Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Manly United 5th with 44 points, St. George Saints 15th with 27, 17 apart. St. George Saints had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 7th in the league over the last five rounds against 15th overall. Against a league average of 1.4 goals per team per game, Manly United ran at 1.3 scored and 1.17 conceded, St. George Saints at 0.93 and 1.83.
The head-to-head ledger counts 5 games: 2 Manly United wins, 1 for St. George Saints, 2 draws, at 1.8 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 40% of the meetings went to the host.
Cromer Park 2, capacity 5,000, hosted the game. Manly United led 1-0 at the break, and the second half added 1 goal for the 2-0 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Manly United: Luke Nieuwenhof (32'), Jesse Piriz (66')
Key stats
Possession: Manly United 67% · St. George Saints 33% · Total shots: 18-4 · On target: 9-1 · Corners: 10-1