Round 16 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Women’s
And so we move onto Round 16 of the PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s 2016. Inter have opened up a huge gap at the top of the table while those chasing 1st spot have been letting valuable points slip in recent weeks.
Meanwhile 4th spot looks to be the only finals position still in reach of those outside the top 4, so it’s now or never for a couple of teams near the foot of the table.
This week sees Olympic head up the coast to face the Mariners, Sutherland welcoming Southern Branch, and Nepean travelling to Bankstown. The biggest game of the weekend has leaders Inter travelling to Mills Park to face 3rd place Northern Tigers. Can the Tigers stamp themselves as real title contenders, or will Inter all but seal the premiership for 2016?
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Sydney Olympic FC, 2.05pm Sunday July 17th at Pluim Park NO.3
Olympic head up to Pluim Park knowing a win heaps pressure on the sides ahead of them, and another three points will ensure they take valuable table position if the other sides slip up. That being said they need to pick themselves up after last weekend, as it was clear they were disappointed to not get more out of their home fixture against Sutherland. If they refocus properly, it’s hard to see anything but a convincing win for the away side in this one.
The Mariners keep working hard but they just can’t buy a win at the moment. Olympic are a team capable of succumbing to a banana skin fixture, so this could be the time for them to put in a massive performance. They can’t let the previous results in the fixture worry them. If they take this fixture in isolation they have a shot – Olympic may have their mind more on other results.
Sutherland Shire FA vs Southern Branch FC, 3pm Sunday July 17th at Harrie Denning Centre
This is a huge game for both sides. Southern need 3 points this weekend to have any realistic chance of claiming a place in the finals, while Sutherland are desperate to catch Inter at the top. Southern Branch have lost by only the single goal on both occasions in this fixture in 2016, so they’re in with a shot here if they can find some form.
Sutherland caught Olympic on the hop early on last weekend, but once Olympic got themselves back into the game, the team from the shire found it difficult to break them down. The confidence of Sutherland looks fragile at the moment, so if Southern Branch can get some momentum in the game early on they may be able to cause an upset.
Bankstown City FC vs Nepean FC, 3pm Sunday July 17th at Jensen Park
Even with two games in hand, Bankstown are a long way back in the race for a finals place. They’ve shown great moments throughout the season though, so it isn’t entirely out of the realms of possibility. They’ll know all about Nepean’s solid defence, and the need for their attacking weapons to fire if they’re to get the goals they need to claim the points.
Nepean should be confident of getting back to winning ways when they travel to Jensen. They’ve had the edge over Bankstown twice this season, most impressively in the 4-1 defeat of the Lions in round 2. Jessica Elliot scored 2 screamer’s that day, and with Nepean’s lack of firepower upfront a few goals from midfield are desperately needed now.
Northern Tigers FC vs Inter Lions SC, 3pm Sunday July 17th at Mills Park
This weekend we get to see just how serious a challenger the Northern Tigers are when they take on the Inter Lions at Mills Park. They’ve been steadily working their way up the table over the past 10 weeks, and now sitting in third place the Tigers have a huge chance to heap the pressure on second place Sutherland – and put a scare through all of their potential finals opponents – if they can find a way to win this one.
Their potent forward line will need to return in their though. Nepean last weekend may well to prove an excellent preview for what they’ll face on Sunday, so with some lessons learned they could be in a prime position to take home the points.
We’ll be treated to a contrast in styles in this fixture. The Tigers will look to play around their opponents and drag them around the pitch, while Inter will surely employ the direct style of play which has powered them to a clear lead at the top of the table.
No one has so far been able to break down Inter’s solidity at the back, but the potent attack of the Tigers – and their varied arsenal – might just have enough to find a way through and expose a weakness.
By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Women’s Reporter
