Jankovic keeps Greens from tasting NPL defeat
TWO Far North soccer products have gone head to head in Melbourne.
Former Cairns boy Marco Jankovic, 21, started in defence for Bentleigh Greens against a Hume City side that had Mareeba’s Nick Panetta, 19, make an appearance off the bench for their Victoria NPL match on Saturday night.
In cold conditions, the spoils were shared at 1-all with Jankovic heading the equaliser for the home team in the 88th minute. Panetta showed his class with a 15-minute stint, providing plenty of energy and involved in several promising attacking forays.
Jankovic is the son of former Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid, Anderlecht and Yugoslavia international Milan Jankovic, who came to Cairns after retiring from professional football in 1990.
He played for local clubs Mareeba and Leichhardt and coached the FNQ rep team.
■ ■ FORMER Manunda Hawk Sam Michael has the bragging rights over Cameron Duffy after the NEAFL raided Tasmanian home side’s fortress for the first time.
The NEAFL were too classy and composed for Tasmania in the 8.7 (55) to 5.8 (38) result at Blundstone Arena with the former Essendon and Brisbane ruckman on the winners list. While Duffy’s team did not get the chocolates, he was named one of their best in the loss.
Michael had 42 hit-outs to Duffy’s 30 in the battle of the former Hawks.
■■ TAIPANS Nnanna Egwu and Mitch McCarron have advanced to the New Zealand NBL Final Four with their club, the Supercity Rangers.
The Snakes duo and the Rangers will play Southland Sharks in the second semifinal on Friday.
The Rangers defeated Canterbury Rams in the final game of the regular season, 102-82.
Lindsay Tait, a former Taipan in 2010 and 2011, dished out 15 assists to go with his 14 points, former Perth Wildcats player Earnest Ross scored a game-high 25 points and both Egwu and McCarron had 21 points for the Rangers, who finish the regular season 11-7.
McCarron averaged the third most points in the league in the regular season with a touch over 22 a game.