Premier League Analysis – Round 14

Another great weekend of football last week and only four or five more games for each time left this year. There is a great fight for honours unfolding at the top of the league as well as a real battle to stay away from the wooden spoon.

Chatswood beat North Sydney 3:1 at home. Chatswood have had a mixed season so far but have won three out of the last four matches. Sitting in fourth position on the ladder, they are one game ahead of Lindfield, who are in third position, but five points behind. They will play Maccabi Northside this week, then Lindfield, Berowra and finally Dalleys. They should win at least two out of those four matches, but I wonder if that is enough to see them gain any more ground on the ladder?

North Sydney’s year started well, winning or drawing eight out of their first nine matches, but their recent form has let them down; they have lost three out of four matches, seeing them drop to fifth on the ladder. This week they play Old Barker, then its Lane Cove, Kissing Point, West Pymble and Maccabi Northside, so they have a couple of matches they should win and three matches that are going to be really tough.

Lane Cove were hammered 5:0 at home by Kissing Point last weekend. That’s four losses in a row for Lane Cove and some tough games to round out the year. Away to West Pymble, then North Sydney, Maccabi Northside and Lindfield. Lane Cove are seventh on the table and are not clear of the relegation zone, but I’d be surprised if they fell this year.

Kissing Point’s stellar season continues with another win. That means they have only lost two matches this season and are real contenders to win the championship. However, they trail West Pymble by five points and have five more matches to go: Dalleys, West Pymble, North Sydney, Maccabi and Berowra.

Lindfield beat Dalleys 4:1 on Charles Bean oval under lights. The match report is here. Lindfield started the year slowly but have really gathered momentum winning seven out of their last eight matches. They have new blood upfront and their regulars have been building their fitness as the season progresses. This week they play Berowra, then its Rangers, Old Barker, Lane Cove and West Pymble. They have a really good chance of taking the points from four of those five matches, so they are also a good contender for the title this year.

Dalleys loss to Lindfield is the first loss in five weeks. They had been making a late push to get themselves away from the drop zone and are three points clear of Old Barker. But they have a tough road ahead playing Kissing Point, Berowra, Barker, West Pymble then Rangers. I don’t think they’ll drop this year, but they’re going to have to work hard and show they want to stay up in the Premier League.

Berowra hammered Maccabi Northside 5:0 last week. That win is significant, not just for the number of goals, but because it breaks a losing streak having lost the prior four matches. Berowra win or lose in blocks: They lost the first three, won the next five, and then lost the next four. So, is this the start of a block of wins for the rest of the season? This week they are away to Lindfield whom they beat 5:0 last year on the same ground. Then it’s Dalleys, Rangers, Barker and Kissing Point. They have the goods to win at least three, maybe four of those matches.

Maccabi Northside loss makes in three in a row. They haven’t won a game since round 4 when they beat Lindfield. This week they are at home to Rangers, then it’s Barker, Lane Cove, Kissing Point and North Sydney. Some of the teams look like they will be tough to beat, but there are a couple where Maccabi could come up with the goods.

Barker lost 2:3 to West Pymble. I know a loss is a loss, but taking two goals of the league leaders, when you are the new lads in town, is pretty good. That’s the first loss in a month having drawn or won the prior three matches. The rest of the season is North Sydney, Maccabi Northside, Dalleys, Lindfield and Berowra. I think they can win two, perhaps three of those games.

If they win one more game than Dalleys, they need to win it well to stay up, otherwise Dalleys will stay in the Premier League on goal difference.

West Pymble’s run of wins continues. They have only lost one match this season against Kissing Point, winning or drawing everything else. With Lane Cove this weekend, followed by Kissing Point, Dalleys, North Sydney then Lindfield they should win or draw most of those matches. They are currently five points clear of Kissing Point and Lindfield, so they can afford to lose one more match than Kissing Point or Lindfield, but that’s all.