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Sunday's table topping clash away to the East Coast Magic saw Balmain end the Magic's unbeaten run with a comprehensive 7-1 thrashing. The scoring spree began shortly after kick off when Henrik Andersson curled his corner kick directly in to the far top corner of the goal. Steve Lewis scored the second after Dave Hardwick played him in, and Lewis was the provider for the third when his shot was parried straight to Andersson who headed into an open net. Julian Bracewell made it 4-0 just before half time when he slotted Andersson's cross past the keeper.

What little hope East Coast had evaporated in a moment of madness by their goalkeeper early in the second half. Pulling down a Balmain cross, he threw the ball out wide to a team-mate then proceeded to kick the crap out of the nearest Balmain player, Matt Jaffrey. The referee was all of five metres away and it was the easiest red card he'll ever have to give. Steve Lewis scored from the penalty spot to make it 5-0, and then completed his hat trick with a delightful chip from just outside the box only minutes later. The Magic took advantage of some lazy defending to score a consolation goal, but the Tigers had the final say when Jake Flower had a long range shot deflected over the keeper. The Magic, who had totally lost the plot by now, even had time to have another player sent off for a reckless tackle. After such a comprehensive victory, choosing the Exchange Hotel man of the match proved to be the hardest thing that Dave Grill had to do all day, but ultimately he thought Dave Hardwick stood tall amongst giants.

The lead up game saw the Tigers maintain their undefeated run with a 4-1 victory over the Magic. The crucial period of the game was the first 15 minutes, as a revved up Tigers outfit took a 3-0 lead. Steele Bonus chested down a Nick Bounds free kick, then turned and shot past the keeper to make it 1-0. Within a minute or two, Dylan Zammit added a second after heading in a cross from Peter Glavis. The Magic gave the Tigers a hand with the third, a defender chipping the ball over his own keeper while under pressure from Steele Bonus.

The Magic engineered a sniff of a comeback midway through the second half when an old fashioned hoof down the middle saw three Tigers players leave the ball for each other. An East Coast attacker took advantage by taking the ball past the keeper and scoring. The Tigers quickly restored their three goal cushion though, Jem Richardson beating a couple of defenders on a solo run from the half way line then sliding the ball past the keeper. The goal hungry Bonus was on hand to make sure the ball crossed the line with a solid strike from all of six inches out. Tony Merceides was desperately unlucky not to add a fifth - his shot from a narrow angle crossed the line but curled back out again and the referee waved play on. An excellent defensive display, along with some flashes of attacking flair from the right side of defence earned Nick Bounds the Exchange Hotel player of the match award.

Have a look at our photo gallery - now bigger and fatter than ever before. We've put together the best 50 photos from last season, as well as quite a few from this season. We'll add to the gallery as the season goes on.

Balmain bounced back to winning form with a scrappy 2-1 win over the visiting Sydney Cedars on Saturday. Steve Lewis was able to resume his partnership up front with Julian Bracewell after spending a couple of matches in between the sticks. The two strikers combined to give Balmain the early lead when Bracewell was nudged inside the box and Lewis bounced in the resultant penalty. The Cedars equalised before the break when some lazy defending allowed a through ball to pass. Despite having their initial shot parried, another Cedars played chipped the rebound into the net.

With neither side able to settle into a comfortable rhythm with the ball, the second half began to resemble a game of hot potato. The crowd appeared more interested in Marcus McMillan's kebab crafting skills, and the game was in desperate need of a touch of class to liven things up. The touch was duly provided courtesy of the Bracewell and Lewis combination. Bracewell turned his marker out wide and played a smart ball into the feet of Lewis who turned and shot low and hard. The keeper managed a fine save that fortunately fell into the path of Henrik Andersson, who belted in his first goal of the season. A tireless display in midfield, along with the winning goal, earned Andersson the Exchange Hotel man of the match award.

