Round 1 Preview – League One Men’s

a close up of a sign

As the countdown to the FNSW League One Men’s season switches from days to hours, let’s take a look at our round one fixtures to take place this weekend.

Match of the Round: Macarthur Rams v Hills United; Saturday 8th February, 6:30pm, Albert Butler Memorial Park

Our first streamed game of the season takes us down the South Coast as Macarthur Rams “host” Hills United at Albert Butler Memorial Park.

Both these sides have a new look to them in 2025 so there will be plenty of intrigue come Saturday afternoon.

We’ll start with the hosts where a lot of the change have occurred on the park in the off season. A busy window saw them bring in plenty of new faces including John Roberts who brings in plenty of experience in the attacking third, pacey winger Jayden Tran and the visa signing of Carlos Ruiz.

While at the other end, the leadership team of captain Alex Gollan and vice-captain Joseph Esposito will lead their defence. This very much looks like an improved Macarthur Rams outfit and coach Tom Bazdaric will be hoping his side can get off to the best possible start in the season opener.

Hills United come into the season with a new outlook and new coach in tow. Having had a mixed preseason, then coach Luke Casserly was happy with how the group came together. And there’s a lot to talk about in their playing ranks approaching this one.

Of most intrigue is the visa signing of Walid Moutaouakkil who comes from France as an attacker. His joined also by Marcus Lal who could be set for a breakthrough season for the club. Plenty of new faces in this team, it will be interesting to see if they click on the park in this one.

You can catch this one and every match of the round this season on the FNSW youtube channel under the live tab.

Rydalmere Lions v Blacktown Spartans; Saturday 8th February, 5pm, Rydalmere Park

After a strong finish to last years season, Rydalmere Lions have the chance to continue that momentum hosting their round one fixture. A youthful squad with a full preseason under the tutelage of Abbas Saad and his coaching team, they’ll look to make the perfect start here.

The big story of the off season for them was the return of Ahmad Taleb to the club after a season away. Taleb a proven goal scorer in the division so he’ll play an important role throughout the campaign.

Blacktown Spartans are relying on an improved squad depth to improve their fortunes in the new campaign. Two players we didn’t touch on in the season preview were Christian Nascimben and Josh Bartolotto who are reenergised after the preseason.

While Sam O’Connor and Justin Biega are two young players who could break through in the season ahead. They had mixed fortunes last season away from home with six wins and as many losses.

SD Raiders v Bankstown City; Saturday 8th February, 5pm, Ernie Smith Reserve

The message from Goran Ljuboja to his SD Raiders side before the season is simple, they need to convert the chances they create and what better time to start than round one?

SD Raiders are one of the more stable sides in the division with just three new players coming into the squad. So expect to see the familiar names here as they look to get off to the best possible start. 31 of their 50 points last season came at this venue.

Their opposition Bankstown City were the only side to score in all thirty of their fixtures last season. Charles Eriku and Luca Cervo are two intriguing signings in the attacking third as they look to continue that run into this season.

Last season they had a lot of joy on the road losing only three of their fifteen games while conceding just 18 goals. This will be a good test as to whether this new look defence can hold up to the same standards

Bonnyrigg White Eagles v UNSW FC; Saturday 8th February, 6pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club

Another season, another set of changes to the Bonnyrigg playing squad as they chase their much coveted promotion. With a point to prove, round one presents a good opportunity to inspire their faithful.

Losing eleven while bringing in nine players, success this season may come down too how quickly they can gel together on the park. Charles Mendy and Aden Gardner are two players to keep an eye on as the season goes on.

Comparatively, UNSW FC have had a rather quiet off season to their hosts. They will have good memories of this fixture last season in which they thumped the hosts 6-1 back in August.

Though the number of new signings is low in quantity, they don’t lack in quality adding Conor Quilligan, Jordan Morfitis, Angus Martins and Liam Wood to their midst. No doubt taking confidence from the back half of last season, they will be looking to make a statement here.

Northern Tigers v Bulls FC Academy; Saturday 8th February, 6:30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area

Preseason has been a good one for Northern Tigers as they prepare to host their first game of the season against Bulls FC Academy.

They have made some impressive signings in the off-season bringing in Jesse Spang, Ryan Attard, Daisuke Yamaguchi and Connor Rose as they push to improve on last years campaign. They are another side looking to continue a positive end to last season.

Nicolai Muller’s competitive coaching debut takes him and his Bulls FC Academy side to North Turramurra Recreation Area this Saturday night.

As seems the go with academy sides more often than not, there’s a fresh set of players set to make an impact on the division with 12 players brought in externally. Andre Parkes and Harry Menham two players who are well known after their stint at the Central Coast Mariners academy.

Dulwich Hill v Hakoah FC; Saturday 8th February, 7pm, Arlington Oval

Making significant improvements in the preseason, there’s a sense of intrigue to see where Dulwich Hill are at coming into the new campaign.

They have made changes both on the field and off it in the break with a new coaching team supporting Tony Valavanis. On the field, Harry Jones looks an impressive pick up from St George and he slots in as vice captain right away.

Hakoah FC’s progression in recent seasons has been a steady build finishing last season in fourth position after a turbulent last few weeks of the season.

This season, they welcome three players to their roster in striker Hristopher Nestovski most recently at Prospect, Luke Kraljevic who will add versatility and both Valentin Cunny and Ben Fuchs. Fuchs making a return to the club after a week off.

Canterbury Bankstown v Mounties Wanderers; Saturday 8th February, 7pm, Jensen Park

Canterbury Bankstown seem in a much better place than they were 12 months ago approaching the 2025 season. Once again under the guidance of Wally Savor, they will be ready for this one.

One player they may miss this season is Taiga Kawano who has made the move to Manly. Look out for Christian Torrelli among others to fill in that vacancy. Scoring two thirds of their total points at home last season, this looks to be an important fixture first up for the Berries.

They face Mounties Wanderers who make their return to the division after a year in League Two last season. They finished the regular season in good form with four wins on the bounce before sliding past Nepean FC in the playoffs.

Coach Jure Bilokapic hasn’t been afraid of making changes to the playing group as they prepare for League One. Most notably bringing in Matthew Nikolovski and Yianni Perkatis amongst others. Wanting to be competitive in every fixture, can they get off to a positive start here.

Newcastle Jets v Inter Lions; Sunday 9th February, 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility

Friday 25th August 2023 was the last time that Newcastle Jets academy tasted defeat in a competitive match. Now a year and a half on, they make their competition debut in League One Men’s.

Damian Zane’s squad hasn’t changed much from last season with the only notable addition being that of Ethan Debono. The Jet’s are looking forward to the challenge of their step up to the second tier, can they get off to a winning start in this one?

Perhaps the club who have undergone the most change of the off season, Inter Lions are preparing for life after the reign of John Theo.

Shane Cevenini is the man chosen to lead their charge this season and the like of Brian Jamba, Mitch Smith and Evan Davis have joined the Lions in the off season. They are a relatively unknown quantity approaching round one, so it will be interesting to see how they fare on their trip up to Lake Macquarie.

By Justin Smith