Soccer: Kingz set up unique double-header

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The Football Kingz will finish their NSL season playing the early game of a sporting double-header on Sunday week.

The last game of the Kingz season against South Melbourne will be played at Ericsson Stadium at noon.

Four hours later the Warriors will kick-off their NRL season at the same ground against the Newcastle Knights.

The stadium will be cleared after the Kingz game to allow for the playing surface to be re-marked, the posts swapped and the field dressed up with the NRL's advertising logos.

Unlike their away game against Newcastle United this Saturday night, the Kingz game against South Melbourne will be televised live.

While the Kingz have no chance of making the top six and will use their last two games as an effort to stay clear of the bottom of the table, South Melbourne might still have a faint chance of making the play-offs.

Souths have a bye this week.

In an interesting aside, Con Boutsianis, who once had a fleeting association with the Kingz before his much-publicised "runner", is set to play here.

Boutsianis returned to South Melbourne last weekend for his first game of the season and scored in their 4-1 away loss to Parramatta Power. His goal was tagged as a contender for the goal of the season.

Asked why they did not look to play on a different day or at a different ground, Kingz chief executive Chris Turner said: "This is our home ground. We are contracted to play 10 games a season.

"If we had changed to Friday or Saturday night, we could not have been guaranteed television coverage as it was probable we would have clashed with the Super 12."

Looking ahead, Turner said he had not set a time frame on naming players for next season.

Turner is meeting incumbent coach Ken Dugdale again today.

Once the coaching situation is confirmed the search for players will be stepped up.

The current players remain on the Kingz' books until June 30 but some players may go on loan to Southern Trust National League clubs in the meantime.