The Reserve team turned in a performance well below their best, but still did just enough to claim a 2-1 victory. The Cedars grabbed the initiative when a quick passing move ended with a Cedars player unmarked in the box with enough time to read the paper before sliding in his shot to make it 1-0. Balmain then enjoyed 20 minutes of dominance without really testing the keeper before a moment of controversy. Balmain had the ball in the back of the net but the referee neglected to play the advantage and instead awarded a penalty for a foul in the build-up. Dylan Zammit stood up to take the penalty but his effort was saved, only for the referee to order it to be taken again. Jem Richardson then took the penalty but almost made a vein in Dave Grill's head explode when his shot went wide. Balmain Reserves are now on the lookout for anyone, anywhere, who can take a penalty. Balmain's frustration levels were reduced somewhat shortly after when a low cross from Steele Bonus was bundled into the Cedars' net for an own goal.

A half time rollicking from Alex Kaltenegger did little to improve the Tigers in the second half and, with less than 10 minutes on the clock, a loss looked just as likely as a win. Balmain came up with the goods though when Honza Capek latched onto Hugo Muecke's throw-in and raced clear down the left. Approaching the keeper he unselfishly cut the ball inside to Richardson who tapped in the winner. Defensive rock Eamon Byrne earned himself the Exchange Hotel man of the match for his performance at the back.

Saturday night's road trip to Kellyville ended in disappointment for the travelling Balmain fans, with the Tigers ending up on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline. Balmain were forced into a number of changes due to several injuries and the suspension of Julian Bracewell, and a 10th minute injury to centre half Keith Agnew meant Paul Ritchie had to back up after just finishing a full game for the reserves. Despite this, the Tigers dominated the possession and chances in the first half, and Kellyville had their keeper to thank for keeping the game scoreless at half time. The second half continued much the same as the first until Kellyville scored totally against the run of play. The ball was hoofed up the middle and Kellyville's pacy centre forward beat the onrushing keeper Steve Lewis to the ball, nodding it past him with his head to make it 1-0.

Kellyville's confidence grew after the goal and they shortly made it 2-0, although to be fair they were aided by a refereeing blunder. The eventual scorer was lying down on the goal line after overrunning the ball and goalkeeper and falling over. A teammate took a shot and the player on the ground headed in the low flying ball. As he was past the goalkeeper and had only one Balmain player level with him he should have been called offside, but alas the officials don't know the offside law too well. Kellyville scored their third goal near the end of the match with a quality end-to-end counter attack as Balmain pushed forward in search of goals. Definitely a game where the scoreline did not reflect the close nature of the contest.

Injuries and suspensions also affected the reserve team lineup, so much so that Jimmy Campbell came out of semi-retirement to play up front. After missing a couple of half chances, the Tigers allowed Kellyville to take the lead midway through the first half with their first meaningful attack. Jem Richardson then had a chance to level the scores with a penalty, but his effort straight down the middle was easily saved by the Kellyville keeper. Alex Kaltenegger came within a whisker of scoring his first goal since last century, heading a corner inches wide shortly before the half time break. The second half started badly for the Tigers with Honza Capek taken to hospital after a nasty head clash saw him spouting blood from his eyelid like a broken sauce bottle. On a side note, I'm reliably informed that the doctors at the hospital worked around the clock to glue his split eye back together, and Honza would like all the ladies to know that he's still looking as good as ever - out of the other one. Anyway, back at Bernie's, Kellyville attempted to sit back and defend their lead but against the top scoring Tigers this was never going to work. Paul Ritchie turned in man of the match Peter Glavis' cross to level the scores shortly before full time. Then with Kellyville barely hanging on, Steve Lewis almost won the game at the death, only to see the Kellyville keeper make a great last ditch save to keep the score 1-1.

