The new season promises much, and with the addition of relegation to NPL2, could well see the most exciting and nerve-wracking campaign for many years. Russ Gibbs, lead commentator on NPL Canberra for BarTV Sports, looks at the runners and riders for a 21-round feast of football.

BELCONNEN UNITED

Head Coach: Fabian MICELI
Last Season: 3rd (Top 4 Series: 4th)
Debutant Head Coach Fabian Miceli takes the reigns at the Blue Devils who survived a potential summer of turmoil largely intact. A return to their home ground of McKellar Park, after a nomadic 2020, will stand them in good stead and with minimal player movement they look to be one of the most stable teams in the Canberra top-flight. It won’t be the exact same cast list however with some new young talent promoted from the youth ranks, including promising striker Max Green who appears to have the potential to solve what at times appeared to be a goalscoring problem inside the club. Luca Florez is sure to flourish in a longer campaign and the addition of midfielder Michael Piccolo will add zest to a dynamic central zone. Experience is provided by the evergreen Taylor Beaton, tough-tackling defender Zac Maybury and the playmaking skills of Dustin Wells. Belconnen, on paper at least, have a championship winning squad. Good at the back, exciting in the middle and bolstered up front. That’s a recipe for success by any measure.

In: Michael PICCOLO (Canberra Olympic), Christian KRESKAS (Canberra Croatia), Michael MENSAH (Sabbatical)
Out: Kofi DANNING (Monaro Panthers), Jake GARNER (Wollongong Wolves), Jono LEAYR (Wollongong University), Ethan STAMATIS (Gungahlin United)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

6/2 v Coniston FC (h) L 1-2 (Florez)
20/2 v Tarrawanna Blueys (h) D 2-2 (L. Macor, Vucetic)
4/3 v West Canberra Wanderers (h) W 4-1 (Mensah (2), Piccolo, Wells)

15/3 v Tigers FC (h) L 2-3 (Florez, Mensah)

CANBERRA CROATIA

Head Coach: Dean UGRINIC

Last Season: 1st (Top 4 Series: 4th, Grand Final Winners)

Unbeaten in 2020, and with the double under their belts, what more could Canberra Croatia possibly achieve in 2021? That’s the big question as we head into the new season and, with 21 rounds of action, the chances of them repeating that remarkable achievement seems remote. What isn’t though is the likelihood of a repeat on the silverware front with the Deakin-based club well used to being the hunted after adding to their record haul of trophies last term. There are significant losses to the squad, Niko Ujdur who was outstanding in the middle of the park has left for pastures new, but head honcho Dean Ugrinic may well have pulled off a masterstroke with the acquisition of former Football Superstar Luke Pilkington. The return of Matthew Waters, after a season off with injury, adds more potency to an already goal-laden front third, whilst there are high hopes for Matej Busek, promoted from the U18 squad and looking impressive in pre-season. Defensively, Matt Grbesa is the leader of the pack, in front of goalkeeper Sam Brown who marshals a rock-solid backline. The ones to beat.

In: Luke PILKINGTON (Bentleigh Greens), Matthew WATERS (Injury)
Out: Aidan BRUNSKILL (Retired), Andrew GEORGIOU (Gungahlin Juventus), Domenic GIAMPAOLO (Monaro Panthers), Ivan PAVLAK (Retired), Niko UJDUR (MacArthur Bulls)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

20-21/2 v Weston-Molonglo FC (h) W 8-0 (Barac (3), Kalfas (2), Oesewa, Ugrinic, Waters)
13/3 v South Coast United (a) W 8-1 (Kalfas (3), Ugrinic (3), Busek, Subasic)
27/3 v Wagga City Wanderers (CS) 10-0 Kista (3), Barac (2) Kalfas (2), Subasic, Ugrnic (2)

CANBERRA OLYMPIC FC

Head Coach: Robbie CATTANACH
Last Season: 6th (Bottom 4 Series: 3rd)

2020 was something of a disappointment for Canberra Olympic with Robbie Cattanach seeing his injury-ravaged squad fail to make the top four. Injuries to key personnel at key moments gave Olympic too much to do in the final run-in and they were left to play Bottom Four football. There’s been a large clear-out in the summer months at O’Connor with many of Cattanach’s recognised first grade squad departing, opening the door for new blood to make their mark. Several of those young players were drafted into the squad at the tail-end of 2020 and will be keen to stamp their authority on the NPL season. The addition of goalkeeper Alex Connell may prove crucial, the stopper’s sojourn in Melbourne giving him excellent experience to bring to the youthful first grade group. Much will depend on the goals of Aisosa Ihegie, the former Belconnen and Tuggeranong marksman scoring at will during a roller-coaster pre-season and will be hoping for more consistency in his finishing. Defender Nick Faust looked promising last season and, despite his tender years, brings much first-grade experience to the squad.

