The 2024 Northern Inland Premier League campaign has produced entertainment, twists and turns, some unexpected results and exciting premiership and finals position races, all of which have led to a highly-anticipated days’ worth of action in round 19.
Saturday’s games should be the last in the regular season for the Northern Conference sides, but the weather Gods have had other ideas this year and there are still several fixtures to be caught up between now and the beginning of the finals.
It is certainly a huge day for Inverell FC as they look to remain in the premiership race in both first and reserve grade, while the battle for third in the Southern Conference of first grade and Northern Conference of reserve grade will also ignite.
All six fixtures went ahead in round 18 despite the wet weather across the region. In first grade, Armidale City Westside prevailed 2-1 in a Northern Conference first-versus-third match against Demon Knights, Inverell capitalised on that result and moved into outright second with a 15-2 victory against East Armidale, South Armidale United downed Norths United 1-0, Southern Conference leaders Moore Creek charged into outright first with a 5-1 win against Hillvue Rovers, North Companions edged out Tamworth FC 2-1 in the battle for third place, and Namoi United kept their finals hopes alive with a 2-0 win against South United.
Second-placed Oxley Vale Attunga had the bye, which saw them fall three points behind Moore Creek.
Namoi United and Hillvue Rovers were scheduled to play their round 15 catch-up game on Sunday but that was washed out and will now be contested this Sunday.
In reserve grade, Northern Conference leaders South Armidale United remained in first place when they beat Norths United 4-0, Inverell took down East Armidale United 8-1 to stay in second, Armidale City Westside overcame Demon Knights 2-1 to remain in third, second-placed Southern Conference side Moore Creek missed out on a chance to go first when they went down 2-1 against Hillvue Rovers, Tamworth FC and North Companions played out a 0-0 draw, and Namoi United beat South United 3-2.
Southern Conference leaders Oxley Vale Attunga had the bye.
Once again, there will be three Northern Conference matches and three Southern Conference matches played in each grade during round 19 on Saturday.
In the Northern Conference, Inverell host South Armidale United at the Inverell Sporting Complex, East Armidale United and Demon Knights meet at Doody Park, and Armidale City Westside take on Norths United at Harris Park.
In the Southern Conference, Namoi United welcome Moore Creek to Hogan Oval in Narrabri, Hillvue Rovers and Tamworth FC line up at Riverside Sporting Complex, and South United and Oxley Vale Attunga meet at Gipps Street Sporting Fields.
North Companions have the round 19 bye.
Inverell’s premiership hunt in both grades is one of the key talking points around the competition on Saturday.
They are currently second on both tables with a game in hand on the teams running first, one of which they will line up against in round 19.
In reserve grade, Inverell are five points behind South Armidale United with two games to play. The round 19 clash between the two is the last time the Scorpions will line up in the regular season, so an Inverell win will see them playing for top spot when they meet East Armidale in a catch-up game the following weekend.
In first grade, Inverell are currently two points behind Armidale City Westside and have played one less game. A Westside win against Norths United would mean Inverell have to win to remain a chance of finishing first, but an Inverell win and a Westside loss would see Inverell clinch first place with a game to go.
For Inverell’s coach Damien Schutz, today is an exciting one as his players look to take a step towards what would be a memorable premiership double.
“It’s pretty exciting for us. It’s a big thing what we’re doing considering we’re new into the competition,” Schutz said.
“There’s a few nerves at the same time, especially in first grade because you know what it’s like; when you come up against teams with nothing to lose, they throw a bit more at you. It’s going to be a good game, I think.
“We’ve been playing our games out ‘til the end, which has been good. Still can’t get the same side on the field week on week though. We’ve had a lot of positional changes and player changes, but we’ve got good depth and everyone has been stepping up and doing their job.
“In reserve grade, South Armidale will come at us. They’ve been the best side in reserve grade this year and they’re top of the table for a reason. They’re coming into a bit of form too, which is good at this time of the year.
“They’ll be strong and they’ll have a bit more experience this time than what they did last time.”
For South Armidale United’s reserve grade side, a win or draw on Saturday secures them a first-place finish on the Northern Conference table. The Scorpions kicked off their campaign with an 12-2 defeat at the hands of Inverell and they have come a long way since, having scored 55 goals and conceded just 17 while earning 12 wins and losing just three more times.
