Premier League 2 – Round 7 Review
Oak Flats defeated Unanderra 5-3 @ Keith Bond Oval
Both teams entered Round 7 locked on 12 competition points and within reach of league leaders Dandaloo and second placed Balgownie. Oak Flats are enjoying excellent form winning their last three matches, whilst Unanderra took top placed Dandaloo down to the wire the week before, only to have their hearts broken conceding a 95-minute goal to lose 2-1.
On a surface that was in fantastic condition despite the weather throughout the week, both teams went to work creating opportunities early on. Beautiful footwork from central midfielder Dane Mathews drawing a freekick just outside the penalty area. Fan favourite Tomoya Komazaki bringing out the best in his countryman and Unanderra keeper Kenji Sawada, with a diving one-handed stop from a left footed free-kick that was goal bound. At the other end Elisseo Chiodi both on and off the ball was starting to ask questions of Oak Flats defence, with only some desperate defending from centre backs Stevenson and Keating keeping him at bay.
Noah Vidler out wide on the left for Oak Flats was a dangerous outlet all afternoon, toying with the defence and creating havoc with the quality of his delivery. Sawada was again called upon to deny Oak Flats, throwing himself at the feet of Julian Minutillo to keep things locked at 0-0. Vidler, Mathews and Benten engaged in a swift exchange of passes that required stunning work from Sawada at the near post to prevent Benten getting on the score sheet.
Benten opened the scoring with 26 minutes played when he headed home, leaving the keeper with no chance. Unanderra rallied and won a corner shortly after. What ensued was a goal of incredible quality when Mark Picciolini took the ball down on his chest and rifled a half volley first time into the top corner of the net. A frantic 5-minute period followed the scores being levelled, with Oak Flats converting twice in this period. First, it was Benten again assisted by excellent lead-up work by Brodey Jeliffe who provided the assist. Sawada’s afternoon took a turn for the worse, when the Unanderra keeper was caught in possession with Minutillo rounding him to take the score to 3-1 at half time.
Jeliffe continued to catch the eye in the second half in what deservingly translated to a man of the match performance. His quality on the ball and pressing approach to defence, seeing him firstly flash a shot over from a tight angle and then dispossess a defender on the edge of the box, before dispatching his shot into the bottom corner of the goal. A few minutes later Unanderra rallied with a powerful and well directed header from Elisseo Chiodi hitting the back of the net to give them some hope with plenty of time still on the clock. Oak Flats made a number of changes following this, pushing Jeliffe into a more advanced striking position. This paid dividends in killing the game off, when he made a clever run into space with Mathews using the outside of his foot to release him to tuck home his second taking the score to 5-2. Mark Picciolini converted his second very late, showing his quality in front of goal again with limited chances, 5-3 is how it finished.
With Dandaloo dropping points against Thirroul, Oak Flats will need to be cautious travelling to Thomas Gibson to face a team who will have gained confidence from this result. Unanderra will be back at home to face Uni who will be well rested following a washout.
Dandaloo drew with Thirroul 3-3 @ Dandaloo Sports Ground
After a week of heavy rain, top of the table Dandaloo hosted underdogs Thirroul in a physical and entertaining contest with momentum rapidly swinging throughout an intense clash that finished level after a dramatic second half comeback. A game that could be described as a tale of two halves saw Dandaloo starting in emphatic fashion and rewarded early through a clinical brace from Number 10 Bradley Acev inside the opening 15 minutes. Dandaloo’s dominance was reflected heavily throughout the midway point of the first half controlling possession with clever switch play utilising their wingers with long balls to stretch Thirroul’s defence. This ultimately compounded in a near miss by Jeremy Flanagan after a surging run saw him cut inside and rattle the crossbar, while an interchange between Dandaloo’s Jamie Holland and Daniel Chapman created another chance for the winger whose volley flew over the bar.
Despite struggling to construct sustained passages of possession, Thirroul remained competitive through effort plays and determination. Jake Paine stood out in the midfield engaging Dandaloo’s defenders with quick feet showcasing several dangerous through balls attempting to exploit the Lions fullbacks. As the half continued, the game became a scrappy affair with goal kicks and throw-ins inviting physical battles with neither team able to really grab a hold of the game. Although Dandaloo regained some momentum through midfielder Kyle Senior whose patience and control helped steady them into halftime.
Thirroul emerged after halftime with renewed intent and quickly applied pressure with a shift in tactics, applying a higher defensive line with Dandaloo struggling to adjust. Their persistence paid off only minutes into the half when a penalty was awarded to Thirroul after a mistimed challenge on Jake Matiuscenko. Prolific goal scorer Seamus Macken-Walsh stepped up for Thirroul and confidently slotted his penalty into the top left corner sending goalkeeper Kyle Booth the wrong way. This catalysed momentum into Thirroul’s favour whereas Dandaloo began to lose cohesion, committing several rash fouls as Thirroul relentlessly pressed and won important aerial contests lead by Seamus Macken-Walsh. Booth was forced into action defending multiple corners which saw Dandaloo scramble well in defence. However, Thirroul continued to apply pressure with a clever switch ball from Thirroul’s Jake Paine released Ryan Sutcliffe behind the defence only to be halted by two recovering defenders in a crucial intervention.
Thirroul’s pressure finally produced an equaliser midway through the half. From a free kick delivered into a dangerous area, Booth punched awkwardly at the ball, which rebounded off Seamus Macken-Walsh’s head and stayed alive for a simple tap-in, making that his 7th goal for the year. The match continued to boil over physically, with fouls becoming increasingly common. Dandaloo’s Jamie Holland was left bleeding following a head clash with Thirroul’s Mitchell Jones who had to come off shortly after. Following a Dandaloo corner that saw a chaotic scramble in the box where the Lions were awarded a penalty. Kyle Senior calmly stepped up and placed his shot into the bottom left corner to restore Dandaloo’s lead.
Late tension escalated further when Dandaloo’s Jeremy Flanagan received a second yellow card and was sent off. Thirroul pushed desperately for an equaliser and finally prevailed when a corner flashed across goal that saw the ball cut back to Robert Gyngell, who placed the ball bottom right in a dramatic last minute, locking things up 3-3.
Dandaloo was still threatened on the counter despite being down to ten men. In the dying moments, Bradley Acev broke through again before squaring the ball to Aaron Hales whose shot drifted just wide of the target.
Thirroul hosts Oak Flats next week, with another opportunity to test themselves against one of the league’s flyers. Dandaloo travels to Picton, knowing that a slip-up could see Oak Flats surge to the top of the league.
Balgownie vs Shoalhaven @ Judy Masters Oval
Picton vs Fernhill @ Hume Oval
University vs Gerringong @ Kooloobong Oval
All washouts
By Wyatt Toland
