Rockdale Send Statement With Six-Goal Rout Of St George FC
Rockdale Ilinden delivered a powerful statement of intent with a convincing 6-1 away victory over St George Saints FC at Barton Park on Saturday afternoon in Round 24 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
The dominant performance from Paul Dee’s side reinforced Rockdale’s status as a serious contender, while the three points helped make up for the midweek loss of points due to an administrative error.
For St George FC, the result adds further pressure in their fight to avoid relegation, with the Saints needing a turnaround in fortunes during the closing stages of the season.
Rockdale made the perfect start, opening the scoring in the eighth minute through James Temelkovski. Receiving a superb pass from Harry McCarthy inside the penalty area, Temelkovski produced a brilliant diagonal finish into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Sebastian La Luz with no chance.
The Saints responded strongly and levelled the contest in the 22nd minute from the penalty spot. Following a corner, referee Stephen Lucas adjudged Moudi Najjar to have fouled Jayden Seeto inside the area, allowing Jaden Casella to step up and confidently fire his penalty down the middle.
Rockdale regained the lead on the half-hour mark through another set-piece opportunity. Jerry Skotadis delivered a free-kick to the far post, where Najjar rose highest to head home and restore the visitors’ advantage.
St George continued to threaten, with Casella forcing a brilliant low save from Rockdale goalkeeper Levi Kaye in the 34th minute after a long-range free-kick looked destined for the bottom corner.
However, Rockdale extended their advantage just before half-time. Another dangerous set piece caused problems, with Najjar’s inswinging free-kick from the right finding Ollie Wiggin, who glanced his header into the back of the net to make it 3-1.
The second half began with Rockdale having the first major opportunity, earning a penalty in the 55th minute after Mark Rodic brought down McCarthy.
Harry Van Der Saag stepped up but missed the target, with his spot-kick finishing just wide despite La Luz diving the correct way.
St George attempted to respond, with substitute Nikola Skataric heading narrowly over the crossbar in the 60th minute.
But Rockdale continued to punish mistakes and extended their lead in the 62nd minute. Van Der Saag redeemed himself after winning possession near the by-line before finding Skotadis, who calmly finished from close range.
The Saints continued to search for a way back into the contest, with Edmun Haddad creating danger down the left before delivering a cross that forced a scrambling defensive effort from Rockdale.
Casella also came close in the 84th minute, producing a brilliant free-kick from wide on the right that struck the crossbar.
Despite St George’s efforts, Rockdale continued their dominance and added a fifth goal in the 87th minute. Brendan Cholakian’s corner was only partially cleared, allowing Lukas Ribarevski to strike powerfully towards goal before a slight touch from Michael Marcevski helped guide the ball into the net.
Najjar capped off a brilliant individual performance in the 90th minute, producing another superb diagonal finish to score his second goal of the night and complete Rockdale’s 6-1 statement victory.
Following the match, Rockdale Ilinden coach Paul Dee praised his side’s performance and the importance of securing three points away from home.
“It was a complete performance, with a good away win at an important time of the season,” Dee said.
“We kept the pressure on throughout the game tonight and the boys are focused on what we need to do for future matches.
“We are very motivated, which showed tonight with good intent in the final third and superb intensity in defence, which is what we pride ourselves on.”
For St George FC, Brian Brown acknowledged the disappointment of the result and highlighted the importance of improving defensively.
“There were some moments in the game where we could have got back in, but in the end we got punished, especially for our defending of set-pieces,” Brown said.
Match Stats
St GEORGE SAINTS FC: 1 (Casella 22’ pen.)
ROCKDALE ILINDEN FC: 6 (Temelkovski 8’, Najjar 30’, Wiggin 42’, Skotadis 62’, Marcevski 87’, Najjar 91’)
Saturday 18th July, 2026
Barton Park, Kyeemagh
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Assistant referees: Matthew McOrist, Thomas Aalders
Fourth Official: Travis Griffith
St GEORGE SAINTS FC: 13. Sebastian La Luz, 4. Jayden Seeto, 6. Patrick O’Shea, 7. Justin Poon (2. Rocco Smith 57’), 8. Evangelo Souris (21. Harry Keys 71’), 10. Jaden Casella, 11. Lachlan Sepping (24. Edmun Haddad 46’), 12. Toshiki Makimoto (9. Nikola Skataric 57’), 14. Isaac Cunningham, 15. Mark Rodic, 16. Kaidyn Wright.
Substitutes not used: 17. Sebastian Kiceec, 43. Taylor Harrod, 47. James Husoy.
Yellow Cards: Poon 39’, Rodic 55’, Keys 79’
Red Cards: Nil
ROCKDALE ILINDEN FC: 1. Levi Kaye, 2. Hunter Elliott, 3. Lachlan Griffiths (16. Michael Marcevski 78’), 4. Reo Kunimoto, 7. Ollie Wiggin (10. Brendan Cholakian 62’), 8. Jerry Skotadis, 9. Moudi Najjar, 11. Lochlan Constable (18. Lucas De Souza 78’), 17. James Temelkovski (27. Lukas Ribarevski 71’), 22. Harry McCarthy (28. Stefan Simonoski 71’), 26. Harry Van Der Saag.
Substitutes not used: 21. Rohan Mulgrew, 24. Evangelos Kalamvokis.
Yellow Cards: Wiggin 27’, Kunimoto 57’, Ribarevski 77’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Moudi Najjar (Rockdale)
2 – Hunter Elliott (Rockdale)
1 – Jerry Skotadis (Rockdale)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
