S. League: Devastating DPMM

TOP OF THE CLASS - BRUNEI DPMM

Far and away the brightest student is Brunei DPMM (1st, 28 points).

At the halfway stage of the 2014 Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League season, Steve Kean's men (right) sit pretty at the top and are firm favourites to lift the title in October.

They're the straight A students who get envious looks from classmates when the teacher hands out the grades.

Led by their "Ro-Ro" strike partnership of Brazilian Rodrigo Tosi (11 goals) and Irishman Roy O'Donovan (10 goals), DPMM have scored 30 times in just 11 games.

Even in their only defeat of the season - a 2-1 reverse against Tampines Rovers - the Bruneian side were the better side.

It's hard to imagine such a quality team slipping up to relinquish their place at the top.

NOT FAR BEHIND...

If - and this is a big if - DPMM trip up between now and the end of the season, there are a handful of teams who can take advantage.

WARRIORS FC

Credit has to be given to Warriors FC (2nd, 21 points). The sleeping giants of the S.League have finally woke up from their slumber.

The record eight-time champions have not won a title since 2009 and finished seventh in the last two seasons.

But they are contenders once more and, like DPMM, they've relied on a deadly foreign partnership - Croat Mirolsav Pejic and Argentinian Nicolas Velez have eight goals each - to fire them up the table.

Unlike the Bruneian side, though, who have conceded just five goals, Alex Weaver's side have shipped in 15, a figure equivalent to ninth-placed Woodlands Wellington's.

HOME UNITED

The other uniformed side, Home United (4th, 20 points), have blown hot and cold.

Their inconsistency saw them draw 1-1 with unfancied Courts Young Lions just five days after an impressive 4-1 win over the Warriors.

Aside from the win over Warriors, they have a woeful record against the title contenders, losing to Tampines, Albirex Niigata and DPMM.

TAMPINES ROVERS

Meanwhile, defending champions Tampines Rovers (3rd, 21 points) are desperately trying to keep up with DPMM in their bid for a fourth successive title.

But the Stags have looked far from indomitable this term and have dropped points against the likes of Hougang United, Woodlands Wellington and Tanjong Pagar.

A less-than-satisfactory AFC Cup campaign has seen coach Salim Moin resign, with former international Rafi Ali taking over the reins.

This is the third year in a row Tampines have replaced their head coach during the season, and they will hope that the end result is the same: The title in the bag.

But how long can 43-year-old goal machine Aleksandar Duric be counted on to bail out his teammates, many of whom are on the wrong side of 30?

ALBIREX NIIGATA

Age is not an issue for dark horses Albirex Niigata (5th, 20 points), however.

The Japanese club's squad have an average age of just 21.8 years and they've shown they can hold their own against the likes of Home, Tampines and DPMM.

But comprehensive defeats by the Warriors (4-0) and Hougang (3-1) show the White Swans have an erratic streak, too.

CAN DO BETTER...

There are students you know are capable of scoring well, but somehow, tend to fall short.

HOUGANG UNITED

One team with that characteristic this season are Hougang United (6th, 17 points).

The Cheetahs have proven their ability to mix it with the best, beating the likes of Tampines and Albirex in their opening six games.

Their samba duo of Geison Moura (nine goals) and Diego Gama (six) ensure the team have enough goals in them to trouble any defence.

But they've also shown a tendency to capitulate, conceding three times in the last 10 minutes to lose 3-2 to Geylang, and even going down 3-0 to goal-shy Young Lions.

GEYLANG INTERNATIONAL

Geylang International (7th, 13 points) are another team who seem to have found their feet after a poor start to the season where they lost their first three games.

They have found the net in every game since Jorg Steinebrunner replaced V Kanan as the team's head coach on March 20, although there is a feeling the German's honeymoon period might not last too much longer.

Apart from Argentinian striker Leo Felice (six goals), the other imports have not shone and they will have to step up if Geylang hope to climb into the top half.

WOODLANDS WELLINGTON

Another team with a similar affliction is Woodlands Wellington (9th, 11 points).

The Rams are this season's draw specialists - five of their 11 games have ended in stalemates.

Despite having to make do without long-term injury victims, Serbian forward Stefan Milojevic and inspirational skipper Shahril Alias, Woodlands have taken points off the likes of Tampines and Albirex.

If they are to climb up the table, they need to start turning some of those draws into wins.

And coach Darren Stewart needs to get South Korean striker Moon Soon Ho - last season's league top-scorer with 15 goals has scored only two this term - firing again.

COURTS YOUNG LIONS

The Courts Young Lions (11th, 8 points), meanwhile, have stirred into life in recent games, showing they have enough ability to climb up the table in no time.

Five of their seven defeats have been by the odd goal, and since star striker Sahil Suhaimi passed the league's mandatory 2.4km run fitness test, they have lost just once in four games.

But, like Hougang, they can go to sleep during games, as shown in heavy defeats by Balestier Khalsa (4-0) and DPMM (6-1).

REMEDIAL LESSONS NEEDED

Finally, we get to the strugglers.

These are the students who need extra lessons at the weekends or one-on-one sessions with the teacher.

BALESTIER KHALSA

Their position in the standings suggests Balestier Khalsa (8th, 12 points) were over-ambitious when they boasted they were targeting the title this season.

After a promising start, they've lost five of their last eight matches.

But, there is hope.

Talented playmaker Park Kang Jin returned from a knee injury in the Tigers' last game, a defeat to Hougang, and he could be the catalyst to spark a turnaround in the team's fortunes.

TANJONG PAGAR UNITED

Tanjong Pagar United (10th, 9 points), meanwhile, really shouldn't be third-from-bottom at this stage.

The Jaguars finished in the top half and reached the RHB Singapore Cup final last year, but the zip seems to be missing this time.

Sure, they have been affected by the unavailability of the versatile Ahmad Latiff and chief creator Kamel Ramdani, both through knee injuries.

But Patrick Vallee's squad have enough to compensate for absences of the duo, although the Jaguars haven't been able to show it on the pitch.

HARIMAU MUDA B

This season's poorest team so far are Harimau Muda B (12th, 3 points). They lost 10 straight games before their shock 1-0 victory over Woodlands in their last match, and while the win might silence the critics for a while, the road ahead is still tough.

Razip Ismail's charges are not bad players, but like the Young Lions for most of last season, they lack experience and a cutting edge up front.

If DPMM are front-runners for the title, Harimau Muda are overwhelming favourites for the dreaded wooden spoon.

This article was published on May 14 in The New Paper.

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