The Weekly Wash-Up
It was catch-up time at the weekend with almost a full Capital Leagues schedule played out as well as a couple of Flight Centre Premier League games. But undoubtedly the main focus fell on the Westfield FFA Cup where we found out which two Brisbane sides would go through to the national Round of 32. We still however picked up on a few things from the weekend so here’s the five things that caught our attention. #1:: Firstly we have to congratulate Moreton Bay Utd and Peninsula Power on reaching the Round of 32 in the Westfield FFA Cup as the northside, and in particular the Moreton Bay Shire, is well represented come the end of June when the nation watches on with great anticipation to see who the two will face in the Round of 32. For two players, it will be their second venture in the cup on the national stage. Brazilian midfielder André Bonotto will provide valuable experience to Power having reached both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 with Lions FC in 2015 where he scored the deciding goal from the spot against Croydon Kings in Adelaide to take Lions FC through to a home tie against Hyundai A-League side Perth Glory where he had an early penalty saved that would have put Lions ahead in that game, before they were eventually defeated 1-0 by a late extra time goal by Chris Harold. Alex Janvosky was also part of the Lions FC side from that 2015 cup run and will feature heavily in Moreton Bay’s debut in the national round. Can both players go one step further this time round? You can view the highlights from both of the RD7 games below:
#2:: Capital League 1 side Acacia Ridge suffered their heaviest defeat of the season at the weekend when Brisbane Knights inflicted a 5-1 defeat of the title contenders on Saturday night. In fact it was Ridge’s heaviest defeat since a 6-2 loss to The Lakes on the 5th April 2014 in Capital League 4, when a certain Peninsula Power striker Shaun Feuerriegel netted for Lakes.
Knights themselves moved into fourth spot with a game in had over North Pine above them. Defeat for Ridge provided Taringa Rovers the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table from which they duly obliged with a 5-1 win over an improved Wolves FC. #3:: Whilst the Westfield FFA Cup took centre stage at the weekend, the Flight Centre Premier League provided us with further twists and turns as we had two key games from the weekend. Albany Creek and Mitchelton played out a 2-2 draw on Friday night that ultimately didn’t favour either side. Nick Bernardi’s late leveller earning a point for the Mustangs which moved them into second on the ladder with a game in hand over league leaders Eastern Suburbs. On Saturday night Rochedale Rovers came from behind to take the spoils in a 3-2 win over in their local derby at Logan Lightning. A recent mid-season blip which had seen them draw their last four games and crash out of the Westfield FFA Cup had seen them slip down the table. But with the league ladder heavily congested, the three points from their Round 7 catch-up game moved them up to third on the table above Lions FC, who will be their opponents this coming weekend at Lions Stadium. There are still eight sides in contention for the title and finals aspirations. The next few rounds will undoubtedly prove vital for all concerned to make that push towards the premiership. #4:: We have a new leader in Capital League 4 with North Brisbane leap-frogging Samford Rangers after they defeated Springfield United 3-1 at the weekend in a Round 3 catch-up fixture. The Aces are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in 2017 having only lost one game so far this season. It seems to be a different story for United who after showing real promise at the start of the season, have now lost four on the trot including a shock loss to lowly Mooroondu. Finals are still are possibility for them but title aspirations look to be a fading dream especially if they fail to get a result next weekend at home to The Lakes. #5:: Finally we head to Capital League 3 where Caboolture drew level on points with St George Willawong at the top of the table, with the Saints only retaining top spot on goal difference. Caboolture recording a 5-2 Round 7 catch-up victory over Slacks Creek on Saturday evening, as their Grant Road Sportsground advantage again proved fruitful. The Snakes recording their 27th goal from the 6 games played there in the last month and a half. That’s a return of 4.5 goals per game at the venue.
