Programme Round 20 CONTENTS Lotto NRFL 2015 3 Lotto NRFL Premier Preview 4 Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier Preview 5 Lotto NRFL Division 1 Preview 6 Lotto NRFL Division 2 Preview 7 Lotto NRFL Premier Squad Lists 6 Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier Squad Lists 8 Lotto NRFL Division 1 Squad Lists 10 Lotto NRFL Division 2 Squad Lists 12 Lotto NRFL Premier Tables 14 Lotto NRFL Division Tables 15 Lotto NRFL Premier Golden Boot 16 Lotto NRFL Division Golden Boot 17 Lotto NRFL Premier Team Progress 18 Lotto NRFL Division Team Progress 19 Lotto NRFL 2015 Welcome The ASB Chatham Cup will steal some of the limelight this weekend but there is still plenty of drama to look forward to in the latest instalment of the Lotto NRFL. Premier League leaders Eastern Suburbs and third-placed Central United are both involved in the cup quarter-finals, meaning the likes of Hamilton Wanderers, Onehunga Sports and Glenfield Rovers can all make up some vital ground. The clash between Wanderers and Sports at Porritt Stadium will be the highlight on Saturday while Glenfield have to deal with a testing trip to resurgent Melville United. There is a massive game in Division One with Forrest Hill-Milford United playing host to Tauranga City United, the outcome of which will have huge consequences in the battle for promotion. The same can be said of the meeting between Oratia United and North Force in Division Two while the season-defining fixtures keep coming with the women’s action on Sunday. Whoever comes out on top as Forrest Hill travel to Claudelands Rovers is likely to go on and win the Women’s Premier title, meaning Glenfield must make sure they sweep aside Norwest United and pray for a draw in the big title decider at Claudelands’ Galloway Park home. In the programme this week, we preview these games and all others, as well as featuring photos from Phototek of a pair of recent matches. In focus were Hamilton’s 3-1 win over Waitakere City in the Premier League and Three Kings United’s 7-0 success over Fencibles United in the Women’s Premier. As always, we also have all the up-to-date tables, team progress graphs, golden boot charts and squads so there is a wealth of info at your fingertips! Our Lotto NRFL social media platforms continue to be the place to go for all score updates, results, goal details and other news – be sure to tag us @LottoNRFL with your updates from the sideline! Good luck for your game! All photos by Phototek Lotto NRFL Gallery available at: www.phototek.co.nz/aff_picture_gallery.html Social @LottoNRFL Lotto NRFL Governing Federations Lotto NRFL Premier Preview Round 20 Waitakere City vs East Coast Bays Fred Taylor Park | Saturday 8 August | Kick-off: 2.45pm | Referee: Steven Black Assistant Referees: Simon Lount, Luke Agnew vs Both of these sides will not be happy with their seasons but East Coast Bays have at least managed to stay clear of any serious relegation worries and can play out the final weeks relatively free of pressure. Waitakere must wish they could say the same as they have been under the pump for most of the campaign and appear to now just be going through the formalities before they drop out of the division. Melville United vs Glenfield Rovers Gower Park | Saturday 8 August | Kick-off: 2.45pm | Referee: Chris Kerr Assistant Referees: Hayden Tutbury, Carl Watkins Melville have found form at just the right time, nearly earning a shock draw at title favourites Eastern Suburbs vs before carving out successive away wins. They are still staring down the barrel of relegation but, with games in hand on all the sides above them, have at least given themselves a fighting chance. A win over the defending champions would really send out a statement that they are not about to let go of their Premier League place just yet. Western Springs vs Bay Olympic Seddon Fields | Saturday 8 August | Kick-off: 5:00pm | Referee: Martin Neale Assistant Referees: James Ashford, Neil Tobin These sides are both loitering in the bottom half of the table, seemingly unlikely to go down but too close to the vs relegation zone for comfort nonetheless. A mid-table finish would be a pleasing outcome for both as Springs are new to the division and the Bay are in a rebuilding phase in coach Carl Jorgensen’s first season at the helm. Hamilton Wanderers vs Onehunga Sports Porritt Stadium | Saturday 8 August | Kick-off: 2.45pm | Referee: Nick Waldron Assistant Referees: Steve Bland, Chris Wolken Wanderers appear to be the only side capable of catching Eastern Suburbs but have six points to make up so it won’t be easy to haul the leaders in. This match could potentially derail their season as Onehunga have a wealth vs of individual talent and have already