Round 5 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
Round 5 is here and after a big week of results that have caused some upsets to competition favourites, there is plenty of anticipation for this weekend.
Sydney FC are now the only team undefeated in the competition heading into Round 5, but sit in second place on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder, behind APIA Leichhardt FC.
APIA Leichhardt FC v Wollongong Wolves FC
7:15pm, Friday 1st April, Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt will be coming into this match hungry for a win to maintain their position as leaders of the NPL NSW competition.
An important win over Premiership contenders Blacktown City will have them heading into their clash with the Wolves with confidence. Young-gun striker Nathanael Blair will be looking to get back on the scoresheet after giving fans a taste of what he is capable of in the early stages of the season.
Veteran keeper Ivan Necevski kept a clean sheet in APIA’s defeat of Blacktown City with the shotstopper in great form thwarting several lethal attacks. The custodian was selected for the competition’s Team of the Week, alongside teammate Nicholas Azzone who was strong in defence. With plenty of impressive players in their squad, APIA Leichhardt certainly have the capacity to create something special on the park.
Wollongong will be eager to get back on the pitch after having a week off due to a Round 4 wash out.
The Wolves have had some quality performances since their Round 1 loss to Sydney United 58, with a convincing win over Northbridge Bulls and went on to keep Sydney FC at bay with a draw in Round 3.
Lachlan Scott, Leroy Jennings and Takumu Tsujimura have been influential in the Wolves’ campaign thus far and will hope to cause APIA some pain in their upcoming clash.
Will APIA’s momentum from their Round 4 win be too strong for Wollongong after a week off? Or will the Wolves be able to knock the league leaders off their pedestal?
Sutherland Sharks FC v Sydney FC
3:30pm, Saturday 2nd April, Seymour Shaw
Sutherland return home to Seymour Shaw this weekend to host an undefeated Sydney FC side.
The Sharks have managed two wins in a row, the first against Manly United and then Mt Druitt at the weekend. After a rough start to the season with two losses at home, they will be hoping to show their fans that they are real contenders in 2022.
Harry Callahan’s Round 3 double has kept eyes on him since, but with a strong squad after a pre-season recruitment blitz, there are plenty of players with potential to impress. Jason Madonis has been crucial to the Sharks success so far this season, with James Andrew also making a big impact – both featured in the Round 4 Team of the Week.
Sydney FC have been the dark horse of the competition in the opening four rounds, maintaining an undefeated streak against some of the league’s most experienced and physical sides.
The technically-gifted side has shown they have plenty of impressive players to draw on throughout the year, with the likes of Corey Hollman, Jaiden Kucharski, Zac Sapsford, Patrick Wood and Adam Pavlesic putting on some quality performances so far. Hollman was the lone representative for the young sky blues in the Team of the Week after the team’s 2-2 draw with Manly United last weekend.
Coming off a draw, Sydney FC will be eager to ensure their strong start doesn’t slip away from them, while Sutherland will be hoping to continue the form they’ve put on display the last two weeks – who will come out on top?
Manly United FC v Northbridge Bulls FC
5:00pm, Saturday 2nd April, Cromer Park
For the first time this season Manly United will be the hosts at Cromer Park as they take on Northbridge Bulls in Round 5.
The Northern Beaches outfit started the season well with a win over Sydney Olympic in Round 1, but haven’t been able to take hold of a victory since.
A late equaliser saw them take a point out of a tough match against Sydney FC and will likely give them some hope that they can get back to winning ways.
Seiya Kambayashi was a stand-out for Manly in Round 4 and will be one to watch against Northbridge on Saturday, alongside NPL stalwart Matt Sim, and Jimmy Oates, who managed the injury time goal last week.
Northbridge will be on cloud 9 heading into this clash, after a massive 4-2 victory over a strong Sydney United 58 squad.
It took a while for the Bulls to kick into gear this season, with three losses to start the season, but their victory at the weekend lifted off the bottom of the ladder.
