Round 7 Preview – League One Men’s
With plenty of sides appearing in cup fixtures midweek, the season is well and truly ramping up approaching round seven of the FNSW League One Men’s campaign.
Our match of the round sees a top four side meet a bottom four side, while elsewhere we have an academy showdown in Sydney’s West and more.
Match of the Round: UNSW FC v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 22 March, 5pm, The Village Green
Our match of the round takes us to the Village Green for an intriguing contest between UNSW FC and Rydalmere Lions.
It’s been a tale of contrasting fortunes between these two as UNSW FC sit competing for a top two position, while Rydalmere Lions are just outside the bottom two at the other end. Both these sides holding a game in hand after not taking to the field last week.
After dropping their first game of the season, UNSW have responded in the best possible fashion picking up ten points in their last four fixtures including a season best performance against Hakoah FC last time out in round 5 action.
As such, it becomes to single out particular players but let’s give it a go. Both Kevin Lopes and Jack Fulton have profited from spending a year in the league in 2024 finding goals on the regular. In fact, that could be said about a lot of this squad. While there’s proven quality in the likes of Claudio Fabiano and Conor Quilligan.
Their opponents Rydalmere Lions will come in underdogs this weekend with just one win this season so far. However they can take some confidence from the Mounties Wanderers result against this exact same UNSW side.
We touched on their struggles to find goals last weekend but there are positives from their defensive record this season conceding just nine goals which indicates if they are able to get goals, results could quite easily follow. Marcus Sparacino could be a key player if his fit and Robert Eremugo has also started the season well.
You can catch this one on the FNSW youtube page under the live tab this Saturday evening.
Bulls FC Academy v Newcastle Jets; Saturday 22 March, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
The two academy sides in the division face off as Bulls FC Academy host Newcastle Jets in Sydney’s South-West.
Both these sides come into this one having not won last weekend, Bulls FC Academy drawing with Blacktown Spartans while Newcastle Jets lost to Northern Tigers.
We’ll start with Bulls FC Academy who have eight points from their last four games. Sitting in mid-table, they last tasted defeat back in round two so there’s a sense of something building for Nicolai Muller and his side entering round seven.
Amongst a talented bunch, Zane Helweh has established himself as a consistent goal threat with four goals in five starts this season. While Atiya Waraga is more than capable of coming off the bench to score. Elsewhere, the likes of Flynn Madden and Will Mckay are worth keeping an eye on.
They face a Newcastle Jets side who suffered their second defeat of the season last weekend. As we probably expected from them, they have had no problems making the jump up to the second tier sitting in third after six rounds.
So far this season, they’ve had better fortunes away from home getting the better of both Blacktown Spartans and Dulwich Hill on the road. Their goal threat will come from Xavier Bertoncello and Ethan DeBono. While it’s worth touching on Will Dobson who appeared in the A-league set up on the weekend.
Quickfire Previews
Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams; Saturday 22 March, 6:30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
Northern Tigers perhaps produced the shock of the weekend last week with a 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets. In second place after six rounds, their last home game was the only blip on their season so far. They will be without Nic Petrillo here while Jesse Spang is our player to watch after scoring against the Jets.
It’s always a question whether a week off is beneficial or not for a side. Yes, Macarthur Rams are winless in five but performances have improved recently against Bulls FC Academy and most recently Bonnyrigg. As such you’d suggest the experience provided from Alex Gollan, Stefano Di Marino and Jacob Esposito could be important here.
Inter Lions v Bankstown City; Saturday 22 March, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
It’s been a tough couple weeks for Inter Lions so will a return home bring a much welcome boost? Missing a few players, they were disappointing against Hills United going down to a 2-0 defeat. Taking confidence from the fact they have four points from their two fixtures at Majors Bay this season, this young squad could be set to bounce back here.
Bankstown City were held to a draw in the derby against Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend. A case of wondering how they couldn’t find a way through, there were definitely positives in that performance. Look out for a response from their attack led by Jonathan Grozdanovski as they take to the road again.
Canterbury Bankstown v Hills United; Saturday 22 March, 7pm, Jensen Park
If we pick up a point made earlier in this preview, you’d suggest a week off for Canterbury Bankstown will be beneficial. Prior to that, they lost their last three games including a round five loss to Blacktown Spartans. They have lost their last two games at venue so they’ll want to set that right here.
Hills United broke a losing run of their own against Inter Lions last weekend. A composed second half performance saw both Dimi Petratos and Lachlan Lal find the back of the net. They will be hoping to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal as there was a potential to score more last weekend. While a clean sheet was a confidence boost for their defence.
Dulwich Hill v Mounties Wanderers; Saturday 22 March, 7pm, Arlington Oval
Dulwich Hill were supposed to feature in our match of the round last weekend. Two wins in their last three games, they have looked to have turned the corner after a shaky start. Last time out however they did go down to a defeat to the Newcastle Jets, their effort in that one impressing head coach Tony Valavanis post game.
Mounties Wanderers have profited from their new coach bounce with three straight results. Still a long way from where they want to be, last weekend saw a confidence boosting three points against Hakoah. Joshua Okan scored to put them ahead, while a second clean sheet in three indicates effective defence.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v SD Raiders; Saturday 22 March, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Another week, another derby for Bonnyrigg White Eagles who are looking for consistency after six games. Last weekend against Bankstown City, it was a really physical affair with the likes of Stefan Dubocanin and Brad Bartels the pick of their players on the night. It will also be interesting to see if Aaron Peterson makes an appearance after going off injured last week.
They face an SD Raiders side who should be fresh after a week off. Leading the competition with five wins from five, this is an interesting test for Goran Ljuboja’s side. Being a derby game, we once again will look to the experience of Noah Chianese and James Letta to play a big role in this one.
Hakoah FC v Blacktown Spartans; Sunday 23rd March, 4:30pm, Hensley Athletic Field
Hakoah FC have had a disappointing start to their campaign in 2025 by their standards with just six points in as many fixtures. Last weekend was perhaps a low point with a defeat to Mounties Wanderers despite showing some fight after Valentin Cuny was sent off. We know how important Hensley can be to this side, can a return home boost their fortunes?
It will be tough though as Blacktown Spartans are on a three game unbeaten streak. After wins against Bonnyrigg White Eagles and the Berries, they picked up a respectable result against Bulls Academy last weekend. And in an ominous sign, both Aedon Kyra and Suleyman Bangura have found their scoring touch.
By Justin Smith
