Men’s Geelong Holiday Inn & Suites Match Preview: Royals Host Giant-Killers Nunawading as Promotion Chase Continues
The Essendon Royals senior men host Nunawading City on Friday night, knowing nothing less than three points will do if they’re to keep pace with the promotion-chasing pack.
If an away trip to Elcho Park in Round 16 wasn’t daunting enough, the weekend’s task was made even tougher with a plethora of late outs. Irish attacker Dean Clarke and defenders Diarmaid Harrington and Phil Riccobene were all ruled out on the day, adding to the absence of Brad Norton through suspension.
While the makeshift Royals side battled bravely to keep the score at 0-0, North Geelong Warriors had an ace up their sleeve all along. The returning Lochie McGrath, making just his third appearance of the campaign, entered the fray with 20 minutes to play. The pacey forward netted the opener in the 79th minute, before sealing the win with a second as the Royals pushed for an equaliser in stoppage time.
The result sees Essendon drop to 4th in a nail-biting promotion race, with just three points separating the top four. Eltham leads the pack, while Brunswick Juventus could go top by a point if they win their game in hand against Werribee.
Friday’s opponents have endured a wildly inconsistent campaign, smashing North Geelong 7-1 at home and winning 4-3 away at the league-leading Redbacks, but losing to the likes of Whittlesea, Altona City, and most recently Box Hill United. The visitors sit 10th in a cramped VPL2 table, with only two points separating 7th through 12th.
Nunawading boast 10 different goalscorers in the league this season, with Alex Kubenko leading the team on five. Their last meeting with the Royals ended all square at Mahoney’s Reserve, as Graham Kelly gave Essendon the lead midway through the second half, but an acrobatic finish in stoppage time from defender Fuki Ishibashi handed Nunawading a share of the spoils.
Knowing Nunawading tends to reserve their best performances for the top four sides in the competition, Essendon will need to be at their imperious best to deliver a victory on Friday night. Get down to Cross Keys Reserve, enjoy the hospitality and cheer on your Royals at this critical juncture of the campaign!
🆚 Essendon Royals SC v Nunawading City FC
📍 Cross Keys Reserve
📅 Friday, 6 June
⏰ Senior Men at 7:30PM, U23s on Saturday at 3PM