Premier League Round 13 – Match of the Round Preview

Published Fri 30 Jun 2023

Belgravia Sports Apparel Premier League
Round 13 – Match of the Round Preview

Burnside Hockey Club v Adelaide Hockey Club

Preview by Bevan Jones

Premier League Men

Both the 2nd placed Adelaide Hockey Club and 6th placed Burnside Hockey Club have plenty to play for when they do battle this Sunday, which makes for an enthralling encounter.

Adelaide has nine wins, two draws and just the one loss and are only one point off top of the ladder Seacliff, whilst Burnside sit in 6th place on the ladder with a 5-7 record and must win if they want to play finals this year.

The two teams have come together as well this week, to honour the late Burnside Club Legend Adrian Berce, who was a goalkeeper for not only the club but his country as well.

Adrian passed away in the 1990’s through cancer at only 33 years old and Burnside Coach Dan Haseloff said it was very important to pay tribute to Adrian and recognise the club’s history and people.

Last time these sides met in round six it was a thriller with Adelaide winning 4-3 after Burnside led the game with four minutes to go.

In round 12 Burnside went down 6-4 to Grange and Burnside Coach Dan Haseloff said it was a very important game for the club after it didn’t go their way against Grange.

“We had our chances last week and missed a few goals that we would have liked to have got and at the other end Cameron White was unbelievable for Grange.

“There are a few things at both ends of the ground that we need to fix up, the next few weeks will be a good test for us as we play all the top sides, we need things to go our way.

“Last time we played Adelaide we weren’t able to close it out, we want to replicate that effort and see where that puts us.”

Adelaide is coming off a confidence boosting 12-0 win over Adelaide University, but Coach Shaun Dawson said it will be a tougher contest this week against Burnside.

“Last time we met, we managed to get away with a 4-3 win, scoring some very late goals to come from behind.

“I don't think we played our best, but credit to Burnside for playing well on a late-night midweek game.

“We know that Burnside will come to play once again, and that we will need to play well if we want a good result.

“With a few injuries and outs, every Pea will have to step up to get a W against Burnside.”

With Adelaide missing players this week I am tipping an upset and Burnside to reverse the score line from last time in their favour with a 4-3 win.

Premier League Women

This Sunday’s game between 3rd placed Adelaide Hockey Club and 5th placed Burnside has ‘epic’ written all over it.

Not only is it a crunch game for Burnside to stay in touch with the top four but these two sides fought out a thrilling 1-1 draw in round six.

Both Burnside and Adelaide had wins in round 12 which again adds to the excitement of the game, Burnside defeated Grange 3-0 and Adelaide beat Adelaide University 5-0.

Burnside have five wins, one draw and six losses in 2023 and Coach Sanjay Singh who co-coaches the side with Nick Pannell, said they have what it takes to match it with Adelaide.

“Nick and I have been extremely happy with how the girls have executed our game plan over the past month,” Singh said.

‘Our goals are internally based, however our desire to keep in touch with the final four has us excited about the challenge that awaits us this weekend.

“It was a hard-fought match last time where we shared the points.

“On our pitch this time we believe that we can match a quality Adelaide outfit.”

Adelaide has seven wins, two draws and three losses in 2023 and Coach Brodie Gleeson said it was important to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

“The upcoming match against Burnside is an important one for us and I am expecting another tough contest this weekend,” Gleeson said.

“Our previous match resulted in a draw, and Burnside have shown they are a very strong defensive group and have had some close matches recently.

“This game provides opportunity to continue on building our dogged determination, which was a major focus for us last weekend, and led to positive influence on our execution and make sure we convert our opportunities into goals which is extremely important to us this Sunday.”

This will be another great contest between these two sides and Burnside will be desperate to keep in touch with the top four, but I think Adelaide will win in a close one 3-2.