In: Alex CONNELL (Melbourne), Elie DARWICH (Monaro Panthers), Jonathan KARTZBERG (Overseas), Oliver WIEDERKEHR (Retirement)
Out: Tim BOBOLAS (Monaro Panthers), Jordan CACHIA (Monaro Panthers), James CHRISTIS (Queanbeyan City), Stephen DOMENICI (Monaro Panthers), Jay KELLY (Tigers FC), Rory LARKIN (Queanbeyan City), Lasse OLRIK (Monaro Panthers), Michael PICCOLO (Belconnen United), Nik POPOVICH (Tigers FC), Daniel SPARROW (Tigers FC), Hristijan TANOSKI

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

6/2 v Wollongong Olympic (a) L 0-4
13/2 v Queanbeyan City (a) L 2-3 (Ihegie (2))
20/2 v O’Connor Knights (h) W 4-0 (Ihegie (2), Crawford, Rohan-Jones)
27/2 v Tuggeranong United (a) L 0-1
6/3 v White Eagles (h) W 2-0 (Ihegie (p), Crawford)
20/3 v Gungahlin United (a) L 0-4

GUNGAHLIN UNITED

Head Coach: Marcial MUNOZ
Last Season: 2nd (Top 4 Series: 2nd, Grand Final Runners-Up)

Defeat in the Grand Final was a disappointing way to end the truncated 2020 season for Marcial Munoz and his widely-assembled squad and, with a summer of change behind them, the Gunners will be eyeing a spot in the top four and a potential third Grand Final in succession. It’s not going to be plain-sailing for them however with a swift changing of the guard seeing a large section of the 2020 finalists leaving the club. This does though open the door for some exciting youngsters to progress from the Gungahlin youth ranks and, under the astute and wily Munoz, expect them to shine brightly. Roy Anderson, plucked from the ranks of Woden-Weston FC, now West Canberra Wanderers, was impressive last season, especially towards the end of the campaign, and he has hit the ground running in the black and white stripes. The dual signing from Monaro Panthers  FC of Nick Dahl and Robbie Tkatchenko will add more defensive quality and in Jack Green, Nick Rathjen, Michael John, and Philippe Bernabo-Madrid, they have a solid core. Expect them to be pushing for the top four at the season’s conclusion.

In: Roy ANDERSON (West Canberra Wanderers), Nick DAHL (Monaro Panthers), Moses GARANG (Promoted), Miguel GONCALVES (Promoted), Ryan GULEVSKI (Promoted), Jacob KITE (Promoted), Jacob QUINN (Sutton United), Ethan STAMATIS (Belconnen United), Robbie TKATCHENKO (Monaro Panthers)
Out: Michael ADAMS (Queanbeyan City), Zac BARBATANO (Central Coast Mariners NPL), Ross COSTANZO (Tigers FC), Lachlan GRIFFITHS (Tigers FC), Joshua GULEVSKI (Tigers FC), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Monaro Panthers), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Monaro Panthers), Tom MCLACHLAN (Monaro Panthers), Ben OBST (Overseas), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Tigers FC), Liam WALSH (O’Connor Knights)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

13/2 v West Canberra Wanderers W 1-0 (Naumoski)
20/2 v Brindabella Blues (h) W 5-1 (John, Anderson (2), Bernabo-Madrid, Dahl)
27/2 v O’Connor Knights (h) W 1-0 (Anderson)
7/3 v Bulli FC (a) D 1-1 (Dahl)

13/3 v Queanbeyan City (a) D 1-1 (Garang)
20/3 v Canberra Olympic (h) W 4-0 (Bernabo-Madrid (2), Stamatis, Anderson)

MONARO PANTHERS FC

Head Coach: Frank CACHIA
Last Season: 8th (Bottom 4 Series: 2nd, Plate Winners)

