Round 5 of the 2013/2014 Football NSW Futsal Premier League was played at home at the AIS against Enfield Rovers on Saturday 9 November.
The Boomerangs premier teams – the Open Men and Open Women – continue to impress and confirm their credentials as top of the table contenders in this 2013/2014 season. The Men remain unbeaten on four wins and a draw from their five games so far this season, ahead of both last year’s grand finalists, Inner West Magic and Dural Warriors. (And even though both these teams have a game in hand, the Boomerangs lead is four points over Magic and six over Dural). The Men’s goal difference after four games is also double that of their nearest competitor highlighting their current dominance.
The Boomerangs Women’s team sits in second place behind only the undefeated Campbelltown Quake. They are ahead of Enfield Rovers on goal difference alone after this weekend’s game, and a further two points ahead of Mascot Vipers.
And whilst it is still early days in both these competitions, both of these Boomerangs senior teams are looking the goods this year and are both teams that should now be feared by all others in the competition.
Venture below these top tier teams though, and most of the Boomerangs junior teams are not yet meeting the challenges thrown their way in this highly competitive top flight competition.
There are positive signs though, and this week, all the teams – barring perhaps the 12 boys – did look highly competitive against Enfield, and the return of three wins and two draws from the nine games played wasn’t too far below expectations – considering the quality of the highly skilled Rovers teams.
12 Boys
Boomerangs 2 – 8 Rovers
It is becoming apparent that although this playing group includes talented individuals and they are developing great teamwork, the intensity and physicality of this competition is testing them – it is not something they have encountered in local ACT competitions. After two wins from their first two games of the season, they have now suffered three defeats in a row. There is confidence in the group though that they can turn around these poor results and start getting back on the wining side of the ledger.
12 Girls
Boomerangs 1 – 4 Rovers
The 12 girls were never really in the hunt as Enfield dominated almost from the first whistle — they played harder and they ran faster. Contributions are coming from all the Boomerangs players, and it won’t be long before they register some wins for the club. It was though, a great effort by the Enfield girls, securing their first win for the season.
14 Boys
Boomerangs 2 – 1 Rovers
After a closely fought and very tight first half, the Boomerangs lifted from the first half single goal deficit to slot home two terrific goals themselves in the second stanza, whilst denying any opportunity for the Enfield boys to claw back any points. Inflicting Enfield 14s second only defeat for the season, showed real grit and determination by the Boomerangs boys, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come for this team.
14 Girls
Boomerangs 2 – 2 Rovers
With both these teams winless in the 13/14 season to date, each team would have been hoping for a bit of luck to secure that first win and a valuable three points for their club. As it was, a 2-2 draw was a good indication of the game and probably a worthy outcome. A good effort by both teams… a win for each of them is not that far away!
16 Boys
Boomerangs 0 – 2 Rovers
Another sound performance from this enigmatic Boomerangs team – a team with so much skill and potential, but little showing for it in terms of results. The Boomerang boys were in the game right till the very end, and it felt like one goal might well have turned the tide and opened the way for a few more. Alas, it was not to be. These boys need to lift – and especially at the defensive end – if they are to avoid the wooden spoon for season 2013/2014.
16 Girls
Boomerangs 2 – 2 Rovers
Another close tussle and fine battle between two evenly matched teams. The Boomerangs remain in sight of the top four, but there does need to be a conversion of the draws (three to date) into wins if they are to really make a play for a finals position this season. A hugely talented roster, seems to lack a killer punch and they continue to have a knack of leaking goals a critical moments in matches. Converting these draws to wins must be the goal for this team.
Youth Men
Boomerangs 4 – 5 Rovers
This was an eagerly awaited match up. The 16s Boomerangs defeated the 16s Rovers in last year’s Grand Final (after Enfield took the honours in both round matches), and as much of the make up of these two teams was derived from last year’s 16s teams, it looked like it was all set up to be a cracker of a game – renewing old rivalries.
Enfield though, were obviously still hurting from their shock grand final defeat of last season, as they came out all guns blazing and gave the Boomerangs Youth team a bath in the first half. Could the Boomerangs Youth overturn a 4-1 deficit? They thought they could, and the team’s intensity lifted several notches in the final 20 minutes. In the end though, it wasn’t quite enough and the Rovers boys did enough to stop the wall of Boomerangs forward pressure. A great game, and another classic fixture in this ongoing rivalry between these two sets of talented players.
Open Women
Boomerangs 3 – 1 Rovers
Unlike last weekend, the Boomerangs at home had a full contingent (almost) of players from which to call on. And in a classic case of ‘shoe is on the other foot’ the Enfield ladies team were short a few key players. It was no surprise then that the Boomerangs women handled this game with reasonable ease. They were certainly pushed at times, but the sense was that they had the game within their grasp the whole time – especially after an early goal scoring opportunity was converted. There is a tremendous positivity around this Boomerangs women’s team this year. The season together in the inaugural F-League has given them valuable playing time together under high pressure competition, and this has provided great benefit to their FNSW Premier League season. If they can keep a full contingent on court week after week, they will certainly be there at the end of the season.
Open Men
Boomerangs 7 – 4 Rovers
The Boomers men – much like the women – have benefited greatly from being together for a few years now – and notably including a few F-League seasons. The core of this team is starting to gel well, and to work together efficiently and effectively…. and at times, brilliantly. If they aren’t already, they should be one of the favourites for this year’s title…. but as with the women’s team, its a matter of keeping the core of the team available and on court week in week out – at home and away.
This game against Enfield was relatively comfortable for the boys, who were only hurt when they started to take the foot off the pedal. Some great individual performances and some slick passing and teamwork ensured they made easy work of a team that was light on a few experienced players.
All in all, a reasonable return from the nine matches played – however, the longer term goal is to return 4-5 wins a weekend from across the nine teams (plus a draw or two!) if the club is to remain competitive in the Premier League. There is more work to be done, but the Boomerangs are keen to take on the challenge and to get as many teams as possible playing in finals come the end of the season.
The Football NSW review of the weekend’s men’s matches can be found HERE.
The Club Championship table after Round 5 can be found HERE. (when it becomes available)