Round 9 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Several blockbuster ties await us in round nine of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition with the league leader’s credentials set to be put under the spotlight.
The round kicks off in the eastern suburbs of Sydney at 3pm before two fixtures take place later that afternoon; three more matches will commence at 7pm that night while the sole encounter on Sunday night will conclude round nine.
Dunbar Rovers welcome Dulwich Hill to Hensley Athletic Field in the 3pm kick off on Saturday afternoon.
Dunbar have been consistent achievers of late with the eastern suburbs outfit undefeated in the league since their opening round loss to Parramatta.
Currently in 6th place on the ladder they arrive into this fixture after back to back wins against Sydney University and Western NSW Mariners.
Dulwich Hill have suffered an alarming dip in form of late with consecutive defeats leaving them one position behind Saturday’s opponents.
Parramatta FC will travel to David Bertenshaw Field on Saturday afternoon as they go head to head with Hawkesbury City FC at 5:30pm.
Hawkesbury have struggled to find any form of consistency this season with two victories sprinkled in between their three defeats over their last five fixtures.
Last week’s defeat to SD Raiders came at an even greater cost for the Hawks as key personnel succumbed to injuries throughout that encounter.
Parramatta arrive into this contest after four straight defeats which has left them in second last on the league table.
A spirited showing against league leaders Gladesville Ryde Magic would have acted as a small boost for the Eagles and if they are able to replicate such a performance this weekend then they could be in with a good shout for claiming the win on Saturday.
Strugglers Western NSW Mariners play host to Bankstown City FC at Proctor Park this Saturday with proceedings set to get underway from 5:30pm.
A controversial red card for Western in last weekend’s match against Dunbar forced a back to the walls performance from the home side and despite the loss there were plenty of positives to take away as well as lessons learnt for Mark Rooke’s side.
Opponents Bankstown have been riding a wave of late with three convincing wins on the trot which has seen them score a standout 14 goals in the process.
They will be relishing the trip to Bathurst as they prepare to face the leakiest defence in the competition.
A highly entertaining clash is set to take place at Arlington Oval as Stanmore Hawks FC go to battle against Gladesville Ryde Magic at 7pm on Saturday night.
The Hawks will still be reeling from their surprise 3-3 draw to Camden last round which saw them give away a three-goal lead.
They will need to be switched on for the whole 90 minutes this time around and be hoping that their leading goalscorer Peter Yannopoulos has his shooting boots on this weekend.
Saturday’s visitors returned to business last week at home when they registered a slim 1-0 win over Parramatta however a trip to Arlington Oval could see them come unstuck with Arlington becoming somewhat of a fortress for Stanmore.
Granville Rage will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Camden Tigers FC to Garside Park at 7pm on Saturday night.
Week in, week out Granville have been apart of the lowest scoring fixtures. They have found goals hard to come by with six goals from their first six games however they can be proud of the fact that they have conceded only eight times throughout those matches.
All seemed lost for Camden in last week’s contest against the Hawks but an inspiring second half performance saw them share the points and they will no doubt enter this clash with plenty of confidence.
Surprise package Bankstown United FC will meet Sydney University SFC at Jensen Park this Saturday at 7pm.
United’s form of late has been nothing short of spectacular with three straight wins in their last three encounters.
Their incredible form has in part been thanks to playmaker Eros Bergamin and striker Mitch Cross who has weighed in with six goals so far this campaign.
Conversely, opponents Sydney Uni have endured a wretched run of results and will be staring down the barrel of four straight defeats if they fall to Bankstown this weekend.
An away fixture may come as slight relief for the ‘students’ after they shipped a concerning 10 goals in their last two home games.
Captain Scott Tonkin will be keen to return to the scoresheet this Saturday with the powerful number nine tending to have a big say on the overall performance of his side.
Inter Lions FC will need to be at their best this Sunday night at Valentine Sports Park No.3 as they look to take all three points from their fixture at 6:30pm against SD Raiders FC.
A dominant display in their last outing against Dulwich Hill saw Inter Lions seal a surprise victory and they will again need something similar if they are to overcome their opponents this Sunday.
Raiders have recovered well since their round six mauling against Bankstown City with Nick Carle’s men firmly placed in the top five as the ladder begins to take shape.
This tie will most likely guarantee goals so keep an eye out for Inter’s Goncalo Paradanta and Raiders’ Anthony Proia as both players look to path the way to victory for their respective teams.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
