Round Ten of the Football NSW State League Futsal competition saw the Botany Bay Pirates club bring their nine teams down to mPowerdome to take on the Boomerangs.
Before the round, the Pirates sat in ninth position on the State League Club Championship table (with the Boomerangs in third). It also looked like there would be favourable match ups in most age groups. However, the Pirates played above their ladder position, and took three wins and two draws back up the highway with them at the end of the day, leaving behind just four wins and a share of the two draws for the Boomerangs club.
12 Boys
Boomerangs FS 5 – Botany Bay Pirates 3
The 12 boys had to work hard for this win. The Pirates were tough and disciplined, and were leading the youngest Boomerangs boys by a goal (0-1) at the half-time break. The boys took the initiative in the second period, and the introduction of an injured Barbatano at two key times in the second half lifted the boys and opened up scoring opportunities. When the final whistle blew, the Boomers took the points 5-3 after a goal scoring frenzy in the second period. Goals to Barbatano (2) and Gagliardi (2)
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 4th
13 Girls
Boomerangs FS 1 – Botany Bay Pirates 1
Before this round the Boomerangs youngest girls were in ninth place and the Pirates in 10th. It was anticipated that this would be a close game, and it was. The Pirates opened the scoring early in the first half, and from there it was a close tussle. Indeed it looked like the match would end a one goal loss to the Boomerangs, but with remarkable determination, young Stella De Marco willed in a goal with only seconds left on the game clock. A good effort all round by the team against a closely matched opposition.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 9th
14 Boys
Boomerangs FS 0 – Botany Bay Pirates 4
Before the round Boomerangs were in fourth place and Pirates in ninth and the boys were expecting that hard work and some grit and determination would bring them the points. However evenly balanced the game was in the first half, the goals just would not come for the Boomers boys. Two nil down at half-time with the work to do in the second half. The Pirates though had other thoughts and came out more strongly in the opening period of the second half, knocking in another two goals before the half was seven minutes down. The Boomers coach responded by experimenting with a fifth man play for the most of the remainder of the match to try and force a goal with sheer weight of numbers up the court. Unfortunately the goal drought continued and the match ended with the Pirates up 4-0. A great effort by Rodriguez who played as fly-keeper and then backed up to start in the 16 boys match.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 5th
15 Girls
Boomerangs FS 6 – Botany Bay Pirates 1
This group of girls just keeps performing, and have now won five games in a row after a mid-season slump of three consecutive losses. The girls play extremely well as a team, and any player coming in off the bench, contributes positively to the team. Hard work in the first half saw them in at the break with a small lead, 2-1. However all the hard work they did in the first half started to pay dividends when the game opened up in the second. A comfortable victory for the girls and if they continue to perform, will remain in finals contention.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 4th
16 Boys
Boomerangs FS 1 – Botany Bay Pirates 5
Before this round the Boomerangs 16 boys were in 10th place and the Pirates in 9th and another close game was expected. Down 3-1 at half-time, the boys needed to lift intensity in the second half and seize the momentum. They tried; however, with the lack of success in front of goal, it made it difficult to stage a resurgence to get back into the game. The final score of 1-5 probably not a good indication of how close the game was.
Current ladder position after nine rounds: 10th
17 Girls
Boomerangs FS 1 – Botany Bay Pirates 1
Before the round the Boomerangs 17 girls were in fourth place and the Pirates in 11th, so another win was hoped for. However the Pirates displayed a level of skill and determination that belied their ladder position. The match though will be remembered for the number of shots by the Boomerangs players that hit the uprights, hit the cross-bar, were saved by the keepers leg or arms, or were blocked by the Pirate’s defenders. Nothing the girls could do could get the ball into the back of the net after it was tied up at 1-1 at the half-time break. This result did not help the team’s aspirations of playing finals futsal, and they will need to win both their final two games to be in with a shot of fourth place.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 5th
Youth Men
Boomerangs FS 5 – Botany Bay Pirates 2
The Youth Men have hit their full stride in the second half of this season, and they remain unbeaten since the first game of the season (a narrow 3-4 loss to table topping Sutherland). At 4-1 up at half-time it looked as though the lads would power away in the second term. The Pirates though had other ideas and came out to perform strongly in the second half to match it with the Boomerangs youth — the final scoreline of 5-2 a good reflection of the game. The highlight was a three goal haul from the returning Sean O’Neill.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 2nd
Open Women
Boomerangs FS 5 – Botany Bay Pirates 0
Another great match by the women (and the 17s that played up) that helps them retain top spot on the competition ladder. The ladies started the first half slowly with the Pirates putting up some stiff opposition. The half-time score of 1-0 was increased to 5-0 by the close with the Boomers women hitting their stride late in the match. And much like the Youth Men, this team has had some stunning form since a Round 1 glitch as they have won their subsequent nine matches in the season which sits them neatly atop the table above Sutherland (on goal difference).
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 1st
Open Men
Boomerangs FS 1 – Botany Bay Pirates 2
Before the round Boomerangs Open Men were in second place and the Pirates in 10th with only two wins to their name. However, a lack of regular men’s players for the home team (due primarily to early pre-season outdoor competition) meant that the bench (and a starter) positions were filled with Youth lads who had already had a tough match not 50 minutes earlier. In addition, an injury to Daniel Fulton limited his participation in the game, leaving the men’s roster slim (with Collins in goal, O’Dwyer and Davoren). However, the guys have been in this situation before and have managed to scrape through wins, but this time (much like last week) the men had difficulty finding the back of the net. After O’Dwyer scored the first goal early, it looked like a win was on the cards. However, with the Pirates hitting back quickly the 2-1 half-time score would be the end result with no further goals scored in the second half, even with a last few minutes of fifth-man play.
And with the last three weeks’ results seeing the team slip from 1st, to 2nd and then 3rd, there is a chance that they will miss the finals if they do not win their final two matches and overcome this late season slump.
Current ladder position after ten rounds: 3rd
Four wins, two draws and three losses,
The finals hopes of several age groups now depends on winning both remaining games and hoping for positive results in other matches. With a bye in the second last round, this limits opportunities to chalk up more competition points from the three remaining rounds. It would appear that the only definites for finals futsal at present would be the Open Women and the Youth Men.
The Club Championship after this round sees the club in fourth place in a congested ladder that is ‘messy’ at the top with several clubs having ‘make up games’ in hand as well as Hakoah, Taipans and possibly the Raiders with games in hand, having already had their bye weekend. A key measure is the number of losses, and the Boomerangs club is not well positioned having already lost 29 games this season (the most of the top six). With one relatively difficult round to go (Eastern Suburbs Hakoah) and one relatively easier (Western Wolves) it is likely the club will finish 4th-6th at season end.