Capital Leagues Weekly Preview
We are coming up to the home turn this weekend before heading into the straight for the run to the finishing post. We have clear front runners in Capital 1 and Capital 2. Capital 3 looks to be a race between two while Capital 4 is the most open of the Capital Leagues with five teams in the frame. CAPITAL LEAGUE 1 Match of the Round – Bayside Utd v Taringa Rovers Bayside won the battle of the bay over Wolves to move to just outside the top four. They had the match in hand at half time being three up, but allowed Wolves to get one back in the second half. Taringa gave UQ a lesson, beating them 5-0. A tight first half saw Rovers lead by two with the third coming on the hour mark, before two late goals completed proceedings. Taringa’s only loss came in the first round encounter, with Bayside scoring a very late goal to get up 1-0. Rovers have a sizeable lead on the table and won’t want to give any of the chasers a chance and I expect them to win this one. Wolves FC V Acacia Ridge Wolves have come undone in the last two weeks after a reasonable run had them moving up the table. They still sit 6th but the team in 11th is two points behind them. Acacia Ridge finally rediscovered their scoring form and put eight past Moggill with Juan Jaimes getting four of them. They are two points behind North Pine in second but have two games in hand. This is the first meeting of these two this season as the first round match was washed out and has been rescheduled for 8 July. Ridge to win. UQ FC v North Pine UQ were handed a beating at Taringa in the local derby, going down 5-0. North Pine accounted for The Gap to the tune of 3-0. A loss here for the Students could probably end their finals’ hopes. A loss here for the Gorillas could end their chance of catching Taringa. Have an inking a draw may be the result. Brisbane Knights v Moggill After a good run of results against the upper echelon, Knights dropped the ball with a draw against Mt Gravatt. Moggill got spanked by Acacia Ridge, conceding eight goals. Knights should win and win easily if current form is any guide. The Gap v North Star The Gap fell to North Pine while North Star went down to Southside Eagles. Both are still in the frame to nab 4th spot along with six other teams, although with the ladder so congested, a loss may not be so critical depending on other results. The Gators to win. Southside Eagles v Mt Gravatt The feathers should fly between these two. Eagles had a welcome win over North Star, getting the winner from the spot with a minute left. The Hawks had a pleasing draw with Knights. With a point separating them, it should be a close one but I lean towards Eagles.
CAPITAL LEAGUE 2
Match of the Round – Brisbane Phoenix v Centenary Stormers Brisbane Phoenix had their match last weekend postponed due to Pig’n’Whistle Canale Cup involvement. Centenary continued their march towards the Premiership with a tougher match than they may have expected against Pine Hills who brought it back to 4-2 with 10 minutes left before Stormers got their fifth goal with a minute remaining. Phoenix have two games to catch up and both are against teams in the top four so a loss here and in those will spell the end of their finals’ hopes. Phoenix may just lift for this one at home and get a draw in a local derby that spans the highway. Western Spirit v Annerley Spirit have scored 4+ goals in four of their last five matches following the 4-2 win over Pine Rivers Utd, winning three of those and having a 4-4 draw. Annerley had the weekend off due to the match v Phoenix being postponed. The First round match between these two was a game of two halves with Annerley good value for a 2-0 lead at the break. Then the wheels fell off and Spirit nearly snatched a point. Spirit must win to challenge for the four and I have a feeling they will. Oxley Utd v Virginia Utd Oxley came back from Ipswich with 4-0 loss to the Bulls, although only conceding the last two late on. Virginia disposed of Toowong easily. Oxley have now lost four on the trot and their 1-0 win over Virginia now seems a long time ago. Virginia can’t afford another slip like that if they are to have any chance of catching Centenary – they won’t slip up. Ipswich City v Pine Rivers Utd The Bulls are on a roll after a 4-0 win over Oxley that makes five straight, scoring 19 goals. Pine Rivers fought bravely against Western Spirit but went down 4-2. Ipswich City should keep rolling along and bag another handful of goals. Park Ridge v Toowong The Panthers gave New Farm a game and were only one down until late on before letting another two in. Toowong disappointed after some good recent form, losing 5-0 to Virginia. Toowong’s slim chances of figuring in the finals rest on getting a win here, which they will. Pine Hills v New Farm Utd – POSTPONED (GROUND CLOSURE)