Rory Jordan is the man of the moment for the Bulls after a Round 5 hat-trick – the first in the Bulls’ history in the competition – and was the lone Bulls’ representative in the Team of the Week. Jed Drew also impressed last weekend and will be one to watch in this clash.
Will the big win buoy Northbridge through a tough trip to Manly or will Cromer Park bring some magic to Manly’s campaign?
Marconi Stallions FC v Sydney Olympic FC
7:00pm, Saturday 2nd April, Marconi Stadium
It will be a big night at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night as the Stallions host Sydney Olympic in what is set to be a fierce fight.
Marconi managed a hard-fought draw in their first home game of the season last weekend against Rockdale Ilinden and rallied right until the last minute to keep themselves in the game.
Captain Marko Jesic made magic for the Stallions with a goal in the Round 4 match and was selected for the Team of the Week, alongside Marconi’s other goal-scorer defender Nathan Millgate.
Thomas James made his first appearance for the club at the weekend and showed promising signs, with some close chances. He will be looking to return to form after injury kept him out of the start of the season and is expected to make a big impact to their forward line in this clash.
Sydney Olympic had their Round 4 clash postponed due to the weather so will be hitting the stage on Saturday night after a week off,
Their last match saw them secure their first victory of the season against Northbridge Bulls, with Roy O’Donovan and Adam Parkhouse managing to get on their scoresheet.
In the first away game they will play in the competition, it will be an impressive feat if they can defeat Marconi at ‘The Palace’.
Nikola Udjur, Sam McIlhatton, Mathieu Cordier, Adam Parkhourse and Roy O’Donovan have all made an impact for Olympic so far this season and will need to be in their best form to knock home some goals in Round 5.
Blacktown City FC v Sydney United 58 FC
3:00pm, Sunday 3rd April, Blacktown City Sports Centre
It will be a huge clash at Blacktown City Sports Centre this weekend as two of the top contenders of the season match up.
Both coming off tough losses, they will be fired up and ready to prove they can maintain their strong start to the season, despite the setback.
With star-studded line ups on both sides, there will be plenty of talent to draw from as the two sides match up.
Dakota Askew was the stand out for the home side in their Round 4 loss, however there have been plenty of impressive performances throughout the season.
Mitchell Mallia, Charles Mendy, Jordan Smylie, Grant Lynch and young ‘keeper Alex Robinson have all had strong moments in the season so far and will be looking to make their mark against a strong united 58 side.
United 58 suffered a 4-2 loss to the young Northbridge Bulls team at the weekend and will be eager to bounce back with a huge win against Blacktown City.
Adrian Vlastelica, Chris Payne, Glen Trifiro and Patrick Antelmi will be ones to watch in this match as they look to wreak havoc.
This is a must-see for NPL fans and will give a good taste of what finals football could look like this year.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC
4:00pm, Sunday 3rd April, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale will be hoping to keep Mt Druitt Town Rangers without a win as they host them at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre this weekend.
After a late goal against them saw Rockdale share points in their draw with Marconi, they will be hoping to secure their status as contenders in the competition with a win this weekend.
With a number of new signings, coach Steve Zoric has said the team is starting to find their rhythm and will be using that as they match up against Mt Druitt.
Alec Urosevski scored a double against Marconi last week and will be hungry for more goals moving forward, supported by a number of impressive players like Mitchell Stamatellis, Tomoki Wada, Chris McStay and Jaden Casella.
Mt Druitt will be desperate for a win as they head to Rockdale on Sunday afternoon, with just a single point to their name heading into Round 5.
With some impressive attacking prowess in the form of Jack Stewart, John Roberts, Bul Juach, Fumoto Kamada, Louis Khoury and Diogo Barbosa, they certainly haven’t struggled to score goals with nine goals so far this season.
Despite having scored nine goals from four games, they have let in fourteen – something they will need to sure up against a dynamic Ilinden side.
Will Mt Druitt be able to secure a win in Round 5 or will Rockdale come out on top?
