Round 2 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

Our latest fix of the 2021 NPL 3 NSW Men’s competition will soon be upon us as we examine all the fixtures coming our way in round 2.

A mouth watering grand final replay between Rydalmere Lions FC and Bankstown City FC is the pick of the bunch.

Will Rydalmere further condemn Bankstown to another defeat? Or will they finally get their revenge?

Read on to see the latest in depth analysis of all the matches set to be played across a jampacked weekend.

Round 2 kicks off at Pluim Park at 5pm on Saturday as Central Coast United entertain Dunbar Rovers.

The home side sit top of the table following last weekend’s stellar second half performance which saw them beat Sydney Uni 4-1.

Josh Swadling will be the man to watch this weekend after he notched a brace against the ‘students’ last time out.

A 1-1 stalemate for Dunbar in their first match at home to the Rams means that they will be going in search of their maiden victory come Saturday.

The eastern suburbs outfit are always a threat going forward with Tod Bamber and Conor Earley continuing to torment oppositions’ defences.

Inter Lions FC make the trip to Arlington Oval to face off against Dulwich Hill FC at 7pm on Saturday.

Inter counted themselves unlucky not to snatch all three points from the 10 men of Rydalmere last time out.

John Theo’s men appeared fluid in attack but were unable to land the much needed sucker punch as they settled for a 0-0 draw.

Their upcoming opponents proved to be far more clinical in front of goal as they claimed an invaluable 2-0 win at the Berries.

Another three points this weekend would be an almighty start for a side who struggled for consistency last season.

There will be another derby taking place at Jensen Park on Saturday night as Bankstown United FC go head to head against Canterbury Bankstown FC at 6:30pm.

United appear to be a reinvigorated side after a disappointing 2020 season.

New signing Ali Nasreddine foiled countless Lions’ attacks last weekend while Blake Tuxford was a calming presence between the sticks as he pulled off save after save to keep his side in the encounter.

Canterbury Bankstown were made to rue for their wasted chances against Dully and will be eager to open their season account come Saturday.

Two sides targeting their first three points of the campaign will meet at Lynwood Park as Macarthur Rams FC host Inner West Hawks FC at 7pm.

In unsurprising fashion, it was Peter Yannopoulos who scored the Hawks’ first goal of the season last time out, but it was not enough as they were outdone by Magic.

The Rams however put on a positive showing as they pushed Dunbar to the limits in their draw at Heffron Park.

New recruit Anthony Haddad will be aiming to add to his goal tally this weekend as Jason Breton’s side hope to make the home advantage count in their favour.

The grand final replay is finally upon us as reigning champions Rydalmere Lions FC welcome Bankstown City FC to Rydalmere Park at 7pm.

Just over five months to the day since Rydalmere landed the crushing blow on Bankstown in a thrilling end to the 2020 showcase event.

A Jamie Craig winner in the sixth minute of second half stoppage time condemned City to grand final heartache in the worst possible manner.

Will this be their time to seek revenge? A share of the spoils in the Bankstown derby has warmed them up well for the occasion while a back to the walls performance from Rydalmere at Majors Bay Reserve shows that they still have plenty in the tank.

The standalone Sunday fixture will see Gladesville Ryde Magic take on Sydney University SFC at Christie Park with kick off scheduled for 5pm.

A business like performance saw Magic do just enough to overcome the Hawks in their opening fixture with the trusted source of their goals, Michael Gaitatzis, popping up with the winner.

A Harry Quirk red card was always going to make life difficult for the ‘students’ as they went into damage control in the second half of their 4-1 defeat against the Pirates.

The one silver lining from that clash was seeing Peter Crevani open his account for the side.

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