CAPITAL LEAGUE 3 Match of the Round – AC Carina v Bardon Latrobe This 3rd v 4th and it is a must win for both teams. Carina need to maintain their chase for a top two spot while Bardon need to fend off many top four challengers. Last weekend, Carina had a comfortable win at Clairvaux. Bardon will be rueing a missed opportunity at Caboolture after leading 4-2 with ten minutes left and having a man advantage for nearly an hour only to concede two late goals. Last time they met, Bardon won 3-2. Carina are on a four match winning run, Bardon are unbeaten in seven. Tough one to make a prediction on but it has to be done. I’ll plump for Bardon. Westside v Newmarket Westside were postponed due to Pig’n’Whistle Canale Cup match on Monday night. Newmarket won their third match in a row, beating Slacks Creek 2-0 at Usher Park. Three weeks ago after losing 6-0 to Bardon you would not have put a penny on Newmarket to make the finals. Their wins have been against lower end teams but they have got the job done to put them in the picture. This match will determine whether they are a real chance. Westside have a game in hand over the other contenders. They should win this match. St George Willawong v Clairvaux St George’s win over Narangba was not as easy as they may have expected but that victory now puts them two points clear at the top after Caboolture drew. Clairvaux lost to AC Carina and are now out of finals’ contention. The Saints should have no trouble getting the points at home at Willawong. Caboolture v Tarragindi Tigers The Snakes got out of jail against Bardon, snatching a draw with two goals late in the piece. The Tigers were big winners over bottom side Jimboomba (7-0!). Is this a Tarragindi renaissance? Sorry, but Caboolture will win this one. Narangba Utd v Redcliffe PCYC Narangba put up a fight against leaders St George, only going down 3-0. PCYC had the weekend off due to Westside’s cup match. A Northern derby which I have a feeling may just end up with the points shared. Jimboomba Utd v Slacks Creek Jimboomba are still bottom after a big loss to Tarragindi. Slacks Creek lost at home to Newmarket and with that loss, effectively ended their finals’ hopes. The Jets don’t look like winning anytime soon, so I have to back the Tigers.
CAPITAL LEAGUE 4 Match of the Round – Logan Metro v Bethania Rams 4th v 3rd. Logan Metro got up in close match with Kangaroo Point Rovers that lifted them back into the top four at Rovers’ expense (albeit having played one match more than KPR). Bethania were given a fright by Mooroondu, trailing 2-1 at the break before notching two second half goals. The Rams got up 2-1 in their first encounter. Both teams will be looking for a win as North Brisbane and Samford Rangers have very winnable games and they need to keep in touch with those two. This is Metro’s 3rd home game in a row and having won the other two, will make it a hat-trick. The Lakes v North Brisbane The Lakers were well beaten by Samford Rangers up at the Parklands. The Aces had a 3-0 win at Springfield to hold onto top position on the ladder. I can’t see that ladder position changing after this match has been played. Samford Rangers v Mooroondu Rangers had a 9-0 win at home to The Lakes with their top scoring duo of Dane Forsyth and Ryan Gleeson getting four and three goals respectively. Mooroondu had an upset in sight, leading Bethania at half time but couldn’t hold on. Samford to win comfortably. Logan Village v Springfield Utd The Falcons had the Bye last weekend. Springfield went down at home to North Brisbane. A bit of a trip to Big River Country Park for the Springfielders but I think it will be a worthwhile one, with them getting a win. Kangaroo Point Rovers - BYE
