Round 15 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

As the NPL Men’s NSW season hits its halfway point, the fixtures continue to heat up, with Round 15 headlinded by the Festival of Football match between APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic

Central Coast Mariners FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC

6:30pm, Friday 16 May, Pluim Park

The Central Coast Mariners will open the weekend with a crucial A-League academy derby as they take on the Western Sydney Wanderers at Pluim Park.

The sides are the two at the bottom of the NPL Men’s NSW table, with the Mariners in particular in dire need of a win, having not experienced victory since Round Five.

The Wanderers, three points ahead of the Mariners after a sensational 3-0 victory over St George FC last weekend, will have the momentum coming into this match, particularly knowing that a win could take them out of the bottom two.

Nevertheless, it’s going to be a quality fixture, as some of the most exciting talents in the country battle it out for survival in the NPL Men’s NSW competition.

Manly United FC vs St George FC

7:30pm, Friday 16 May, Cromer Park

Manly United will take on St George FC at Cromer Park as they look to move back into the top six, after a 1-1 draw against Rockdale Ilinden last weekend.

The home side for this match was aided by a 35th minute red-card to Rockdale, and came back after conceding early on, but couldn’t find a winner against 10 men.

As a result, they gave up their top-six place for the week, and will be looking for a way back in when facing St George FC, who haven’t won in four matches.

Their last game saw them give the Wanderers just their third win of the season, and they will be looking for a quick rebound in this fixture as they aim to get their finals ambitions back on track.

Sutherland Sharks FC vs Marconi Stallions FC

4:00pm, Saturday 17 May, Seymour Shaw

Fresh off their first defeat of the season, Marconi Stallions will be looking to quickly return to winning ways when travelling to face the Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw.

After a sensational thirteen rounds, Marconi’s unbeaten run finally came to an end, as they were defeated 3-0 by Wollongong Wolves last Saturday night.

Still five points clear at the top of the ladder, they will look to dispatch a Sutherland Sharks side who have struggled for form recently, not winning in the league since Round Seven.

It will be an intriguing match at Seymour Shaw, with the home side looking to capitalise on any issues with Marconi following their defeat, and the reigning Champions looking to prove that their match against Wolves was very much an anomaly in the final round of the first set of fixtures.

NWS Spirit FC vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC

5:30pm, Saturday 17 May, Christie Park

NWS Spirit will be looking to continue to push up the table when taking on an out of form Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Christie Park on Saturday evening.

The home side of this match have moved to third on the ladder following Blacktown City’s defeat last weekend, equal on points with Rockdale Ilinden in second.

Coming into this match with two wins on the bounce, they will be favourites over a Mt Druitt side who are third-bottom on the table.

Wollongong Wolves FC vs Blacktown City FC

7:00pm, Saturday 17 May, WIN Stadium

After becoming the first side to defeat Marconi, Wollongong Wolves will be aiming to continue their form when facing Blacktown City at WIN Stadium on Saturday night.

It was a sensational hat-trick from Lachlan Scott that securing three points for the Wolves last weekend, and saw them move into the top six as results around them went their way.

Blacktown, meanwhile, suffered a shock 5-0 defeat to Sydney FC, ending a five-match winning run in the league in sad fashion.

With a Wollongong win this weekend, the seven points between the two sides could be reduced to just four, making this an exhilarating match between two, quality sides currently situated in the top six.

Rockdale Ilinden FC vs Sydney FC

3:00pm, Sunday 18 May, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Two of the most in-form sides in the NPL Men’s NSW competition will go head to head at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre as Rockdale take on Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon.

Rockdale are unbeaten in their last six league matches, with four wins from their last five games – their solitary draw coming last weekend after a 34th-minute red card to Ali Auglah derailed their game plan.

Their opponents have enjoyed quite the resurgence after a difficult start, unbeaten in their last five to be just two points off the top of the table.

Sydney knows the importance of a win here, and could cement their top-six hopes with three points, but it won’t come easy against a quality Rockdale side looking to keep pushing Marconi as they hope for back-to-back Premierships.

APIA Leichhardt FC vs Sydney Olympic FC

3:00pm, Sunday 18 May, Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt will take on Sydney Olympic in the famous Festival of Football at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon.

The home side are in strong form, unbeaten in four matches, but will be disappointed with their draw against St George City last weekend, which stopped them from capitalising on dropped points from three of the four teams above them.

Sydney Olympic, on the other hand, responded to mid-week Australia Cup disappointment with a sensational 4-0 win over Sydney United 58 – the very side they lost to on Wednesday night, where a last-gasp equaliser led to a stunning penalty shootout that saw United 58 prevail 10-9.

A brace from Seth Clark was supplemented by goals from Cyrus Dehmie and Bailey Callaghan to gain satisfying retribution over their rivals, and they will be looking to take that form into this weekend in what looks set to be an exhilarating clash against their long-time rivals.

Sydney United 58 FC vs St George City FA

3:00pm, Sunday 18 May, Sydney United Sports Centre

United 58 will be aiming to rebound from their Round 14 defeat when taking on an in-form St George City FA at Sydney United Sports Centre.

St George is unbeaten in five matches, picking up three crucial wins to move just two points off the top spot after a poor start to 2025.

Now level on points with opponents Sydney United 58, this is a crucial match in exciting battle for finals, with just two points between sixth – the last finals position – and 11th.