Rivals Neptunes and Sliema chalked up their second win of the season with routine victories over Sirens and Exiles respectively.
Neptunes unleashed a second-half blitz to rout Sirens, overturning a tight contest into a one-sided affair with a ruthless nine-goal streak after the break.
What had begun as a close encounter, with Sirens showing early promise, ended in a sobering collapse for Ranko Perovic’s side.
Sirens suffered a dramatic collapse after the break, conceding nine unanswered goals in a stunning turnaround that shattered their hopes of challenging Neptunes.
The Reds sprang a first surprise when they included Jake Muscat in the line-up, despite previous talks between the two parties having broken down.
Yet, Muscat was nowhere to be seen – a move widely interpreted as an attempt to block his transfer to rival clubs, rather than a genuine sign of reconciliation.
Perovic’s team, previously known for their resilience against top-tier opponents, had matched their more-quoted rivals for two quarters.
Neptunes had gained an early 4-2 edge in the first session, but Sirens responded well, riding the momentum generated by Isaiah Riolo and Matthew Sciberras to edge the second session 5-4 to trail by just one goal at the halfway mark – 8-7.
However, any hopes of an upset were dashed after the change of ends. The gap in quality between the two sides became evident as Neptunes shifted gears, storming to a six-goal advantage in the third session alone.
The Reds’ scoring surge continued relentlessly in the final stretch, with Sirens unable to muster a single response.
By the start of the fourth session, Neptunes were already seven goals up, effectively sealing the points as Sirens were left reeling from the second-half onslaught.
Sliema enjoyed a comfortable victory over Exiles in the derby clash, pulling away after a balanced opening spell to secure a commanding 21-10 win.
Exiles showed promise, surging ahead and displaying sharper ideas early on.
However, Sliema steadied their game and edged 5-4 ahead by the end of the first session.
Zach Micallef, Kurt Griscti, and Konstantin Averka each netted twice for Exiles, while Jamie Gambin, Liam Galea, Elijah Schembri, and Angelos Vlachopoulos responded with braces for Sliema, who extended their lead to 11-7 by half-time.
Jayden Cutajar struck twice in quick succession to complete his hat-trick early in the third quarter, pushing Sliema 13-8 ahead.
By the time Sliema led 15-9, the Blues had rotated effectively through their lineup, with eight different players getting on the scoresheet.
The final session was academic.
Galea completed his hat-trick, Cutajar added a fourth, and Jayden Cassar along with Julian Chircop joined the scorers’ list to bring the total to ten different Sliema players.
The Blues capped off their dominant display by hitting the 20-goal mark and cruising to a 21-10 win.
SIRENS 7
NEPTUNES 17
(2-4, 5-4, 0-5, 0-4)
SIRENS: J. Parnis, P. Serracino, N. Bicari 2, P. Borg, J. Cachia, K. Agius, M. Ortoleva, I. Riolo 2, J. Zerafa Gregory, M. Sciberras 2, Z. Mizzi, G. Farrugia, M. Bonello Dupius, G. Pace1.
NEPTUNES : M. Castillo, S. Gialanze 1, G. Zalanki 4, J. Camilleri 1, J. Valletta 3, S. Camilleri 3, M. Castillo 1, J. Muscat Melito, J. Bajada 1, A. Fenech 3, M. Azzopardi, M. Rossi, E. Mallia
Refs: A. DeRaffaele, A. Roberti.
EXILES 10
SLIEMA 21
(4-5, 3-6, 2-4, 1-6)
EXILES: A. Borg Cole, G. Gatt, Z. Micallef 2, D. Pace Lupi, T. Agius, M. Martelacci, M. Fenech 1, K. Griscti 2, K. Averka 4, K. Tanti 1, K. Navarro, D. Zahra, G. Galea Curmi, L. Hyzler.
SLIEMA: N. Grixti, E. Schembri 2, L. Galea 3, J. Gambin 2, J. Cassar 1, B. Cachia, J. Cutajar 4, D. Rizzo, J. Chircop 1, A. Galea 1, A. Vlachopuluos 2, D. Zammit 2, B, Busuttil, S. Engerer 2.
Refs: Stefano Licari, M. Giacchini.
