Round 2 Preliminary Semi-Finals Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
After two blistering Elimination Finals, there are only four teams left in the quest to be the Champion of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
Rockdale Ilinden FC vs Sydney United 58 FC
1:00pm, Sunday 1 September, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Ilinden FC will begin their hunt for the NPL Men’s NSW Championship when taking on Sydney United 58 on Sunday afternoon.
United 58 advanced to the Semi-finals with a highly entertaining win over APIA Leichhardt FC, with goals from Carlos De Oliveira and Patrick Antelmi seeing them prevail 2-1 over their rivals.
They impressed with their chance creation up front but also conceded plenty of opportunities in a blistering match at Lambert Park.
Against a Rockdale side possessing the most clinical player in the league – Alec Urosevski – Zeljko Kalac will be looking to sustain his side’s attacking threat while becoming a bit more defensively solid.
The two sides have met twice during the NPL Men’s NSW regular campaign, with Rockdale prevailing on both occasions.
In Round 9, a late winner from Hunter Elliott in stoppage time gave the Premiers the win, while in Round 24, they obliterated their finals rivals with a 4-0 victory at home.
Rockdale will head into this match high on confidence after winning the Premiership comfortably and are on a current five-match unbeaten strike.
In fact, Rockdale has lost just four times all season and will come into this match as favourites, particularly with what is set to be a vocal home crowd at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
But United 58 have quality all over the pitch, and will be ready to contest for this Semi-final.
Against APIA, each player was crucial – from goalkeeper Oliver Kalac’s shot stopping, to Anthony Tomelic’s composure, to Patrick Antelmi’s incisive ability.
They will be coming up against a formidable Rockdale side featuring the aforementioned Urosevski, Brendan Cholakian, Isaac Danzo and Giorgio Speranza – among others – but both sides have both the individual and collective quality required to compete in this prestigious match.
It’s set to be another exhilarating NPL Men’s NSW finals match, and a must-watch either at the ground or on Football NSW’s YouTube channel, with commentary from Alex Molchanoff.
Marconi Stallions FC vs Blacktown City FC
5:00pm, Sunday 1 September, Marconi Stadium
In the second Semi-final, Marconi Stallions will face off against rivals Blacktown City in what promises to be an electric game of football.
Blacktown City progressed from the Elimination Final with a 4-2 win over St George City FA at Landen Stadium on Wednesday night.
Goals from Joey Gibbs, and Mitchell Mallia – as well as a brace from Jak O’Brien – secured a 4-2 win and a spot in the Semi-final for the home side in a strong attacking performance for Blacktown.
Marconi and Blacktown’s two previous 2024 league meetings both fell the way of Blacktown City, as the two games featured plenty of fire and excitement.
The first, with goals from Joey Gibbs, Martin Fernandez and Mallia, resulted in a 3-0 win, which also saw red cards to James Temelkovski and Nathan Millgate for Marconi.
Then, in Round 29, Blacktown diminished Marconi’s Premiership hopes with two quickfire goals from Ben Berry and Danny Choi, while Marconi suffered another red card, with Franco Maya dismissed late on.
Marconi’s recent loss to Blacktown was their only in their last five matches, with the home side for this match in mighty form, having won 10 of their last 12 games, with their defeat to Blacktown and a draw against Sutherland Sharks the only blotches on their record.
The likes of Maya, Temelkovski and Millgate, who is retiring at the conclusion of the campaign, will be looking to get their revenge against a formidable Blacktown side this weekend.
The match will be live and free on Football NSW’s YouTube channel, with commentary from Tony Tannous, and tickets available at Marconi Stadium on gameday.
*Don’t forget the 2024 NPL NSW Grand Final will be hosted at the wonderful CommBank Stadium next Saturday, 7th of September with the NPL Women’s NSW match taking place at 2pm and the Men’s at 6pm.
Tickets for this must see event will go live online next week.
Kick-Off Podcast: Championship Series Special
In our latest episode of Kick-Off, hosts Teo and Henley speak to our competition experts Tony Tannous and Nikola Pozder to wrap-up the regular season and make predictions for the incoming Championship Series!
With the 2024 NPL NSW Grand Finals now confirmed to be played at the iconic CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on September 7th, all our finalists have an added incentive to qualify for the season finale.
We also look at the incoming men’s promotion and relegation playoffs and discuss the recent Sapphire Cup and Waratah Cup finals.
