Round 29 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

The penultimate round is upon us in the National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW competition, with the Premiership, Australian Championship place, finals football and relegation playoff all still up for grabs.

With just two rounds remaining, every point is becoming increasingly valuable. The Premiership could be decided this weekend, while the race for the Top Six remains incredibly tight and the battle at the bottom could go down to the final day.

There are eight crucial fixtures across the weekend, with plenty to play for at both ends of the table.

Sydney FC v Rockdale Ilinden

7:30pm, Friday 21 August – Ilinden Sports Centre

It’s the Ilinden Sports Centre derby as Sydney FC open the round against Rockdale Ilinden on Friday night.

Perhaps the last chance for both teams to get themselves into the Top Six, with the losing team’s hopes of finals football potentially all but extinguished.

Sydney FC have not won a game since their 1-0 victory over SD Raiders on June 30, taking them to seven games without a victory.

They will be desperate to end that run on home soil and keep their finals hopes alive heading into the final round.

Similarly to their opponents, Rockdale have struggled for results in recent weeks.

Since their impressive 6-1 victory over St George FC, Paul Dee’s side have gone four games without a win, picking up just one point during that period.

They have now slipped outside the Top Six and sit just one point away from finals football.

Failure to pick up points here, however, could spell the end of Rockdale’s hopes of playing finals football.

With both sides needing a victory, expect a tense and highly competitive derby to open the round.

Sutherland Sharks v St George City

4:00pm, Saturday 22 August – Seymour Shaw

At Seymour Shaw on Saturday afternoon, the action kicks off with Sutherland Sharks taking on St George City.

Sutherland missed the opportunity to secure their place in the Australian Championship last weekend when they were soundly beaten by Marconi.

They get a second bite at the cherry this weekend, with the chance to take a significant step towards securing that position at home in front of what should be a bumper crowd.

David Perkovic’s side were not their usual free-flowing selves last weekend and he will be keen to see a response.

The expected returns of Tariq Maia and Takumi Ofuka would also provide considerable additional depth to the Sharks squad.

Talking about in-form sides, you cannot look past Mirko Jurilj’s St George City team.

Four consecutive wins and four consecutive clean sheets have propelled City to within just one point of the Top Six.

Jack Kenny has been enormous between the sticks during their recent run, while Lucas Bedleg continues to find the back of the net at the other end.

City are also the only team in the competition to have beaten each of the current Top Four sides, highlighting just how dangerous they can be.

They will be looking to complete the double over Sutherland and continue their remarkable late-season charge towards finals football.

UNSW FC v Manly United

5:15pm, Saturday 22 August – The Village Green

UNSW FC are back at their fortress, The Village Green, hosting Manly United on Saturday evening.

Despite still having a mathematical chance of playing finals football, it is beginning to look like a mountain to climb for UNSW.

They have hit a rough patch of form, going four games without a win, and will need to turn that around quickly if they are to keep their hopes alive.

The Students will also be looking to overturn their 2-0 defeat to Manly in the first meeting between the two sides earlier in the season.

Manly’s shortened roster affected them last weekend as they suffered a heavy defeat at home to NWS Spirit.

That result brought their nine-game unbeaten run to an end and will leave Vlad Knezevic keen to see his side respond immediately.

The equation is simple for the Northern Beaches side — one victory could potentially be enough to secure what would be one of the most unlikely finals appearances of the season.

NWS Spirit v SD Raiders

5:30pm, Saturday 22 August – Valentine Sports Park

NWS Spirit take on SD Raiders at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon in another crucial contest for the finals race.

Just two weeks ago, Spirit appeared to have been written off after three straight defeats, with their finals hopes looking all but over.

They have responded brilliantly, however, securing back-to-back victories over Blacktown City and Manly United to move within one point of the Top Six.

The Spirit attack is also producing at exactly the right time.

Kosta Petratos scored a hat-trick last weekend, while Callum Kealy scored twice the week before, giving Spirit plenty of confidence and firepower heading into the final two rounds.

Standing in their way is an SD Raiders side enjoying a remarkable first season in the top flight.

It has already been a season to remember for Goran Ljuboja and his players, with their fairytale Australia Cup run adding another chapter to their campaign.

The Raiders currently occupy the final finals position and will be keen to hold onto it.

