PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 2 Round 21 Preview

The final round of the season shapes to be pivotal with two of the spots in the Final Series still to be decided. Several teams need big results in the final round to make it, so the fight is on for the chance to finish season 2015 with some silverware.

Sutherland look to finally assure themselves a place in the finals series when they travel down the coast to face Southern Branch, while UNSW will try to keep the Stallions at bay when they host the premiers at David Phillips. The Northern Tigers could end the season of Nepean, and Inter and Olympic battle it out in what could be a winner takes all encounter at Concord Oval. 
Before this all takes place, Nepean fight to keep their season alive when they face Olympic in a round 17 catch up match on Wednesday night that has ramifications for more than just the side from St Marys.

Round 17
Nepean FC v Sydney Olympic FC, 8pm Wednesday 12^th August at Valentine Sports Park No. 3
Any kind of result here keeps Olympic in control of where they finish on the ladder, so if they can avoid a loss then they will be pleased going into their huge final round game against the Inter Lions.
Nepean though will be far more desperate, as they go into their second midweek fixture in a row knowing that they must win to (realistically) keep their season alive. Every possible result here has a huge bearing on the way the final round will play out, and this is where it gets complex, so bear with me here:
Scenario 1: A Nepean win (27 points) puts their destiny in their own hands going into the final game of the season, as they will hold the advantage over Inter (25 points) and Olympic (24 points).
Scenario 2: A draw in this fixture and all three teams will be level on 25 points, which is a significant disadvantage for Nepean as they have a drastically poorer goal difference (-13) than both Inter (-6), and Olympic (+9).
Scenario 3: A win for Olympic will spell the end of Nepean’s season, as no matter what happens in the Inter v Olympic fixture, one of those sides will finish with at least 28 points (Inter would go into the match on 25, while Olympic will have 27). This will prove a bridge to far for Nepean (24 points with 1 match to play).

Round 21
Inter Lions SC v Sydney Olympic FC, 3pm Sunday 16^th August at Concord Oval
The finals have come a week early for the Lions. Regardless of the table going into the match, this is a must win encounter for Inter, as Nepean could be leading the race for 4^th going into the round, and finishing level on points with Olympic will see them finish 5^th on goal difference (or they will be trailing Nepean by 2 points). They will have to push hard for goals, which will leave spaces open across the pitch for Olympic to exploit, so a delicate balance between attack and pragmatism will need to be reached by the home side.
Olympic themselves could be in a position where they have to chase the game, in which case we should expect an open and flowing encounter. However, if Olympic can defeat Nepean on Wednesday night, we may see the team bus pull up in front of the goals at Concord Oval and remain there until the full time whistle.

UNSW Lions v Marconi Stallions FC, 3pm Sunday 16^th August at David Phillips Field
UNSW has the unenviable task of ending their season by hosting premiers Marconi. There is nothing to lose for the Lions, so if they can finish the season by giving a good account of themselves against the Stallions, then that is some measure of success to end the season on.
The Stallions will be looking to just keep ticking over, and will try and go up the gears when they can against the young Lions side. After dropping points last weekend, Marconi would like to end their premiership run with one more emphatic victory, just to remind the others of what awaits them in the finals series.

Northern Tigers FC v Nepean FC, 3pm Sunday 16^th August at Mills Park
The Tigers couldn’t quite last long enough in the race for finals football, and will have to satisfy themselves with potentially ending Nepean’s chances in their final home match of the season. The Tigers have been good value all year though, showing on several occasions that they can more than mix it with the league’s best sides. A strong performance in front of their home fans to end the season will give them confidence going into 2016.
We’ve been through Nepean’s scenarios going into this match. If they still have everything to play for they will make life very difficult for the Tigers, and could easily force their way to victory. But if their season is over, the Tigers have all the weapons to crush the young and weary side from western Sydney.

Southern Branch FC v Sutherland Shire FA, 3pm Sunday 16^th August at South Nowra Football Complex
Sutherland travel down to Nowra knowing that only a great Greek tragedy could see them miss out on a position in the finals series. They aren’t quite mathematically safe, but it would take a huge swing in both points and goal difference to see them miss out now. They can’t relax though, and an upset win here will put all of those fears to rest and finally assure them of their place.
Southern Branch are guaranteed second spot, which is a fantastic achievement considering their position at the half way point of the season. If they can come out of the game without any injuries or suspensions to key players then they will be primed and ready to take on Marconi in week one of the finals series.

By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s 2 Reporter