IGA NPL NSW League Mens 1 Round 12 Review – The Teenage Revolution

Luckily, all the scheduled matches were played on Sunday but the overnight rain forced the wash-out of those games due to be played on Sunday, leaving the competition tables showing that a number of catch-up games must be played and they are notoriously unpredictable.
We will have to wait and see what happens when they are actually played.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Overview
When Blacktown City faced Rockdale City Suns in the first round, Blacktown made off with all eighteen points. While the Grade 16 and Grade 18 matches were played on Saturday afternoon, the heavens opened on Saturday night and washed out the matches for the Grade 12 to Grade 15 teams. As a result the clubs have taken three points each from the weekend.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers bagged sixteen points from their first round meeting with Bonnyrigg White Eagles. This time the Tigers made off with thirteen of the available points and that left Bonnyrigg with only four points to show for their efforts.
On the opening day of the competition Sutherland Sharks secured fifteen points from their encounter with South Coast Wolves and this week the Sharks repeated the dose, once again taking fifteen points from the encounter.
Blacktown Spartans pocketed fifteen points from the first round fixture against Marconi Stallions. However, on this occasion the Grade 16 and Grade 18 matches were washed out on Sunday while the clubs shared the spoils of the four Saturday games at five points apiece.
Sydney Olympic snatched twelve points last time they saw Central Coast Mariners and this time Olympic earned fourteen points from their trip to the north.
Sydney United 58 grabbed twelve points from Manly United when they met at the beginning of the competition but it was a different story this time when Manly United took ten points and that left Sydney United 58 with just seven points from the clash.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Club Championship
Coming into this round the Club Championship table had a very interesting look about it with the top four clubs being separated by a mere fourteen points. With twelve points up for grabs each week the race for the title is still wide open. Anything could happen and that means it probably will. Interestingly, the top two clubs are yet to face each other. That will occur next Monday and the outcome will be very interesting indeed.
Things changed a bit this week with one club being washed out and the other four of the top five clubs all fulfilling their scheduled matches. There are now twenty points separating first place from fifth place.
While winning the Club Championship is seen as the pinnacle, many clubs would be happy to finish in the top five in this very competitive season and that certainly opens the field as there are still nine clubs doing battle for one of those positions. A great many changes in the pecking order are to be expected over the coming weeks and it should be a fascinating period.
 
Sutherland Sharks began the day as the frontrunners on this table and they had taken all twelve points from their first round clash with tenth placed South Coast Wolves. The Sharks retained their place at the top of the table when the claimed nine points from the day and that has allowed the Wolves to remain at tenth.
Blacktown City were in second place before the first whistle of the day and they had pocketed all the points when they met twelfth placed Rockdale City Suns. Unfortunately, this fixture was a victim of the wet weather and that has forced Blacktown City back to third place while the Suns are still at the foot of the table.
Blacktown Spartans arrived at this round in third position and they were up against ninth placed Marconi Stallions. When they last saw each other the Spartans earned nine points from the day. This week the Spartans and the Stallions shared the points equally at five apiece. That has allowed the Spartans to climb into second place while the Stallions are still ninth.
Manly United started the day in fourth position while Sydney United 58 were just four points further back in fifth place. Their first round clash finished with Sydney United taking nine points. even though they could take only four points from the encounter, Manly held onto fourth position and Sydney United used their seven points share to stay at fifth and they are now within a point of Manly.
Before a ball was kicked APIA Leichhardt Tigers were placed sixth and they faced seventh placed Bonnyrigg White Eagles. Last time the clubs met the Tigers gained ten points without losing a match. The Tigers are still sitting in sixth spot after they claimed seven points on Saturday while Bonnyrigg have slipped back to eighth place.
Sydney Olympic came into this round in eighth position and they had bagged ten of the first round points against eleventh placed Central Coast Mariners. Olympic climbed into seventh spot when they earned eight points from this week’s matches and have remained at eleventh. 
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 12
Coming into this round it looked as though the top three teams would battle it out for the title as they were separated by only six points. Then there was a break of seven points to the fourth placed team and this is where it became really interesting as the teams placed fourth to eleventh looked as if they could all still make it to the play-offs because there were only ten points between them with a full round to play.
How things can change in a single day! There are now only four points separating the top three teams, there is still a gap of seven points to fourth place and there is now only nine points between fifth and eleventh places.
Before a ball was kicked Manly United were the competition leaders by a margin of two points and their run of ten consecutive win had been halted by last week’s loss. They faced fifth placed Sydney United 58 who had been having a patchy season and they were also coming off a last-match loss. When they met in the first round Manly claimed the points with a 3-2 victory. However, this time the teams shared the points when the match ended in a scoreless draw. That was enough to keep Manly at the top of the ladder and Sydney United at fifth.
