May 30, 2016
Saturday’s soccer games proved to be a weekend of upsets, much to the delight of some fans who thought the outcome of the 2016 competition was already a foregone conclusion.
In Nanango, Wests’ Second Division squad triumphed over the Panthers.
It was the third win in a row for Wests against the Nanango team.
When both sides last met in Round 5 of this year’s competition, Wests had prevailed 3-0 against their opponents at Kingaroy’s Tom Alford Oval – Wests’ home ground.
And when the teams played again in the President’s Cup at Tom Alford Oval just two weeks ago, Wests retained their ascendancy, albeit by a narrower margin (2-1).
But on Saturday, with the Panthers playing on their own home ground, some spectators expected the big cats would finally claw a victory off their nemesis.
However, it was not to be.
Wests secured a 3-1 victory to make it three in a row against the southerners.
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Wests also performed above expectations in the Women’s Division, fighting Nanango’s formidable women’s side to a one-all draw.
The Panthers have had the better of Wests Women on the last three occasions both sides have contested the park.
In Round 2 back in March, the two teams battled it out for a nil-all draw.
Then in Round 5, Panthers gained the upper hand when a scheduled Saturday game had to be deferred to mid-week.
On Saturday, though, Wests women bounced back to hold the Panthers to another draw.
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The First Division match between Wests and Panthers was not as much of a surprise as the first two games, with the Panthers maintaining their so-far-undefeated run to record their eighth consecutive win of the season.
Panthers demolished Wests 5-nil in a display of football prowess that was simultaneously awe-inspiring and cold-bloodedly clinical in its precision.
If it is any consolation to Wests’ top squad, Panthers have so far triumphed over every other side they’ve played, too.
They remain the Number 1 team to beat in this year’s competition, with 50 per cent more points on the ladder than their next nearest rival.
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In Kingaroy, Barambah’s Second Division side showed their depth of talent when they delivered an upset 6-0 win over Gunners.
Gunners had gone into the match the superior team, according to both the ladder and this season’s history.
The teams have played twice before this year, with Barambah only narrowly winning 3-2 over Gunners in Round 2 before going down 3-1 in their second encounter.
On Saturday, though, Barambah’s 2nd Division side came out with a vengeance, securing the sort of victory that must have left some Gunners players wondering where the truck came from.
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The next surprise of the day was the cancellation of the Women’s Division match.
This was because the Gunnettes were unable to muster a full team due to a variety of circumstances.
The postponed match will be played at a future date to be decided by mutual agreement.
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In First Division, Barambah remained unable to break to hoodoo that has seen the side fail to win or draw a single game so far this season.
The reason for this is that the iron men of the north have an under-strength First Division side this year, and have been using 2nd Division players to make up the numbers.
But on Saturday, they delivered Gunners another surprise when they kept up the pressure right up to the final whistle.
Despite being the second top Divisional team, the purple and golds were barely able to wrest a 2-1 victory over the cellar-dwelling Bears.
This was a final score few had expected, but it made for a very entertaining game.
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Results – Round 8:
Nanango v Wests (in Nanango)
- Division 2: Wests 3 – Nanango 1
- Women’s Div: Wests 1 – Nanango 1
- Division 1: Nanango 5 – Wests 0
Gunners v Barambah (in Kingaroy)
- Division 2: Barambah 6 – Gunners 0
- Women’s Div: Deferred
- Division 1: Gunners 2 – Barambah 1
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Next Saturday, June 4:
Due to a hiccup with the availability of the Nanango fields, all scheduled senior games will be played at Tom Alford Oval in Kingaroy next Saturday.
- Noon: 2nd Division – Gunners v Nanango
- 1:40pm: 2nd Division – Wests v Barambah
- 3:15pm: Women’s Division – Wests v Barambah
- 4:30pm: Women’s Division – Gunners v Nanango
- 5:45pm: 1st Division – Wests v Barambah
- 7:30pm: 1st Division – Gunners v Nanango
Junior games which were also scheduled to be played at Nanango on June 4 have now been set back a week to June 11.
