Round 16 Preview – State League Men’s

Will we have a new competition leader? who will drop out of the top four? and whose hunt for a finals’ place will come to an end? Round 16 of the Men’s State League Competition will provide answers to the questions on every fan’s lips.

Wagga City Wanderers (9^th) vs Hurstville FC (5^th) – Saturday 3pm

Hurstville FC have breathed new life in the finals’ race in recent weeks, with two emphatic victories over fellow top four rivals, Nepean and UNSW.

This spectacular return to form has been highlighted by the stellar defensive work of captain Andrew Harb, ably supported by Patrick Lloyd, Marko Banic and Michael Karagiannis.

With UNSW playing away to competition leader’s Bankstown, Hurstville know that a victory in this match could see them sneak into the top four for the first time since round 6.

Wagga City are a young side, brimming with enthusiasm and desire. Coach Ben Schmid will be hoping a vocal home crowd at their spiritual home, Gissing Oval, might provide his side the impetus needed to claim a shock upset and derail Hurstville FC’s season.

Prospect United (6^th) vs Hurstville City Minotaurs (7^th) – Saturday 5pm – Match of the Round

Quite simply, this is do or die.

Currently occupying 6^th and 7^th position on the table, both sides remain in the hunt for a top four place but cannot afford to drop any points in the final rounds or risk seeing their finals’ chances extinguished.

And the parallels don’t stop there.

Both sides come into this game off the back of convincing 3-0 wins in round 15. They’ve both won 2 of their past 3 games, and they’ve both claimed the impressive scalp of UNSW in recent weeks.

But at the end of this match, one team’s finals’ chances will be over, whilst the other keeps their top four dream alive.

A truly tantalising clash, one that fans of the Men’s State League competition will not want to miss.

Bankstown United FC (1^st) vs UNSW (4^th) – Saturday 7pm

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

After combining for an incredible run of 13 matches unbeaten, UNSW and Bankstown’s form has disappeared faster than Harold Holt.

UNSW have lost 3 of their last 4 games.

Whilst their performance against Hurstville FC last round threatened to return to the form that fuelled their unbeaten run, UNSW conceded a late goal which ultimately decided the game – another example of how key moments go against you when you are struggling for form.

Bankstown are a team that know all about struggling for form.

Like a brave, but naïve rider surging out in front of the chasing peloton, Bankstown raced to a 5-point lead atop the competition table, just 3 weeks ago.

But two defeats in a row against teams in the chasing pack have reeled United back in and they are in danger of being engulfed by a peloton of teams gathering momentum.

The stakes could not be higher for each side.

If Bankstown lose, they will almost certainly surrender first place on the table and slide back into the scramble for a top four spot.

For UNSW, a loss will likely see them drop out of the top four altogether. With both Hurstville sides and Prospect nipping at their heels, they cannot afford to drop points in this fixture, or risk undoing all the positive work generated by their, now very distant, unbeaten streak.

FC Gazy Auburn (10^th) vs Nepean FC (3^rd) – Sunday 3pm

Nepean will be keeping a close eye on the result of Bankstown vs UNSW on Saturday night, knowing they have a unique opportunity to take advantage of any dropped points from either side.

Coach Magdy Andrawes will expect three points in this match, against a team devoid of confidence.

In stark contrast, Nepean are a team bursting with belief.

Joel Bayubahe has formed a lethal combination with strike partner Clement Waoci, and Robert Polistina is expertly orchestrating attacks and pulling the strings from midfield. They have scored the fewest amount of goals of all teams in the top 7, but expect that to change in the run in towards the finals as Nepean look to have timed their run to perfection.

FC Gazy doggedly held their own against Camden for 45 minutes last week, but fell away sharply in the second half. If they can repeat their first half performance across the entire match, they could cause Nepean a real problem in this fixture.

Western Condors FC (8^th) vs Camden Tigers FC (2^nd) – Sunday 3pm

In life, there are 3 guarantees. Death, taxes, and Camden scoring a bucket load of goals.

Their recent exploits have seen them amass a whopping 19 goals in just 5 games.

Worryingly for Western Condors, the 48 goals they have conceded this season have come at an average of 3.2 a game.

That is a concerning statistic when you are about to play the most unforgiving attack in the league.

But Camden’s defensive record isn’t as glamorous as their attack.

The 23 goals conceded this season is the worst of all top 5 teams.

Expect goals in this match as two teams who are all too familiar with scoring and conceding goals go head to head to conclude round 16 of the Men’s State League competition.

Form Guide:

Camden Tigers (W,W,W)

Prospect United (W,W,D)

Hurstville FC (W,W,L)

Hurstville City Minotaurs (W,W,L)

Nepean FC (W,L,W)

Western Condors (L,W,L)

Bankstown United (L,L,W)

UNSW (L,L,W)

FC Gazy Auburn (L,L,D)

Wagga City Wanderers (L, L, L)

–          By Ryan Latty