Mt Franklin Women's Premier League Preview - RD17
Mitchelton have wrapped up the league and all the focus is now on fourth place which could also be finalised this weekend. Some excellent match-ups this weekend starting on Friday night. On with the show... Eastern Suburbs vs Peninsula Power Friday 8:30pm at Heath Park Eastern Suburbs gave themselves a glimmer of hope with their fighting win over Logan last weekend but it's highly unlikely. Whatever else needs to happen, first and foremost they need to win their remaining games so anything but a win on Friday is curtains. They showed enough last week to suggest they can do it and keep their season alive into the final round. Peninsula Power have a catch-up game remaining and unfortunately it's against Capalaba so they also must win their two regular season matches, including this one and keep their fingers crossed. Of course, if they do miss the finals they still have that massive Elaine Watson Cup semi-final on the agenda. An entertaining but erratic year has been problematic and will almost certainly cost them. Realistically, both sides have little chance of making the finals but this should be a good match-up anyway. Close with plenty of goals. Prediction: Easts 3-2 Annerley vs The Gap Saturday 6:15pm at Elder Oval Annerley can wrap up fourth spot this weekend but only if Easts beat Peninsula so they'll know before kick off the task ahead of them. Having beaten all of their contenders, including a mid week win over Power before the bread, things should get a little simpler over the next fortnight. Having been in the top four most of the year they definitely will deserve to get over the line. The Gap are playing only for pride now with their troubles in front of goal ultimately being too much to overcome. Excluding the narrow victory over Souths United, they have failed to score a goal in the last six games and come into this game with a 2-0 loss to second last Virginia United who could yet push them into eleventh place. Things are gloomy but a goal will change all that. Prediction: Annerley will fulfill their side of the ledger with a win as The Gap struggle to get anything from anyone. Prediction: Annerley 3-0 Souths United vs Virginia United Sunday 4pm at Wakerley Park Souths United will probably enjoy the off-season more than anyone after the battle they've had and it will be even better if they can grab one more win. They won this game out at Albert Bishop Park so they must surely fancy themselves to get something at home as well. Of the fourteen goal they have scored, nine came in two games so if they find the net who knows what can happen. Virginia United also have nothing to play for apart from the love of the game but they can draw motivation from the fact that if they win this weekend it will be the first time they have won back to back all season. Having lost this match-up they will be keen for vengeance and will enjoy playing on the artificial surface for the first time ever. This is shaping up to be an interesting contest but you would have think that Virginia will still come away with the chocolates. Prediction: Virginia 3-1 Capalaba vs Mitchelton Sunday 4:30pm at John Fredericks Park Capalaba come into this game with so much to learn and nothing to lose. Second place is a given and the last task for the year will to beat Mitchelton in the finals series, preferably in the Grand Final. How they go about their business and assess their opponents is vital. A loss won't matter too much but a win could be a real mental advantage. Mitchelton look for all money as if they will go through the season winning every game, with greatest respect to the Bulldogs who have the best chance of beating them. But that gap has been too great all season and stopping them will need a healthy slice of luck as well as a good performance. Having done so well, a loss would be undeserved. Mitchelton are favourites to win every game they play but this is their greatest challenge.They'll have enough. Prediction: Mitchelton 3-1 Pine Hills United vs Logan Lightning Wednesday 7:30pm at James Drysdale Reserve Pine Hills are still in the race, just, and benefit to a some extent that Easts and Peninsula play each other. A draw in that game would be the perfect outcome and they would catapult past both sides into fifth place. But they still need Annerley to lose. Aside from Souths, it's been six games since they've won which isn't the form of a team heading to a big end of season. Logan Lightning will be cursing themselves for losing last week 3-2 to Easts but despite their excellent run of results they have only won by narrow margins which was eventually going to go against them. More importantly, they didn't play well and relied on a solo Tiarne Petterwood to keep them alive. Crucial game because they play Mitchelton away on Saturday. Logan weren't great last week but if they play as good as that they'll win this game for sure. Prediction: Logan 2-0
