As Aleksandar Duric notched up his 200 S-league goals against Chinese side Liaoning Guanguyuan, he has not only become the third player to reach 200 S-league goals but also set to ignite a battle for the S-league Greatest Marksman title.
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 238 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 234 S-league goals at the moment and it is the Stags striker who posed the threat against Duric.
With a 33-goal-lead to make up to get to second place, the Warriors striker will need to get an average of more than 1.5 goal per game, if SAFFC played the maximum 22 league and cup games remaining, and that is near-to-impossible 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 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
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