Undoubtedly Monaro Panthers will be seen by many as one of the title favourites and, considering the wealth of talent that Head Coach Frank Cachia has been able to attract to the Riverside Stadium, then quite rightly so. However, as Gungahlin United showed last season, getting players is one thing, gelling them into a cohesive unit is entirely another. Given his track record at Canberra Olympic, for whom many of Cachia’s new signings shone, this should be a relatively straightforward task and yet football is anything but. Keeping the core of the squad that ended the Bottom Four Series with a victory in the ‘Final’, the Panthers have added silk and steel across the park. The abundance of quality is no better illustrated than in the final third where the incumbent Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu and Sam Smith are joined by Stephen Domenici, Domenic Giampaolo and Kofi Danning, all of whom are regular contributors to the goals for column. The addition of Tom McLachlan, who has played in the last seven Grand Finals, may yet prove to be the wisest of the lot, especially if it frees those players further forward to wreak havoc.

In: Tim BOBOLAS (Canberra Olympic), Jordan CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Josh CALABRIA (Canberra Olympic), Kofi DANNING (Belconnen United), Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Olympic), Domenic GIAMPAOLO (Canberra Croatia), Jeremy HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Tom MCLACHLAN (Gungahlin United), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic)
Out: Aaron CASHMAN (TBC), Nick DAHL (Gungahlin United), Osman DARAMY (Queanbeyan City), Anton HOSHOVSKY (West Canberra Wanderers), Eli HOWE (Overseas), Ed MCCARTHY (White Eagles), Robbie TKATCHENKO (Gungahlin United), Dimitri PARASCOS (Interstate), Jayde JAMES-WARD (O’Connor Knights)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

Sat 6 Feb v Tarrawanna Blueys (a) L 0-2
Sat 20 Feb v Marconi Stallions (h) L 0-1
Thurs 25 Feb v White Eagles (h) W 2-1 (Ahmed-Shaibu, Giampaolo)
27/2 v Port Kembla (h) D 2-2 (Calabria, Domenici)
4/3 v ANU FC (h) W 5-1 (S. Habtemariam, Giampaolo (2), Ahmed-Shaibu, Woods)
18/3 v Tuggeranong United (h) D 2-2 (Giampaolo, Woods)

TIGERS FC

Head Coach: Ryan GROGAN
Last Season: 4th (Top 4 Series: 4th)

A new look Tigers FC will take to the field at Nijong Oval this season with Head Coach Ryan Grogan identifying the areas of need within the squad that made the top four finals in 2020 and strengthening them accordingly early in the piece. Defensively there appeared need for extra cover and the addition of Lachlan Griffiths and Ross Costanzo will fill those gaps, whilst a lack of goals and creativity has been sorted with the inclusion of Josh Gulevski, Antoni Timotheou and Nick Popovich. The criminally underrated Jay Kelly will add spark out wide and with Roko Strika likely to be back to his best in the middle of the engine room, then anything looks possible for the Cooma based outfit. Pre-season has certainly pointed towards them being prolific in attack, goals aplenty rattled into the back of the net including racking up seven in three consecutive outings. As with Monaro, adding new players, as good as they are, doesn’t necessarily mean an instant improvement, and yet the Tigers will be considered amongst the favourites to lift the silverware come the end of the campaign.

In: Ross COSTANZO (Gungahlin United), Lachlan GRIFFITHS (Gungahlin United), Joshua GULEVSKI (Gungahlin United), Jay KELLY (Canberra Olympic), Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic), Daniel SPARROW (Canberra Olympic), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United)
Out: Mariano CANAVESSIO (Overseas), Gabe COLE (West Canberra Wanderers), Martin CROME (West Canberra Wanderers), Hussain FUREJE (Queanbeyan City), Goran JOSIFOVSKI (Queanbeyan City), Michael KITA (Queanbeyan City), Alex OLORIEGBE (Queanbeyan City), Tony SPASESKI (St. George), Mark SHIELDS (Queanbeyan City)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

Sat 13/12 v Northbridge (a) W 4-1 (Gulevski (2), Popovich, Harrington)
13/2 v O’Connor Knights W 7-1 (Borgna (3), Strika, Whithear (2), Popovich)
20/2 v West Canberra Wanderers W 7-0 (Harrington (5), Borgna, own goal)
27/2 v LFC Sports (h) W 7-3 (Whithear (3), Borgna, Strika (2), Kelly)

