Who will win the battle of the top goalscorers?

Today it’s first v second in the golden boot charts as Tayla O’Brien’s (7 goals) Eastern Suburbs take on Kelli Brown’s (4 goals) Northern Rovers. Unsurprisingly, these two NRFL teams are first and second respectively in terms of goals scored this season (with 16 and 15 goals).

During the NRFL season Northern Rovers won all three games against Eastern Suburbs. But this is the National League Championship, where the stakes are raised and anything can happen – and Suburbs will be keen to consolidate their place at the top of the table, and upset the regional phase formbook.

We spotlighted some of the National League Championship’s top goalscorers last week, so this game raises another question: will the preview curse strike for the second week in a row and see neither namechecked player hit the back of the net?

Watch and find out from 12.30pm on YouTube:

Have Southern United got their season back on track?

It’s been a tough start to the National League Championship for the South-Central Series winners, enduring heavy defeats at the feet of Western Springs AFC and Auckland United in the opening two rounds. But they proved that three’s the charm after picking up a 2-0 Round 3 victory over Capital Football in the capital, with Jasmine Prince netting the Goal of the Week crown with her opening goal. They host Central Football today, a side that is yet to score this season, which may prove a good omen for the team in blue as they look to replicate their 2021 form.

Catch all the action from 3.30pm today:

Will Capital Football pick up their first win of the season?

Like Southern United, Capital Football have found the going this season tough, as they come into the fourth round of the National League Championship without a win.

But Canterbury United Pride showed that the Auckland sides aren’t completely impenetrable, netting twice against Western Springs last week and coming the closest to picking up a result in the 09 of any non-Auckland teams so far this season.

With this knowledge in tow, will the team in yellow, er, capitalise on this?

Tune in from 2.30pm today to find out:

Will Canterbury United Pride be the first federation side to take points off an Auckland team and crack the top four?

Sunday’s only game sees the Pride travel to Keith Hay Park to take on NZ Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup winners Auckland United.

Both Auckland United and Canterbury United Pride have lost players to the Young Football Ferns (Aimee Danieli, Ruby Nathan and Milly Clegg from Auckland United; Ella McCann, Charlotte Mortlock, Madeline Iro and Megan Simpson from the Pride) whose FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign gets underway, so will see their squad depth tested this weekend as they go head to head.

While the Pride have come the closest to take points off an Auckland team this season – going down 3-2 to Western Springs last weekend – they are still in the unfamiliar territory of the lower half of the table. But they are a team that’s proved time and time again they know how to win when it counts, and with the National League Championship getting into its groove, now’s as good a time as any for the Pride to remind their rivals of this.

Watch Auckland United and the Pride do battle on Sunday at 3pm on Sky Sport (TV).

Article added: Saturday 08 October 2022