope not for their sake and the sake of the league. Rochedale Rovers will be hurting right now after their loss in the Westfield FFA Cup and must turn their attention back to winning the league. Anything but a win would be a huge upset but they should be thankful of their opposition on Sunday. Of course, any complacency could see them losing to the two bottom teams in the space of five days. It’s really a mental challenge more than anything. Expect Rovers to bounce straight back but the loss of Lewis Cameron is a worry. Ipswich must feel like the world is against them at the moment. Prediction: Rovers 3-0
