Round 8 of the 18/19 Football NSW Premier League 2 competition signalled the start of the second half of the season and was a home round taking on Raiders Futsal. In Round 1 of the season, away at the Raiders new home court, the Boomers teams did particularly well, winning four, drawing two and losing only one of the matches that impact on the Club Championship (age 14 boys and up).
The objective of home rounds is always to improve on away results, and it was pleasing that the day did indeed pan out that way with five of the seven matches that contribute to the Club Championship as victories to the Boomerangs teams, and two very close matches in the younger competitive age groups (12 boys/13 girls) resulting in a loss and a draw.
To check out the photos of this round head to the Boomerangs photo site.
For full match and highlight videos, head to the BoomersTV YouTube channel.
Development Squad Matches
Raiders Futsal kindly came down the highway a little earlier to provide the development squads with matches. The 9 Boys took on their Boomers stablemates, the 11 girls, but the 10 and 11 boys and the 11/12 girls had Raiders opposition to play against. Whilst results aren’t the most important thing at these development ages, the quality of the futsal is improving and the kids understanding of the game is turning them into better players.
12 Boys: Boomerangs 2 – 3 Raiders Futsal (ht 0 – 2)
After the thrashing the 12s were given by Raiders in Round 1 earlier this season, it was extremely pleasing to see how far the boys have come since. They came within a goal of drawing with a team sitting in the top four with a five-win/two loss record – and with a bit of luck could have won the game. The result was all the more pleasing in that they improved as the game went on and were more dominant for most of the second half – a trend which was to continue for the majority of the matches this day.
Goals to AJ Malauulu, Will McCloskey
Ladder Position: 7th ( – )
13 Girls: Boomerangs 2 – 2 Raiders Futsal (ht 0 – 0)
The 13 girls Round 1 (1-3) loss to the Raiders showed that they were a bit off the pace at the early stage of the competition. Since then, the girls have come along in leaps and bounds and their confidence is rising each week as they start to get results on the board.
The defensive effort by both teams needs to be applauded, especially through the first half where neither team could penetrate the opposition’s defence. The second half saw four goals scored – one each as the second period commenced and one each close to the death of the match. An exciting quality match from these girls against one of the toughest teams in the league. Raiders remain in second position on the ladder and the Boomers girls in 4th.
Goals to Ella Palframan, Sofia Palywoda
Ladder Position: 4th ( – )
14 Boys: Boomerangs 7 – 2 Raiders Futsal (ht 3 – 1)
The 14 boys have definitely turned the corner as far as consistency and performances are concerned. Their Round 1 loss to Raiders started a first half of the season that didn’t exactly go to plan with them sitting in seventh position on the ladder (just one below Raiders) at the halfway point of the season.
The boys looked strong and positive from the first whistle and turned that into a 3-1 halftime lead. They continued strongly in the second half, regularly adding goals and doing a great job at the defensive end of the court. If they continue the hard work and the on court performances, they will definitely trouble a few teams in the back end of the season.
Goals to Ethan Yuen (2), Tom Barbatano (2), Nick Pratezina (2), Nabil Djomi-Ousmane
Ladder Position: 6th ( +1 )
15 Girls: Boomerangs 1 – 4 Raiders Futsal (ht 1 – 1)
Both the 15 girls and the 16 boys went into this round as the clubs only two undefeated teams (with five wins and two draws each) and they both had that record broken with losses to teams below them on the ladder. One of the 15 girls draws for the season was against Raiders in Round 1 (4-4), so they knew this was going to be a tough tussle.
A tight and mostly defensive first half had the teams evenly matches at the break with two very early goals the only scoring in the first stanza. The second half saw the Raiders dominate and it looked like a matter of time until they started putting scoreboard pressure on the Boomers. They scored once at the seventh minute of the second half and locked the game down with two further goals in the final six minutes not allowing the Boomerangs sharp-shooters to get off any decent shots in dangerous areas.
This result will be a bit of a reality check for the girls, knowing they will need to put in maximum performances from here until the end of the regular season if they want to finish atop the ladder and in prime spot for finals.
Goals to Elke Aitolu
Ladder Position: 2nd ( –1 )
16 Boys: Boomerangs 4 – 8 Raiders Futsal (ht 3 – 4)
Like the 15 girls, this team has had an unbeaten season so far, but a lack of focus and concentration in the second half cost them the points from this match.
In Round 1, the travelling Boomerangs knocked up their first impressive win of the season against Raiders and it kick-started their great first seven rounds. Perhaps the Boomers boys underestimated the seventh-placed Raiders and allowed them the space and time to convert their good play into goals – especially in the second period.
This loss sees the 16s knocked off their ladder leading position into second behind Taipans (on goal difference alone), and sees the competition ladder top four pull away slightly from the bunch – although positions in that top four are by no means locked in this far from the end of the season.