15/3 v Belconnen United (a) W 3-2 Gulevski, Strika (p), Kelly)

TUGGERANONG UNITED

Head Coach: Mitch STEVENS
Last Season: 5th (Bottom 4 Series: 4th)

Having suffered the heartache of missing out on finals football with the last kick off the ball at Deakin Stadium in 2020, Tuggeranong United, under Head Coach Mitch Stevens, will be looking to pick up from their unbeaten run at the tail-end of that shortened season. The end-of-term Bottom Four finals were a lottery for Stevens who, like his opponents, took the chance to trial new formations and players in new positions. That’s continued through the 2021 pre-season where burgeoning young talents such as defender Tarisayi Mbogo and striker Jenno Ceruti have taken their opportunity to stake a claim for a first team place. There are some excellent new recruits for Tuggies, with Connor Nolan back in the middle of the park to add some much-needed steel, and the welcome return of playmaker Shane Murray, whose ability from set-pieces will be a massive weapon in the Tuggeranong arsenal. The loss of Jamie Vearncombe to a season ending injury before a ball is kicked is disappointing for player and club, but if United add more goals to their repertoire, they have the stability and confidence to make a real go of reaching the finals.

In: Connor NOLAN (Sabbatical), Shane MURRAY (Rydalmere Lions), Tarisayi MBOGO (Brindabella Blues)
Out: Nick FELIZZI, Van NGUYEN (White Eagles), Daniel ROBERTS (O’Connor Knights), Sam SMITH (Weston-Molonglo FC), Jamie VEARNCOMBE (Injured)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

13/2 v White Eagles (h) W 3-2 (Cerruti, Mbogo, Truman)
21/2 v ANU FC (h) W 3-2 (Fulton, Murray, Gayer)
27/2 v Canberra Olympic (h) W 1-0 (Coggan (p))
18/3 v Monaro Panthers (a) D 2-2 (Doherty (p), Slavich)
21/3 v Weston Creek (h) W 3-1 (Doherty, Slavich, Rowley)

WEST CANBERRA WANDERERS

Head Coach: Ulisses Da Silva

Last Season: 7th (Top 4 Series: 4th, Plate Runners-Up)

Woden-Weston FC ended the 2020 season with a wet sail, swinging the form book on its head and belying a horrendous start to the year when they could not buy a goal for love nor money. That they managed to climb off the foot of the ladder and reach the Bottom Four Play-Off Final is testament to the ability of their head honcho, Ulisses Da Silva. A new name for 2021, the club has been rebranded as West Canberra Wanderers, has seen a glut of new faces in the red and black with many of Da Silva’s standout options from that encouraging end to the year having departed for pastures new. That won’t faze the Wanderers camp however, as the loss of influential talent is a common occurrence in these parts. The youth system at the club is in rude health and keeps churning out quality replacements, youngsters with a point to prove at the top table and coupled with some overseas signings and some additional numbers from other NPL clubs, the Wanderers have assembled a squad that could cause those teams with bigger reputations several problems.

In: Martin CROME (Tigers FC), Daniel GUITTEREZ, Anton HOSHOVSKY (Monaro Panthers), Marco JADRIC, Jefferson OLIVERA, Harrison PALIC, Babin PAUDEYAL, Marco PENA (Chile), Pedro PEREIRA, Brodie SIMSONS, Shae THORNTON, Alexandru URICARU
Out: Roy ANDERSON (Gungahlin United), Mate BARISIC (St. Albans), Nikola BARISIC (Sabbatical), Ken BEUTH (White Eagles), Miguel DA SILVA (Overseas), Myles DYCAICO (Overseas), Willem LEJUENE, Zedan MUTLU (Overseas), Jai SELDEN (Melbourne)

PRE-SEASON RESULTS

31/1 vs Queanbeyan City (a) W 5-3 (Crome 15’, Paesler 18’, Deng 27’, Vlazlovski 36’, Manda 81’)
6/2 vs South Coast Flames (h) W 1-0 (Crome)
13/2 v Gungahlin United (a) L 0-1
20/2 vs Tigers FC (a) L 0-7
28/2 v ANU FC (h) L 1-5 (Cole)
4/3 v Belconnen United (a) L 1-4 (Pena)

13/3 v Coniston FC (a) D 2-2 (Uricaru, De Franceschi)