Are Wollongong Wolves the league's in-form team after Hills United smashing?

A Takumi Ofuka hat-trick saw the Wolves beat Hills Untied 4-0 in front home home fans at WIN Stadium on Friday, March 15.

The win extends their winning streak to three games and their unbeaten streak to five games.

For the Wolves to be first after the start to the season they were given is quite the return. Only one of their first five fixtures have been at home, with the match against Hills just their second home fixture in six.

After a tough run of away fixtures, now the Wolves can capitalise with consecutive home games. They will be up against academy side Western Sydney - again at WIN Stadium - next week where they can assert themselves as one of the top teams in the National Premier League NSW Men's competition.

Up there with them are usual powerhouses such as Rockdale and Marconi. But the table is so tight that there is no room for error with the likes of the Wanderers, Sydney United, APIA and Blacktown all within touching distance of first spot.

The Wolves opened the scoring just prior to the half-hour mark thanks to Ofuka.

Some smart work from captain Lachlan Scott allowed for some space and for the skipper to cut the ball back from the byline to give Ofuka a free shot, which he took to make it 1-0.

Banri Kanaizumi then sent the home support into raptures with a smashing header, his second in four games, into the back of the net to double the Wolves' advantage going into the break.

Wolves goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic wasn't twiddling his thumbs throughout the victory. The former A-League goalkeeper was called into action to make crucial stops from Yu Okubo and Thomas Makko on either side of half-time.

The game was dead and buried in the 78^th minute when Ofuka had his double and the Wolves had their third. Some non-existent defending from Hills enabled Ofuka to wander into the box unmarked and put the ball into the back of the net.

Not long after, Ofuka capped off a star performance with another goal and a hat-trick to make it 4-0.

In the end, the Wolves got home with a dominant 4-0 win and put themselves top of the table for a couple of days at least.

Post-match, Wolves goalkeeper said the side was getting used to that winning feeling.

"It was a top performance by the boys," Janjetovic said.

"Everyone did their job throughout the 90 minutes. I think it's becoming a habit for us to stay nice and compact. I haven't had much to do [in goals].

"The boys have come a long way. We work very hard through the week and even in pre-season. It's all coming together now."

It has been a difficult couple of years for Janjetovic. After retiring from football due to an injury sustained whilst playing for WSW in the A-League, he never lost his love for the game.

Janjetovic has been in a rich vein of form since he signed with the club on the eve of the season. He said he was enjoying his football at present.

"It's been good to get back into it. I still feel sore and that after it takes me a couple of days to recover. But so far, so good."

The Wolves have been on an upward trajectory since midway through the 2023 season.

When Carney came in to lead the side, sloppy errors at the back cost the side dearly for the first half of last season. The team finished 2023 with a wet sail however, finishing in seventh.

So far in 2024, they've hardly put a foot wrong. They lost their opening game of the season against Marconi late-on, and could only manage a home draw against St George.

But stunning wins against Sutherland, Blacktown and now Hills United have shown the Wolves mean business.