Lions find the golden touch

LEICHHARDT has overcome a scrappy start to the season to become arguably the most inform team in the FNQ Premier League, setting up an explosive heavyweight battle with the unbeaten treble champions.

Edge Hill United burst out of the gates after the coronavirus shutdown to put together an eight-game winning run, Sunday’s 3-0 win in atrocious conditions at Innisfail the latest in their successful start.

The Lions stumbled. They drew against two of the bottom three teams, ground out a 1-0 win against Mareeba then were thumped 5-0 by the Tigers in their first four games.

Leichhardt midfielder Cameron Nucifora said a lack of clear goals and some fitness issues meant the Lions performed below expectations.

“After those first few games it felt like we didn’t have any goals,” Nucifora said. “We knew we had to do something about it. We spoke about it, and everyone’s jumped on board.”

Leichhardt went from a talented, yet disjointed, team to one that has become one of the most enjoyable to watch, resulting in plenty of goals. They scored four in the first four weeks, but 26 in the past five.

Mareeba coach Angelo Tatti could barely find the words to describe his side’s 4-0 loss at Leichhardt, as the Lions dominated possession and field position.

“They played so well, they controlled the whole game from start to finish,” he said.

“I told the guys we had to be careful for the first 20 to 30 minutes as they’ll come out strong. We were down 3-0 before halftime.”

Stratford encountered a similar issue in their 4-0 loss at Leichhardt three weeks ago, while the Lions’ 9-0 win at Marlin Coast between those wins showcased the depth at Stacey Fittock’s disposal.

Nucifora, above, was part of last year’s side which made the preliminary final, but said the key difference this season was the team dynamic.

“There’s about four or five of us who were there throughout last year, but it’s the style of football we’re playing,” Nucifora said. “We have more experience in the middle and you need that in this comp.”

Edge Hill boasts the best attacking record in the league with 34 goals, and have scored a minium of three goals in every game so far.

Tigers coach Crios O’Hare said the manner of their win against the Cutters was what impressed him most.

“The character we showed in that second half was what I was most happy with,” he said.

“We’ve been in some really tough matches and we’ll have the same (this) week.”

The clubs will clash at Tiger Park on Saturday.