Round 6 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
Round Six of the NPL Men’s NSW competition promises to be as exciting as ever, with plenty of early storylines developing all over New South Wales.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC
5:00pm, Saturday 15 March, Popondetta Park
Mt Druitt Town Rangers will open Round Six when taking on the Central Coast Mariners at Popondetta Park.
These two sides are currently on four points, and despite sharing that with four other teams, they find themselves in the bottom two spots due to goal-difference.
Both teams will be desperate for a win to avoid falling into relegation contention early.
The Mariners will be confident off the back of a 3-0 win against Sydney United 58, but will have to be up for a battle this weekend against a passionate Mt Druitt team, who have home advantage on their side.
NWS Spirit FC vs Sydney United 58 FC
5:30pm, Saturday 15 March, Christie Park
League leaders NWS Spirit will take on Sydney United 58 in an intriguing fixture on Saturday evening.
Spirit have enjoyed a perfect start to the season, with their 3-2 win over Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend – courtesy of a brace from Michael Konestabo – seeing them make it five wins from five games to begin 2025.
Having already established a lead of five points on top of the ladder, they will be looking to emerge victorious once more against a wounded giant in the form of United 58.
The away side will be desperate to bounce back after their disappointing 3-0 defeat to the Mariners last weekend, and will bring all the quality and fight they have to become the first team to defeat Spirit in the league this season.
APIA Leichhardt FC vs St George FC
6:00pm, Saturday 15 March, Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt will face off against St George FC at Lambert Park to continue the Saturday night fixtures.
APIA rebounded from back-to-back losses with a win over Sydney FC in their previous match, thanks to goals from Michael Kouta and Alex Denmead.
St George, meanwhile, picked up their first victory of 2025, as they beat Sutherland Sharks 3-0 in a comprehensive, impressive performance.
Both sides will be looking to continue to add results onto their positive styles of football, in what is set to be a technical, high quality fixture at Lambert Park.
Blacktown City vs Sydney Olympic FC
7:00pm, Saturday 15 March, Landen Stadium
Saturday night will see two of the NPL Men’s NSW heavyweights face off, as Blacktown City take on Sydney Olympic at Landen Stadium.
Blacktown have been in fine form recently, having won their last three games, supplementing impressive victories over the Mariners and APIA with a 2-0 win over St George City last weekend.
Currently sitting second on the ladder, they will be looking to continue that form when taking on a Sydney Olympic side that has grown in recent weeks, with signings Dylan Ruiz-Diaz, Cyrus Dehmie and Jack Armson starting to impress.
It will be a game full of quality and passion at Landen Stadium, with the fantastic football and high tension set to show what the NPL Men’s NSW competition is all about.
St George City FA vs Manly United FC
7:15pm, Saturday 15 March, Penshurst Park
St George City FA will host Manly United to conclude Saturday’s Round Six fixtures.
The home side for this match have had a difficult start to the season, having now suffered back to back losses – their most recent of which seeing them downed 2-0 by Blacktown City.
On the other hand, Manly United have had a strong start to 2025, and picked up their second victory of the campaign in a 5-0 drubbing of Mt Druitt last weekend, which featured a brace from star player Harry Van der Saag.
Van der Saag will be key once more for Manly as they travel to the fortress that is Penshurst Park, in what is set to be a high-quality, entertaining match of football.
Sydney FC vs Marconi Stallions FC
11:00am, Sunday 16 March, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
In an early Sunday match, Sydney FC will take on Marconi Stallions at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
The Sky Blues have struggled in their last three matches, picking up just one point from an available nine, and will face an unbeaten Marconi Stallions side this weekend to continue a tricky run of fixtures.
The caveat of Marconi’s unbeaten streak is that three of their five matches have ended in draws – their last two matches have seen the score finish 1-1 against St George FC and Sydney Olympic respectively.
They will be looking to end that run this weekend and leave with three points, but will be made to work for a victory against a high quality, enthusiastic young Sydney side.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC
3:00pm, Sunday 16 March, Macedonia Park
Wollongong Wolves will take on Western Sydney Wanderers in the other Sunday 3pm fixture at Macedonia Park.
The Wolves have had a quizzical beginning to their season.
Despite being unbeaten, they’re only in seventh place, as four of their matches have finished in draw, with their other seeing them emerge victorious.
Having experienced three draws in a row – the latter of which seeing them concede an 88th minute goal to Rockdale Ilinden – they will be keen to continue that unbeaten run but pick up more points this weekend, against a Wanderers side that put on a strong showing against the league leaders in their last fixture.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs Rockdale Ilinden FC
4:00pm, Sunday 16 March, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
To conclude Round Six of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, Sutherland Sharks will take on Rockdale Ilinden in the second Sunday match at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
Sutherland will be aiming to bounce back from a disappointing Round Five defeat to St George FC, but will be facing an out-of-sorts Rockdale side who haven’t found it easy in the early stages of the season.
Every single one of their points-scoring games this season have come from a goal (or more) after the 85th minute – a feat that is impressive, but not sustainable throughout a 30-game campaign.
They will be looking to find their scoring form earlier in Sunday afternoon’s match, as they aim for a victory to push up the ladder in their pursuit of a second successive Premiership.
