The Premier League season enters its final month, with the race for finals intensifying across both competitions.
In the Men’s competition, the day begins with University facing OHA. A win will secure the minor premiership for the Stueys, who extended their winning streak to five matches with last weekend’s 4-2 victory over North West Graduates. They appear to be rounding back into their best form as the season approaches the pointy end.
OHA, meanwhile, have hauled themselves back into finals contention and now sit just three points outside the top four, having been 12 points adrift after Round 10. With three of their final four games against the competition’s top three, they will likely need to cause an upset along the way to complete an improbable run to the top 4. This shapes as a tough assignment, with University having comfortably won all three previous meetings this season.
DiamondBacks will then take on North West Graduates in a second-versus-third battle that could go a long way towards determining the double chance. The Bulldogs’ 2-2 draw with Derwent on Tuesday night moved them back ahead of the Snakes by a solitary point, but DiamondBacks can reclaim second place with a win.
North West Graduates lead the season series 2-1, although DiamondBacks’ victory was an emphatic 6-1 result.
The final Men’s game of the day looms as a vital contest in the battle for fourth place. Derwent have displaced Canterbury in the final finals position and now hold a one-point advantage following their midweek draw.
The Lions have lost their past nine matches and face the competition’s top three sides across the final three rounds. Should they fall four points behind Derwent this weekend, it could prove terminal for their finals hopes.
All three meetings between the sides this season have been tight, low-scoring affairs. Derwent claimed 1-0 and 2-0 victories in Rounds 2 and 12, while Canterbury prevailed 1-0 in Round 7.
Those same two clubs will open the Women’s Premier League Round 17 action, with Canterbury eyeing the chance to draw level on points with University.
After taking the lead through Hannah Richardson in Wednesday night’s clash with University, the Lions will have been disappointed to concede just a minute later and settle for a draw. That result left them three points adrift in the battle for fourth place.
Canterbury have won all three meetings with Derwent this season, but given the Strikers’ improvement during the second half of the campaign, this is unlikely to be a straightforward assignment.
OHA will then take on University. The Ships slipped back to third following last weekend’s draw with Canterbury and will be eager to return to the winners’ list as they battle North West Graduates and DiamondBacks for a top-two finish and the double chance. They now sit one point behind DiamondBacks and four behind North West Graduates, although they still have fixtures remaining against both.
University were also in action midweek, with Catherine Webster scoring the crucial equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw that kept them three points clear of Canterbury in fourth place.
OHA have won all three meetings between the sides this season without conceding a goal.
The Women’s match of the round closes out the day, with North West Graduates and DiamondBacks meeting in a top-of-the-table clash. It will also be the second leg of the Greg Brown Cup that will be contested between the 2 across both the Men's and Women's games.
Following OHA’s draw last weekend, the Snakes have climbed back into the top two and will be eyeing the chance to draw level on points with the Bulldogs in the final Grand Final rematch of the regular season.
All three meetings between last season’s Grand Finalists this year have been decided by a single goal, with North West Graduates winning two of them. The sides typically produce tight, low-scoring contests, with none of their past eight meetings featuring more than three goals.
