Round 3 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
The exhilarating, entertaining and fascinating NPL Men’s NSW competition is set to hold the third round of the season this weekend, featuring a plethora of exciting fixtures.
Match of the Round
Sydney Olympic vs Sydney United 58
5:00pm, Saturday 2 March, Belmore Sports Ground
Old rivals Sydney Olympic and Sydney United 58 are set to go head-to-head to begin the round at Belmore Sports Ground in what promises to be a match of significant magnitude.
This weekend’s ‘Match of the Round’, this battle will be for different reasons as both teams push for victories to kick start their 2024 campaigns.
Sydney Olympic have had a difficult couple of matches to start the season, with their round two fixture, a 1-0 loss to St George City FA being spoilt by a first minute red card to defender George Timotheou. Blessed with one of the strongest squads in the NPL, Labinot Haliti’s side have had an indifferent start to the season and with the pressure of being one of the giants of the league, this game against another iconic heavyweight will be one to savour for all.
Sydney United, meanwhile, also lost in round two, suffering a narrow defeat to Wollongong Wolves, in which United 58 coach and former Socceroo Zeljko Kalac saw positives performance-wise, saying the loss was “difficult to swallow when you create that many chances”.
This match, for Olympic, could set the tone for the remainder of their young campaign – one in which they have played just 34 minutes with 11 men on both teams.
They will be looking to show their quality in an 11v11 fixture, when taking on an impressive United 58 side who have had a threatening start to 2024.
Marconi Stallions vs NWS Spirit FC
7:00pm, Saturday 2 March, Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions will be looking to continue their strong start to the year when taking on a NWS Spirit side who are both yet to lose and win in 2024’s NPL Men’s NSW season.
Marconi has picked up a win and draw two rounds into the season, with the point coming in a hotly contested clash with Rockdale Illinden.
Star striker James Temelkovski has had a brilliant start to the season and looks to be an astute signing from Marconi; he has scored two goals in two games, as well as picking up an assist with a mesmerising run to open the scoring for his side.
The same could be said for the club’s Japanese ace Hiroaki Aoyama.
Spirit, meanwhile, can’t say the same about the productiveness of any player on their side, as they are yet to score in the 2024 NPL Men’s NSW campaign.
This was evident in last week’s clash when they failed to hit the target against a nine-man Sutherland Sharks outfit.
One player the club hopes will fire is new recruit Gianni Bouzoukis. Brought to the club following his time in the Tasmanian NPL, Spirit are hoping the marksman can notch up his first goal of the year in getting the motor running at his new club.
The silver lining to their inability to find the net has been their ability to keep their opponents away from it – they are one of just two teams yet to concede in the league this year.
However, there could be fireworks at Marconi Stadium on Saturday, as they search for a first win of the season against a Marconi side full of quality, class and efficiency.
Blacktown City FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC
7:00pm, Saturday 2 March, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City will be hosting Sutherland Sharks in what is set to be a chaotic, exciting clash to continue the round at Landen Stadium.
After their stunning opening to the campaign against Champions APIA Leichhardt, Blacktown suffered a 0-0 draw against newly promoted St George FC, in which coach Mark Crittenden criticised his sides execution.
They will be looking to find the clinical qualities that were assertively presented in their round one clash against APIA when taking on Sutherland, who drew impressively to Spirit last weekend, despite picking up a 36th minute red card.
Despite their courageous showing, they will come into this match without Jonty Busch and Maxx Green, with the latter also seeing red late on in that match.
They will need to be in top form to take on Blacktown who will be making a good push for the title this season – Sutherland demonstrated their defensive stability in their last fixture, but their opponents for this match will present a whole other issue to manage.
St George FC vs Sydney FC
7:00pm, Saturday 2 March, Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre
St George FC will be looking to consolidate a positive round two fixture when taking on Sydney FC at Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre.
The home side for this match secured an invigorating point against Blacktown City, one of the premier clubs of this competition, holding them to a 0-0 draw thanks to some astute defending.