claimed a big scalp in beating Glenfield last weekend. Sean Lovemore is back among the goals while Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi, a member of New Zealand’s U-20 World Cup squad, also got on the scoresheet against Rovers. Birkenhead United vs Hamilton Wanderers Rescheduled to Saturday 5 September due to ASB Chatham Cup Onehunga Sports vs Central United Rescheduled to Saturday 5 September due to ASB Chatham Cup Three Kings United vs Eastern Suburbs Rescheduled to Saturday 26 September due to ASB Chatham Cup 4 | Programme 2015 50 Years of Local Pride Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier Preview Round 17 Fencibles United vs Eastern Suburbs William Green Domain | Friday 7 August | Kick-off: 7:00pm | Referee: Morgan Archer Assistant Referees: Hilary Osborne, Beth Rattray vs Eastern Suburbs expended a lot of energy last weekend while engaging in an epic extra-time battle with Western Springs in the Knockout Cup and Fencibles will hope that takes its toll on Friday evening. Their efforts counted for nothing in the end as Springs triumphed 3-2 and Suburbs coach Paul Marshall will be hoping for both a different outcome and a less combative opponent here. Fencibles posed few problems in the pair’s previous meeting with Suburbs winning 6-1. Claudelands Rovers vs Forrest Hill-Milford United Galloway Park | Sunday 9 August | Kick-off: 1:00pm | Referee: Sarah Walker Assistant Referees: Eric Yu, Kieran Withers vs With these sides occupying the top two placings on the ladder, this is essentially a title decider. The loser will still have a chance of finishing first but only two matches remain after this round so the opportunity to make up the required ground would be minimal. Forrest Hill can at least deal the title chances of neighbours Glenfield a near fatal blow by winning and, with matches against lowly Norwest and Papatoetoe to follow, it’s hard to see how Claudelands could prevent them from successfully defending their title. Three Kings United vs Lynn-Avon United Keith Hay Park | Sunday 9 August | Kick-off: 1:00pm | Referee: Ravinesh Kumar vs Assistant Referees: Brandon Day, Caleb Moffatt Three Kings were one of only two sides in Women’s Premier action last weekend and they took full advantage with a 2-1 upset of title hopefuls Glenfield. Isabella Richards was on target in that victory and now shares the squad’s top-scorer mantle with three other players – Jasmine Pereira, Hannah Robert and Hannah Wall. Indeed, Lynn- Avon must keep close watch on a trio of Hannahs as another, Hannah Blake, has notched four goals herself. Glenfield Rovers vs Norwest United McFetridge Park | Sunday 9 August | Kick-off: 1:00pm | Referee: Paul Mason Assistant Referees: Fidel Jaary, Alan Tobin vs Glenfield missed an opportunity to go top of the table in losing to Three Kings and will be bitterly disappointed at that result as it has done a huge amount of damage to their title hopes. Their dreams of glory are yet to be extinguished completely but the odds are now very much against them and, even if they dispose of Norwest as expected, they will be just about knocked out of the title running if the Claudelands-Forrest Hill match does not result in the draw they so desperately require. Papatoetoe vs Western Springs Murdoch Park | Sunday 9 August | Kick-off: 1:00pm | Referee: James Ashford vs Assistant Referees: Salman Ali, Faiyaz Ali Like Glenfield, Western Springs still have a degree of hope to cling to in the most open Women’s Premier title race for years but their chances similarly hang by a thread. The equation for Richard Wilson and his charges is simple – try to forget about what is happening elsewhere and make sure all remaining matches are won. If they can do that, Springs could well be celebrating a rare double as they are also due to meet Glenfield in the cup quarter- finals later this month. | 5 Lotto NRFL Division 1 Preview Round 20 Metro vs Manurewa Phyllis Street | Friday 7 August | Kick-off: 7.30pm | Referee: Rajesh Kumar Assistant Referees: Khalid El Gana, Eric Yu vs Metro have bounced back well from the disappointment of losing to cellar dwellers Ngaruawahia several rounds ago, winning two out of three with the only loss coming against title favourites Forrest Hill. The partnership between Rizal Ganief and Leo Berlim has given Metro a sharp attacking edge and the pair now has 10 goals between them. Manurewa’s confidence levels will be low after being thumped 5-0 by Forrest Hill. Forrest Hill-Milford United vs Tauranga City United Becroft Park | Saturday 8 August | Kick-off: 2.45pm | Referee: Allan Wilson Assistant Referees: Nick Kang, Ravi Prasad This game is of huge significance to the promotion hunt and is undoubtedly the highlight of the round.