PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 Round 18 Preview

The final week of the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 1 competition is upon us with some massive matches coming up.
Eyes will be on two positions on the table as the all-important second place and fourth place will be finally decided in what will be an exciting Sunday afternoon.

Match of the Round –
Macarthur Rams v Sydney University @Lynwood Park
At Lynwood Park on Sunday afternoon, official 2015 Premiers Macarthur Rams welcome Sydney University.
With the Premiership wrapped up last weekend despite going down, Norm Boardman will be keen to ensure his side doesn’t lose too much form. It’s back to back Premierships for Macarthur and they’ll look to go one better than last season now where they lost the Grand Final.
Heather Garriock wasn’t a happy customer last weekend after her girls went down after a dominant first half where they lead. A win would’ve consolidated second place for them with a match in hand but now must pick up all three points if they want the ‘chance’ in the finals.

Football NSW Institute v Emerging Jets @Valentine Sports Park
It will be a battle of two young sides on Sunday as the Football NSW Institute host the Emerging Jets.
Last year’s Champions have dropped down to ninth place on the ladder in what can be said was a disappointing campaign for them. The Institute have suffered three straight defeats and will be looking to end the poor run of form.
The Jets will need to back up from a Saturday catch up game against the Rams when they take on the Institute. Last week’s defeat saw their chances of finals football diminish but they’ll be happy with their first season in the state’s top tier competition.

Manly United v Blacktown Spartans @Cromer Park
Two teams that are desperate for points meet at Cromer Park on Sunday as Manly United take on the Blacktown Spartans.
United were fantastic in the second half of their match last week and overturned a deficit to re-open the battle for second place. A win doesn’t guarantee them second place as they need other results to go their way but it will go a long way to securing that.
It has been quite a run for the gallant Spartans, hitting seven consecutive games without defeat. A point should be enough for them to secure fourth place but seeing the form they’re in, they’ll be gunning for all three so there are no dilemmas.

North West Sydney Koalas v North Shore Mariners @ELS Hall Park
ELS Hall Park will host the fixture between the North West Sydney Koalas and the North Shore Mariners.
The Koalas hopes of making the finals were ended a few weeks ago but it hasn’t stopped them playing some entertaining football. They scored their first win over the weekend in eight and will look to finish the season on a high.
Larry Bates will be disappointed the way the season has ended. His side were in and around the top four for the majority of the season but only three wins in their last 10 games has cost them dear. Moving into next season, the Mariners would like to finish 2015 with three points.

Illawarra Stingrays v Central Coast @JJ Kelly Park
It will be a big game for the Illawarra Stingrays as they host Central Coast at JJ Kelly Park on Sunday afternoon.
After seven matches without defeat, the Stingrays looked on course to challenge the Rams for the Premiership. Two straight losses later and the ‘Rays’ were out of the top four. A dominant win last week has given them hope of possibly squeezing into finals football but they’ll need results to go their way.
The Coast have struggled in their first season back in the top flight and will finish bottom of the ladder. Credit to them though, their fight has never stopped and know that any positive result on Sunday will effectively eliminate the Stingrays from finals.

by Nikola Pozder, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s 1 Reporter