Women’s State League Round 8 Preview

After seven rounds, the Western NSW Mariners and Bankstown City have established themselves as the two best teams in the competition, with both sides scoring freely.
The rest of the table has lapsed behind and will have to work hard if they are to make up ground this season. Round eight sees a return to the round one fixtures, and it will be interesting to see how far teams have come over this two month period.
Southern Districts SFA vs. Parramatta FC – Sunday 31 March, 3PM at Ernie Smith Reserve
Southern Districts have struggled this season, collecting only a single victory to date. However, they almost pulled off the biggest shock of the year against the Western NSW Mariners in Round 7, losing narrowly in what was an impressive showing. Every team has lost to the Mariners this season, and Southern Districts will take great confidence in how close they came to breaking this statistic.
However, Parramatta FC have established themselves as real contenders over the past two rounds. Despite a slow start to the season, they have begun to fire on all cylinders and came away with an incredible 3-0 victory away from home to the Gladesville Ravens last Sunday. They will be favourites heading into this clash, but it will be a close encounter.
Western NSW Mariners FC vs. Bankstown City FC – Sunday 31 March, 3PM at Glen Willow Stadium
In undoubtedly the most exciting fixture of Round 8, the league’s top two sides will clash at Glen Willow Stadium this Sunday. The Mariners have won every single game they’ve played this season, however surprisingly only just got over the line against Southern Districts last Sunday. They will be determined to overcome this slight stutter, but Bankstown City will smell blood in the water. Bankstown have won every single game this season, bar one. Their one loss came in round one, against, of course, the Western NSW Mariners. They cruised past St. George FC on Sunday, but lost their playmaker Maniso Micheal in the process, who was sent off after two yellow cards. The Mariners will also have a strong home ground advantage, which has played to their favour throughout the season so far. This will be an enthralling game of football, with everything on the line.
Mt. Druitt Rangers FC vs. Gladesville Ravens – Sunday 31 March, 3PM at Popondetta Park
Mt. Druitt have had a disappointing season so far, but allowed themselves back into the mix of things with a victory against APIA Leichhardt last Sunday. They will have the opportunity to leapfrog Gladesville on the table with a win this weekend. The Ravens got off to a great start to the season, but have hit a rough patch of form in the past two rounds. Their first loss of the season against the Mariners was compounded by a shock defeat at home to Parramatta FC. Anything but three points against Mt. Druitt will be seen as a large blow to their title hopes.
St. George FC vs. APIA Leichhardt Tigers – Sunday 31 March, 3PM at St. George Soccer Stadium
St. George are sitting at third on the table and have played some impressive football this season. They will be upset by their loss to Bankstown on the weekend, but confident of their chances against a Tigers side who have lost every game this season. The Tigers’ season can almost already be written off, but any form of resurrection will have to begin with at least a single point. They scored their first goal against Bankstown two weeks ago, and then scored another against Mt. Druitt last Sunday. This was an important first step, but a draw or victory must come next.
-by Daniel Palmer, Women’s State League Reporter