Raising the stakes

A file photo of Thistles player Daniel Winkler-Maloney heading the ball during a FFNC premier league soccer match against Byron Bay at Thistle Park. Thistles will play against Ballina in Ballina in a elimination final tonight.

MARC STAPELBERG

BALLINA and Lismore Thistles will kick off a big month of local football finals tonight in their sudden-death elimination semi in Far North Coast premier league soccer.

The game will be played at Saunders Park, Ballina, from 7 o’clock.

Footy fever continues tomorrow with the soccer major preliminary semi between Richmond Rovers and Pottsville, the FNC rugby union major semi between Lennox Head and Wollongbar-Alstonville, the Summerland AFL semis at Oakes Oval and the NRRRL minor preliminary semi between Cudgen and Grafton Rhinos.

The NRRRL major preliminary semi between Northern United and Ballina is at Crozier Field in Lismore on Sunday afternoon.

In the soccer at Ballina tonight, each side has had a win over the other in home games this season.

Ballina will relish playing at home, where they have lost just once all year, and will hope to add midfielder Dylan Monnox to the line-up that downed Workers 3-2 last weekend.

Monnox is recovering from a hamstring injury but is expected to be fit in time to partner Dane Seymour in central midfield.

Seymour usually plays in central defence, but coach Rod Troughton will combine the experienced campaigner with Monnox in the middle of the paddock for the first time.

“We have our back three sorted with Ryan Seymour, Phil Amery and Todd Jones, so that frees up Dane to push forward and get more involved,” Troughton said.

“It’s semi-final football so anything can happen, but we’re not expecting a pretty game, it’s more likely to be a grinding battle so we really need to turn up.”

There was one piece of bad news for the Seahorses, with veteran striker Troy Percival out for the rest of the season with a quad tear.

Troy Cook and Cerys Hawkins will now fill the striking roles against a Thistles defence that has looked shaky at times and conceded six goals against Rovers last week.

Thistles have had mixed news in their preparations.

Top scorer Matt Parrish is an unlikely starter with a hand injury, but talismanic captain Darren Beardow is fit after fears he would miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

If Parrish is out, his younger brother Brenton will partner Jake Nind up front, while Beardow will team up with Daniel Winkler-Maloney in central midfield.

“We don’t feel like underdogs, but Ballina is a hard side to break down and have been a bit of a bogy side for us in recent years, so we know it’ll be tough,” Blues coach Ken MacPherson said.

Both sides missed out on the semis last year and have been hot and cold this season, but they have one last chance to make an impact.

The winner will meet either Rovers or Pottsville in the minor semi-final next weekend.