IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 Round 6 Preview

Round 6 of the IGA National Premier Leagues NSW Mens 1 competition with most of the action taking place on Saturday evening.
League leaders Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Sydney United 58 FC have tricky away trips meanwhile APIA-Leichhardt Tigers will be looking to get its season on track whin it lines up against stern rival Marconi Stallions.
Elsewhere, Manly United FC play host to South Coast Wolves in the weekend’s match of the round, whilst Blacktown Spartans and Sydney Olympic look to return to winning ways after a lean couple of weeks for both sides.
Blacktown City FC and Sutherland Sharks also promises to be a massive encounter at Lily Homes Stadium.
Central Coast Mariners Academy v Sydney United 58 FC, Saturday 20th of April, 6:30 pm Pluim Park
Last Week:
Central Coast Mariners Academy 0 Blacktown City FC 3
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 1 Sydney United 58 FC 58
Central Coast Mariners Academy and Sydney United 58 FC meet on Saturday evening at Pluim Park with the two sides living a vastly different moment of form.
The Mariners, full of vigour and enthusiasm have impressed with some positive showings to-date, however the side has lacked the killer instinct to incorporate good showings with wins.
Coach Mark Jones has some great talent at his disposal and he will be looking for more of a response from his players when they line up for the second time this season in-front of their home supporters.
Strikers Chris Payne and James Monie will be looking to spur on the rest of the side with a strong showing in the front-third, meanwhile in defence Jamie Lobb and Adam Jenner will need to remain organised with the unbeaten Sydney United 58 FC visiting – the Reds in a very rich vein of form with five wins from five starts so far this season.
Mark Rudan’s men were ruthless against APIA-Leichhardt Tigers last weekend, securing a 5-1 win at Lambert Park. The reality is that had it not been for some desperate defending by the likes of Mark Byrnes and Adel El Jamal, the Reds may well have gone close to reaching double figures at Lambert Park.
Striker, and captain, Luka Glavas has been tremendous thus far, as has midfielder Glen Trifiro who continues to show his worth with every performance. Add the likes of Yuichi Yamauchi and Robert Milesi surrounding Trifiro, and not to forget Chris Triantis, and the Reds are an intimidating force to reckon with.
Defensively, Rudan’s experience is seen with some fabulous organisation already established with Mitchell Speer, Ben Jurman and Mitchell Stamatellis marshalling the backline line like experienced campaigners.
The Reds start this match as outright favourite, and the task at hand for the Mariners will be a massive one.
Blacktown Spartans v Sydney Olympic, Saturday 20th of April, 7:00 pm Blacktown Football Park
Last Week:
South Coast Wolves 2 Blacktown Spartans 1
Sydney Olympic 1 Marconi Stallions 1
Both Blacktown Spartans and Sydney Olympic are desperate to return to winning ways following a rather lean couple of weeks in-terms of wins.
The Spartans are coming off four consecutive losses following their opening round win against Marconi Stallions, and supporters will be hoping for a change in fortunes at home this weekend.
Ben De Haan’s men have played some very good football in their home matches to–date, and the side will need more of the same – with goals to accompany the performance – if there is to be any possibility of recording a win against the visiting Blues.
Wassim Hijazi and Jun Kato will be carrying the weight of expectation in the front-third, meanwhile De Haan will need to come up with a plan to cover Greg Kondek who will be unavailable for the match due to suspension.
Sydney Olympic’s run after securing the Pre-Season Cup trophy has also been a little inconsistent with the side needing a much better performance this weekend than that shown against Marconi Stallions in Round 5. The Blues seemed flat in the first-half, and could quite have easily lost the match after Emmanuel Giannaros was given his marching orders 11’ minutes from the end.
Coach Peter Tsekenis has Elsid Barkhousir in great form, with the likes of Luke Grima fitting in nicely to the playing group. Some better finishing in the front part of the field will be required on the perfect playing surface at Blacktown Football Park this weekend, meanwhile in defence, the Blues will need to keep an eye on Japanese signing Jun Kato who has already impressed in the short time he has been at the club.
With two sides desperate of securing maximum points, an open attacking game is expected on Saturday night.
Manly United FC v South Coast Wolves, Saturday 20th of April, 7:00 pm Cromer Park
Last Week:
Rockdale City Suns 4 Manly United FC 2
South Coast Wolves 2 Blacktown Spartans 1
Manly United FC will be looking to bounce back from the loss at Rockdale City last weekend when South Coast Wolves visit the Northern Beaches on Saturday.
Second best throughout the Suns encounter, coach Craig Midgley will be desperately seeking some of the form that saw his side hand Marconi Stallions a hiding a few weeks back.
Midgley will be hoping to have Josh Lawson back at full strength after illness affected his input last weekend, meanwhile Scott Balderson and Colin Iley are both, along with Matthew Sim, expected to lead the home side’s forward forays in a must win match to keep track of the teams above them on the ladder.
