U20’s Major Semi Final Preview – Manly United v Bonnyrigg White Eagles

Premiership winners Manly United find themselves two victories away from securing what would be a fantastic double-winning campaign as Andrew Christiansen’s side prepare for the arrival of Bonnyrigg White Eagles this weekend.

With both sides finishing in first and second position at the conclusion of the normal season, the victors at Seymour Shaw will likely carry the tag of strong favourites going into next fortnight’s grand final at Leichardt Oval.

Although they secured direct route to the semi-finals as a result of their premiership win, there’s little chance the Cromer Park outfit used the week’s break to rest on their laurels given their meticulous approach to the campaign thus far, and Christiansen’s side will likely be doubly primed when they welcome Bonnyrigg to Seymour Shaw.

Even despite a week’s rest, Manly will go into the major semi-final with considerable momentum – the side are unbeaten in the last two months of action, a spell that laid the groundwork for their premiership win.

In fact, Manly’s last defeat came at the hands of the White Eagles, who have proven one of few teams canny enough to outwit the seasiders this campaign. United have only been held scoreless on three occasions this season, with Bonnyrigg responsible for two of these shutouts during a pair of 2-0 victories in Round Four and Round 15.

But with Stephen Sigmund’s side likely to miss out on youngsters Asmir Kadric and Martin Lo due to first-team commitments, and with the side coming off a mammoth 120 minute effort in last weekend’s penalty shootout win over APIA Leichhardt, Saturday afternoon’s contest resembles one of the most evenly poised matches of the season.

Major Semi Final – Manly United v Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Saturday 5.00pm at Seymour Shaw