Round 6 Preview – League Two Men’s
Round Six of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s season will see more action, ranging from derbies to teams playing each other in form, to big matches at either end of the table.
The Match of the Round this week will once again focus on two different teams, with Bankstown United FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic looking to pick up wins after respective losses in their last match.
Saturday, 15th March 2025
Match of the Round: Bankstown United FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm at Padstow Park
Last season: Bankstown United FC 3-1 Gladesville Ryde Magic, Gladesville Ryde Magic 0-3 Bankstown United FC
With both Bankstown United FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic looking to bounce back from a loss last week, both sides will hope to put in a performance to be proud of in Round Six.
Last season, Bankstown picked up wins in both head-to-head matches against Gladesville and will hope to win a fourth-straight match against the Magic, while the visitors will hope to reverse their fortunes in this fixture.
Bankstown lost to the current league leaders Parramatta FC after they conceded an 89th minute goal in a 2-1 away loss but will be hopeful of picking up a result this week.
Mitchell Cross scored for a fourth-straight match to start the season and will look to be the main outlet once again for Bankstown – he has scored six goals from his past four head-to-head matches against the Magic and will hope to score for a fifth-straight match against them.
Look for Bankstown to put together a big response from their first loss of the season last week as they look to make the most of their first home match of the season.
Gladesville Ryde Magic, meanwhile, suffered a tight 1-0 loss at home to Dunbar Rovers FC last week and will hope to respond against a Bankstown side they have struggled against in the past few seasons.
They have kept their matches tight this season, keeping two clean sheets and only conceding five goals in five matches but will hope to fire more on the offensive end to take down Bankstown.
The Magic’s last win against Bankstown came at home in the 2023 season where now-head coach Chris Gaitatzis netted against Bankstown – they will hope to put together a strong performance to take down Bankstown.
With both Bankstown and Gladesville looking to get back to winning ways after respective losses, expect there to be plenty of chances in this match as both sides hunt the three points.
South Coast Flame FC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 1:15pm at Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Last season: South Coast Flame FC 0-0 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 3-3 South Coast Flame FC
A matchup which has produced nothing but close encounters in the past few seasons sees South Coast Flame FC host Hawkesbury City FC at Sir Ian McLennan Oval.
Last season, the two teams could not be separated with draws in each of their respective matches and a similarly tight match can be expected this time around, too.
South Coast Flame FC are coming off a bye from Round Four but having won three of their first matches to start the season, will be confident of continuing that form after their break.
With plenty of the Flame squad contributing to goals, including Jyden Harb on five, plus Harrison James and Daniel Merola on two each, the Flame will be confident on continuing their scoring streak this week.
With confidence in the squad, they will hope to end their three-match winless head-to-head run against the Hawks with a strong performance.
Hawkesbury, meanwhile, won back-to-back matches after their 2-1 home win over Sydney University SFC in last week’s Match of the Round and will hope to win a third-straight match for the first time since the end of the 2023 season, where they won six matches in a row at one point.
Harry Drew and Vincent Dermilio have had success in scoring over the Flame recently, the former netting three times in three matches and the latter scoring a double last time out and they will hope to continue their strong start to the season given they have scored three and four goals each, respectively.
Expect Hawkesbury to continue to play for the badge as they look for a third-straight win and look to go a fourth-straight head-to-head match unbeaten against the Flame.
With a hot day expect on the south coast, both the Flame and the Hawks will hope to overcome the heat as they hunt for a third-straight win each.
Dunbar Rovers FC vs Central Coast United FC, 7pm at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
These two teams did not meet last season.
Dunbar Rovers FC will be hunting back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they host Central Coast United FC, who themselves will hope to win their first match since Round One.
The last time these sides met was in the 2023 League One Men’s season, where Dunbar picked up a 2-0 away win before the Pirates secured a 5-1 away victory – meeting in a new league, both sides will hope to start on the right foot against the other.
Dunbar kept their first clean sheet and first away win of the season after they took down Gladesville Ryde Magic 1-0 and will hope to continue that effort into this week.
They will hope to build momentum off that win and will look to hold the ball well at home to do so, although they will be without Zachary Marinos after his red card last week.
Expect Dunbar to build off the back of an important win as they look to win back-to-back matches for the first time since Round 15 of the 2023 League One Men’s season.
Central Coast, meanwhile, lost a fourth-straight match after their 2-0 home loss to Inner West Hawks FC last week but will hope to return to form away from home this week.
The Pirates have struggled for goals this season so far, with only four scored from their opening five matches, but will hope to turn around their form in that department against a side they scored five goals against the last time they played them away.
Expect Central Coast to stick to their gameplan as they look to secure their first away win of the season and their first win in five weeks.
With Dunbar looking to build off an important win and Central Coast hoping to reverse their early-season results, expect both sides to put in spirited performances when they meet.
Nepean FC vs Parramatta FC, 7pm at Cook Park
These two teams did not meet last season.
An important local derby sees Nepean FC looking to end a three-match winless streak against one of the current in-form teams of the competition in Parramatta FC.
These two sides did not meet last season but when they did in the 2023 League Two Men’s season, Nepean completed the league double courtesy of a 3-1 away and 4-1 home win, respectively.
Nepean will hope to end a three-match winless run after their 4-2 home defeat to Hurstville Zagreb FC last week and will hope to put together a complete performance to do so.