They are currently on a six-game winning streak that has seen them soar to the top of the table.
South Armidale player/coach Ruwan Cooper, who took over during the season, was not a part of the side that lost against Inverell back in round two but is well aware of what they need to do on Saturday to beat the second-placed side.
“Look to our defence to nullify their attack, who are in form in the final third, and just look to shut down their players as a unit,” he said when asked what the key to beating Inverell was.
“I wasn’t playing at that stage of the competition (in round two) so can’t really comment on those early games.
“We had a change of coach halfway through the year. I put my hand up to coach and a few boys from the first grade team that won last year decided to come back and give me a hand with the team.
“Having players with a fair bit of experience mixing in with the newer young guys has gelled pretty well. A combination of changing in structure and with new personal has led us to find something that has worked.
“We’ve been playing okay (recently) but still not as clinical and not getting in the back of the net. Defensively we’re doing okay but Saturday is going to be a different kettle of fish with playing the best side that we have played since round one.”
Another Northern Conference reserve grade fixture that will have a significant impact in round 19 is the Armidale City Westside and Norths United Clash at Harris Park.
Westside are currently third with 30 points and Norths are fourth with 25 points, however, Norths have a game in hand on Westside and can scrape into third if they win their two remaining games, the last of which is against East Armidale United.
Westside only need a draw in round 19 to lock in a spot in the finals but they are also determined to earn all three points.
Norths and Westside have not met since their first game of the season in round two when they contested a 0-0 stalemate, and Saturday’s match should be another tight one.
Norths’ coach Tim Tarrant wants to see his side turn things around following what has been a poor run of form of late.
“Feeling pretty good going into the game but not sure what’s been going on the last five games. We have only picked up the three points and that was against arguably the best team, Inverell,” he said.
“We were completely outplayed by Souths last week, and the game against DK conceded two unlucky goals but couldn’t find the back of the net. We’re confident that we should be right once we get into the game.
“We have a pretty good back four and link up with our defensive mids, which has been our strength. We’ve only conceded 18 goals all year, so the key to our success is our defence.”
Armidale City Westside’s coach Anthony Gray is expecting another tough match against a quality opposition outfit.
“I think we’re in for a good game,” he said.
“We drew against Norths at the beginning of the year and that’s a fair view on how both teams are sitting coming into this match.
“It’s a game that could go either way, but the team knows what’s at stake and have everything to play for.
“We’re kind of an attack-all-game team and just look to go forward. We have a few players who step up and contribute a lot of goals but it gets spread around quite a bit.”
In the Southern Conference of reserve grade, Oxley Vale Attunga and Moore Creek enter round 19 locked on 33 points. OVA have a game in hand over the Mountain Goats, but both teams are aware of the importance of a win on Saturday as they fight for the premiership.
Hillvue Rovers looked to have wrapped up third spot as they sit seven points ahead of fourth-placed Tamworth FC, but it is still mathematically possible for Tamworth FC to climb above them and play finals football. Those two sides both have three games remaining and they play against one another on Saturday in a game that Tamworth FC must win to keep their finals hopes alive.
In first grade, the Northern Conference premiership may be out of Westside’s hands but Gray’s men will be gunning for a win in their final regular-season match to ensure top spot is theirs if Inverell do slip up.
If Westside beat Norths United on Saturday, that would mean Inverell must win both of their games on the run home to finish first.
In the Southern Conference, the first grade premiership battle will continue as Moore Creek look to remain three points clear of Oxley Vale Attunga.
OVA are a win behind with a game in hand, meaning if both sides win the rest of their games on the run home, they will finish level on points. Moore Creek are in the box seat as they have a superior for and against difference, so OVA need to get the job done and hope the Mountain Goats slip up if they are to claim the premiership.
The third-place race is just as exciting as three teams remain hopeful of clinching a spot in the finals, which include North Companions (26), Tamworth FC (21) and Namoi United (17).
Tamworth FC and Namoi United have two games in hand on Northies, so the third-placed side’s lead over the fourth and fifth duo is not quite as significant as it seems.
It will be much tougher for Namoi United to climb to third, and to do so they need to win all three of their games on the run home, while a win this weekend will boost Tamworth FC’s chances significantly.