Blacktown City arrived at this game in second place and they were unbeaten while Rockdale City Suns were in tenth position and they had earned points from their last five matches. The first round points had gone to Blacktown when they were 2-1 winners. When this match was washed out on Sunday Blacktown were able to hang onto second spot and Rockdale remained at tenth.
 
Placed third at kick-off time, Blacktown Spartans had suffered their only loss way back in Round three and they had picked up points in the subsequent eight matches while Marconi Stallions were in ninth position and they had recovered from a run of two losses with last week’s draw. The Spartans had taken the points last time the teams faced each other with a 5-1 scoreline. History repeated when the Spartans emerged victorious again, this time with a 1-0 scoreline but that was enough to keep them in third place while the Stallions are still ninth
South Coast Wolves began this game in fourth position and they were coming off a last match win. Sutherland Sharks were two points further back in sixth place and while they had won their first four games, they had posted three draws and three losses in the intervening period. The Sharks had claimed the first round points with a 2-1 win. It as a very different story this time around as the Wolves took the points with a very solid 4-0 result thanks to strikes from A. Masciovecchio (2), J. Mortimer and L. Gaudiosi. That leaves to Wolves in fourth place but the Sharks have dropped back to seventh.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers came into this round on the back of a last-match win and a wash-out last week and they were in seventh position while Bonnyrigg White Eagles were two points further back at eighth and they had taken points from two of their last three outings. The Tigers moved up to sixth this week when they produced a 3-0 win while Bonnyrigg are still in eighth position.
Sydney Olympic started the day in eleventh place, five points better off than twelfth placed Central Coast Mariners. Olympic had posted their second win for the season a fortnight ago and then they were washed out last week while the Mariners had recorded only two draws up to this point. The teams had battled out a 1-1 first round draw. Both tams stayed where they were when this match finished in a 2-2 draw after Olympic had led 1-0 at the break. 
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 13
We can expect quite a finish from this age group as there is very little between them at the moment. The top seven teams are separated by only six points and there are only eight points between first and ninth. Only a very brave person would make a prediction at this stage about which team will claim the title and which teams will appear in the finals series
When this game started Blacktown City were leading the way on the competition table by a single point and they had not tasted defeat while Rockdale City Suns were in twelfth place and they had posted only one win so far. Blacktown were 6-0 winners when the teams met last time. However, when their match was washed out Blacktown were shunted back to second spot and Rockdale remained at twelfth.
Sutherland Sharks kicked off this game in second place and they had bounced back from a run of two losses with last week’s win while South Coast Wolves were in third position and they had also posted a win last week following a loss and a draw in their two previous outings. The Sharks took the first round points with a 4-1 result. The Sharks climbed into the top spot when they came up with a 3-1 victory this time thanks to goals from K. Grozos, J. Skotadis and J. Casella while J. Della Vedova netted for the Wolves who are still in third place.
Sydney Olympic were in fourth place when the first whistle sounded and they had gone eight matches without loss while Central Coast Mariners were in tenth position and they had lost four of their last five games. Olympic had claimed the first round points with a 2-1 victory. This time around Olympic missed the chance to move up the ladder when they were held to a scoreless draw by the Mariners who have remained at tenth.
Sydney United 58 arrived at this match in fifth place and they had taken points from their last five matches while Manly United were two points further back at seventh after four match unbeaten run had come to an end with a loss last week. The first round points went to Sydney United when they were 4-3 winners. Manly United moved up to take over fifth place thanks to a 3-2 result this week and that has forced Sydney United back to sixth. The goal scorers for Manly were K. Conna (2) and R. Kilpin while Sydney United’s goals came from M. Crossey and M. Moric.
Blacktown Spartans were in sixth position at kick-off time and they were coming off a last game loss which ended a good run of four unbeaten matches. Marconi Stallions were just one point further back at eighth and they had registered a draw and a win from their last two outings. Last time with teams saw each other the Stallions were 2-0 winners. The Spartans dropped back to seventh when they battled out a 2-2 draw with the Stallions who are still in eighth place. Both goals for the Spartans were scored by R. Mehinovic.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers came into this match in ninth position and they had taken points from their last two games while Bonnyrigg White Eagles were eleventh and they had lost their last five games. The Tigers won 2-0 when they last faced Bonnyrigg. A goal in each half gave the Tigers the points to complete the double with another 2-0 result. Those goals were scored by B. Stelling and D. Saverino. This result leaves both teams exactly where they were on the table.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 14
Currently there are only seven points between the top five teams and then there are six teams within seven points of the top five points with four of those teams having their positions being decided by goal difference. With a long way to go it should be interesting to see what happens over the coming weeks.
