Round 8 Preview – NPL 2 NSW Men’s

The National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s Premiership battle is heating up as three clear contenders have emerged, and the race for the top four is also very congested.

Buckle up for what is certain to be another round filled with tension, excitement and unpredictability.

Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Blacktown Spartans, 6:00pm Saturday 5 September, Bonnyrigg Sports Club

The round starts with fourth vs fifth, and with both sides aiming to make amends after losses in their most recent game, we should see a close contest between the two stingiest defences in the division.

For the White Eagles, last weekend’s defeat snapped a run of eight consecutive wins at Bonnyrigg Sports Club. However, there was good news as legendary Bonnyrigg defender Sam Gallaway saw his first action of the season, following on from the return of another favourite son in goalkeeper James Chronopoulos the week before. Young forward Joshua Okan looked dangerous against Newcastle and may see more playing time on Saturday.

The Spartans have had the bye week to reflect on their first loss of the campaign. There are good omens for the Rooty Hill outfit as they did the double over the White Eagles in 2019. Lachlan Rose and Joshua Tanner will have fond memories of Bonnyrigg Sports Club as they scored the last time the Spartans visited the south-west Sydney venue, a 2-1 victory in Round 14 last year.

NWS Spirit FC v Newcastle Jets, 7:00pm Saturday 5 September, Christie Park No. 1

Spirit FC will be looking to get back to winning ways against a Jets side that is coming into some decent form.

With a 100% winning record at Christie Park and only one goal conceded in three games, Spirit are certainly tough to beat at home. In Michael Konestabo and Duncan Stewart, the north-west Sydney outfit have a pair of attackers who can both create and score. Players like this make it easy to see why Spirit are the only team to have scored at least twice in all of their 2020 fixtures.

Newcastle have turned it around massively from a defensive standpoint: back-to-back clean sheets after conceding 12 goals in their opening three games. Goalkeeper Noah James deserves a lot of credit, as does the fullback duo of Joseph Langlois and Lucas Mauragis. With at least one game in hand on every other team in the league, the Jets still have an outside chance of finals football despite their lowly table position.

St George FC v Northern Tigers, 7:00pm Saturday 5 September, Ilinden Sports Centre

It’s an exact rematch of a semi-final from 2018: Saints vs Tigers in Rockdale.

After a slow start, St George FC are now on an unbeaten run spanning four games. The Saints performed superbly on Saturday despite the absences of Jacob Bandur and Bradley Bartels – Anthony Morabito (normally a winger) was brilliant at right back, and Musashi Kokubo slotted in seamlessly after Alexander Kyriacou’s early substitution. At the other end of the field, you can’t look past Juan Carlos Romero, especially after he added to his catalogue of worldies against Hills.

The Tigers showed plenty of their own firepower in last weekend’s ruthless display against SD Raiders. A couple of weeks ago, Adam Hett described Ally Brown as the David Silva of the Northern Suburbs when Brown reached 100 1st Grade appearances, and the left-footed playmaker lived up to that with an assist and two goals on Saturday. The kids must be alright in North Turramurra: recently promoted attackers Ollie Scott and Nick Drummond have combined for seven goals this campaign.

SD Raiders v Central Coast Mariners, 7:00pm Saturday 5 September, Ernie Smith Reserve

Central Coast will try and consolidate top spot against an SD Raiders side who need a victory to stay in touch with the top four.

On Saturday, the Raiders were kept scoreless for the first time in 2020. They did however create some decent chances, and with talent like Mathew Barkho, Milan Parenta and Anthony Proia we shouldn’t expect Nick Carle’s side to be shutout often. SD Raiders have only lost one of their last 11 fixtures at Ernie Smith Reserve, so they definitely know how to defend their home turf.

For Mariners sharpshooter Matthew Cahill, it was another two goals on Sunday, making it seven goals for the season and a two goal buffer in the Golden Boot race. Fellow forward Alou Kuol was also on the scoresheet, making for a twosome that will trouble any defence in this league. Playing away from home hasn’t bothered Central Coast: they scored four times in each of their previous two away trips.

Hakoah Sydney City East v St George City FA, 3:00pm Sunday 6 September, Hensley Athletic Field

It’s a tale of two Cities in Eastgardens, and both sides are in must-win territory as far as their finals hopes are concerned.

It was hard times for Hakoah on Sunday, but they can take a small amount of comfort from knowing they’re not the only team to find it difficult against Central Coast. There were positives as Sunny Chang opened his scoring account for the club with a lovely finish. Chang isn’t the only left-footer to keep an eye on: Jack Green threatened the Mariners on more than one occasion and on another day could have found the net.

St George City FA may have some great expectations after wins against top three sides in consecutive weeks. Christopher Arditti has hit the ground running with two goals and an assist in two games, and Troy Danaskos also set up a goal on his return to the side. All four of their remaining fixtures are against the other sides on the bottom five, so there’s still plenty of chance for them to climb the ladder.

Bye: Hills United

Note: The Round 4 match between Hills United and Newcastle Jets has been rescheduled for Wednesday 9 September, 6:45pm at Valentine Sports Park No. 2.

By Eric Subijano (@eric_subijano)