There seems to be some confusion about this weekend's upcoming fixture against Kellyville. So to set things straight here is all the information:

• The match will be played at Bernie Mullane Sports Centre, Marella Ave Kellyville. The ground may not be in your street directory if it is more than a couple of years old, so to help you out here is a map.
• For those of you who can't read maps or couldn't spot Bernie, take a right off Windsor Rd into President Rd, left into Green Rd, and left into Marella Ave.
• The kick-off times are indeed later than normal - 4pm for Reserve Grade and 6pm for First Grade.

See you there.

Balmain easily accounted for the visit of Sporting SCC with a 4-0 victory in Saturday's clash at Birchgrove. The Tigers were short of players due to injury and illness, so this meant call-ups from the high flying reserve team for Grant Burgess and Chris Grayson, with Nick Flower moving into the centre of midfield. It was Nick Flower who opened the scoring for the Tigers, scoring after latching onto a loose ball that dropped in the box from brother Jake's free kick. Dave Hardwick then popped up to head in a second goal before Jake Flower finally broke his scoring duck with a searing left footed drive from just inside the area. Going into half time with a three goal cushion, the game looked just about over, but Sporting were granted a lifeline with a penalty late in the first half. Stand in keeper Steve Lewis was up to the challenge though, producing a great save to keep the score 3-0 at the break. The second half saw Balmain unable to capitalise on a couple of good chances until Julian Bracewell volleyed home a towering box to box clearance from keeper Lewis to make the final score 4-0. The penalty save and goal assist for Steve Lewis earned him the man of the match award.

Balmain Reserves notched up their second double-digit demolition this season with a 12-0 victory over their hapless oppponents. Starting the game against only eight men, the Tigers were quick to capitalise and had gained a 3-0 lead before Sporting fielded their full 11 players. Leading 6-0 at half time, the Tigers added another six in the second half. Jem Richardson became the third player this season to score five in a match, Dylan Zammit contributed a more than useful four goals, Honza Capek grabbed two, and Olly Roberts scored his first of the season. It was an excellent team performance, with Eamon Byrne, Hugo Muecke, and the Mongolian-lamb-powered Nick Bounds playing particularly well, but in the end coach Alex Kaltenegger couldn't go past Jem Richardson's five goals for the man of the match award.

Colo Colo inflicted Balmain's first defeat of the season in a hard fought encounter on Sunday. The match was originally in doubt as the Warwick Farm Mining Corporation only just finished excavating part of the pitch on Friday afternoon. To the relief of the large crowd that had come to see the Tigers play, the match was allowed to proceed after a quick pitch inspection by the referees despite the fist-sized lumps of rock strewn about the 30 yard square wasteland in the middle of the field.

The match was a contrast in styles - Balmain's hard working determination against Colo Colo's short passing and trickery with the ball. The Tigers siezed the initiative within the first 5 minutes as Julian Bracewell scored to continue his hot streak in front of goal. After that, the teams looked fairly evenly matched and didn't create many openings until Colo Colo equalised by heading in a free kick shortly before half time. The second half saw both defences cancelling out the opposition attack while Colo Colo enjoyed most of the possession. The breakthrough for the home side came with 15 minutes to go - some quick passing down the left and a cut back into the box created a simple chance for the Colo Colo striker to stroke home. This opened the game up considerably as Balmain searched for an equaliser. Colo Colo took advantage of this and hit Balmain on the break twice to seal the game. Nick Flower headed home a corner for a late consolation goal, and earned himself the man of the match award.

Balmain Reserves got back to winning form with a 5-1 victory. The first half was an evenly matched affair with few chances at either end. Steele Bonus opened his account for the season after smashing home a cutback from Jem Richardson. Colo Colo then hit back with a headed goal before Paul Ritchie scored right before the half time break with a hooked volley directly from a corner. The second half belonged to Balmain though and they dominated throughout. Strike force duo Jem Richardson and Honza Capek added a goal each, and Chris Grayson finsihed off the scoring with a penalty shortly before time. In a solid defensive display from the Tigers, Grayson was the pick of the bunch for the man of the match award.