Round 8 – National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s

With over a quarter of the season completed, the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition ladder is starting to take some sort of shape as we approach Round Eight this weekend.

The top two remain undefeated whilst the bottom two have yet to register a win, whilst in between, ten points separates 3^rd place and 3^rd last place – so teams can propel themselves upwards quite easily if they can string together a couple of successive wins.

Round Eight commences at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, where Dunbar Rovers will be aiming for their third successive victory against Fraser Park as they look to consolidate their spot in the top half of the ladder. Ryan Shaughnessy has been the go to man of late, netting four goals from an attacking midfield position and often involved in most of his side’s attacking forays.

Three goals in the first 21 minutes last weekend would suggest Fraser Park have got plenty to offer, but a leaky defence saw them come unstuck against Granville, and they’ll be keen to go one step better this Saturday with a view to singing their victory song for the first time this season.

The high flying Hawkesbury City entertain Stanmore Hawks at David Bertenshaw Field on Saturday, the match scheduled for a 5-30pm start.

Whilst many have been waiting for the wheels to fall off for Hawkesbury, the Hawks have been going from strength to strength, with the side remaining undefeated and sitting equal first on the ladder. If you do not concede goals you will seldom lose matches, and the Hawks have only copped four goals this year, with skipper, Daniel Schwarzer, and young deputy, Alex Gornall, the keepers spear heading a defensive structure that has repelled most attacks so far.

Stanmore Hawks have suffered a couple of heavy defeats over the past fortnight, conceding 9 goals and dropping to 10^th spot on the ladder in the process, so they’ll be fired up to get back on track and sneak in to the top half of the ladder.

Dulwich Hill welcome the visit of Sydney University on Saturday night for a 7pm kick off, hoping to continue their recent momentum and try and register their third win on the bounce.

Now that Ben Vidaic has started to find the net, Dully have climbed to 6^th place, and have their eye on bridging that gap between the teams above them with another three points this week.

Sydney University have been spluttering along at best, and will need a positive result if they are to avoid losing touch with the top half of the league. This will be the third time the ‘students’ have visited Arlington Oval this season, with the previous two both ending in defeats – 1-3 to Stanmore and 1-2 to Hawkesbury – so will it be a case of ‘third time lucky’ for Sydney University?

Something will have to give at Fraser Park on Saturday night when Inter Lions host the visit of the Western NSW Mariners at 7pm.

Both sides have struggled for wins since the start of the campaign, with one solitary victory between the clubs, that being Inter’s 1-0 triumph over Rage on the opening day of the season.

After two successive and promising draws recently, the Mariners have had two successive losses, conceding a worrying 14 goals, with 7 alone in the second half of last week’s defeat at the hands of St George City FA.

Expect plenty of application and desperation in this battle as both sides look to get away from the base of the competition ladder.

Expect an arm wrestle at Garside Park on Saturday night when Granville Rage meet Camden Tigers at 7pm.

Big wins over Fraser Park and Stanmore Hawks over the past two weeks have not only propelled the Rage on to 9 points, but have them playing with confidence, having scored 9 goals across those two games.

But Camden have proven more than a formidable opponent for anyone this season. Dean Mugridge had the Tigers ahead at half time against the league leaders last week, and even though Nicholas Mugridge also found the net late in the match, they lost narrowly to show they can mix it with the best.

Both teams have three wins and nine points on the ladder, so with very little separating the sides, expect a tense affair on Saturday night.

What looms as a battle royale will take place at Jubilee Oval on Saturday night, with St George City FA welcoming SD Raiders for a 7pm kick off.

The history between the two sides goes back a few seasons when both did battle in the State League, before being jointly promoted last year, and finishing 3^rd and 4^th respectively in their maiden seasons in the NPL 3 Men’s competition.

After an inconspicuous start to 2018, St George City have begun to well and truly hit their straps, climbing to 3^rd position and 14 points on the back of three successive wins, scoring 17 goals in the process. Synonymous with their form has been the form of Geoffry Lino, the big striker now having netted 8 goals as he steers his side in the front third.

SD Raiders have suffered contrasting fortunes to that of St George City FA, having started the season on fire, with four wins from their opening five games, but having come unstuck in their most recent two outings, losing 1-3 to Dully and 0-1 to Hawkesbury. The Raiders are now in 4^th spot on the ladder on 13 points, one behind their match opponents, and will be out to get back on track with a win away from home.

The two sides have netted 47 goals between them this year, with St George’s 24 one ahead of the Raiders 23, so expect plenty of movement and frenzied action in the from third as these two heavyweights battle for supremacy on Saturday night.

The final match of the round is also the only match being played on Sunday, with Gladesville Ryde Magic meeting Bankstown City Lions at 3pm at Christie Park.

Following a great start to the season, Gladesville failed to win in three successive matches, so their 3-1 triumph over Inter Lions last week was a welcome return to the winners circle, moving Magic to 13 points and equal 4^th spot on the ladder.

Bankstown City Lions keep on, keeping on at the top, their 5^th win of the season last weekend helping them remain at the helm, as well as undefeated, with Ante Tomic’s 10 goals a major reason for their success thus far.

One player that won’t take to the field will be club skipper Nikola Todoroski who will be sidelined for several weeks due to injury.

But the Lions will face a stern test this Sunday, given Gladesville Ryde Magic have plenty of ‘big hitters’ of their own, players who have been there and done that at a high level, and players who relish the challenge and pressure and big matches.