Sailors are tipped to dump CH and FC today
Former colleagues, now foes on the field, could provide an unexpected thrill at Welisara today.
Thilina Weerasinghe and Yoshita Rajapaksa, team-mates a few years ago, will leave the camaraderie aside as they battle it out to advance the fortunes of their teams (the Navy and the CH & FC) at Welisara today. The venue will not be unfamiliar territory to some CH players as they turned out for the Sailors before switching allegiance.
The Navy has won thrice (against Service teams) but came a cropper against the CR and Havelocks, two of the elite clubs in the league. Yet, the margins of defeat, six points and four respectively will give them some quiet satisfaction.
By contrast, this has been a horror run so far for the CH&FC, who have won just one match out of five. The situation is inexplicable given the talent they have in the squad. The CH could find themselves out of the top tier after next weekend, while the Sailors could clinch a top four spot with one more win.
The CH predictably came off second best against the champions (38-22) last Sunday. They ran into an early lead, but once the Kandy back division got going, it was a different story. Strangely, Sri Lanka’s skipper Sudarshana Muthutantri is not showing that fire in the belly that he had a season or two ago. A good show by him would do much to redeem the team’s flagging fortunes.
Among the forwards, Nivanka Prasad had a good time and was much involved in the game. Yoshita Rajapaksa does try valiantly at times, but he hasn’t been able to go over the line very often. Sajith Saranga, with all his experience, did not do enough in the Kandy game. Taken as a whole, the pack will have to combine more effectively.
The back four of Anuradha Herath, Hirantha Perera, Nishan Perera and Naveen Henakankanamge looks very strong on paper. Hirantha Perera broke away a few times and caught the eye. Herath, a strong runner, likes to scrap it out. Henakankanamge hardly got a run. Players such as Avantha Lee and Kushan Indunil should come into the reckoning at some stage. That brings one to full back Samuel Maduwantha, on whom, the CH bank heavily. Good as he is, his efforts will have to be more consistent.
The Navy, who finished in the stop bracket last season, have been there or thereabouts this year, too. If it was fairly smooth sailing last year, this season their progress has been more measured. Skipper Thilina Weerasinghe has an important role to play when it comes to piling on the points. His collection is generally good.
The ace in Navy’s pack is the speedy Buddima Piyaratne. A thrilling sight when in full flow, he had a hat-trick in one of the earlier games. Being well aware of his capabilities, the CH are not likely to give him the freedom of the park.
The Sailors can be happy about their halves combination. Scrum half Ritchie Dharmapala has been quick and effective. Fly half Mohamed Absal is a dangerous player. Given the slightest chance, he can do damage to the opposing team.
Ex-Isipatana player Adeesha Weeratunga has shown up well. If selected, Dinusha Chaturanga and Saliya Handapangoda can add a lot of value to the Navy team by virtue of their experience.
This should be a good match between two team that are fairly well-matched. The Navy, because of their better record and the fact that they will be playing at home, should pull through.