SD Raiders FC run riot in maiden win
SD Raiders FC claimed their first ever NPL Men’s NSW victory in emphatic fashion, defeating Manly United 3-1 at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday night.
The hosts delivered a relentless performance from start to finish, while the result leaves Manly hovering dangerously near the bottom of the ladder now sitting just one point above the relegation zone.
Despite the chilly conditions, the Raiders burst out of the blocks early. Noah Chianese nearly opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, creating space for himself before firing a shot that struck Mackenzie Syron.
Luka Knezevic continued the early pressure soon after, sending a free kick narrowly over the crossbar, while Manly showed glimpses of resistance in the 12th minute through Kakeru Ono, whose deliveries into the box were cleared by a disciplined Raiders defence.
Manly goalkeeper Syron was called into action again in the 18th minute, producing a scrambling save to deny Charlie Ragg in a one-on-one situation.
However, the breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute when Jakov Malbasa calmly finished after connecting with a perfectly weighted pass from Knezevic.
The Raiders doubled their lead in the 39th minute, with Chianese rising to head home from a well-delivered free kick and cap off a dominant first half.
Manly looked to respond after the break, with Ayumu Kimura forcing a sharp save from William Loucas, but the visitors struggled to convert their moments into genuine momentum.
The physicality of the contest lifted, highlighted by a heavy challenge from Jesse Piriz in the 58th minute, while Manly continued to push forward in search of a way back into the game.
Saxon Hillyer was denied by a crucial last-ditch tackle from Mihael Marcic, before Piriz dragged an effort just wide minutes later with Loucas beaten.
Benjamin Koop also came close to pulling one back, but a heavy touch let him down at a crucial moment.
The Raiders ultimately put the result beyond doubt in the 80th minute following a sweeping move that began deep in their own half, with Knezevic teeing up Riley Cox-Barlow for a simple finish to make it 3-0.
Manly grabbed a late consolation just two minutes later through Luke Nieuwenhof, who powered home a header from close range, but it did little to change the overall picture.
Raiders goalkeeper William Loucas praised his side’s preparation and execution post-match.
“It was an unreal win from us today and we want to use it to build momentum for the rest of the season,” Loucas said.
“We spent the entire week learning how to exploit their weaknesses and we used it to our advantage throughout the game.
“In particular, we were able to target their back four, which really helped us get the result.”
Match Stats
SD Raiders 3 (Jakov Malbasa 29’, Noah Chianese 39’, Riley Cox-Barlow 80’)
Manly United 1 (Luke Nieuwenhof 82’)
Saturday 21 March, 2026
Ernie Smith Reserve
Referee: Brooklyn Faucett
Assistant Referees: Jackson Tippett and Dante Diaz
Fourth Official: Ayad Naji
SD Raiders: 4.Cooper Hanagan, 5.Jett Mccue-Shore, 6.Lachlan Everett, (7.Mihael Marcic 57’), 9.Jakov Malbasa, 10.Luka Knezevic, 12.Lachlan McGrath, 14.Noah Chianese, (17.Martin Fernandez 75’), 18.Charlie Ragg, (19.Riley Cox-Barlow 51’), (21.Sebastian Malfara 51’), (22.Yonatan Sebhatu 57’), 23.Thomas Makko, 40.William Loucas, 47.Ethan Beaven
Substitutes not used: 1.Michael Figueira, 8.James Letta
Yellow Cards: None
Red cards: None
Manly United: 2.Luka Krizan, 3.Matthew O’Donoghue, 4.Jesse Piriz, 5.Aaron O’Driscoll, (6.Saxon Hillyer 55’), (7.Stephan De Robillard 65’), 8.Kakeru Ono, (9.Benjamin Koop 55’), 10.Darcy Burgess, 11.Ayumu Kimura, (15.Max Martinello 65’), 18.Luke Nieuwenhof, 19.Cai Evans, (32.Jared Muir 60’), 33.Jasper Chipman, 99.Mackenzie Syron
Substitutes not used: 21.Harry Turner, 26,Yannis Frerck
Yellow Cards: Luka Krizan 43’
Red Cards: None
Player Ratings
3 – Luka Knezevic (SD)
2 – William Loucas (SD)
1 – Noah Chianese (SD)