Goals to Luca Macor, Leon Michl, Stef Vucic, Odhran Traynor
Ladder Position: 2nd ( -1 )
18 Women: Boomerangs 4 – 2 Raiders Futsal (ht 0 – 0)
The 18 women’s team were keen to turn around their narrow single-goal loss from Round 1 and to show the undefeated, table-topping, Raiders the quality the nation’s capital can produce at this age group. Like both the 13 girls and 15 girls matches, the first halves were characterised by strong defensive efforts by both teams, and respect for the scoring threat the opposition brings.
This match though, had the Boomerangs young women lift their game in the second period at both the offensive and defensive ends and helped to turn around the day’s fortunes after the losses in the 15s and 16s.
The 18s are finally starting to deliver on their promised potential and now look like a finals spot is their’s for the holding having crept into the top four again after hovering just outside for several weeks.
Goals to Lucy D’arcy, Bronte Pyke, Alex McKenzie, Maddie Perceval
Ladder Position: 4th ( +1 )
Youth Men: Boomerangs 5 – 3 Raiders Futsal (ht 2 – 3)
The Boomerangs youth certainly had a fight on their hands in a tough encounter with the Raiders youth men who started the game strongly and delivered three first-half goals. This was always going to be a tough battle given the almost identical results of each team across the first half of the season… results that included a single goal win to the travelling Boomerangs youth in Round 1.
The half-time coaches talk would no doubt have focussed on defensive intensity and the results across the second period where there to see. A superb defensive effort stopped any progress on the visitor’s scorecard and the Boomers built on their back-court pressure by delivering some terrific goals when up at the offensive end of the court.
A really solid win that again showed the need to build wins on the back of defensive pressure and to maintain match fitness that allows the team to come home stronger in the second period of play.
Goals to Rob Tkatchenko (2), Nic Felizzi, Will Manalo
Ladder Position: 3rd ( – )
Open Women: Boomerangs 4 – 3 Raiders Futsal (ht 2 – 1)
The Round 1 (3-1) victory by the Boomerangs open women against a strong Raiders women, set the stage for an impressive start to the season by the Boomers. This top of the table clash was always going to be a tight match and would need the hometown Boomerangs to be at their best to ward off the challenge from the second-placed Raiders.
The Raiders once again showed that they rely heavily on the talented Cassidy Chidgey (the league’s top scorer) to score their goals, with her single in the first period and her two in the second, almost single-handedly grabbing some competition points for the visitors. The Boomerangs, however, have no such reliance on any one player and have had goals evenly shared across fourteen of their roster so far this season. And this was the case again for this match with a double to Corbett and singles to Day and McKenzie.
This was a really solid performance by the ladies across the court – including a sterling effort once again from Jess Giovinazzo in goals – that sets them up well for the second half of the season.
Goals to Rachael Corbett (2), Miki Day, Alex McKenzie
Ladder Position: 1st ( – )
Open Men: Boomerangs 4 – 2 Raiders Futsal (ht 1 – 2)
Matches between the Boomerangs men and Raiders Futsal men have always been evenly contested matches with very little between the teams. This was the case in Round 1 of the season where the teams could not be separated and a one all draw resulted.
The Raiders were taking on a Boomerangs team that was looking to get back into the groove after a disappointing few rounds of the season. A busy week – which involved the previous Saturday’s match against Crusaders, a tough and draining mid-week FNSW Cup match against Dural Warriors, local Capital Football Premier League matches and local club commitments had the men as fit and ready as they could be – and hopefully not overworked over the previous seven days!
Raiders started the match strongly and were able to convert two of their opportunities in front of goal – in the ninth and 22nd minutes. The Boomers hit back immediately after the second with a strike to Jake Wilsener, reducing the halftime deficit to a single goal.
The second half saw the home side – continuing a trend of the day – lift their intensity, especially at the defensive end, to limit opportunities for Raiders to score. The sustained defensive pressure helped lead to front court action and conversions by Ryan Quarmby and then Ben Basser-Silk put the game to bed with just five minutes to play to hold on to a strong victory over a fellow top-four contender. Nic Dahl put the icing on the cake with just two minutes to play.
Goals to Ben Basser-Silk, Ryan Quarmby, Jake Wilsener, Nicholas Dahl
Ladder Position: 6th ( – )
NEXT WEEK
Round 9 of this season has the club matched up against South Coast Taipans at the recently completed Q-One venue in Queanbeyan. Due to the Club President’s wedding next Saturday, and the subsequent unavailability of the vast majority of the men’s and women’s team (and coaches), the Taipans agreed to bring forward the senior games (Men, Women and Youth Men) to Sunday 18 November, meaning that Saturday 24 November will be development age groups plus competitive groups up to 18 Women only.
After the Round 8 matches, the Boomerangs club has maintained a four-point advantage at the top of the PL2 Club Championship and the race for promotion to PL1 potentially reduced to five after strong performances by Boomerangs, SD Raiders and Taipans.