Round 2 Preview – League Three Men’s
Round 2 of the Football NSW League Three Men’s is set to get underway this weekend, with some fascinating clashes scheduled across the weekend.
Parramatta FC will be facing South Coast Flame as both sides look for their first win of the season, while Fraser Park will begin their campaign against Newcastle Jets in a one versus two matchup from last season.
Hurstville will play UNSW at Penshurst Park, while Camden Tigers vs Prospect United and Western Rage vs Hawkesbury City will see off the four games falling at 7:00pm on Saturday.
Parramatta FC vs South Coast Flame – Saturday, 5:00pm, Melita Stadium
Parramatta FC will be facing South Coast Flame in a crunch match at Melita Stadium to begin the weekend, with both sides looking for their first win of the campaign.
Parramatta was downed 4-0 by Newcastle Jets last season, with a comprehensive first-half performance seeing Newcastle take a 3-0 lead at halftime, before adding another just after the resumption of play.
South Coast meanwhile played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Western Rage, and are welcoming back six regulars to the squad.
Flame is likely to be fielding a more experienced side this weekend after a positive opening to the season, with Jack Balmorth the key in from suspension.
South Coast feel they dropped two points last week and will be looking to gain victory over Parramatta to made amends on Saturday evening to kick off round 2 of League Three Men’s.
Fraser Park vs Newcastle Jets – Saturday, 7:00pm, Fraser Park
Fraser Park will be taking on Newcastle Jets on Saturday 7pm to open their season after the away side put four past Parramatta FC in the first game of their campaign.
Fraser has formed a new-look squad this year, with Emanuel Pais taking over the reins as head coach.
Pais has played a part in the development of the likes of exciting A-League Men talents Al Hassan Toure, Mohammed Toure and Kusini Yengi, but has stated that no big signings have been made for the squad this campaign as they look to secure a top-four spot.
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets coach Daniel McBreen is no stranger to the Australian football scene, having played 114 A-League Men matches and 9 ALM finals matches across six seasons.
Newcastle’s progressive brand of football has worked a treat in their opening game this season and will be going up against a Fraser side who had their last game washed out due to the torrential rain experienced in Sydney.
The goalscorers for the Jets last weekend were Joshua Benson, Archie Goodwin, Matthew Buettner and Adam Zervas – all of which resemble fantastic young prospects for the future.
The clash is a 1st vs 2nd matchup from last year and promises to be a fascinating affair at Fraser Park on Saturday night.
Hurstville FC vs UNSW FC – Saturday, 7:00pm, Penshurst Park
USNW FC will be looking to bounce back from their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Hawkesbury City in a tough away match against Hurstville FC.
Hurstville opened their new stadium with a victory over Camden Tigers, featuring goals from Jesse Gagro and Jacob Botic.
Impressive performances from substitutions Yianni Nioplias and juan Esteban Puentes Botero will pose a threat for UNSW, who are looking to rectify a few errors this week according to coach Gabe Knowles, while they have the possibility of bringing one or two players back into the squad from their extended injury list.
Meanwhile, Hurstville is preparing for a difficult game, and are looking to build on their win and make it two wins in a row to begin the season but are wary of UNSW bouncing back from their defeat in round 1.
Hurstville will be without the suspended Nicholas Marco followed a red card sustained late on against Camden, while captain Paul Gagro is still suffering from a swollen ankle and will be monitoring it throughout the week.
UNSW still remain with multiple players out due to injury, along with the four sustained in the match against Hawkesbury.
Camden Tigers vs Prospect United – Saturday, 7:00pm, Ron Dine Stadium
Prospect United will be opening their season away to Camden Tigers at Ron Dine Stadium after a bye last week.
Prospect has deemed the clash against Camden a tough contest as expected, but coach Darren Camilleri has stated it as a challenge they will be ready for.
Meanwhile, Camden will be looking to bounce back after a 2-1 defeat to Hurstville last weekend, where a red card in the 63rd minute after a red card from Bailey Simpson changed the complexion of the match.
Dean Mugridge was a bright spark for Camden throughout the match and could be the difference for them again on Saturday night.
Prospect isn’t facing any long term injuries with just one or two niggles to deal with, while Camden will have Simpson suspended for the match.
Western Rage vs Hawkesbury City – Saturday, 7:00pm, Blacktown City Sports Centre
Western Rage will complete the quadruple of Saturday 7:00pm matches for the weekend, taking on Hawkesbury City at Blacktown City Sports Centre.
Greg Carluccio has cited the Hawkesbury match as a tough fixture against a well-drilled team who like a battle, while classily wishing the area all the best after the recent suffrage with floods.
“We anticipate it to be a fast and an open encounter with many goalscoring opportunities.
“We look forward to playing them and wish them all the best during another rough time the area is having with floods.
“It will be a great opportunity to spend 90 minutes on the pitch where we can all focus on football and move away from the tough times surrounding us.”
The Rage will be welcoming back two key players who couldn’t make the squad during round 1, while as of Monday there were no injuries to report.
Meanwhile, Hawkesbury will be looking for their second win of the season in two games against Rage, after an exciting 3-2 win over UNSW to kick off their season.
Bye: Nepean FC
By NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