They will look to work hard to compete for the ball against an organised Parramatta side, where they will hope their effort will be rewarded this week.
Expect Nepean to tighten up to concede less unforced errors as they look to return to the winners list.
Parramatta, meanwhile, won a fourth match from five to start the season and will hope to continue that good run of form when they travel to face Nepean.
They will hope to reverse their recent history against Nepean, with a defence which has only conceded two goals from their past three matches and a frontline which has scored at least two goals in all-but one match so far this season, will be confident of doing so.
Expect Parramatta to once again lead from the back with the likes of Jordan Parfait hoping to hit the scoresheet again, Parfait for the third week in a row.
A local derby always brings with it plenty of fire and energy – this matchup will be no different as the two sides look to pick up a big win against a rival.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Granville Rage, 7pm at Arlington Oval
Last season: Granville Rage 2-4 Inner West Hawks FC, Inner West Hawks FC 3-2 Granville Rage
Inner West Hawks FC will hope to build off their first win of the season against a high-flying Granville Rage side coming off a fourth-straight match unbeaten when the two teams meet at Arlington Oval.
Last season, the Hawks won both home and away matches against the Rage, extending their winning run against the Rage to four matches – they will hope to extend that to five, while the Rage will hope to end that streak.
Inner West won their first match of the season last week after their 2-0 away win over Central Coast United FC and now under interim head coach and player Tony Lo, as well as Phillip Phillips, will be hoping to grab back-to-back victories against a Rage side they have had success over in the past few years.
The Hawks will be without Angelo Pezzano for the match after his red card last week but coming off their first win of the season, will have a squad of players raring to take to the field to take on the Rage.
Expect the Hawks to want to fire early against the Rage to set themselves up both physically and mentally for this match, where a win would get them back on track in 2025.
Granville Rage, meanwhile, went a fourth-straight match without defeat after their 2-1 away win over Camden Tigers FC last week and will hope to make that a fifth to continue their strong start to the season.
All the Rage’s attackers have been firing so far in 2025 and will hope to continue to do so as the competition’s leading goalscoring side, with 15 goals, looks to add to that tally this week.
With their head-to-head record against Inner West against them, expect a much different Rage side to come out in this match as they look to reverse recent history against the Hawks.
With the Hawks ever-dangerous against the Rage and Granville one of the in-form teams to start the season, both sides will be confident of competing to pick up the three points in this encounter.
Sunday, 16th March 2025
Sydney University SFC vs Camden Tigers FC, 5pm at Valentine Sports Park
Last season: Sydney University SFC 1-5 Camden Tigers FC, Camden Tigers FC 0-1 Sydney University SFC
Sydney University SFC continue their hunt for their first win of the season when they host a Camden Tigers FC side looking for their first win since Round One.
Last season, the respective away sides picked up head-to-head victories, with Camden 5-1 winners in the first clash before the students picked up a 1-0 away win, which was their first win over Camden in four attempts.
Sydney University SFC fought hard but ultimately fell short in their 2-1 away loss to Hawkesbury City FC in last week’s Match of the Round but will gain confidence from that performance.
The young players who came off the bench for the students lifted the rest of the squad with them and with a squad full of players raring to take their chances, University will hope that boost can lift them to their first win of the season this week.
Expect another hard-fought performance to come from University as they look to take down Camden at home.
Camden Tigers FC, meanwhile, went a fourth-straight match without a win after their 2-1 home loss to Granville Rage last week and will hope to put together a full ninety-minute performance when they travel to face the students.
If Camden can cut out any defensive errors from their game, they will hope to get back to the sort of form that saw them pick up a big 5-1 home win over Fraser Park FC to start the season.
Camden will hope to fire up in this match as they look to win back-to-back head-to-head matches against University.
With both University and Camden desperate for a victory, a hotly contested match can be expected where neither team will give up the match until the end.
Prospect United SC vs Hurstville Zagreb FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Prospect United SC 0-4 Hurstville Zagreb FC, Hurstville Zagreb FC 3-1 Prospect United SC
The final match of Round Six sees Prospect United SC looking to win a third-straight match this season against a Hurstville Zagreb FC side which recovered to pick up a big away win last time out.
Last season, Hurstville won 4-0 away and 3-1 at home over Prospect, making it four head-to-head matches unbeaten over Prospect – they will hope to continue that streak while Prospect will hope to end it.
Prospect won back-to-back matches after their 2-0 home win over Fraser Park FC last week and will hope to continue their strong start to the season against a side they have not beaten in the past two seasons in Hurstville.
Prospect have only conceded three goals this season and after back-to-back clean sheets will be confident of continuing that trend going forward.
Expect Prospect to play a smart brand of football once again as they look to continue to fire shots on goal with the hopes of upsetting Hurstville in this big clash.
Hurstville, meanwhile, got back to winning ways after their 4-2 away win over Nepean FC last week and will look to carry that momentum into their clash with Prospect.
Hurstville once again showed their danger in the penalty area off crosses and with their forwards of Nikola Todoroski, Hesan Soufi and Andre Guzman all getting off the mark last week, with Todoroski and Soufi getting their first goals for the club, they will hope that will bring more confidence, too.
Expect Hurstville to once again be solid at both ends of the field as they look for a fourth win from their opening six matches to start the season.
With Prospect and Hurstville firing to start the season, expect a competitive match where small margins will make the difference to the outcome.
Fraser Park FC have a bye in Round Six.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
