Round 1 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
The National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition is back, and round one of the 2021 season is set to kick-off the season with a bang. The opening round will be dedicated to Rockdale Illinden’s Idriss El-Hafiane, a fan favourite and much admired and adored by many in the Football Family, each club will be observing a minute’s silence paying respect to the energetic attacker.
There is huge anticipation for the opening week action, with fans intrigued to see their team in action after a long offseason.
Manly United will open the campaign against Mt Druitt Town Rangers as Friday night football returns for the 2021 season.
Marconi Stallions are also in action on Friday as they host Sydney FC.
Three matches are scheduled for a super Saturday of fixtures as Northbridge Bulls take on the returning Sutherland Sharks. Sydney Olympic goes head-to-head with fierce rivals Sydney United 58 and Blacktown City play host to APIA Leichhardt.
Reigning premiers Rockdale Ilinden FC close out the round against Wollongong Wolves at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
Nothing beats the hope and excitement at the start of a new season, and if these opening round fixtures are anything to go by, The 2021 NPL NSW season is set to be one of the biggest yet.
Remember, you can watch all the action live and exclusively on NPL.TV.
Manly United FC v Mt Druitt Town Rangers, 7pm Friday at Cromer Park
Cromer Park is sure to come alive on Friday as Manly United kick-start their campaign with a clash against Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
The boys from the Northern Beaches will be looking for three points and a winning start to the season.
Coach Adam Griffiths has built a team of local rising stars and will be relying on his up and comers to fill the gap left by the departure of long time star player Brendan Cholakian.
Pacy winger Dejan Pandurevic returns for another campaign at Cromer Park and will have to take on a more significant role this season, especially in the final third but will have some help from Richie Cardozo and Scott Balderson.
They come up against a Mt Druitt side, a competition dark horse after a major off-season recruitment drive.
This week the club made the bold move to change their coach only days out from the season, with Stewart Montgomery coming in to replace Franco Cosentino.
The star recruit Tarek Elrich’s leadership will be needed to help the side settle early in the season after such a shake-up.
Mt Druitt will be determined to make an early impression with victory on the road in the season opener.
Japanese imports Takumu Tsujimura and Fumoto Kamade will be ones to watch and could be critical to the Rangers’ chances this season.
With so much uncertainty surrounding both sides, combined with potential early-season rust, this match could go either way.
Marconi Stallions FC v Sydney FC, 7.45pm at Marconi Stadium
A big statement win to open the season will be a significant motivator for Marconi Stallions on Friday night as they host Sydney FC at Marconi Stadium.
A disappointing finish to their 2020 campaign would have stung a proud club such as Marconi so expect coach Peter Tsekenis to have his team firing for this match after a long off-season.
A lot will be expected from Club captain Marko Jesic who will be required to carry a lot of the attack after the departure of James Andrew and Charles Lokolingoy, who the Wellington Phoenix snapped up despite only making a move to Marconi Stadium earlier this year.
Tsekenis has managed to keep the core of his squad from 2020 and hope that the team’s consistency will be duplicated in their performances and results.
Nenad Vekic will again be the man between the posts while the Speranza brothers and Mitch Mallia will also be in action, ensuring there is still plenty of star power in the Stallions line-up.
They will face off against a Sydney FC team, one of the genuine surprise packets in 2020.
The Young Sky Blues, under the leadership of returning coach Jim Van Weeren, narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals in what was their best campaign in the NSW State League top flight.
Van Weeren has managed to hold onto the majority of the squad and will be determined to build on their impressive 2020 form this time around.
Blessed with quality young guns coming through the ranks, expect to hear the likes of names such as Cameron Fong, Antonio Saracino, Stevan Stanic-Floody and Jaiden Kucharaski delivering big performances each week.
Friday’s game will be a big test for both sides, so expect plenty of action in what will be a thrilling clash.
Northbridge Bulls v Sutherland Sharks, 7pm Saturday at Sydney United Sports Centre
Northbridge Bulls will be looking for all three points when they host Sutherland Sharks at the Sydney United Sports Centre this Saturday evening.
The Bulls have a new name and a new coach this season, and it will be interesting to see how they handle their first test of the campaign.
Former Socceroos winger Mile Sterjovski takes the helm as Bulls coach this season and will be guiding his youthful line-up to what is hopefully a successful first term.
Former Wollongong rising star Bul Juach will be one to watch for Northbridge on Saturday and ex-Western Sydney Wanderers Youth player Rory Jordan who returns to the NPL NSW after a stint overseas.
