Round 3 Preview – League One Men’s
Round three of the FNSW League One Men’s season sees our first Super Saturday of the season with eight fixtures to take place on the one night.
Our match of the round takes us to Jensen Park for Canterbury Bankstown taking on Inter Lions. While elsewhere Northern Tigers against Hills United looks to be the pick of action elsewhere.
Match of the Round: Canterbury Bankstown v Inter Lions; Saturday 22 February, 7pm, Jensen Park
Taking a break from our tour of new or returning teams, Canterbury Bankstown host Inter Lions at Jensen Park, Saturday evening.
Both these sides won their round two fixtures with Canterbury Bankstown winning their second straight game while Inter Lions bounced back from a round one defeat.
Our hosts Canterbury Bankstown provided the surprise of the season so far with a 2-1 victory over Bulls FC Academy last weekend. A promising start to the season, they are reaping the benefits of a more settled pre-season not losing as many players.
Key players for them here will be Christian Torrelli and Demitrius Kigeya who both have pace in transition to prove a handful for any defence. While John Fotopoulos was also key in their round two win over the Bulls scoring direct from a corner. A real positive start to the season, they will be confident of making it three from three in this one.
After a round one defeat to Newcastle Jets, Inter Lions showed some bounce back ability to win their round two fixture against Rydalmere Lions. Three goals shortly after the half time break gave them the three points to take them up to seventh heading into the weekend.
In communication with FNSW after the match, coach Shane Cevenini credited a full team performance on the night with both Nicola Kuleski and Seabastian Portolesi both finding the back of the net. If we are to look outside the goalscorers for players to watch, Mitchell Smith has flourished in this league before so keep an eye out for him.
You can catch this one on the Football NSW youtube page under the live tab.
Northern TIgers v Hills United; Saturday 22 February, 6:30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
Two unbeaten sides across the first two rounds face off as Northern Tigers host Hills United at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
Northern Tigers we able to flex their muscles last weekend in their 4-0 win over Mounties Wanderers. A couple of tactical adjustments at half time paid off with four different goal-scorers finding the back of the net.
An important element of that win not touched on yet was a penalty save by Bodie Denton in the second half. While they also possess extra options to change the game from the bench in Olivier Beltran-Woodward and Daisuke Yamaguchi.
Hills United had a win of a different sorts to their hosts last weekend. Overcoming Bonnyrigg White Eagles 2-1 at Valentine Sports Park, They soaked up some pressure before taking the lead via the penalty spot.
In terms of stand outs, keeper Ryan Wood was mentioned alongside Rainer Smahael, Marcus Lal and Walid Moutaouakkil so they are our players to watch in this one.
Newcastle Jets v UNSW FC; Saturday 22 February, 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
After a season without meeting each other, Newcastle Jets host UNSW FC in a pretty big game up at Lake Macquarie.
This game stands as a good marker for the Newcastle Jets this season after a strong start with back-to-back wins. Yes, things have started well for the academy side with victories over Inter Lions at home in round one followed by a win in last weeks match of the round over Blacktown Spartans.
Their opponents UNSW FC ran rampant over Dulwich Hill last weekend over at the Village Green. They scored three times in the opening 20 minutes before going on to win 5-1. That following a loss to Bonnyrigg White Eagles the week prior.
So who do we look out for in this one? Ethan Debono played well in the Spartans game scoring their first goal while Lucas Johnson could well add firepower off the bench again.
For the students, both Jack Fulton and Kevin Lopes are players to look out for in front of goal while there are quite a few players still building fitness after a disrupted pre-season.
Quickfire Previews
Rydalmere Lions v Hakoah FC; Saturday 22 February, 5pm, Rydalmere Park
Chasing their first win of the season, Rydalmere Lions return home this weekend after a disappointing result against Inter Lions last weekend. We’ve got to be honest, we heard nothing from their camp last weekend after their defeat but I’m sure lessons would have been learnt and they’ll be keen to respond here. Ethan Thomas scored their first goal of the season last weekend.
Hakoah FC tasted defeat at the hands of SD Raiders last weekend. Starting slowly in that one, they did well to play themselves back into the fixture with a Cam Philpot goal their reward. The defeat coming after they conceded two goals in the final ten minutes. Alongside Philpot, their defence led by Mitchell Knight and Connor Shaddock will be crucial here.
Macarthur Rams v SD Raiders; Saturday 22 February, 5pm, Lambert Park
Macarthur Rams will be looking to bounce back from their round two defeat to Bankstown City here. They played well in the first half but didn’t quite take advantage when they got the ball into dangerous areas. Reason for encouragement, they will be looking to continue on their upward trend in their performances.
They will need to be close to their best however with SD Raiders coming into this one having won both their games. They scored twice late to overcome Hakoah FC away from home at Hensley Athletic. Both Noah Chianese and Lachlan Mcgrath have scored in both their games so they’ll lead the attack. They are yet to put a full 90 together which stands as a potentially scary prospect for teams going forward.
Dulwich Hill v Blacktown Spartans; Saturday 22 February, 7pm, Arlington Oval
Last week was a harsh reality check for Dulwich Hill against UNSW FC. They were out of the contest within the opening 20 minutes conceding three goals. The second half did see improvement with changes made at half time which could see some personnel change approaching this one. One of who in Daniel Fornito did find the back of the net.
Blacktown Spartans couldn’t quite match it with Newcastle Jets last weekend in our match of the round. They showed enough to suggest they’ll be able to pick up a result in this one with Aedon Kyra and Suleyman Bangura in particular having their chances throughout. While goal scorer Emmanuel Dolo could be pressing for a starting spot.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Mounties Wanderers; Saturday 22 February, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Returning home after a narrow defeat against Hills United, Bonnyrigg have a confidence that they will bounce back in this one. They played their way back into the fixture after conceding an early penalty before another lapse of concentration. Shout out to Tristian Vidic who scored a last minute screamer though.
They face a Mounties Wanderers side who have struggled on their return to the division. Yet to find the back of the net, they will look back on their first half performance against Northern Tigers for encouragement heading into this one. They will need to put in a 90 minute performance to get reward here.
Bulls FC Academy v Bankstown City; Saturday 22 February, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
Not the start that Bulls FC Academy had in mind, they have yet to secure a point in the 2025 competition. Last weekend, they suffered defeat at the hands of Canterbury Bankstown at this same venue. Holding a lot of possession, they were a bit susceptible in transition defence. Atiya Waraga scoring both their goals so far this season.
Bankstown CIty found a way to win in their round two fixture with Macarthur Rams at home. A result which hopefully kick starts their season, Jamie Masson was the hero scoring a free kick with ten minutes left in the fixture. While it was a first clean sheet for Mario Aleksik this season.
By Justin Smith
