Round 4 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Women’s
Round 4 of the Playstation® 4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s 2016 sees Nepean try to consign the Mariners to their fourth straight loss to start the campaign, and Inter trying to maintain their surprise lead at the top of the table against one of their main rivals.
Elsewhere Bankstown travel to Sutherland hoping to send a message to the rest of the competition, and finally the Northern Tigers will be after a huge upset over Sydney Olympic.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Nepean FC, 2pm Sunday the 24th of April at Pluim Park No.3
The Mariners are still after their first win of the season and will be hoping the familiar surrounds of Pluim Park can help get them over the line. Round 3 saw an improved performance from the Central Coast outfit, as they managed to keep Southern Branch at bay in the second half while finding a way back into the match through Natalie Waddell, who they’ll hope will prove dangerous once more here.
Nepean should be able to overpower the Mariners in the centre of the park in this match, and if they apply their usual defensive grit a clean sheet is on the cards as well. With the extra venom in the final third this year coming away with the 3 points in this one should be the minimum expectation. Another setback though and they’re in danger of letting their strong start to the year slip, so a second straight loss is out the question.
Inter Lions SC vs Southern Branch FC, 3pm Sunday the 24th of April at Concord Oval
Inter deservedly find themselves top of the table after 3 rounds thanks mainly to some extra bite up front. Freya Hickey has given a new dimension to the Lions, and her technical ability and eye for goal are making her a real handful for defences at this stage of the season. Add in the standard defensive organisation of Danielle Watson and the Lions are looking the goods at the moment.
They’ll need all of those components to click this weekend if they want to keep Southern Branch at bay. Southern have pace to burn, which if utilised correctly could really hurt the Lions in behind. But Southern haven’t hit the heights of last season yet, so they need to find the right gear to get past an Inter side that could be pushing for honours in 2016.
Sutherland Shire FA vs Bankstown City FC, 3pm Sunday the 24th of April at the Harrie Denning Centre
Sutherland will look to continue their good from and make it 3 wins on the bounce when they take on Bankstown at home. The shire side are once again proving difficult to break down defensively, and by grinding out results they can ensure a good position on the table is already theirs before they really find form.
Bankstown got themselves on the board in round 3, and will be eyeing off another upset this weekend. They’ll need to carry over their good form into this one, as a sub-par performance will leave them behind the 8 ball against Sutherland. While slightly predictable, good service into Samantha Muscat will give Bankstown their best shot at success
Sydney Olympic FC vs Northern Tigers FC, 3pm Sunday 24th of April at Peter Moore Park
Olympic suffered a setback in their defeat to Inter at the weekend, but a win against the Tigers should get them right back on track. More unlucky than anything else in their last start, another performance of that quality should see them past a Tigers outfit that haven’t been able to get across the line so far this season.
Olympic couldn’t quite fire in front of goal against the Lions, and with the odds of that occurring two weeks in a row exceedingly slim, the Tigers will need to be on their guard defensively to keep themselves in the game. If they can’t manage that, it’s imperative that they find the goal scoring touch they showed at during their best periods of last season, otherwise the Tigers will find themselves slipping further behind the top sides already.
-By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s Reporter