It will be interesting to see how they back up after a hard-fought Australia Cup match against Sydney FC on Tuesday night, particularly with Spirit desperate to close the gap.

St George FC v Blacktown City

6:30pm, Saturday 22 August – Barton Park

St George FC take on Blacktown City in the final game on Saturday night at Barton Park.

The Saints secured a massive victory in their battle for survival last weekend, overcoming Western Sydney Wanderers for only their second win of the second half of the season.

Isaac Cunningham scored his first goal in St George colours and will be hoping that it provides him with a confidence boost heading into the final two games.

Nikola Skataric will also enter this one with a point to prove after departing Blacktown City during the transfer window to join St George.

The visitors, meanwhile, were flying towards the finals before dropping points in their last two outings.

A disappointing 0-0 draw against UNSW FC last weekend left Blacktown City three points outside the Top Six, making a victory here imperative if they are to keep their finals hopes alive.

With St George desperate for survival points and Blacktown fighting for finals football, this shapes as another fixture with plenty at stake.

Sydney United 58 v APIA Leichhardt

2:30pm, Sunday 23 August – Sydney United Sports Centre

Sunday’s first game is the Match of the Round as Sydney United 58 welcome league leaders APIA Leichhardt to Sydney United Sports Centre.

Simply put, the Premiership could be decided here should APIA avoid defeat.

United 58, buoyed by what should be a boisterous home crowd, will believe they can claim the three points and take the Premiership race down to the final day in Round 30.

Michael Krslovic has hit form at exactly the right time, with the young striker scoring United’s winner in each of their last two games to keep them firmly in the hunt.

They possess match-winners all across the park and will expect someone to step up in what is one of the biggest games of the season.

APIA come into this one after a Wednesday night Australia Cup clash against Melbourne Victory, meaning fatigue could play a role.

Franco Parisi has managed his squad well throughout the campaign and has consistently been able to field a strong team despite the demands of the schedule.

Last week’s impressive performance against SD Raiders set this contest up perfectly, with APIA knowing a point will be enough for them to celebrate the Premiership.

Presley Ortiz is also firing at the right time, scoring a brace last weekend to take his season tally to 19 goals.

Can United 58 find a way to stop the league leaders and force the Premiership race into the final day?

Sydney Olympic v Marconi Stallions

3:00pm, Sunday 23 August – Belmore Sports Ground

At Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon, Sydney Olympic face Marconi Stallions in another fixture with massive implications at both ends of the table.

Olympic looked in control last weekend and appeared to be heading towards a huge three points in their survival push before collapsing in the second half as Sydney United 58 turned a half-time deficit around to win 2-1.

Every point is now of the utmost importance for the Blues.

Should they lose here, Olympic could be relegated from the state’s top tier before the final round of the competition.

Bailey Callaghan and Sebastian Kukucka have been dangerous attacking options for Olympic and could be the difference in what is another must-win contest for the hosts.

Marconi, meanwhile, played their best game in at least the last month against Sutherland on Sunday, coming away with a solid 1-0 victory.

Peter Tsekenis would have been impressed with the performance, particularly the first half when the Stallions created a number of good opportunities while keeping their opponents quiet.

There is still plenty to play for at the top of the table as well.

A win for Marconi combined with a loss for APIA would mean the Stallions remain in with a chance of lifting the Premiership on the final day.

Wollongong Wolves v Western Sydney Wanderers

3:00pm, Sunday 23 August – Macedonia Park

The final game of the round takes place at Macedonia Park as Wollongong Wolves host Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Wolves finally snapped an 11-game winless run last weekend with a dramatic last-gasp victory over Rockdale Ilinden, thanks to Yuto Fujita’s 95th-minute winner.

The result means Wollongong are still alive in the finals race, but they must win here to remain in contention heading into the final day.

Anything less than victory will likely mean they turn their attention towards the Australian Championship.

Western Sydney Wanderers, meanwhile, were beaten last weekend by St George FC and have dropped to 11th on the ladder, three points outside the Top Six.

Like the Wolves, anything but a victory could spell the end of their season and their hopes of sneaking back into the Top Six, where they occupied a position for a large part of the campaign.

With both sides needing all three points, the final game of the round could provide a dramatic conclusion to another huge weekend of NPL Men’s NSW action.

By Nikola Pozder