NSW Premier League Round 3 Preview

The Sharks will be out to maintain their perfect start to the season at home following an impressive opening round win against Blacktown City FC. With a vocal crowd behind the Sharks, and buoyed by the disappointment of conceding a late goal at Cromer Park last weekend (2-2 with Manly United FC), Robbie Stanton will certainly have his troops ready for this clash. Panni Nikas has shown he is back to his best form over the opening two rounds, equally impressive has been the goalscoring exploits of Matthew Bailey who has two goals to his name.
Sydney Olympic will pose the Sharks with a massive test as Peter Tsekenis? men continue to improve with each match. The side is very well-balanced across the park with the defence conceding very little space to both adversaries over the first two rounds. Attacking midfielder Alex Smith will be the man to watch with four goals to his name from the first two rounds, meanwhile the pace of Hussein Akil and trickery of Robbie Mileski certainly do add much flair to the Blues when they go forward.
At Jensen Park on Saturday night, Bankstown City face a Bonnyrigg White Eagles side still looking for their first win of the season. The White Eagles have been dominant in both matches to-date, though some soft goals conceded by the side have resulted in two draws. Brad Boardman has found his scoring touch early with a goal in each of the matches thus far, meanwhile the middle of the park seems to be working well with Shane Webb returning to join Nikola Zonjic after missing Round 1.
The Lions do face a difficult season with many changes to the playing personnel and coaching staff, though the 1-0 win at Rockdale City last weekend will certainly lift the confidence of the Jensen Park side. Coach Blagoja Kuleski will be looking for a repeat performance of the second-half against the Suns where his troops took a hold of proceedings midway through the half with some good possessional play and goalscoring opportunities. A tough test certainly awaits the Lions against the defending Premiers.
Manly United FC visit Marconi Stadium on Saturday night following two very hard fought draws in the opening fortnight of the competition. The Cromer Park outfit left it late to find a point against both Sydney United and Sutherland Sharks, though the signs are definitely positive for Craig Midgely and the Manly United faithful.
Adam Foti?s goals, and general play, has complemented Robbie Cattanach?s work both on and off the ball in the attacking third, meanwhile Michael Daily?s work in the engine room has also been of a very high standard.
Manly United FC will need to be on their game though, as the Stallions back-up following a narrow loss against Sydney United last weekend. The Stallions did draw many positives from the encounter with Nahuel Arrarte looking sharp out of midfield, and striker Matthew Mayora certainly creating the chances in the final third. In what promises to be a great physical battle, the Stallions will look to use home ground advantage in their favour to clinch the three-points and keep tabs with the teams at the top of the ladder.
On Sunday afternoon, A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers return to their spiritual home ground at Lambert Park after a season away from the venue. The Tigers play host to South Coast Wolves in an important first home match of the campaign following consecutive draws in the opening two rounds.
A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt defenders will need to pay close attention to the attacking options at the Wolves? disposal with the likes of Sasho Petrovski and Mark Picciolini always posing a threat. Up-front, Nick Rizzo?s flair out of midfield will be eagerly sought after by Robert Younis and Franco Parisi as both players look to add to their goalscoring accounts.
Trevor Morgan?s men showed their fighting spirit with a well-earned come-from-behind defeat of Parramatta FC last weekend, and the side will look to make life hard for their more fancied opponent this Sunday in Leichhardt.
Newly promoted Parramatta FC have certainly made some noise with their opening day 2-2 draw against Bonnyrigg White Eagles opening the eyes of many. The side has proven, even at this early point, that they are capable of mixing it with the more fancied sides, and Melita Stadium will definitely be a difficult venue for adversaries to take points this season. Brian Dene, who announced he would remain at the club for the remainder of the season, will have his defensive line working hard in training this week with the side tightening up a little in the closing stages of both matches thus far. The Eagles squandered three-points against Bonnyrigg after conceding an equaliser in the 3? minute of injury-time, meanwhile the clash against the Wolves last weekend saw South Coast score their match winner in the last 10? minutes of play.
Blacktown City FC will pose the ?new boys? with a challenge ? the defending champions have not made a good start to the season with zero points to show from their first two matches.
Coach Mark Crittenden will be looking for more consistency and sharpness across the park from all his men, though the experience of Mitchell Long will be missing following the attacking midfielder?s two yellow cards against Sydney Olympic. With points a must for Blacktown City an open attacking game is expected by the champions on Sunday, even though Parramatta FC have shown off their ability to be patient and wait to counterattack.
At Sydney United Sports Centre, the Reds meet Rockdale City Suns full of confidence following the defeat of Marconi Stallions last weekend. Sydney United looked the goods in both their matches to-date, as Jean-Paul De Marigny has really got his team organised early on. In anticipation of Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay?s return to full fitness, the Reds do pose a real threat for adversaries this season in the run towards the title. Luka Glavas and Elsid Barkhousir have already shown their early season form thus far, meanwhile youngster Ante Tomic has been more than impressive following a tremendous showing against the Stallions last weekend.
Rockdale City?s job at hand will be a tough one, though Lee Sterrey will certainly be working the team hard in preparation for the Sunday afternoon clash. The Suns did dominate Bankstown City for large spells last weekend, though the final pass in the attacking third failed to deliver any reward. All eyes will also be on new signing Hsuki Hasegawa. The talented midfielder showed his worth with some lightning speed and extreme composure on the ball on his debut ? arguably to play an important part in the Suns chances for success in 2011.
-By Joseph Carlucci