The Great Chase for Greatest Marksman title
As Aleksandar Duric notched up his 200
S-league goals against Chinese side
He is now in a three-man chase for that honour – much like the three way fight for the 2007
S-league title as all three forwards played for the title contenders.
Egmar Gonclaves, who had played for Home United, is currently top
of the goal scoring chart with 239 S-league goals but the forward can no longer
improved on that record as he has retired from football last season while in
second is Mirko Grabovac,
who played for Tampines Rovers, is on 222 S-league
goals at the moment and it is the Stags striker who posed the threat against Duric.
With a 21-goal-lead to make up to get to second place, the
Warriors striker will need to get an average of 1 goal per game, if SAFFC
played the maximum 22 league and cup games remaining, and that is no easy task
even for a deadly striker like Duric.
But what is aiding Duric is his main
opponent Grabovac is feeling the wear and tear of his
footballing career having played a limited number of
games and scoring only 5 S-league goals thus far. Also the Stags forward nearly
did not make it to the S-league opening game as he struggle to pass the tougher
Beep requirement this season and with the requirement set to increase further,
that is every chance the 5-time S-league Top Scorer Award winner would not make
it in future.
The
Aussie is also having the best time of SAFFC career for in the league, he has
already notched up 18 league goals and that is only 1 goal behind his best ever
for the Warriors and counting all, including the Cup competition, he is just 3
S-league goals behind and over half the season has yet to be played.
At the
same time, Duric is still in prime shape, despite
being the oldest S-league player on record, for even during the off season the
Warriors striker endure a tough fitness regime and a strict diet to ensure he
is in prime shape anytime of the year and that what have kept him at the top
all this while.
However
it may not be all smooth sailing for the 1.92m marksman as the Warriors are
clearly looking to the future for they have just signed Balestier
Khalsa Japanese forward Norikazu Murakami and while
only 12 cm shorter he has proven he can be a target man as well in his time
with the Tigers.
So even
if Duric has a two-year contract with the Warriors, he may not be the desired man at the forward line come next season.
Still
the Aussie had always been a competitor and he will not give up his starting
role for anybody and even if he leave the Warriors, it
can be expected a man of Aleksandar Duric quality
will attract many suitors.
That
why it is not just Egmar Gonclaves who should be sweating
over the loss of his greatest marksman title but also Mirko
Grabovac for the Stags striker, even if he overtake Egmar Gonclaves, may well be
overtaken by the striker from the Warriors camp in time to come.
Duirc
is on a Warriors Charge.