Canberra City Prawns has put its Premier League rivals on notice, piling on seven goals to none in a commanding display over Boomerangs FS Blue at the AIS on Thursday night. A virtuoso performance from talisman Robbie Cattanach stole the show, with the City man’s first half hat-trick laying the foundations for what ultimately ended in a drubbing of an inferior Boomerangs outfit.

Cattanach tapped in on five minutes to open his account before burying a mid-range screamer and then slotting home first time courtesy of Trent Flanigan’s pinpoint delivery from a corner to secure the triple treat. Pat Ross-Magee added the fourth soon after half time with a deft chip over a helpless Evan Ekin-Smith in the Boomerangs goal, while Michael Reeve inadvertently helped the City cause with an own goal a short time later. Daniel Fulton kept the scoreboard ticking over when he expertly guided home an effort on the back of a clever manoeuvre from City mid-way through the second and Ryan Kyprianou added the lucky seventh with a classy finish during the closing exchanges.

Although denied by the wood work either side of half time, Boomerangs largely failed to produce any attacking foray containing enough venom to trouble the resolute City defence. The 7-0 score line ensures City’s perfect record this term remains intact and all but confirms the reigning premiers’ status as an unbackable favourite to collect consecutive honours in the ACT’s top-flight of competition. On the other hand, Boomerangs has now lost five of its six attempts in what is quickly developing into a campaign to forget for last season’s runner up.
A City victory never looked in doubt, with the ACT powerhouse assuming control of the round six encounter from the outset. While enjoying a majority of the possession, City launched wave after wave of attack and ensured they had ample opportunities on goal.

Cattanach’s radar was functioning well early on, the City player forcing Ekin-Smith to make a couple of crucial saves after he sent two powerful efforts goalward in quick succession. Ross-Magee and Kyprianou ensured City’s shot count continued to rise rapidly when the pair both had shots on target saved, but City dealt the frail Boomerangs defence its first major blow after just five minutes. Cattanach won possession deep in his own half and tore into Boomerangs territory before orchestrating a clinical one-two play with Flanigan and tapped in close to the line to notch up the match’s opening goal.

Ekin-Smith was immediately called into action after the restart, with Cattanach firing an effort directly at the Boomerangs keeper in his relentless search for further goals. The wait was not long though, with Cattanach duly banging home a mid-range effort after a sweeping end to end play. City’s goalkeeper Keiran Stroh started the movement, quickly releasing a long throw to Kyprianou in midfield who pushed a pass through to the onrushing Cattanach and a stylish finish high into the Boomerangs goal ensued.

City’s superior attacking play was complemented fittingly by an unyielding defensive effort, which comfortably extinguished all of its opponent’s rare jaunts into yellow territory. Boomerangs’ inability to venture into the City half and cause any sort of havoc was most evident during the closing stages of the first half when the side resorted to taking pot shots from distance, albeit to no avail.

City looked as dangerous as ever down the other end when in possession though, toying with the wounded Boomerangs defence.  As the break loomed, Cattanach found the back of the net for the third time via a superb corner ball from Flanigan, his strike extending City’s lead to 3-0 and all but closing the door on a Boomerang comeback.

A change in complexity between the first and second halves was not to be, with City again suffocating its opponent of all possession from the outset. Cattanach carried his inspiring first half performance into the second, going close on several occasions and creating chances for the men around him. But it was a stunning individual effort from Ross-Magee which supplied City with its fourth goal. Ross-Magee turned possession over inside the Boomerangs half and grasped his gilt-edged opportunity with both hands, running in on goal before expertly chipping over a sliding Ekin-Smith.

Reeve’s own goal shortly after highlighted just how dangerous City’s forward thrusts were becoming and the substantial pressure they were putting its opposition under. The Boomerangs man failed to deal with Ryan Keir’s ball into the area and knocked it into his own net to give City a 5-0 lead. Boomerangs’ attacking forays remained scarce throughout the second period and Reeve summed up his side’s night when he hit the post from close range, squandering what was arguably the men in blue’s best opportunity. Strikes from Fulton and Kyprianou, which both came on the back of classy team manoeuvres, made the score line 7-0 and applied the polish to a City machine gaining rapid momentum each time it steps onto the court. Few would predict a derailment.

