Football Matters with Cyclops

Local

A much better weekend for the Panthers, winning four of five matches and scoring twenty goals! On Friday night in Townsville, the Division 2 Funkies beat Rebels 5-1, while the Division 2 Men lost 1-3 at home to SES. The Ladies defeated Wulguru 5-0. On Saturday, at home to SES, the Premiers won 5-0 and the Reserves won 4-1.

This Friday, the Division 1 Men and the Ladies are at home. Division 1 play Rebels at 8.30, and the Ladies play Saints Eagles Souths at 6.30. The Division 2 Men play JCU in Townsville at 6.30. Then on Saturday, the Premiers and Reserves are away to Estates—the Premiers at 8.00 and the Reserves at 6.00.

Premiers

The Ayr Anzac Club Panthers took on Saints Eagles South for the first time this season. Burdekin knew not to be fooled by the Saints’ recent results. The Saints have quality across the park and came out firing. The first half was a grind—Saints brought the intensity early and made life difficult for the Panthers, who couldn’t find any real rhythm. Chances were few in a dour opening forty-five minutes, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

The Panthers came out after the break with a point to prove. In-form striker Matthew Kolb opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, before two rapid-fire goals from Jay Leckenby turned the game on its head. Leckenby’s first goals of the regular season had Burdekin up 3-0 by the 65th minute. Kolb added his second in the 75th, while Cooper Kross capped off the performance with a well-taken goal in the final minute. Burdekin now shift their focus to league-leaders Estates this week—an away clash that promises to be their toughest test yet.

Reserves

The Burdekin Tyre Services Reserves returned to International Park after a disappointing loss last week. Injuries and absences continue to impact the line-up, but a committed and capable squad was ready to return to the winners list. The home team had weight of possession, but it took 30 minutes before Oscar Licciardello netted the opening goal. The team lifted the intensity and kept the lead into the break.

An unfortunate error gifted Saints a goal just 30 seconds after the restart and the game was back level. However, patience and persistence paid off, and at the 50-minute mark, Cooper Kross put Burdekin back in the lead. From there the Panthers were always in control and continued to create chances. The third goal came from a deflected Tarryn Smith shot, and then Smith iced the cake late to make it 4-1.

Division 1 Men

The Austral Masonry Panthers, up against SES, played well in the first half although there was no score at halftime. The Panthers took the lead after 54 minutes with a goal from Jack Shears. However, SES replied with three goals in twenty minutes—all of them from free kicks—to win 3-1. Jack Shears was the Panthers’ Man of the Match.

Division 2 Men

The C.A. Contracting Funkies returned to winning ways with a 5-1 defeat of Wulguru.

Burdekin started well, and Eugene Burelli opened the scoring in the third minute. The Funkies were well on top and created several chances and shots on goal before Simon Scuderi made it 2-0 just before half-time.

Travis Butler continued the scoring immediately after the break with a superb free kick. Wulguru did get a goal back during the second half, before two goals to Jake Lacey gave the Funkies a dominant 5-1 victory. Burdekin were very convincing winners despite missing a lot of chances in front of goal. Hopefully, that will improve in the coming weeks.

Ladies

The Ayr Anzac Club Ladies delivered a commanding performance on Friday, controlling the match against Wulguru from start to finish. Karina Guglielmi set the tone early, finding the back of the net in the 17th minute to give Burdekin the lead. She doubled the advantage in the 35th minute with a brilliant strike into the top right corner, capping off a strong first half.

After the break, it was Sienna Lago who took charge. Using her pace, Lago netted three goals in the second half to complete a stunning hat-trick and seal a 5-0 victory for the Panthers.

Juniors

With Townsville hosting an FQ Academy carnival last Saturday, juniors played local games. Junior players who represented Northern in Townsville in the academy matches on Saturday and Sunday played well and in great spirits against teams from Far Northern and the Whitsundays.

Masters

A good turnout on Monday night, with PSG playing Inter Milan in a replay of the European Champions League Final. Mick Taylor-Martinez scored the winning goal for Inter in the last minute. Man of the Match was George Koukouris.

Monday Nights at 6.30. Be There.

National and International

The Matildas, after their success in two friendlies against Argentina, have two more lined up against Slovenia. Both games are at HBF Park in Perth on June 26 and 29. New coach Joe Montemurro will be in charge.

The Socceroos played the first of their two 2026 World Cup Qualifying Group C matches on Thursday night against Japan in Perth, winning 1-0 in front of 57,000 spectators. On Thursday, June 10th, they are away to Saudi Arabia in their final group game. Provided they don’t suffer a heavy loss, they should qualify for the 2026 tournament.

Quote of the Week
From Sir David Beckham:
“Alex Ferguson is the best manager I've ever had at this level. Well, he's the only manager I've actually had at this level. But he's the best manager I've ever had.”

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