Round 15 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Women’s
Every weekend is a big one in the PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s 2016, with premiership and finals aspirations always on the line in some capacity.
A couple of big results in the last few weeks have opened some gaps up on the table, and as we head into the final third of the season we’re still in for a lot of twists and turns.
Round 15 sees ladder leaders Inter look to extend their break at the top of the table when they host the Mariners, while Sutherland need to bounce back from last weekend’s loss at home – and keep pace at the top – when they travel to Sydney Olympic. Elsewhere, Nepean look to halt the charge of the Northern Tigers at Cook Park, and Southern Branch host Bankstown in a fixture that could end the finals hopes of either side.
Inter Lions SC vs Central Coast Mariners FC, 2.05pm Sunday July 10th at Fraser Park
Inter put in one of the performances of the season last weekend against Sutherland, and in the process gave themselves a 4 point lead at the top (with a game in hand as well). This weekend against the Mariners they have the opportunity to tighten their grip on the premiership, and it’s an opportunity that you can’t see them letting slip by. Their organisation and shape should be enough to get them through this one with another victory.
Central Coast are looking a little better going forward in the last few rounds, buy they can’t seem to match it defensively with the other sides in the league. It’ll take some real magic to cause an upset this weekend given Inter’s overall quality. What they can count on though is the support of the other sides near the top of the table – especially Sutherland.
Nepean FC vs Northern Tigers FC, 3pm Sunday July 10th at Cook Park
Nepean hasn’t had a sensational couple of weeks, but they do have the advantage over the Tigers in a key area as they head into this weekend’s match. Nepean have an outstanding defensive record this season – they’ve only conceded one more goal than ladder leaders Inter. If they can nullify the potent attack of the Tigers they’ll be in with a real shot, but if they can’t, it’s hard to see Nepean possessing the firepower to win this if it develops into a shootout.
After an auspicious start to the campaign the Tigers are flying now as they sit 3rd on the ladder. They’ve been banging in goals for fun since their resurgence began, and their momentum looks likely to take them deep into the finals at this rate. A fast start against Nepean is certainly the order of the day; if they can get ahead early the Tigers will be supremely difficult to catch.
Sydney Olympic FC vs Sutherland Shire FA, 3pm Sunday July 10th at Peter Moore Park
Another massive game for Sutherland when they travel to Belmore this weekend. They haven’t been able to put in a 90 minute performance for quite a while now, and other sides will be keen to exploit the weaknesses they’ve been slowly revealing all season. They were frustrated last week by Inter, and they crumbled towards the end of the match when their passing game was overcome by Inter’s discipline. It’ll be a huge show of character if they can get maximum points this weekend.
Olympic have the players to frustrate Sutherland in the same way Inter did last week. When you factor in their strike force as well, the home side may only need a couple of chances to put the game out of Sutherland’s reach. A win for Olympic would be huge, and would set up the final 6 rounds of the competition very nicely.
Southern Branch FC vs Bankstown City FC, 3pm Sunday July 10th at South Nowra Football Complex
Southern have the chance to work their way up the table over the last third of the season, with this week marking the first of 5 games at home over the final 7 rounds. Coming off the back of a much needed win against Nepean last week, Southern will have a bit of confidence going into this game. Their ladder position still dictates that they need maximum points here though, and it will be a tough test against a Bankstown side in a similar situation as they try and hunt down a finals place.
A loss here goes a long way to ruling Bankstown out of the finals agenda for 2016. They had a great chance to take the points last weekend against Olympic but couldn’t hold it together defensively. It’s 1-1 between these two sides so far this year, although Bankstown did comprehensively defeat Southern in their last encounter, so they may have the edge here.
By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s Reporter
