Round 1 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s 20’s
Sutherland Sharks begin their title defence at Rockdale City Suns, Marconi mark their return to the top against Sydney United 58 and Wollongong Wolves kick off a new era against Blacktown City in the opening round of the 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s U20s season.
The Match of the Round takes place in Belmore where Sydney Olympic host Bonnyrigg White Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
Match of the Round
Sydney Olympic v Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Sunday 12.40pm at Belmore Sports Ground
The opening match of the round for 2018 takes place in Belmore where Sydney Olympic and Bonnyrigg meet at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides will relish the clean slate of the new season following a disappointing year previous for both for different reasons.
Sydney Olympic were 2016 championship winners but struggled to find form in the 2017 campaign and were rooted to the lower reaches of the table. However the new season and the continued development of the club should provide a renewed sense of optimism when the Blues kick off their season on Sunday.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles on the other hand will be looking to get their year off to the best possible start after a horror beginning in 2017 which saw the side lose six of their first seven matches. The slow start and litany of defensive issues for Hamish Brown’s side ultimately prevented the White Eagles from sneaking into the top five – they’ll be hoping to come out all guns firing on Sunday.
Saturday
Marconi Stallions v Sydney United 58, 5.00pm at Marconi Stadium
Marconi will hope to celebrate their return to the top flight of state football when they host Sydney United 58 at Marconi Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Stallions finished fourth and were knocked out in the first week of the finals in the club’s overall promotion season but are eager to make their mark on the competition under the leadership of Nahuel Arrarte with all senior sides finely-tuned in the off-season.
Opponents Sydney United 58 enjoyed a solid year and looked like dark horses for the championship late on in the season until their elimination in finals round two. United 58 didn’t get off to the best start in 2017 and new coach Miro Vlastelica will have drilled in the importance of a good start this time around.
The Reds were able to draw from a versatile group of players to land a fifth-place finish and the side will no doubt have high expectations when they take the field to commence the season on Saturday.
Sydney FC v Hakoah Sydney City East, 5.45pm at Lambert Park
The evening kick off on Saturday features a Sydney FC side looking to nail their championship ambitions to the mast from the get go against Hakoah Sydney City East.
Sydney FC were one of the most impressive performers of the 2017 campaign and appeared destined to challenge leaders Sutherland Sharks but imploded in the qualifying final against APIA Leichhardt in what was a disappointing conclusion to their season.
The Sky Blues always showcase a catalogue of young talent and this season should be no different when Giancarlo Italiano’s side take the field against Hakoah.
It will be interesting to see what the 2018 season holds for Hakoah Sydney City East who has firmly established itself as a competitive top tier club across all senior grades in the past few seasons.
In 2017 Hakoah narrowly missed the finals positions by a margin of three points but the continual improvement of the club and development under Paul Hubbard might just propel the team toward more impressive results in 2018, especially if talented marksman Connor Eldridge continues to find his way toward goal.
Sunday
Wollongong Wolves v Blacktown City, 1.00pm at WIN Stadium
Wollongong have hailed the 2018 season as a game changer and the Wolves have a great chance to prove their credentials as a genuine threat this year when they welcome league heavyweights Blacktown City to WIN Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolves never truly got going in their 2017 season and finished in eleventh-place with narrow defeats and inability to cement home form costing the side the chance to contest a place higher up the table.
Blacktown City on the other hand will be expecting nothing less than a championship assault as they gear up for the season’s commencement. City were typically ever-present at the top end of the table in 2017 but a bad run of form late on coupled with a dwindling squad saw the side slip out of contention.
Despite key losses headlined by leading scorer Mason Ireland John Carnevale’s side should be wiser for the experience and a refurbished roster, including the capture of ex-Sydney United 58 and Sydney FC attacker Jack Stewart, will make City among the favourites for silverware in 2018.
Rockdale City Suns v Sutherland Sharks, 3.00pm at Ilinden Sports Centre
Sutherland Sharks begin the defence of their 2017 crown against Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Nick Dimovski’s Sharks were comprehensive premiership and championship winners last season after expertly navigating their way throughout the normal season and confidently claiming the Grand Final at a canter over APIA Leichhardt.
While some losses in personnel could prove costly in some areas Sutherland will be very pleased by the acquisition of promising forward James Temelkovski who should make his debut when the Sharks take on Rockdale.
The City Suns will get their first official run out on the new surface at Ilinden and must aim to start the new season in more convincing fashion than the last to mount a challenge at the right end of the table.
Rockdale showed they could match it with the best sides in the competition during their height of form last season but were handicapped by a poor start that proved insurmountable.
Stamati Glaros’ side won’t get a better chance to show they mean business in 2018 when they welcome the Sharks to Ilinden.
Postponed: Manly United v APIA Leichhardt Tigers
-By Jacob Windon