Women’s State League Round 16 Preview
There are several fascinating match ups this week, not least the clash between Sydney Olympic and Bankstown City at Jensen Park.
Top plays bottom in Penrith, while St George look to repeat their Round 5 success against Parramatta Ladyhawks.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v UNSW Lions. Popondetta Park, 3pm.
UNSW travel to Mt Druitt this weekend, with their eyes firmly set on taking home all three points. Townies have struggled over the past few weeks, only registering one win in the last five games. They will want to get their season back on track to prevent slipping any further out of the top four.
Southern Districts Emeralds v Gladesville Ravens. Ernie Smith Reserve, 3pm.
Gladesville Ravens turned a few heads with their recent win over UNSW, however they were quickly brough back to earth by Bankstown last week. The Ravens won’t be the favourites for this one, as Southern Districts have one of the best records at home of all the teams in the Womens State League.
Nepean FC v Western NSW Mariners. Cook Park, 3pm.
The last time these two sides met, Nepean pushed the Mariners all the way in Bathurst, before eventually losing by a single goal. Everything is stacked against the bottom placed Nepean, who face the league leaders. Even the home advantage will mean little, as the Mariners have not yet lost on the road. A point would be a mammoth effort.
Parramatta Lady Hawks v St George Saints. Melita Stadium, 3pm.
The Saints won their only match of this season in Round 5 against the Ladyhawks. Since then, they’ve struggled, conceding far too many goals. However, a win away from home will be just the tonic for St. George. They’ll want to keep an eye on Parramatta’s dangerous striker Alix Roberts, who is a handful to any defence in this competition.
Southern Branch v APIA Leichhardt Tigers. South Nowra Football Complex, 3pm.
APIA make the trip south on a high from their victory over Mt Druitt last Sunday. With a catch-up game on Thursday against Sydney Olympic, Tarek Madani’s side will have to dig deep against Southern Branch, who are always strong at home. Look out for a close game in Nowra.
Bankstown City Lions v Sydney Olympic. Jensen Park, 3pm.
Surely the match of the round. Both sides have scored goals for fun this season, and have conceded the same amount. They both sit just behind Western NSW Mariners at the top end of the table, and will no doubt be favourites to feature in the finals series. Sunday’s clash will pit two very different sides against one another, Olympic with their direct counter-attacking game, and Bankstown with their expansive possession based style. Impossible to predict a winner.
-By Joe Gorman