However, against this week’s opponents, they’ll be looking to net their first goal of the campaign, being – along with Spirit – the only side to not score so far in 2024.
Sydney FC, on the other hand, have had a strong start to the season, being unbeaten and yet to concede a goal.
They will be looking to add another clean sheet to their positive record in the infant stages of the campaign but will be coming up against a St George side with added hunger to break their duck and see the ball brush the back of the net to truly get their year underway.
Central Coast Mariners vs Hills United
1:00pm, Sunday 3 March, Pluim Park
The Central Coast Mariners will be searching for their first win of the season when taking on Hills United, who have had an exciting start to life in the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
The Mariners have suffered back-to-back losses to begin their campaign, with a highly eventful narrow defeat to Sydney United followed up by a 3-1 loss to reigning Champions APIA Leichhardt.
Hills, meanwhile, suffered a loss to Western Sydney Wanderers in their last game, being denied a point thanks to an exceptional save by Lucas Sinnott.
https://x.com/NPLNSW/status/1761338322918469967?s=20
Pluim Park looks set to host a feisty, tight affair, as both sides look to assert their quality with a win on early Sunday afternoon.
Wollongong Wolves vs St George City FA
3:00pm, Sunday 3 March, Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong Wolves and St George City FA will be going head to head in a clash chock-full of quality on Sunday, as both sides look to extend on their victory in the previous match.
The Wolves secured their round two victory over Sydney United thanks to a brace from Lachlan Scott, who has started the season stunningly, scoring all three of his side’s goals so far.
St George City also emerged victorious in round two, defeating Sydney Olympic after losing narrowly to Rockdale Illinden in their first match of the season.
This game will be one to watch as it emerges as Wollongong’s first home match of the season, while St George will be looking to assert their brand of football on the competition once more after a scintillating season in 2023.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Rockdale Illinden
3:00pm, Sunday 3 March, Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers will be looking to back up their fantastic start to the season with a statement showing against the high-quality Rockdale Illinden on Sunday afternoon.
After just two rounds, the Wanderers are now the only side to have picked up the maximum possible points, with victories against Sutherland Sharks and Hills United pitting them top of the ladder, albeit two games in.
Wanderers custodian Lucas Sinnott has had a brilliant start to the year and will be busy come Sunday.
Coach Andrew Christansen looks set to have the likes of players such as Anthony Pantazopoulos, Adam Bugarija, Zac Sapsford, Aydan Hammond and Jesse Cameron as ones to keep an eye out.
They will be tested to the maximum, however, against a Rockdale side that has emerged with a positive record after a difficult start to the campaign, beating St George City and drawing in a cracking clash with Marconi Stallions.
2024 Player of the Year and Golden Boot winner Alec Urosevski got his campaign off with a goal but could have had a couple more against the Stallions. The club captain is hoping he can inflict pain on one of the form sides of the league. He along with Brendan Cholakian will be ones to watch out for while the club has had keeper Harrison Devenish-Meares to thank for a great start to the season.
Rockdale will be looking to continue their strong run in 2024 and are set to face a tough opponent at Wanderers Football Park in a match that will see young and experienced players of high quality go head to head.
It’s set to be another NPL Men’s NSW classic.
APIA Leichhardt vs Manly United
4:30pm, Sunday 3 March, Leichhardt Oval
Round three will finish with a highly exciting affair at Leichhardt Oval which will see APIA Leichhardt take on Manly United.
APIA Leichhardt bounced back from their round one defeat to Blacktown City with a cohesive display against the Central Coast Mariners, in which Jordan Segreto added to the already thriving catalogue of NPL Men’s NSW stunning goals with a blistering strike from range which thumped into the top right corner.
https://x.com/NPLNSW/status/1761625966022201357?s=20
Manly United, on the other hand, experienced the opposite trajectory, losing out to Sydney FC after a strong opening-day victory against St George FC.
They will be looking to rebound with a win once more over APIA, but the reigning Champions – full of energy and quality – will not give up points easily in what’s set to be the perfect match to conclude round three of the NPL Men’s NSW competition. Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
-By Jack George
