Round 3 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

After an exhilarating Round Two of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, we cast our eyes towards a mouthwatering set of fixtures this weekend, with a Grand Final rematch headlining the bunch. 

Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC

7:00pm, Friday 21 February, Wanderers Football Park

To open Round Three of the NPL NSW competition, Western Sydney Wanderers will take on Sutherland Sharks in what is set to be an exhilarating match between two progressive footballing sides.

The Wanderers are coming off the back of an impressive match last weekend, where they defeated Sydney Olympic 1-0 thanks to a 75th-minute goal from Awan Lual.

Going unbeaten in the first two rounds, the Wanderers will feel confident coming into this match, but will be facing a tough test in the form of Sutherland this Friday night.

The Sharks followed up on a strong 2-2 draw against Sydney United 58 to start the campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Manly United, in which new signing Yerasimakis Petratos stole the show, netting two goals and one assist.

Petratos’ quality will be necessary once more this Friday night, as Sutherland aim to continue to make an early push for a top-six spot.

Manly United FC vs Sydney United 58 FC

7:30pm, Friday 21 February, Cromer Park

Manly United, meanwhile, will be looking to respond to that 3-0 defeat when taking on a Sydney United 58 side yet to win in the league in 2025.

United 58 have had a difficult start to life under Ante Juric, following up on their opening round draw against Sutherland with a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC.

As they travel to Manly this weekend, they will be looking to kickstart their campaign, and will turn to the likes of Mason Wells, Mario Shabow and Carlos De Oliveira to get through this difficult patch at the beginning of the season.

But they will face a difficult task in a Manly side looking to rebound from last weeks defeat, as they aim to build the foundations for a top-six spot.

St George FC vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC

8:00pm, Friday 21 February, Barton Park

In an intriguing fixture at the lower end of this early-season table, St George FC will face off against Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Barton Park to conclude Friday’s fixtures.

St George is yet to pick up a point this campaign, but has impressed with their early season performances, narrowly losing to NPL Men’s NSW powerhouses Sydney Olympic and Rockdale Ilinden.

Their last match saw them put on a particularly strong performance, but it was let down by two concessions to opponents Rockdale, as the reigning Premiers stole the match at the death.

Mt Druitt, meanwhile, have had a measured start to life back in the top flight, drawing with the Wanderers before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Marconi Stallions last weekend.

As they look to avoid a yoyo back down, games like this will be key, as they set their sights on their first victory of the campaign at Barton Park this Friday night.

Sydney Olympic FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC

5:00pm, Saturday 22 February, Belmore Sports Ground

To open the Saturday fixtures, Sydney Olympic will face off against Wollongong Wolves at Belmore Sports Ground.

After winning their opening match against St George, Olympic suffered a disappointing result last weekend, going down to the Wanderers 1-0.

They will be looking for new star signings Jack Armson and Cyrus Dehmie to make the difference in their second home game of the season this weekend, as they strive to replace Roy O’Donovan’s goalscoring prowess and talismanic ability from the front.

The Wolves will be looking for a quick turnaround after having to play 60 minutes in the mid-week, and it could be the start of the match that decides the result here, with Olympic needing to come out of the blocks quickly to take advantage of any lethargicness from Wolves’ Wednesday night fixture.

Rockdale Ilinden FC vs Marconi Stallions FC

7:00pm, Saturday 22 February, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

A blockbuster Round Three Match of the Round will see reigning Premiers Rockdale Ilinden take on reigning Champions Marconi Stallions in a rematch of the 2024 Grand Final and the competition’s newest rivalry.

Both sides have picked up four points from their opening two games, drawing their first before winning in Round Two.

For Marconi, it was a 2-0 win over recently promoted Mt Druitt, with Damian Tsekenis and an own goal seeing them grab the three points.

For Rockdale, it was a last-gasp victory against St George FC, with the reigning Premiers continuing last season’s trend of finding clutch goals late; only one of their four goals so far has come before the 85th minute.

With a frontline of Alec Urosevski and Moudi Najjar, Rockdale will be sure to keep Marconi on their toes throughout the match, as they look to gain payback after being defeated in the most significant match of 2024.

St George City FA vs Sydney FC

7:15pm, Saturday 22 February, Penshurst Park

St George City FA will take on Sydney FC in what looks set to be a highly exciting fixture in the first NPL Men’s NSW match of 2025 at Penshurst Park.

Despite coming off a mid-week match, St George will have to hit the blocks running from the start, as they look to impress in front of their first home crowd of their campaign.

But they won’t have it easy at Penshurst Park, with Sydney FC high on confidence following a 3-1 win over powerhouse Sydney United 58 last weekend.

17-year-old Joseph Lacey has been the star for the Sky Blues in the first two rounds, adding onto his two assist in Round One with the opener last weekend, and will be a handful once more this weekend as he and his side look to break apart the fortress of a home ground that St George City had last campaign.

APIA Leichhardt FC vs NWS Spirit FC

4:45pm, Sunday 23 February, Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt will face off against top of the table NWS Spirit in the first of two Sunday matches, in what promises to be a delightful match of football at Lambert Park.

NWS Spirit are the only side to win their first two games of 2025, backing up a 3-2 win over Sydney FC with a stunning 4-0 victory over Blacktown City last weekend.

After moving from Hills United in the offseason, Yu Okubo has been a revelation for Spirit, netting three goals in his first two league matches.

No player has taken more shots (6.5) or shots on target per game (4.0) than Okubo so far, and the Japanese star will be key for Spirit as they look to make it three from three against APIA this weekend, who will be feeling confident after a 6-2 thrashing of the Central Coast Mariners in their previous game.

Central Coast Mariners FC vs Blacktown City FC

5:00pm, Sunday 23 February, Pluim Park 

To conclude Round Three of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, the Central Coast Mariners will take on Blacktown City as they look to improve on a worrying start to the campaign.

The Mariners have conceded 11 goals from just two games, following up on their 5-0 loss to Manly United with a 6-2 defeat to APIA Leichhardt, with defence the clear issue for Central Coast in this early stage of the season.

However, opponents Blacktown haven’t fared much better, only picking up one point from their opening two matches, and going down to Spirit 4-0, with three of those goals coming after a red card to Grant Lynch early in the second half.

Blacktown will be looking for a confidence booster against a desperate home side this weekend, with the simple aim of three points to kickstart their campaign.

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