We’re now two thirds of the way through the 2019 home and away season and the Hills Football Premier League table has well and truly taken shape. With only 7 rounds to go, we take a look at each team’s season so far.
1st – Kenthurst
Runaway leaders Kenthurst would do well to lose the Minor Premiership from here. They’ve netted 60 goals in 14 games, with close to 40 of those coming from key attacking trio Jordan Bonella, Matthew Leroy, and Edward Rinaldi.
Their prominence in going forward has been matched by a stellar defence who are conceding less than a goal a game. However they aren’t infallible; Castle Hill Utd defeated the Bushboys 1-0 back in April. The one blip on an otherwise faultless season so far for the red and white.
Kenthurst can tie up top spot by mid-July, and at this stage, should go into the finals full of confidence.
2nd – Kellyville Kolts
The Kolts leap frogged Castle Hill Utd into second spot after a 2-1 victory at Bernie Mullane over the weekend. The win puts Kellyville one point ahead of United, with a game in hand to boot.
That crucial top of the table win was on the back of two goal fests against Glenhaven and Rouse Hill, which now puts Kellyville one point ahead of United, with a greater goal difference and a game in hand.
The Kolts will hope their leading goal-scorer Nicholas Giampietro continues to fire as they look to consolidate second spot in the remaining fixtures.
3rd – Castle Hill Utd
After losing their round 1 fixture to Winston Hills, United then went on to win five straight to set up their season. However they’ve had a mixed bag of results since that golden run, including a draw with fifth placed Baulkham Hills, and a loss to Winston Hills who now sit hot on their heels in fourth.
They get a chance to atone that loss in round 15, when they head to Max Ruddock Reserve. A win will consolidate their position and give them a platform to retake second spot for the end of the season; an objective they’ll be confident with given their next three games after Winston Hills are against beatable opposition.
If top scorer Daniel Berry gets rolling, and they can find some of their early season form that saw them win five straight, it will be hard to see them missing finals. However if they lose this weekend, and drop a few more points in July, then things may start to look a little bleak.
4th – Winston Hills
After 10 rounds it seemed as though Winston Hills would present the biggest threat to Kenthurst in the fight for the minor premiership. The Bears clocked up 23 points from a possible 30, including huge victories against Glenhaven and North Rocks. However that dream run ended with a 3-1 loss to Kellyville in round 11, since which they’ve failed to gain another point.
Their early season form means they still sit a few games clear of Baulkham Hills in fifth spot, however a fifth loss straight against Castle Hill Utd this weekend could put them in a vulnerable position.
The next month is crucial for the Bears, especially considering their last two games see them play Kenthurst and Baulkham Hills, in what might shape up to be a final round decider for a top four position.
5th – Baulkham Hills
Baulkham Hills have come a long way since their 5-0 opening game defeat at the hands of Rouse Hill. In fact, only a brave man would have predicted that Baulko would sit 4 points clear of the Rams 14 games in.
Those two teams face each other for the third time this weekend, after the Kookaburra’s evened the ledger with a win in round 8. This game could do a lot to define both sides’ seasons.
If Baulko win, they’ll stay within touching distance of the top four, and with more winnable games ahead, will feel confident in ensuring the race for finals goes all the way to the last round where they face Winston Hills. Should they lose, they’ll be far closer to second last then a finals spot.
6th – North Rocks
Wind the clock back a month and not even the biggest optimist could envisage North Rocks mounting a challenge for the top four. A start that saw them win only 1 point from a possible 30, hit a new low when they were thumped 8-0 by table-toppers Kenthurst.
However that loss must have sparked something, with the blues knocking off Baulkham Hills, Winston Hills, Rouse Hill, and Glenhaven. Full points over those four fixtures means that North Rocks are now within legitimate striking distance of the top four.
To do so, they’ll need to continue playing their best football as they face the top five sides over the next five weeks.
7th – Rouse Hill Rams
Rouse Hill’s form seems to be inversely correlated with that of North Rocks who sit above them. The Rams enjoyed their first Premier League match with a 5-0 demolition of Baulkham Hills. That form continued with four wins and a draw from their first six games putting the Rams in a great position to start the season.
However things came crashing down in round 7 as they suffered a harrowing 8-0 defeat to league leaders Kenthurst. Subsequent losses to Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, and Winston Hills put the Rams into free fall down the Premier League ladder, which only halted with a meagre 2-2 draw with Glenhaven.
However as grim as their outlook might have been after the first 13 rounds, they’ll take heart after a narrow loss to Kenthurst over the weekend. The Rams pushed the competition heavyweights and only conceded in the dying minutes to go down 3-2.
If they can take the positives out of that result and get points from the next three tough games coming up, they might just be an outside chance of sneaking into the top four.
8th – Glenhaven
A win still eludes Glenhaven as we approach the last seven games of the season. They’ve been close on several occasions, including a narrow 2-1 loss to North Rocks on the weekend just passed.
It’s goals that have been in short supply for the team at the bottom, and they’ll surely look to try and at least double their tally by the end of the season. They’ll be tested to their fullest as they take on league leader Kenthurst this weekend, which will be followed by a tough run of fixtures.
If we hit August and that elusive win is still to come, they’ll get one last shot against North Rocks; the team they meet 3-2 on aggregate for their two meetings so far.
