Round 10 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Women’s
Defence is shaping up to be the real driver of success as we move into round 10 of the PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s 2016.
The table makes it abundantly clear that a strong backline is needed to accrue points, and this week gives a couple of sides the perfect opportunity to look for that elusive clean sheet.
Southern Branch make the long trip north to take on the struggling Central Coast, while Bankstown host Northern Tigers in a match they need to win if they are to stay in touch with the top 4. Speaking of, the top 4 sides square off as Inter continue their rivalry with Sydney Olympic, and Nepean are the latest to try and stop Sutherland from running away with the title.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Southern Branch FC, 2.05pm Sunday June 5th at Pluim Park NO.3
Things continue to leak bleak for the Mariners, and one feels they’ll be up against it to improve them this weekend. The positive here for the home side is that they ran Southern Branch close in round 2, and they can use that as motivation to believe that this is a winnable contest. If Central Coast can just tighten up defensively this week they’ll be in with a shot.
Southern haven’t been getting the results they would have liked over past month and will be using this fixture as a way to get themselves back into form. They pushed leaders Sutherland all the way last weekend, only running out of legs in the last 15 minutes. A performance of that intensity should see them pick up the 3 points in this one, but a slip up would put a huge dent in their finals ambitions.
Inter Lions SC vs Sydney Olympic FC, 3pm Sunday June 5th at Concord Oval
These two sides are locked in a battle for second spot at the moment, with the loser in this one potentially dropping down to fourth if results go against them. They come into this with almost identical records (Olympic have scored more goals, while Inter have the more solid defence) so expect nothing less than an arm wrestle at Concord.
Inter will be desperate to reclaim top spot from Sutherland, and the way to the summit is through Olympic. Freya Hickey scored a belter to give them the win in this fixture earlier in the season, and they’ll be looking to her to once again provide some inspiration. Inter did an excellent job of shutting down Olympic’s attacking weapons last time out, so Calvi, Halaska, and co will need to lift their game to get anything out of one of this competition’s meanest defences.
Sutherland Shire FA vs Nepean FC, 3pm Sunday June 5th at Harrie Denning Centre
Sutherland come into this one on the back of an 8 match unbeaten run that shows no signs of stopping. They’ve been made to work for a lot of those victories – they aren’t last year’s Marconi side that walked all over opponents – and that ability to grind out a result will serve them well the longer the season goes. They were able to wear down Southern Branch last weekend, and given the way Nepean fight until the last minute the home side will have to show similar determination here.
Nepean have done well in the last couple of weeks to keep picking up points without playing at their maximum. It remains to be seen if they can get by on heart alone against the shire side, as Sutherland put more stress on the opponent’s midfield than anyone else. Nepean will need to be watertight at the back, and a big game from skipper Desiree Vassallo is required if they want to hold back Sutherland’s multipronged frontline. Jessica Elliot will also be needed to provide some creative spark whenever Nepean can get control of the ball.
Bankstown City FC vs Northern Tigers FC, 3pm Sunday June 5th at Jensen Park
Bankstown have performed quite well so far this season, with only an at times leaky defence holding them back from a better position on the ladder. Going forward isn’t a problem, and if they can gain a little more control of the contest that should give them the platform they need to finish teams off. They’ll have opportunities to do so this weekend against the Tigers, who share many of the same issues with the home side.
Getting back to winning ways is paramount for the Tigers here. Their ability to stay in the contest always makes them a difficult opponent, but getting over the line has been the Achilles heel for them up until this point. They’ll fancy their chances against the Lions, despite going down 2-1 the last time these two sides met.
-By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s Reporter
