Round 5 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
Round Five of the NPL Men’s NSW competition is set to feature an abundance of action, excitement and drama, as every side heads into their fixtures with a point to prove.
Manly United FC vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC
7:30pm, Friday 7 March, Cromer Park
Manly United FC will finish a run of five successive home games to begin the season when taking on Mt Druitt Town Rangers this Friday night.
The home side have experienced back-to-back 0-0 draws against Sydney United 58 and Sydney FC, as their new squad continues to adapt to each other, with Harry van Der Saag – their headline off-season signing – starting to find his groove. Cromer Park is never an easy place to go to especially on a Friday evening so the hosts will hope to use this to their advantage.
Mt Druitt, meanwhile, suffered a devastating 3-2 loss to Rockdale Ilinden in a superb match of football at Popondetta Park.
With scores at 1-1, a red card to Jared Macerola early in the second half looked to diminish Mt Druitt’s chances of a result, particularly as Alec Urosevski found the back of the net in the 71st minute.
Against all odds, Mt Druitt equalised in the 89th minute but then suffered defeat in the last kick of the game thanks to a stunning strike from Isaac Danzo.
Mt Druitt will have to rebound this weekend as they search for points against Manly with coach Andrew Montgomery hoping to surprise the Northern Beaches side in taking maximum points back home.
St George FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC
7:30pm, Friday 7 March, Barton Park
St George FC will take on Sutherland Sharks at Barton Park in the other Friday night match.
The home side for this match picked up their first point of the 2025 campaign last round, drawing 1-1 with reigning Champions Marconi Stallions in an impressive feat.
Sutherland Sharks, on the other hand, suffered their first loss of 2025, going down 5-1 to Sydney Olympic in a disappointing performance at home.
They will be without Kotaro Katsuta for this weekend, who received a 54th minute red card with the score at 4-1, and will be aiming to rebound strongly on Friday night as they continue their pursuit of a top-six place this season.
Marconi Stallions FC vs Sydney Olympic FC
7:00pm, Saturday 8 March, Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions will take on a Sydney Olympic side who recorded a massive victory last week in what is set to be a sensational match of football at Marconi Stadium between two iconic Australian clubs.
Marconi will be looking to respond to the disappointing draw last weekend with a statement performance in front of their home fans.
But they will be taking on a strong Sydney Olympic side that saw their attacking firepower click for the first time last weekend, as braces from Cyrus Dehmie and Dylan Ruiz-Diaz were supplemented by a goal to Teng Kuol, to ensure a memorable 5-1 win at Valentine Sports Park.
Olympic will be looking to Dehmie, Ruiz-Diaz and Jack Armson once more this weekend, in an attack up there with the best in the league, as they aim to impose Marconi’s first defeat of the season and look to find some early season form.
Rockdale Ilinden FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC
7:00pm, Saturday 8 March, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Ilinden FC will take on Wollongong Wolves FC in another of three Saturday 7pm fixtures.
The reigning Premiers have had a curious start to the season, with both of their victories so far in 2025 coming thanks to winners after the 90th minute.
It’s not a sustainable way to gain points, but speaks to the resilience of this Rockdale side, who won countless points last campaign with similar late goals as they went on to finish top of the NPL Men’s NSW ladder.
However, they will be looking – perhaps – for a more stable performance against an intriguing Wollongong Wolves team, who are yet to lose, but have experienced three draws in their first four games.
Everything is pointing towards this one being an exciting fixture at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, with Wolves guaranteed to compete against an exciting Rockdale side.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs NWS Spirit FC
7:00pm, Saturday 8 March, Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers will host league leaders NWS Spirit FC in an exciting match at Wanderers Football Park.
The Wanderers have now suffered back-to-back defeats to Sutherland Sharks and Sydney United 58 respectively, and their search for points will face a mighty test this weekend in the form of Spirit.
The league leaders – who have scored the joint-most goals and conceded the least in the competition – made it four victories from four last weekend, beating St George City FA 2-0 to continue their sensational start to the season.
They will be looking to impose their progression, aggressive style of football on the Wanderers this week, and make it five wins in a row to continue their dream start to 2025.
St George City FA vs Blacktown City FC
7:15pm, Saturday 8 March, Penshurst Park
St George City FA will take on Blacktown City FC in what looks to be an intriguing, fun fixture at Penshurst Park.
Blacktown City made it back-to-back wins with a stunning 4-3 victory over APIA Leichhardt last weekend, as an 84th minute goal from Danny Choi secured a memorable three points at Landen Stadium.
Blacktown will be facing a St George City side keen to amend a 2-0 loss to Spirit last weekend, with Louis Khoury likely to be key in their build-up and chance creation.
It will be a match full of good football, as both sides look for a victory to shoot up a congested NPL Men’s NSW ladder.
APIA Leichhardt FC vs Sydney FC
3:30pm, Sunday 9 March, Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt will be looking to rebound from back-to-back defeats when taking on Sydney FC at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon.
APIA’s 4-3 defeat to Blacktown followed a 3-0 loss to Spirit, and they will be keen to find some needed form against a young Sydney side this weekend.
However, the Sky Blues won’t be a pushover – with the likes of Joe Lacey, Taye Hedley and Mathias Macallister in the squad, they will be competitive and threatening, and keen to impose a third defeat on APIA.
APIA have a strong attacking line-up of their own, headlined by Presley Ortiz, who is currently on five goals from his four games, and with only the Mariners having conceded more goals than the home side (12) so far this season, this promises to be an exhilarating display of attacking football.
Sydney United 58 FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC
5:00pm, Sunday 9 March, Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 will face off against Central Coast Mariners to conclude Round Five of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
United 58 picked up their first victory of 2025 last weekend, prevailing 2-0 over the Western Sydney Wanderers thanks to goals from Tariq Maia and Leroy Jennings.
They will be looking for more success over another A-League Men’s academy side this weekend, when facing the Central Coast Mariners, who picked up their first point of the season last weekend with a 2-2 draw against Wollongong Wolves.
It was Arthur De Lima – their key player – who secured the point with a 94th minute header, adding to his first half assist as he put on another clutch performance for his side.
With United 58 looking to kickstart a winning run, and the Mariners searching for more points in a bid to get off the bottom of the ladder, this will be a thrilling game of football at Sydney United Sports Centre – the perfect way to conclude the round.
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