Flight Centre Premier League Weekly Preview - Semi Finals
It’s finals time, and eight teams have left the building. Four matches to go, two this weekend. Friday at Underwood Park a Grand Final place is on offer whilst on Saturday it’s time for the ninth team to leave the building. On with the show ladies and gentlemen… Rochedale Rovers vs Peninsula Power Friday 7:45pm at Underwood Park Rochedale Rovers are in a traditionally dangerous position having won the title. Brisbane football is littered with stories, at all levels, of the Premiers missing the Grand Final and it’s a theory borne out by statistics. Over the past decade, three times the Flight Centre Premier League title winners have missed the Grand Final, a percentage which effectively doubles when taking into account the second chance play-off opportunity. But Rochedale didn’t win the league without reason. It’s obvious they are enjoying their football and the collective team engagement which comes along with that has been one of their driving forces. There is plenty of star power as well. Only the handicap of being a defender, a position which can inevitably be overlooked in voting, could deny Uryu Nagata the Gold Medal for player of the year whilst at the pointy end, Kado Aoci and Seiji Shizuno have thirty-one goals between them. Regardless of what may eventuate, this season has been a success with the big trophy in the cabinet, but a place in the big dance on the final day would make it even more special. Peninsula Power won the Pig 'N' Whistle Canale Cup with a 90th minute André Bonotto winner, effectively adding a second trophy to their cabinet with their place in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 ranking as high as any achievement these days. Whether that result was a fair indicator of a tight game is conjecture but there is no denying they looked more dangerous in front of goal, twice being denied by the woodwork. A bucket-load of supporters are sure to turn up next weekend, just like they did on Saturday which negated the home advantage. Playing twice at the same venue adds a special dimension with the harmless banter likely to go up another notch. The big names will play their part but with Thomas Strickland narrowly beating Matt Boyd to man of the match, their all round depth of quality is at least the equal of their opposition. It sounds like an oxymoron but if they are going to head straight into a home grand final, they need to play even better despite actually winning. Richie Hurlin set-pieces are vital so expect plenty of driving runs around the edge of the penalty area. On last week’s result, selecting a winner is only going to be a guess. The same two teams with the same players at the same venue. The fitness of Ryan Stenhouse, who came off the bench for Rovers in the final, is one of the variables but pretty much everything else suggests a long Friday night. Prediction: 1-1 - Rochedale through on penalties. Lions FC vs Mitchelton Saturday 6pm at Lions Stadium Lions FC have pressed the re-set button and will start this finals series with not only a fresh outlook, but also their best form of the season. Hardcore Lions supporters have been pulling their hair out all year watching their talented team get the yips in front of goal. But it seems they’ve fixed the issue, and right now Tynan Diaz is hotter than Fabio selling DVD players at a chilli cook-off in the Simpson Desert. The title is officially lost which is the best thing to happen to their mentality having endured the inevitable for the last month so expect some fast and expansive football on the wide open spaces at Richlands. Rochedale and Peninsula have a trophy each, and there is absolutely no reason why the other of this season's three final day title contenders can’t also add another cup to the cabinet. Mitchelton topped the league for ages and had two games in hand against beatable teams but, as so often happens, the weight of the catch-up fixtures proved too much and stamped an indelible mark on their campaign. While all around them were imploding, they kept their heads and squeezed into the finals on goal difference so the question is, can they recapture their early season form? They would need a remarkable improvement to make that happen based on their goal-less loss to Rochedale Rovers in the last round. Nonetheless, playing a quality team with similar attributes is a tremendous tactical opportunity in what could be Leo Sirianni’s final game as Head Coach at the Mustangs. Time is on their side and the cliche rings true that the longer this game goes on, the more chance they have of springing an upset. Conceding early could be terminal. Converting opportunities is the key, preferably with Antonio Murray keeping the scorekeepers active. Over the last three games, Mitchelton have zero points and a -7 goal difference. Lions have nine points and +13 goal difference. At the moment, these two sides are on opposing trajectories. When Lions are scoring goals they tend to get a lot of them and they’ll be fired up to exact revenge for the two points dropped back in RD19. Prediction: Lions 4-1
