Round 1 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

2024 NPL NSW Men's preview 1

And so it begins.

The 2024 National Premier Leagues Men’s competition finally kicks off this Friday evening as one match takes centre stage before a Super Saturday of seven matches are set to entertain in a massive opening round of top tier football.

Let’s look at how each match shapes up in a year that’s seen a number of clubs change its personnel. 

 

Manly United vs St George FC

7:30pm, Friday 16 February, Cromer Park 

Manly United will be taking on recently promoted St George FC in a thoroughly exciting opening to the NPL NSW Men’s campaign.

The home side for this match endured a mixed previous campaign as they finished eighth on the ladder, while a big offseason saw them lose legend Matthew Sim to retirement, captain Jimmy Oates due to relocation, star striker Bruno Mendes and lively attacker Seiya Kambayashi.

However, it has given coach Patrick Zwaanswijk an opportunity to create a new look side, which will be on show in the NPL Men’s competition for the first time at Cromer Park on Friday.

Meanwhile, St George FC, who have joined the premier NSW men’s competition thanks to defeating Mt Druitt Town Rangers in the playoff final, will be looking to show their quality as they play to keep their place in this competition.

Having kept the majority of their quality squad, as well as adding the likes of Nikola Skataric, Peter Grozos, Caio De Godoy, George Daniel and Thomas Brown to the roster, the opening game of this year is set to be one of competitiveness, quality and energy both on and off the field.

 

Sydney Olympic vs Hills United

5:00pm, Saturday 17 February, Belmore Sports Ground

The other promoted side from FNSW League One Men’s in Hills United will be on show when taking on Sydney Olympic away from home in the joint-second game of round one.

Sydney Olympic will be looking to rebound from a disappointing campaign last season which saw them end ninth on the ladder.

However, with a few exciting young additions, including Noah James, George Timotheou, Abraham Majok and Jaden Casella, and two trophies already secured through preseason cups, they’ve had a highly positive offseason and will be looking for a statement victory to begin their campaign.

Hills United, on the other hand, enjoyed a stellar season at the helm of the FNSW League One Men’s ladder, and will be looking themselves to make a statement on the quality they’ll bring to the division throughout 2024.

Belmore is set to host a fantastic match, with the football from an individual and collective point of view set to be at a high standard as both teams fight to make a statement for the season ahead.

 

Central Coast Mariners FC vs Sydney United 58

5:00pm, Saturday 17 February, Pluim Park 

Central Coast Mariners and Sydney United are two sides who will be looking to get their season off to the best possible start after each finishing in the bottom half of the ladder in the previous campaign.

Pluim Park is the place to be on Saturday for members of the Central Coast, as this fixture pits a battle between two new coaches – Lucas Vilela and ex-Socceroo star Zeljko Kalac.

Vilela has overseen a busy offseason period, which saw their premier signing come in the form of Sydney FC youth product Luka Smyth, who will bring an added dose of pace, power and quality to the Mariners.

Kalac, meanwhile, has made some impressive signings in pre-season, with, most notably, Carlos De Oliveira joining from Blacktown City, and former senior Mariner Matthew Hatch arriving from Marconi Stallions.

With both coaches looking to imprint their brand of football from the start, this is set to be an exciting, interesting clash to experience.

 

Marconi Stallions vs Wollongong Wolves

7:00pm, Saturday 17 February, Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions will be taking on Wollongong Wolves to begin their season as Marconi Stadium welcomes two star-studded line-ups to its turf.

Marconi has backed up a promising previous campaign with an exciting offseason, in which they clinched striker James Temelkovski, who scored 27 goals in 23 matches in the NPL SA Men – an average of a goal every 73 minutes – while also scoring two goals and gaining one assist in the Australia Cup as his side North Eastern MetroStars made it to the quarter-finals.

They have also recruited ex-A-League Men central defenders Cameron Windust and Anton Milnaric, but the biggest name entering Marconi Stadium on Saturday will be in Wollongong colours, with veteran Vedran Janjetovic being signed by David Carney’s side.

The battle between the sides will be a thoroughly entertaining one, with new faces looking to make positive debuts and both teams aiming to gather the three points to begin their seasons strongly.

 

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sutherland Sharks 

7pm, Saturday 17 February, Wanderers Football Park 

Western Sydney Wanderers and Sutherland Sharks will be aiming to one-up each other in an important opening fixture for both sides, having finished 13th and 14th respectively on the table last campaign on the same amount of points.

The Wanderers may not be able to call upon all of their A-League Men talent with their senior side featuring in a match the next day, but they still will have a wealth of young quality at their disposal for this fixture.

Meanwhile, Sutherland will be looking for a more stable campaign after losing their coach Damir Prodanovic halfway through the previous campaign as he took up an exciting opportunity as the assistant at A-League Men side Newcastle Jets.

New Sharks coach Steve Zoric will be looking to start the season off in a positive way, whilst WSW coach Andrew Christiansen will be looking to start this campaign off in a similar way the previous one ended, with the Wanderers going unbeaten in their last five matches of 2023.

 

St George City vs Rockdale Illinden

7:15pm, Saturday 17 February, Penshurst Park.

A large set of mammoth names is set to light up Penshurst Park on Saturday night as St George City and Rockdale Illinden get their seasons underway.

The two biggest names on display will be new signing Jason Romero up against Rockdale hero Alec Urosevski.

The two are differing types of strikers, but both present the utmost ability, and have been in the conversation of the top NPL NSW Men’s players over the last few years.

St George’s new big signing is set to catapult an already strong frontline who registered the third most goals of any side in the league last season.

Rockdale, aided by Urosevki’s astonishing 26 goals (in just 28 games), were fourth highest with 60 across the campaign.

This is set to be a game with goals and quality throughout, as two star strikers face off to begin the campaign in style.

 

NWS Spirit vs Sydney FC

7:30pm, Saturday 17 February, Christie Park

Two thoroughly exciting, attacking football sides will face off on Saturday night with NWS Spirit and Sydney FC opening their seasons at Christie Park.

Sydney FC enjoyed a successful 2023 campaign, finishing sixth on the ladder and nurturing more young talent to move up to their senior squad.

NWS Spirit, meanwhile, became the league’s entertainers, through their beautiful football and late drama.

This is a game where watching to the end is a must – last campaign, 20 goals were scored in the 80th minute or beyond in Spirit games, with 15 of them being a meaningful goal – a goal that changed the result at the time or had influence over the final outcome.

 

Match of the Round

Blacktown City vs APIA Leichhardt

7:30pm, Saturday 17 February, Landen Stadium

Round One’s match of the round is an absolute blockbuster, as last season’s third placed Blacktown City face off against Champions APIA Leichhardt.

Blacktown will be looking for a statement victory over APIA to demonstrate their application for the 2024 title, after ending 2023 on an unbeaten run of 12 matches, which included 10 wins.

They have picked up two returning stars – Joey Gibbs from Iceland and Mitchell Mallia from retirement, and have added more players to an already star studded squad.

APIA, meanwhile, have added the exciting Seiya Kambayashi to the squad, as well as former A-League Men player Nick Sullivan, and have signed more young talent on top of that as they look to mount another successful title charge.

Landen Stadium is set to host a match of the highest quality, with both sides set to challenge for the top of the table once more in 2024.

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-By Jack George