RESULTS
Belconnen United Strikers 2 (Nicholas Rathjen, Chris Smith) Weston Creek Timberwolves 6 (Jon Ison (2), Iain Elliott, Dylan Alexandrow-Ridley, Ben Harrington, Tony Aleksovski)
TUFC Gunners 3 (James McLachlan, Jackson Kupke, Matt Menser) Queanbeyan City 4 (Zach Knight (2), Dragan Stegnjaic, Misko Naumoski)
Canberra City Prawns 7 (Robbie Cattanach (3), Ryan Kyprianou, Daniel Fulton, Pat Ross-Magee, own goal) Boomerangs FS Blue 0
Monaro Panthers 3 (Regan Walsh (2), Milan Popovich) Belconnen United Devils 5 (Callum Smith (4), Taylor Beaton)
Boomerangs FS White 4 (Will Sheppard (2), Michael De Marco, Ben Pagett) Canberra Olympic Supercats 11 (Lukas Cole (4), Elia Salloum (3), Lee Pietrukowski (2), Goran Josifovski (2))

TABLE

LEADING SCORERS
10 Daniel FULTON (Canberra City Prawns), Elia SALLOUM (Canberra Olympic Supercats)
9 Goran JOSIFOVSKI (Canberra Olympic Supercats), Zach KNIGHT (Queanbeyan City)
8 Dustin WELLS (Belconnen United Devils), Robbie CATTANACH, Ryan KEIR (Canberra City Prawns), Lukas COLE (Canberra Olympic Supercats), Milan POPOVICH (Monaro Panthers)
7 Callum SMITH (Belconnen United Devils)
6 David KEMP (Belconnen United Devils), Ryan KYPRIANOU (Canberra City Prawns), Misko NAUMOSKI (Queanbeyan City)
5 Taylor BEATON (Belconnen United Devils), Regan WALSH (Monaro Panthers), Jackson KUPKE, James McLACHLAN, Mark SHIELDS (TUFC Gunners), Ben HARRINGTON (Weston Creek Timberwolves)
4 Ben PAGETT (Boomerangs FS White), Martin CORUJO, Luke FATTORE (TUFC Gunners), Dylan ALEXANDROW-RIDLEY, Tony ALEKSOVSKI (Weston Creek Timberwolves)
3 Nick RATHJEN (Belconnen United Strikers), Travis DRIES, Jason O’DWYER, Glenn SMITH (Boomerangs FS Blue), Josh CALABRIA (Boomerangs FS White), Trent FLANIGAN, Pat ROSS-MAGEE (Canberra City Prawns), Scott MANSON (Canberra Olympic Supercats), Rui FERREIRA, Dragan STEGNJAIC, Nathan WALKER (Queanbeyan City),  Tim STEWART (TUFC Gunners)
2 Sean O’NEILL, Michael RINAUDO, Matthew STIRTON, Thomas ZEITLHOFER (Belconnen United Strikers), David DEXTER, Michael REEVE (Boomerangs FS Blue), Will SHEPPARD (Boomerangs FS White), Peter FARRELLY, Lee PIETRUKOWSKI (Canberra Olympic Supercats), Nikola POPOVICH (Monaro Panthers), Simon BADMAN, Antoni JAGARINEC, Matt MENSER, Ufuk TALAY (TUFC Gunners), Iain ELLIOTT, Jon ISON, Jeoff NOJA (Weston Creek Timberwolves)
1 Jonathon CIMINELLI, Chris SMITH (Belconnen United Strikers), David LEE, Evan EKIN-SMITH (Boomerangs FS Blue), Michael DE MARCO, Angus PATTERSON, Sam SMITH, Adrian STROH (Boomerangs FS White), Angelo KONSTANTINOU, Marcial MUNOZ (Canberra Olympic Supercats), Jaz ABARQUEZ, Daniel GIOVINAZZO, Gianmarco SENATORE, Nathan SWIENTEK, Jake WILSENER (Monaro Panthers), Rory DEVLIN, Andrew McGURGAN, Anthony PULCIANI (Queanbeyan City), Matthew ZEITLHOFER, AN Other (Weston Creek Timberwolves), Own GOALS