Round 18 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

Round 18 will see six of the top seven sides on the ladder face each other, headlined by a serious clash between Marconi Stallions and Rockdale Ilinden at the top of the table. 

Sydney FC vs St George City FA

7:30pm, Friday 6 June, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Sydney FC will open the weekend’s action when taking on St George City FA at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Friday night.

The Sky Blues suffered a difficult last week in the NPL Men’s NSW competition, losing mid-week to St George FC before suffering defeat again on the weekend to Sydney United 58 to move six points off a finals spot.

Sydney lost both games by one goal, and suffered a devastating late winner against United 58 after being reduced to 10 men early in the second half.

St George City – two points below Sydney – need a win to push up the ladder, after drawing 1-1 with Wollongong Wolves in Round 17 thanks to an 89th minute goal from Goncalo Agrelos to rebound from a two match losing streak.

Sutherland Sharks FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC

4:00pm, Saturday 7 June, Seymour Shaw

To open the Saturday fixtures, Sutherland Sharks will host Western Sydney Wanderers in a significant match in the battle to avoid relegation from the NPL Men’s NSW competition.

Sutherland are in a horror run of form, scoring just one point in their last five matches, as they come into this match with three losses in a row.

Western Sydney, on the other hand, hasn’t lost in four games, picking up two wins and two draws – the latter of which an impressive 1-1 against Sydney Olympic.

With Sutherland three points off second last, and the Wanderers just a point ahead, a win for either side would be crucial in ensuring their safety come the end of the season.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC vs St George FC

5:00pm, Saturday 7 June, Popondetta Park

Mt Druitt Town Rangers will be looking to end a poor run of form when facing off against St George FC on Saturday evening.

The promoted side are second last on the ladder, with one draw and four losses to their name from their last five games.

St George, meanwhile, are in the hunt for the finals, just five points off the top six, with their hopes dented last weekend following a loss to Rockdale Ilinden.

This promises to be an exciting fixture at Popondetta Park, with Mt Druitt requiring a result and St George looking to rebound from Round 17 to push towards a top six spot.

NWS Spirit FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC

5:30pm, Saturday 7 June, Christie Park

Christie Park will host an exhilarating 3rd vs 4th clash on Saturday evening, as NWS Spirit take on APIA Leichhardt.

Spirit have been in strong form over their last five matches, winning four while losing just once.

Their most recent victory saw them defeat Blacktown City in a stunning match, with goals from Frankie Ljucovic, Michael Konestabo, Takumi Ofuka and Austin Oates giving Spirit a 4-1 win over their top-six rivals.

However, no side is in better league form than APIA Leichhardt, who have dropped points just once in their last five matches, taking 13 from a possible 15 in the league.

Riding high off a 5-0 thrashing of Central Coast Mariners, headlined by a brace from Rory Jordan, they will be confident heading into this game in a match between two quality sides.

Wollongong Wolves FC vs Sydney Olympic FC

7:00pm, Saturday 7 June, WIN Stadium

Wollongong Wolves will face off against Sydney Olympic in an exciting fixture at WIN Stadium on Saturday night.

Wollongong have just one win from their last five matches and are currently on a three-game run without tasting victory, after drawing to St George City in Round 17.

Six points off the top six, they are anything but out of the finals race, but need to pick up some form heading into the final third of the campaign.

A point below, Sydney Olympic have experienced mixed form, coming off a 1-1 draw with the Wanderers in their last game.

With his three goals in his last two matches, striker Cyrus Dehmie is continuing to impress for Olympic, but they need more consistency as they look to push for a top-six spot.

Sydney United 58 FC vs Manly United FC

3:00pm, Sunday 8 June, Sydney United Sports Centre

After picking up a big win off Sydney FC last weekend, United 58 will be looking to keep their sixth-place spot safe once more when aiming to fend off another contender in the form of Manly United.

United 58 have emerged with a four-point gap after a highly successful Round 17 clash for them, which saw results below them fall their way while beating Sydney FC 3-2 with a last-minute winner from Bailey Rule.

Manly United would be doing not just themselves, but the teams around them a favour by beating United 58, moving the gap between sixth and seventh back to just one point, making this a crucial game for their season.

With United 58 in strong form and threatening to run away with a finals spot, this promises to be an exhilarating fixture at Sydney United Sports Centre.

Marconi Stallions FC vs Rockdale Ilinden FC

3:00pm, Sunday 8 June, Marconi Stadium

A first vs second clash will signify a crucial point in the NPL Men’s NSW season, as Rockdale Ilinden look to prevent Marconi Stallions running away with the Premiership in Round 18.

Marconi are currently five points clear on the top of the ladder, and would create an eight-point gap with a victory this weekend, something that would be very hard to drop considering their consistency in 2025.

Rockdale are in the joint-best form in the competition however, and will be hyper-focused on delivering Marconi their second defeat of the season – particularly considering what happened at this ground between these two sides last year.

With retribution in mind, and – to an extent – their Premiership hopes on the line, Rockdale will be fired up for this trip, while Marconi will be looking to make it an astonishing 14 wins from 18 league matches.

Blacktown City FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC

3:00pm, Sunday 8 June, Landen Stadium

Blacktown City will be looking to end a run respond to back-to-back defeats when taking on the Central Coast Mariners this weekend.

With their recent form, Blacktown have slid down to fifth on the ladder, three points ahead of United 58 in sixth.

To avoid joining the exhilarating finals battle, they will be looking for a win this weekend to keep their distance while remaining in touch with the top four.

For the Mariners, it’s a similar story to what it’s been all campaign – they need a win to get off the bottom of the ladder.

Away from home at Landen Stadium will be a difficult task, but they will have to come into this match prepared to give everything to take whatever comes their way.