Sutherland Sharks started this week’s game as the competition leaders on goal difference and their only loss was way back in Round 2 while South Coast Wolves were in thirteenth position with three draws to show for the season so far. The Sharks were 3-0 winners in the first round clash. This week the Sharks maintained the competition lead when they completed the double with a 4-0 win with their goals coming from C. Buswell (2), T. Nunn and P. Turrall. The Wolves have remained at the foot of the ladder.
Sydney Olympic were placed second on goal difference at kick-off time and they were coming off a last-match loss before last week’s wash-out. Central Coast Mariners were four points further back in fourth position and they were coming off a last-match win. Olympic had taken the first round points with a 1-0 win and they are still in second spot after they completed the double with a 3-0 result this time around after leading 1-0 at the interval. The Mariners have dropped back to fifth on goal difference after this result.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles were placed third when the first whistle sounded and they had remained unbeaten in their last eight games. APIA Leichhardt Tigers were in eleventh position and they had battled out draws in the three games immediately before last week’s wash-out. The first round clash had ended in a 1-1 draw. History repeated this week when the clash between these teams ended in a 2-2 draw after they had been locked together at 1-1 at half-time. Bonnyrigg retained third position while the Tigers moved up to eighth place.
Placed fifth at kick-off time, Blacktown Spartans had lost three of their last four games and Marconi Stallions were in twelfth place with only one win to show for their last seven outings. The first round points had gone to the Spartans thanks to a 2-0 result. This week the Spartans climbed to fourth position on goal difference even though they lost 1-0, an outcome that has left the Stallions at twelfth. Marconi’s goal was scored by J. Cunico.
Sydney United 58 arrived at this match in seventh place and they had won their last two games while Manly United were ninth and they were coming off a last-match win. Sydney United 58 were 3-0 winners in the first round. Sydney United 58 are still in seventh spot following their 3-0 victory with their goals being scored by A. Vastag (2) and J. Bartolotto. Manly have slipped back to tenth place.
 
Blacktown City began the day in eighth place after suffering a run of three losses while Rockdale City Suns were tenth and they had lost their last game. The first round points went to Blacktown following a 1-0 success. Blacktown fell back to ninth and Rockdale are now in eleventh place after their match was washed out on Sunday.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 15
With the first seven teams on this table separated by only ten points, the next few weeks should be very interesting indeed. It is difficult to see any of the other teams making up the points difference to seriously challenge for a place in the finals series but then history has shown that anything can happen at this level of play.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles came into this game as the competition frontrunners by a margin of two points after their run of five wins came to an end with last week’s loss while APIA Leichhardt Tigers were in second place and had won the three games before the wash-out last week. The Tigers were 2-1 winners in the first round clash. Bonnyrigg reversed the first round outcome this week and they have extended their competition lead to five points after they posted a 3-2 victory, an outcome that has left the Tigers in second position. 
Placed third at kick-off time, Marconi Stallions had put together a run of four matches without loss while Blacktown Spartans were three points further back in seventh position and they were coming off a last-match loss. The Spartans had claimed the first round points with a 1-0 result. The Stallions slipped back to fourth and the Spartans climbed to sixth when this clash ended in a 2-2 draw. Providing the goals for Marconi was L. Guzman who netted a double while the goals for Blacktown came from J. Irwin and G. Cerasoli.
Sydney United 58 started the day in fourth place after they had won two of their last four games and Manly United were eleventh following a run of four matches without a win. A 4-1 scoreline in the first round gave Sydney United 58 the points. Sydney United 58 moved up to third thanks to their 3-0 victory over Manly who are still in eleventh position. Scoring the goals for the winners were J. Borromeo, J. Temelkovski and C. Kermack.
Sutherland Sharks arrived at this match in fifth position and they had collected points from their last three outings while South Coast Wolves were thirteenth and they were coming off a draw in last week’s game. Sutherland were 5-1 winners in the first round encounter. The Sharks held onto fifth place when they completed the double with a 3-1 win with their goals coming from T. Papa (2) and Z. McLaren. The Wolves are still placed thirteenth and their goal was scored by T. Musumeci.
Placed sixth when this game kicked off, Blacktown City were coming off a last-match win while Rockdale City Suns were twelfth and they had lost last week’s game. Blacktown had claimed the first round points with a 4-1 result. Blacktown dropped back to seventh and Rockdale remained at twelfth after their match was washed out on Sunday.
Sydney Olympic were in eighth place when the first whistle sounded and they had suffered losses in the two matches before last week’s wash-out. Central Coast Mariners were right behind the Mariners at ninth on goal difference and they had posted three wins followed by two draws in their last five matches. The first round points went to Olympic when they won 1-0 and Olympic completed the double with a 4-1 result this week after leading 3-0 at the break. The Mariners are still in ninth place.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 16
 
Theoretically, any of the top eleven teams could find themselves in the finals series and that will mean that the result of every match will be significant, at least for the next few weeks. However, a few “upsets” could well mean that this competition will go down to the wire.
