The round kicks off with the only Brisbane encounter of the weekend – Queensland Academy of Sport taking on Redlands City Devils. Barry Moran, the league’s leading scorer, will be looking to add to his remarkable 10 goals in seven games, while Queensland Roar’s newest signing, Tommy Oar will want to continue his impressive form that he’s shown in past weeks. Last week he delivered the cross for QAS’s first, and won the penalty that turned out to the winner. Second-placed Redlands are not underestimating the young QAS team, with Assistant Coach Dave Thorogood saying his team “worked hard in training in preparation for a tough game against the cream of the state’s young players”.

Whitsunday Miners face another Brisbane side this week, this time at home in the form of Brisbane Strikers. Miners will be hoping to find their goal-scoring touch after last week’s 5-0 drumming by Redlands City Devils was nowhere near a reflection on the closeness of the game and the amount of chances Miners had to score. Strikers, in their fourth away game in a row, will be looking to keep pressure on Sunshine Coast FC and Redlands and will be keen to show the Mackay crowd a vintage Strikers performance – something that the QSL has yet to see.

Logan United host top-of-the-table Sunshine Coast FC, with the visitors looking to stretch their unbeaten run to eight games. United’s rotation policy saw goalkeeper Chikau Mansale play only his third game of the season last week, but will not feature this weekend against the Kawana-based side as he is off to represent Vanuatu in their upcoming internationals. Sunshine Coast’s Tyson Holmes will be one to watch, following his three goals in the past two outings.

Elsewhere, NQ Razorbacks make the trip to Rockhampton to play Capricorn Cougars at Jardine Park. Cougars will be on a high after their first victory of the season, 1-0 over Logan United in Round 7, which saw them climb from 10th to eighth place on the ladder. However, coach Justin Kilshaw said, “Saturday night doesn’t mean a thing if we don’t build on it” and will be aiming to do so against a Razorbacks side still plagued selection issues. Mick Tonner’s team is missing players due to injury, suspension and State Schoolboy titles.

Bottom-of-the-table Bundaberg Spirit take on Olympic FC at home in the final game of the round. This game for Olympic marks the first of five away in a row, and they will be aiming to pick up all three points. Coach Bobby Hamilton said mid-week, “if we have any aspirations for making the top four we need to start picking up maximum points more regularly” and Olympic’s first step is to put away more of the chances they create. Spirit, who look better and better as the season goes on, will want to give their lively home crowd something to cheer about and will pushing for only their second win of the season, or at least for a share of the points against the side from Yeronga.

Michelle Tobin

QSL ROUND 8

Queensland Academy of Sport Vs Redlands City Devils
Sat 17th May - 3:00pm
Cleveland Showgrounds, Cleveland

Whitsunday Miners Vs Brisbane Strikers FC
Sat 17th May - 6:00pm
Harrup Park Country Club, Mackay

Logan United FC Vs Sunshine Coast FC
Sat 17th May - 7:00pm
Clem Jones Fields, Slacks Creek

Bundaberg Spirit Vs Olympic FC
Sat 17th May - 7:00pm
Marten Oval, Bundaberg

Capricorn Cougars Vs NQ Razorbacks
Sat 17th May - 7:00pm
Jardine Park, Rockhampton