Finals Race Stays Tight As Rockdale And Manly Battle To A Draw

Rockdale Ilinden and Manly United shared the points after a tense 1-1 draw at Ilinden Sports Centre in Round 26 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition on Sunday, with both sides battling for crucial points in the race for finals football.

In a match filled with pressure, intensity and little room for error, Rockdale took the lead through Moudi Najjar before Manly responded late in the first half through Kakeru Ono to ensure the honours were shared.

The result leaves both teams still fighting for a place in the finals, with every point becoming increasingly valuable as the regular season enters its final stages.

Rockdale started the match with the stronger intent, applying pressure during a scrappy opening period as both sides looked to settle into the contest.

The hosts came close after a series of Manly corners, with Najjar finding himself inside the penalty area but unable to control his effort at an awkward height, sending the shot over the crossbar.

Manly responded through Darcy Burgess, who drove through the middle before firing a tame effort towards Rockdale goalkeeper Levi Kaye.

Rockdale continued to find dangerous positions, with Ollie Wiggin breaking down the right before delivering a cross towards Harry McCarthy, who somehow missed the target from a promising position.

The chance highlighted Manly’s vulnerability on the counter-attack, with Rockdale beginning to exploit spaces behind the visitors’ defence and create a number of half-chances.

Manly goalkeeper Mackenzie Syron was forced into action in the 25th minute during a goalmouth scramble, producing an important block to keep the scores level.

Tensions continued to rise, with Jesse Piriz receiving the first yellow card of the contest after a foul on Mathieu Cordier sparked a brief confrontation between the sides.

The pressure eventually told in the 33rd minute when Rockdale found the breakthrough.

Kakeru Ono was caught in possession, allowing Najjar to break forward and calmly fire a superb left-footed strike beyond Syron to give Ilinden the lead.

Manly responded immediately and almost found an equaliser, with Ayumu Kimura having a goal ruled out for offside following a Burgess cross.

Benjamin Koop then went close in first-half stoppage time, but Kaye produced a strong save at his near post.

However, Manly would not be denied.

From the resulting corner, Ono delivered the perfect response to his earlier mistake, scoring directly from the set piece as Kaye misjudged the flight and the ball curled into the net to make it 1-1 heading into half-time.

Manly entered the second half with renewed confidence, with Aston Hulme introduced from the bench and Burgess immediately testing Rockdale with a dipping effort that narrowly cleared the crossbar.

The second half remained a fiercely contested affair, with both teams understanding the importance of every moment.

Manly created a dangerous opportunity when Hulme delivered a low cross across the six-yard box, with Lachlan Griffiths forced to clear the danger and narrowly avoid turning the ball into his own net.

Rockdale regained control as the half progressed, but clear opportunities remained difficult to find as both defences stood firm.

The intensity continued to increase, with tackles flying in across the pitch as both teams fought desperately for a decisive goal.

Substitute Lukas Ribarevski almost became the hero deep into stoppage time when Rockdale pushed forward searching for a winner, but Syron produced another important intervention to keep Manly level.

After 90 minutes of drama, pressure and relentless competition, neither side could find the breakthrough.

The final whistle confirmed a 1-1 draw, with both Rockdale and Manly left to reflect on what could have been in a contest where a point felt valuable, but three points were the ultimate prize.

Match Stats

Rockdale Ilinden: 1 (Moudi Najjar 33’)

Manly United: 1 (Kakeru Ono 45+3’)

Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Sunday 2nd August 2026

Referee: Jake Rose

Assistants: James Chan & Tom Love

Fourth Official: Alexander Zastavnikov

Rockdale Ilinden: 1. Levi Kaye, 2. Hunter Elliott, 3. Lachlan Griffiths, 4. Reo Kunimoto, 7. Ollie Wiggin, 9. Moudi Najjar, 8. Jerry Skotadis, 11. Lochlan Constable (14. Dean Pelekanos 70’), 22. Harry McCarthy (27. Lukas Ribarevski 86’), 26. Harry van der Saag, 66. Mathieu Cordier (15. Stefan Simonoski 79’) Subs Not Used: 16. Michael Marcevski, 18. Loucas De Sousa, 19. Dean Jovcevski, 21. Ronan Mulgrew

Yellow Cards: Reo Kunimoto 57’

Red Cards: Nil

Manly United: 99. Mackenzie Syron, 4. Jesse Piriz, 5. Aaron O’Driscoll, 6. Saxon Hillier, 8. Kakeru Ono, 9. Benjamin Koop (28.Aston Hulme 46’), 10. Darcy Burgess (29. Douglas John 83’), 11. Ayumi Kimura (3. Matthew O’Donaghue 71’), 18. Luke Nieuwenhoff, 19. Cai Evans (16. Will Faulder 83’), 33. Jasper Chipman (15. Max Martinello 71’)

Subs Not Used: 21. Harry Turner, 24. Toby Bakewell Subs not used:

Yellow Cards: Jesse Piriz 25’, 33. Jasper Chipman 43’, Luke Nieuwenhoff 73’

Red Cards: Nil

By Micky Brock