Round 10 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

NPL 3 - Round 3 Hawkesbury FC v Parramatta FC 


{Photos by Jeff Walsh @QuarrieSports for @FootballNSW}

Buckle up for another entertaining weekend of football as we clock over into round 10 of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.

As we fast approach the halfway point of the season, a heavyweight clash between SD Raiders and Stanmore Hawks headlines this weekend’s lot of fixtures.

Parramatta FC will meet Bankstown City FC at Melita Stadium at 6:30pm on Saturday night.

With just two wins from their first nine fixtures, Parramatta have endured a nightmare start to their first season back in the NPL 3.

The Eagles have suffered five defeats on the bounce heading into Saturday’s fixture with their most recent win coming against last placed Western NSW Mariners.

Whereas their opposition Bankstown City have been in sparkling form of late. The free scoring Lions have enjoyed a fairytale run of results recently with the deadly duo of Nikola Todoroski and Ante Tomic having contributed to 17 out of their 29 goals this campaign.

The Lions would be the last team that Parramatta would be wishing to play at this turbulent time with the visitors at risk of causing a blow out this Saturday.

Both Inter Lions FC and Camden Tigers FC will be desperate for the three points when they face off at Valentine Sports Park No.3 at 6:30pm on Saturday night.

This will be a third consecutive match at home for Inter Lions with the hosts having tasted a victory and defeat throughout that period.

A second half collapse saw Inter stare down the barrel of a 4-0 defeat in their encounter against SD Raiders last Sunday however they will believe that they have what it takes to get over the line against 12th placed Camden Tigers.

The Tigers have collected back to back draws in their last two fixtures against Stanmore Hawks and Granville Rage respectively and will believe that they are due for a win this weekend.

Dulwich Hill FC play host to Granville Rage at Arlington Oval at 7pm on Saturday night.

Dulwich Hill secured the three points in their encounter against Dunbar last week after a barren run of results which saw them drop to 7th on the league table at one point.

Rage have collected just two points from their last five fixtures and are the competition’s lowest scorers, still in the single digits with eight goals from their eight matches.

A breathtaking contest will take centre stage at Ernie Smith Reserve as SD Raiders FC go head to head with Stanmore Hawks FC on Saturday night at 7pm.

Raiders have bounced back well since their shock thumping against Bankstown City in round six and have registered back to back 4-0 wins in their last two matches against Granville and Inter.

Depending on the result of their catch-up game against Rage on Wednesday night, Stanmore could arrive at Ernie Smith as league leaders.

The Hawks are the only side who boast an unbeaten record in the league, and they will need to replicate the kind of performance that saw them knock off high flying Gladesville Ryde Magic last Saturday.

Two sides vying for a spot in the top five go head to head on Saturday at Jensen Park with Bankstown United FC hosting Dunbar Rovers FC at 7pm.

United’s 5-1 capitulation against Sydney University last time out saw their three-game winning streak end abruptly.

The home side currently sit one place above their opponents in 6th position and will be hoping that Jensen Park acts as a fortress for them this weekend.

Dunbar have had their moments this season however they have been few and far between with just three wins to date.

The visitors biggest problem this campaign has been keeping focused for the full 90 minutes and the fact that they have recorded the most draws out of any team this season with four stalemates demonstrates their inability to kill off games.

Western NSW Mariners venture out to Sydney University Football Ground this Saturday as they come up against Sydney University SFC at 7pm.

Sydney Uni’s last two fixtures saw them face both Bankstown outfits with the ‘students’ succumbing to a 5-1 defeat against the Lions just under a fortnight ago before they dished out the same score line to United in last week’s rout.

Rock bottom with just the solitary win this campaign, Western will be coming up against a Sydney Uni outfit who will be looking to carry on with the fine form they displayed last time out.

With Uni having the equal second worst defence in the league, the visitors should at least expect to get on the score sheet in this encounter.

Gladesville Ryde Magic and Hawkesbury City FC wrap up round 10 when they meet at Christie Park No.1 on Sunday afternoon at 3pm.

Magic’s form has faltered of late with two defeats from their last two away fixtures. Two late goals against Stanmore last Saturday was a cruel ending to what was a relatively even affair and they will be eager to return to the winner’s circle this Sunday.

Hawkesbury have struggled to maintain their groove this season, finding it difficult to back up their performances week in, week out.

A win against Magic would prove a massive scalp for the Hawks however the hosts’ record against opposition outside the top five speaks for itself with all six of their victories coming against sides in the bottom half of the table.

-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)