At kick-off time Sydney Olympic were leading the way on goal difference and they had not been beaten in their last six games while Central Coast Mariners were in fifth position after they had posted three losses and a draw form their last four matches. The first round points had gone to the Mariners when they were 2-1 winners. Olympic are still the competition frontrunners but now they have a lead of two points following their 1-0 win this week, a result that has left the Mariners in fifth place.
Blacktown City arrived at this match in second place on goal difference and they had not lost in their last seven outings while Rockdale City Suns were ninth and they had earned points from their last three games in the form of a win and two draws. Blacktown had taken the first round points with a 4-0 scoreline. In a reversal of form Rockdale claimed the points this week with a 2-1 scoreline and that has helped them to shoot up to sixth while Blacktown have slipped back to third place.
Two points further back and placed third when this match began, APIA Leichhardt Tigers had struck a purple patch of good form with four wins and three draws coming from their last seven games. Bonnyrigg White Eagles were in twelfth position and they had lost twice since their only win for the season. The Tigers won the first round match 2-0. When the Tigers posted a 4-0 result they immediately climbed to second spot and Bonnyrigg remained at twelfth. The goal scorers in this match were L. Scott, N. Sullivan, G. Blackwood and B. John.
Blacktown Spartans were in sixth position when the first whistle sounded after they had bounced back from two losses with a win last week while Marconi Stallions were thirteenth and they had posted their first win for the season last week. The Spartans were 4-2 winners the last time the teams met. This match was washed out on Sunday and that has caused the Spartans to drop back to seventh and left the Stallions at the foot of the ladder.
South Coast Wolves started the day in seventh place and they had recovered from two losses with a win in their last match while Sutherland Sharks were eleventh and they were coming off a last-match draw. The Sharks had registered a 6-0 victory in the first round clash. The Sharks completed the double this week when they were 3-0 winners but they have remained at eleventh while the Wolves had fallen back to eighth. Scoring the goals for the winners were D. Burgess (2) and M. Versi.
Sydney United 58 kicked off this match in eighth place after last week’s loss while Manly United were three points further back in tenth place and they had also lost their last outing. Sydney United were 1-0 victors in the first round clash but Manly squared the account this week with a 3-0 scoreline thanks to goals from P. Flottmann, M. McManus and H. McMullen. Sydney United are now in ninth position and Manly are still tenth.
IGA NSW National Premier League Men’s 1 – Grade 18
This competition has reached an interesting stage as only eleven points cover the teams from first to ninth so it would not take much in the way of so-called “upsets” to change the picture dramatically, either spreading the field or tightening it up.
Blacktown Spartans came into this game three points clear at the top of the table and they have posted three wins and a draw since their only loss of the season. Marconi Stallions were in fourth position and their current unbeaten run stood at six games. The Spartans took the first round points with a 4-2 result. When this week’s match was washed out the Spartans slipped back to second spot on goal difference and the Stallions dropped to seventh.
 
Sydney Olympic were in second place at kick-off time and they had not been beaten in their last six outings while Central Coast Mariners were ninth and they had broken a five-match losing streak with wins in their last two games. The first round points went to Olympic when they were 1-0 winners. Following Olympic’s 3-0 success this week they moved to the top of the table on goal difference and the Mariners have remained at ninth.
Before the first whistle sounded Sydney United 58 were in third position and their six-match unbeaten run had ended with last week’s loss. Manly United were four points further back in sixth place and they had taken points from their last three outings. Manly claimed the points last time the teams saw each other with a 4-2 scoreline and they completed the double this time when they produced a 2-0 result thanks to strikes from S. Wilson and O. Green. Manly have moved up to fifth place and Sydney United have been forced back to fourth.
Blacktown City started the day in fifth place and they had registered two draws since their last loss. Rockdale City Suns were in twelfth position and they had lost their last two games. Blacktown were 3-0 winners in the first round and this week they completed the double with a 4-0 scoreline. Blacktown are now in third position and Rockdale are still twelfth.
Placed seventh when this match started, APIA Leichhardt Tigers were coming off a last-match loss while Bonnyrigg White Eagles were thirteenth and yet to record their first three-pointer for the season. The first round points went to the Tigers with a 2-0 win. The Tigers climbed to sixth this week with a 3-0 result and that has left Bonnyrigg at the foot of the table.
South Coast Wolves arrived at this match in tenth position and last week’s loss had ended a four match unbeaten run. Sutherland Sharks were five points further back at eleventh and they had produced their second win for the season last week. The Wolves were 1-0 winners in the first round clash. This time around the Sharks claimed the points with a 4-1 scoreline. Scoring the goals for Sutherland were P. O’Shea (2), J. Andrew and C. Belle while S. Isabella found the net for the Wolves. That result has left both teams exactly where they were on the table.
-By Barry Davis