They will be up against the returning Sutherland Sharks back in the NPL NSW after sitting out the rebooted 2020 season.
Nick Dimovski is back as a coach and will show the league what the Sharks are capable of.
Dimovski has quietly gone about assembling a talent side including pacy star James Andrew, Scottish midfielder Chris McStay and shot-stopper Anthony Bouzanis.
There is plenty of mystery and intrigue in this clash, with many fans unsure of what to expect from the Sharks after 12 months off and from the new-look Bulls.
No matter what, all the answers will be revealed when these two teams face off this Saturday.
Sydney Olympic v Sydney United 58, 4pm Saturday at Belmore Sports Ground
Traditional rivalries will be renewed on Saturday night as Sydney Olympic host Sydney United at Belmore Sports Ground.
Another chapter of the original Sydney Derby will be written as Olympic look to take down last season’s grand final winners United 58.
The Ante Juric coached blues have gone all-in this offseason in a bid to return to the top of the pile and have brought in several big names to their already star-studded line-up.
Brendan Cholakian will be looking to impress in his debut for his new side after making a blockbuster move from Manly to Belmore, While former J-League striker Yu Hasegawa potentially gives Olympic a goal scorer that could finally fill the void left by Alex Sanchez.
Juric’s side will be ready to make a splash in round one, but they will need to be firing on all cylinders to get one over Sydney United 58.
The Champions have had a impressive recruitment drive themselves bringing back veteran striker Chris Payne and signing talented attacking dynamo Sallu Kamara.
Patrick Antelmi will once again be one to watch and, with the extra attacking support, will be looking to add to his incredible goal tally from 2020.
New coach Tom Vidovic will be keen to start his tenure with all three points.
This match has the potential to be a shootout with so much attacking talent on both sides.
Add in the extra tension of a rivalry, and this derby clash could be set to explode in round one.
Blacktown City v APIA Leichhardt FC, 7pm Saturday at Lily Homes Stadium
Blacktown City will be gunning for all three points when APIA Leichhardt comes to Lily Homes Stadium on Saturday night.
It was a mixed season from City in 2020, but their brilliant late-season form will have fans hopeful for a strong start to this campaign.
Mark Crittenden once again is back as coach, and his experience as one of the competition’s most successful managers will be needed as he leads his young team to finals football in 2021.
Favourite son Travis Major is back for a third stint with Blacktown City after a stellar run playing in the Hong Kong Premier League.
He is joined by Sean Rooney, who is also returning to Blacktown city after some time away.
The incomparable Matt Lewis retains the captains’ armband and will be determined to drive his side to victory in the opening round.
They come up against an APIA Leichhardt side who are themselves motivated to show their struggles of 2020 are well and truly in the past.
Last year, the wooden spoon would not have gone down well at the proud club, and with big moves during the offseason show, they’re ready to make amends.
Blake Powell returns to the Lambert Park-based outfit six years after his incredible 21 goal campaign in 2015 and will lead the line once again.
He is joined by Hassan Jalloh and Sam McIllhatton who will also don the APIA strip.
Ageless midfield maestro Franco Parisi will be pulling strings in midfield.
These teams should be contenders for finals football and the Premiership, so expect this game to be a blockbuster.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Wollongong Wolves, 3pm Sunday at Ilinden Sports Centre
Reigning Premiers Rockdale Illinden opens their title defence at Ilinden Sports Centre this Sunday when they host Wollongong Wolves.
It will be an emotional affair as prior to kick-off, the host club will be putting on a tribute for their fallen star Idriss El-Hafiane.
The Steven Zoric coached Rockdale shocked many last season as they finished the regular season on top before falling narrowly short of a historic premiership and championship double.
Fuelled by the success of the 2020 season, Rockdale will be full of confidence coming into this campaign.
Star import Tomoki Wada and club stalwart Alec Urosevski remain the key men for Ilinden and will be out for a big performance in the season opener.
However, signings such as winger Bai Antoniou and midfielder Daniel Araujo could be the most important if Zoric’s side is to go back to back.
In front of what should be vocal home support, it is set to be a big game for Rockdale.
Looking to spoil the homecoming party is the Wollongong Wolves, who themselves have strong title aspirations this season.
The Luke Wilkshire coached outfit have lost a few first-team regulars, and starting positions will be up for grabs.
Returning players such as Taylor McDonald will have a more significant role this season as the Wolves push for further silverware while big things are expected from livewire attacker Leroy Jennings.
The final match of the round features genuine premiership contenders, so expect neither side to take it easy.
