Flight Centre Premier League Weekly Preview - Catch-Up Rnd
Catch-up games are a strange beast. Often they end up being of little importance despite the long wait. Sometimes they propel teams to the title but this weekend Rochedale aren’t involved. It’s rare to have four crucial games on the same day with destiny on the menu. This year, a very odd year, the table is set.
On with the show...
Peninsula Power vs Albany Creek Saturday 5pm at AJ Kelly Field Peninsula Power are staring at second place on the other side of this encounter, which is pretty much where everyone thought they might be at the beginning of the year. It really is the strangest Flight Centre Premier League in history. The biggest game for the club against Melbourne City is in the national spotlight, but that will probably make them play better because they’ll be bursting to get out on the park right now. Albany Creek are still in contention for the finals after their impressive 3-0 win over Logan and if the cards fall their way this weekend they will back into fourth place. They’ll be pumped for this one because, while it’s obviously impossible to write them off either way, it’s a derby, it’s at AJ Kelly and it will be MUCH harder if they lose. The odds are against them but they are more than capable of getting a result. It’s July, so the big games are getting even bigger. Something tells me we haven’t seen the end of Creek just yet. Prediction: ACE 2-1 Mitchelton vs Capalaba Saturday 6pm at Teralba Park Mitchelton had a certain three points in lieu but things have changed considerably, with the destiny of the title being taken out of their own hands. They may not have won for three weeks but the second half last week was a cracker. Every team has had an off-period at some time and if the Mustangs head into round eighteen on 28pts, the damage won’t have been too severe. Capalaba seem destined for the wooden spoon, for whatever reason, but surely they can still be competitive. A six game losing streak decided by more than one goal suggests there is no coming back from this point but Ipswich Knights proved it’s possible to turn abysmal form around. A fine end to the year from the Bulldogs would top off something remarkable in the Flight Centre Premier League. Fingers crossed. There’s no doubt Mitchy have the speed-wobbles but will it turn into a tank-slapper at home? Against anyone else, maybe. Prediction: Mitchelton 3-1 Grange Thistle vs Souths United Saturday 6:15pm at Lanham Park Grange Thistle have been competitive all season, even when they couldn’t buy a win, but last weekend they were terrible for half an hour then went on to out-play the title favourites, very nearly jagging a draw from 4-0 down. That kind of form is the definition of unpredictable but it’s one of the easier issues to address for Mick Hornby. Thistle are still one of the better teams in the league. Souths United went into third place three weeks ago and caught everyone by surprise. Since then, they’ve accumulated a single point from two games but if they win they could go into second, above Easts, on goal difference. IF ACE get a point from Power. IF Lions lose at home to Hawks. IF, they can beat Grange at Grange. IF this season is insane, which it totally is. Amazingly, the two promoted teams haven’t played each other yet. They had some great match-ups last season. This should be a cracker. Prediction: 3-3 draw Lions FC vs Holland Park Hawks Saturday 7pm at Lions Stadium Lions FC are adding their input to the year of the ridiculous having lost at home last week to Ipswich Knights, completing the double for the season. And that kinda says it all. They just haven’t been able to put teams away. Big wins are a rarity rather than a regularity. If ever they are going to score a hatful, it’s against Holland Park, who have made something of an art of it. Still favourites to win this regardless. Holland Park Hawks surely can’t come back from the dead, can they? Catch-up games can often have significant importance. This is one of them. When the original match was rained out it didn’t look to be a good thing having to wait to play the reigning champions but there are cracks in the armour at Richlands. Unfortunately, the armour at Whites Hill has also not been impenetrable. Lions, in theory, should revel in playing the wide-open Hawks at Richlands but if they can’t hit the target it’s irrelevant. They will hit the target. Prediction: Lions 4-2
