Woonona Sharks vs. Bellambi Rosellas

Ocean Park

Kick-off: Saturday, 2:30pm.

Referee: Chris Munn

Round 11’s IPL Feature Match sees 3^rd placed Woonona take on a struggling Bellambi side in their local derby at Ocean Park this weekend.

The Sharks are coming off a tough 3-0 loss to the Dapto Dandaloo Fury in Round 10 and will be looking to shorten the distance between themselves and the top two teams on Saturday.

The loss was Woonona’s first game without points since a Round 1 defeat to Wollongong United and the northern suburbs side will be hoping they can bounce back to their winning ways.

At the other end of the table, Bellambi are without a point in their last three games and currently occupy last place on the ladder.

The Rosellas suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Port Kembla in their last outing but can take heart from a performance that wasn’t reflected in the final score.

Both teams are carrying some injuries into the game with Woonona coach Rob Bemi having some game time decisions to make.

“At the moment we’re hoping that a couple of guys who didn’t train will be ok fitness-wise,” said Bemi.

“We have a few boys who are carrying a knock in the last couple of weeks so we’ll wait til the last minute to make sure they’re good to go.”

Despite the distance between the two sides, Bemi is expecting nothing less than a tough encounter.

“Bellambi is a strong side, they’re physical and they won’t stop trying; they commit to the final whistle and that’s definitely a good trait to have,” he said.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game but we’re definitely prepared for them.

“It’s a local derby for us and they’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to prove and from what I’ve seen they’re not as bad a side as the results show, so we know they’ll take the game to us.”

Points are becoming vital for Bellambi as they fight it out with Fernhill to avoid relegation.

A win could see the Rosellas lift themselves off the bottom of the table and out of the danger-zone.

Woonona’s need for points is almost as vital as they look to ensure the gap between themselves and 2^nd place gets no wider; as they currently sit six points behind Dapto-Dandaloo and eight behind league leaders Bulli.

Key Players: For Woonona they’ll be hoping attacker Joel Mucci continues his good scoring form, with three goals in his last four appearances for the Sharks.

If Bellambi are to score they’ll be looking for Ben Moerman to fire for them as he is currently the club’s top scorer and most likely to find the net.

 

Julian Keith

FSC Reporter