Round 15 Preview – PS4 NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Round Fifteen of 2017 PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition this weekend sees six matches scheduled for Saturday with the one solitary encounter on Sunday afternoon.
It’s Granville Rage’s turn to hit the road this week as they make the trip to Bathurst on Saturday night to take on the Western NSW Mariners at 5-00pm.
Both sides have hit a wall over the past month or so, and would be desperate for the three points on offer to stay in touch with the quagmire of clubs in the middle of the table.
Granville Rage have had three draws and three losses in their past six outings, but two of those reverse results have been by a solitary goal, and surely a win is bound to eventuate given their effort and application of late.
This match is a real six pointer for Western NSW, who are on 9 points, just three behind the Rage, knowing the gap could become insurmountable if they were to lose this battle.
The first round encounter ended all square at 1-1 at Garside Park, with Nathan Davis equalising for the Mariners after Charbel Haddad gave the Rage a first half lead, and a closely fought draw could very well be on the cards once again this time around.
Hawkesbury City welcome Dunbar Rovers to David Bertenshaw Field at 5-30pm on Saturday, with both teams desperate for the three points.
The Hawks will be fresh given they didn’t play last weekend, and whilst they are sitting in 7th spot on 19 points, they are only five points behind 3rd placed St George City, so a win here and three points in their catch up will well and truly catapult them up the ladder.
Dunbar Rovers have been a victim of their own inconsistency this season, and just haven’t been able to replicate anywhere near their great form of 2016. Even though they are in 10th spot on the ladder on 15 points, fortunately for Rovers they are only five points outside the top five, and a finals spot is always a minimum expectation for this proud club.
The two teams shared six goals in Round Two back on March 18, so expect a similar tussle this time around with probably less goals.
Dulwich Hill host Balmain Tigers at Arlington Oval at 7-00pm on Saturday night, hoping to replicate their first round 6-0 drubbing of the Tigers.
Gerrard Ouffoue, Henry Wells and Luke Giverin all nabbed braces that night in a one-sided display, and Dully would be confident of more of the same given their recent form, having picked up seven points from the last nine on offer.
But it is a different Balmain Tigers who will be fronting up this time around. The Tigers have seemingly turned the corner, their improved performances seeing them pick up a win and a draw from their past four matches, with one loss a narrow 2-3 reverse against Rydalmere Lions, the match itself a confidence boost against the competition’s leaders.
Dulwich Hill lie in 4th position on 22 points, two points behind – and with a game in hand – on St George City FA, whilst there is no better time than now for Balmain Tigers to commence their ascent up the ladder, and close the 4 point gap to second last Western NSW Mariners.
Both SD Raiders and St George City FA will be out for bragging rights when they renew their rivalries at Ernie Smith Reserve at 7-00pm on Saturday, a rivalry that only twelve months ago was taking place in the NSW State League.
The Raiders positive start to the campaign has been whittled away somewhat, given they have managed just one point from their last twelve to tumble to 9th spot in the competition. Given the quagmire of teams towards the middle of the ladder, they will be hoping for three points to close the gap on their opponents who currently sit 3rd on 24 points.
Even though St George City FA have much to gloat about given their first season in the Playstation NPL 3, a draw and a loss in the past fortnight – along with 8 goals conceded – could be signs of concern, so expect a tighter defensive effort this time around, and maybe a similar result to the first round 0-0 draw between the two sides.
Fraser Park entertain Stanmore Hawks at Fraser Park on Saturday night at 7-00pm, in a match that showcases two teams with stern defensive structures.
Fraser Park have the best defensive record in the division, with only 7 goals conceded, whilst Stanmore have only leaked the one goal in the past four matches, which has helped them pick up 10 points out of 12.
Fraser Park will be keen to get back on the paddock after missing last week because of the rain, and in the process dropping to 2nd spot behind Rydalmere Lions. Stanmore Hawks on the other hand have climbed to equal 5th on the ladder on 20 points, but we’ll see if they are the real deal in this test against one of the league’s heavyweights.
Fraser Park won the corresponding fixture back in Round Two by 4-1, with Tai Smith scoring twice along with Ben Vidaic and Nick Dimitropoulos, but odds are the final result will be a lot closer this time around.
League leaders, Rydalmere Lions, host Sydney University at Rydalmere Park at 7-00pm on Saturday, looking to continue their rich goal scoring form in recent weeks, and in fact, the whole season.
The Lions took the highly respected St George City FA to the cleaners last week in a comprehensive showing, making it eight goals in two weeks after scoring 3 against the Tigers the previous Sunday.
Sydney University have hit a wall of late, with only a point against the Mariners to show from their past three weeks, a period which has included losses against Fraser Park and Gladesville Ryde Magic.
It doesn’t get any easier this week away against the competition’s leaders, and they will have to put up a better showing if they are to avoid being caught by the four teams sitting below them on the ladder, all of whom are within a victory of catching the ‘students’.
Two teams coming off the back of wins last week will go head to head in the only Sunday afternoon match, with Gladesville Ryde Magic welcoming Inter Lions to Magdala Park for a 3-00pm kick off.
Gladesville took an eternity to get going this season, but they look well and truly on their way to bigger things, unbeaten in their past five matches now, with two wins and three draws.
Even though they are in 8th position on the competition ladder, Magic have climbed to 18 points, and are only six points from third spot. Their defence has been solid all year, but it’s only now that they have been getting the results they so craved, with their attack starting to find the net with regularity.
Inter Lions themselves have had a disappointingly inconsistent season by their own standards, however they are on 15 points, only three behind Magic, and a win here will well and truly give them the impetus to make a charge towards a finals position.
Dario Villante grabbed the only goal of the match back on March 19 in Round Two to give Inter Lions a valuable win – expect a similar battle this time around at Magdala.
