San Ġiljan and Neptunes registered wins over Sirens and Birżebbuġa respectively as the penultimate round before the playoffs was completed on Wednesday.
The Reds registered a scraping win over a disciplined Birżebbuġa side.
Neptunes coach Aleksandar Ciric could afford to give his fringe units more playing time against Birżebbuġa and still get full points.
The presence of Alan Borg Cole and Dimitrii Kholod on the bench for the entire match and Steve Camilleri for the first three sessions could have been a telling factor as the Southseasiders raised their game by a few notches.
The base was provided in the opening session as the team from Balluta took a 5-2 lead.
To their credit, Birżebbuġa were always in the game even when three goals by Jake Bajada, Mark Castillo and Jake Muscat early in the third session appeared to set the Neptunes players’ minds at rest.
But Birżebbuġa’s gritty resistance made life difficult as Malcolm Manara and Marco Mannino reduced the arrears to 11-9 before the final eight minutes.
When Ciric threw Camilleri into the water, Neptunes tried to distance themselves from their opponents but Barroso and Incorvaja made the score more respectable for Pierre Borg’s side.
In the first match of the day, San Ġiljan, with a more standard formation in the water, were back to winning ways as they easily disposed of Sirens who must have entertained high hopes of offering the champions a good run for their money.
It was a comprehensive 18-7 win for Zejlko Kovacic’s outfit and a welcome reaction by his lads after they had gone down to Neptunes on penalties in their last outing.
The Saints were clear favourites and they duly obliged with a comfortable win. However, they did not give the impression they could sweep past their opponents in the opening session. They only led 4-3 after the first quarter, only to take up the driving-seat in the second, and from then on never looked back behind their shoulders.
The sharp-shooting of Aaron Younger and the elusiveness of Jake Bonavia and Nikolai Zammit could never be emulated by their opponents who could not maintain pace.
Goals in the third session laid the groundwork for San Giljan’s limpid victory. After that, it was only academic.
RESULTS
MARSAXLOKK 17
EXILES 14
(4-3, 6-4, 4-4, 3-3)
MARSAXLOKK: M. Farrugia, M. Lanzon 1, A. Cook, A. Aquilina, T. Agius, J. Valletta 1, R. Spiteri, J. Pawley, R. Galea 3, J. Borg Tabone 1, F. Valera 9, R. Attard, A. Fava 1, S. Mifsud 1.
EXILES: Z. Dzanovic, Z. Cutajar Licari, Z. Micallef, D. Pace Lupi 1, M. Martelacci 2, N. Bonavia 1, D. Gogov 4, K. Griscti 1, N. Paris, K. Tanti 3, M. Fenech 1, N. Sailba, G. Galea Curmi, S. Cutajar Casha 1.
Referee M. Angilleri, M. Piano.
SAN ĠILJAN 18
SIRENS 7
(4-3, 3-1, 6-1, 5-2)
SAN ĠILJAN: J. Tanti, N. Bugelli, D. Tully 2, R. Caruana 2, A. Younger 5, M. Zammit 1, J. Bonavia 2, A. Formosa, J. Abela 1, N. Zammit 2, D. Zammit 2, N. Schiavone 1, G. Borg, G.Bonavia.
SIRENS: M. Bonello Dupuis, P. Serracino, K. Erdogan, P. Borg 1, J. Cachia 1, K. Agius, D. Merkulov 2, I. Riolo, J. Zerafa Gregory 1, G. Farrugia 1, J. Chircop, G. Melilo, J. Parnis, M.Ortoleva 1.
Referees: M. Schiavo, P. Balzan.
NEPTUNES 15
BIRŻEBBUĠA 12
(5-2, 2-3, 4-4, 4-3)
NEPTUNES: A. Borg Cole, D. Kholod, S. Gialanze 2, G. Pace 1, J. Camilleri, L. Mallia, S. Camilleri 1, S. Castillo 3, J. Muscat 4, J. Bajada 1, A. Fenech 2, E. Mallia, M. Rossi, D. Bugeja 1.
BIRŻEBBUĠA: M. Sladden, M. Aquilina 2, N. Cassar, B. Grech 1, I. Galea, M. Manara 1, A. Barroso 4, J. Cauchi, D. Farrugia, M. Cutajar 1, M. Mannino 2, M. Curmi, S. Livori, D. Incorvaja 1.
Refs: S. Licari, M. Piano.