The Wolves finally secured its first win of the campaign last weekend, and that could well have been the ‘kick’ the side needed to get its season moving forward.
John Martinoski was the man of the moment last weekend, snapping up a double in a Man of the Match performance.
Wolves coach Richard Lloyd was extremely pleased with his young midfielder, as Martinoski continues to show his fine progress as a footballer.
The trip will be a challenge for the Wolves, against a team that is very difficult to break down at Cromer Park, though on the back of a first up win, and the return of some important playing personnel, the Wolves will be full of belief heading into this clash.
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers v Marconi Stallions, Saturday 20th of April, 7:00 pm Lambert Park
Last Week:
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 1 Sydney United 58 FC 5
Sydney Olympic 1 Marconi Stallions 1
In one of the most celebrated fixtures in the history of Australian Football, stern rivals APIA-Leichhardt Tigers and Marconi Stallions meet at Lambert Park.
Both clubs share a proud history in Australian football, both dominant forces stemming back to the NSL days.
Unfortunately for both clubs this season, the start to 2013 has been well below the expectation of supporters.
After five matches – each played at home – the Tigers are still looking for its first win of the season, meanwhile the Stallions have only just started getting things right with a win against South Coast Wolves a fortnight ago, followed up by a decent showing at Sydney Olympic last weekend.
Tigers’ new acting coach and player Nicola Rizzo will have his hands full in his first match in charge of the club against the Stallions.
Two positives for the Tigers have been the strong form of Mark Byrnes in defence, though the Tigers’ captain will need help around him to ensure there is some stability in the back line. Up-front, Gerard Ouffoue’s goals over the past two weekends also add some confidence as the Tigers look to bounce back on Saturday.
The visiting Stallions will start the clash as favourites following its past two results, as Jean-Paul De Marigny’s positive influence on the team is starting to show.
Apart from the usual calm, energy and experience brought to the side by experienced campaigners James Chronopoulos and captain Nahuel Arrarte, perhaps the biggest find this season has been Milorad Simonovic. The midfielder joined the Stallions at the start of last season though was forced to miss the entire campaign following a season ending injury. Simonovic has been very impressive in 2013, and his array of skill and goal scoring ability augur well for the Stallions this season.
Expect a lot of passion from both sides on Saturday evening in Leichhardt with more than just three-points on the line.
Blacktown City FC v Sutherland Sharks, Saturday 20th of April, 7:00 pm Lily Homes Stadium
Last Week:
Central Coast Mariners Academy 0 Blacktown City FC 3
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 3 Sutherland Sharks 2
Another intriguing encounter awaits us at Lily Homes Stadium when Blacktwon City FC play host to Sutherland Sharks.
Both sides started the season with some very big expectations, and both have already showed just how good each can be.
The home side has a massive array of talent at its disposal, and Mark Crittenden’s men have played some very good football in the process – the only down side, and a direct reflection of the side’s current standing on the ladder, has been a long list of suspensions, definitely suggesting the side could well be higher up on the ladder.
Travis Major was brilliant against the Mariners last weekend, as was youngster Jacob Poscoliero who has been a welcome addition to the side.
The visiting Sharks will need to quickly quash the disappointment of seeing a 2-1 lead over Bonnyrigg over-turned in the final 6′ minutes last weekend. Robbie Stanton’s team lost its unbeaten run in the Round 5 clash, though the side did further confirm that it is out for redemption after missing out on finals football in 2012.
The Sharks will be sweating over playmaker Panni Nikas’ availability after playing the second-half on ‘one leg’, meanwhile defende Michael Stuart will be unavailable due to suspension.
An entertaining encounter is expected on Saturday evening with sole hold on third spot on the ladder up for grabs.
Rockdale City Suns v Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Sunday 21st of April, 1:00 pm Ilinden Sports Centre
Last Week:
Rockdale City Suns 4 Manly United FC 2
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 3 Sutherland Sharks 2
In the only Sunday fixture for the weekend, Rockdale City Suns will be out to end Bonnyrigg White Eagles’ 100% start to the season when the two sides meet at Ilinden Sports Centre. The Suns were great in its 4-2 defeat of Manly United with some superb goals to show.
Defensively however, the side will need to be more compact with the likes of Aleksander Canak and Tynan Diaz visiting Rockdale.
Part of the Suns job will be facilitated with Bonnyrigg striker Robbie Younis out through injury, though the ability of Aaron Peterson & Co. will still make for a busy afternoon for Askin Oygur and his defensive department.
Brian Brown’s White Eagles looked in complete control against Sutherland last weekend until a flash of brilliance from Nathan Elasi, and a moment of magic from Panni Nikas, had the 2012 Premiers facing its first loss of the season. Instead, the never ending belief in the playing squad saw the team not only draw level but also find an injury-time winner to secure maximum points.
The Suns task will be a tough one, and if the side is to pull off what would be an upset, Branko Culina’s men will need to be fully alert for the entire 90′ minutes.
An interesting match-up awaits us in Rockdale.
 -By Joseph Carlucci