Round 30 Preview – League One Men’s
The FNSW League One Men’s season is set for an epic concussion with both the title race and relegation fight set to be sorted in round 30 action.
Led by a match of the round which features top of the table UNSW FC host Northern Tigers. SD Raiders, Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Mounties Wanderers all feature in important fixtures elsewhere.
The title race:
Match of the Round: UNSW FC v Northern Tigers; Saturday 30 August, 5:15pm, The Village Green
One more job to do! Our match of the round takes us to the Village Green where UNSW FC have the chance to claim the League One Men’s title against Northern Tigers, Saturday afternoon.
The hosts have won their last five games on route to this position, while Northern TIgers saw their hopes of a top two finish end last weekend.
Perhaps the surprise packets of the division in 2025, UNSW FC stand just one win away from being crowned champions. Losing just five games so far this season, they have an enviable defensive record conceding just 30 goals this season so far.
As such, that defence has set the foundation for their recent form conceding just one goal in their last five games. Though that comes with the caveat that their recent draw has been somewhat friendly. On the field, Conor Qulligan stands out as our player to watch in this one, while their recent goal scoring threat has come from Sean Woods.
Results elsewhere last weekend meant that Northern Tigers agonisingly long wait to exit the division on a high will continue into 2026. So impressive for the first 23 rounds of the season, they couldn’t quite hold on with just one win after that
Most notably in that time has been their struggle to find the back of the net outside of their 7-0 win over Dulwich HIll with just five goals in that time which given they have Kai Denton in their midst comes as a surprise. How they respond to last week could well decide where the title ends up.
You can catch this on the FNSW youtube page under the live tab with Alex Molchanoff and I behind to mic to call it.
Dulwich Hill v SD Raiders; Saturday 30 August, 7pm, Arlington Oval
By the time this one kicks off, SD Raiders will have a good idea if the premiership is up for grabs here. Winning their last six games, they come into this one and a theoretical promotion playoff in great form, last week overcoming Blacktown Spartans on the road..
In beating the Spartans, they took control of the fixture early scoring two goals in the opening 15 minutes before managing the game superbly. The front three of Mihael Marcic, Riley Cox-Barlow and Luka Knezevic a threat to any defence. If they were to get a boost from the match of the round result, it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
Having secured safety a few weeks ago, Dulwich Hill could be forgiven for some uninspiring results of late. In 13th position, they have lost their last four games, including three in the space of seven days last week against Inter Lions, UNSW FC and Northern Tigers.
As we zoom out and look at their season, they will want to show improvement in defence going forward after once again conceding over 60 goals across the season. Their top goal scorer this season is Daniel Fornito with ten goals across the season.
The relegation battle:
Inter Lions v Bonnyrigg White Eagles; Saturday 30 August, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
A pro/rel playoff spot is in the hands of Bonnyrigg White Eagles this weekend as they look to avoid the automatic drop. Coming into the game on the back of three wins in their last four games, they should be confident approaching round 30.
It is away from home though where their season has gone awry with just three points in fourteen games on the road. If they don’t win here, they’ll be relying on Mounties Wanderers not claiming three points in their trip to Bulls FC Academy.
Inter Lions are a tough ask though as another side who are unbeaten in their past four games. Finishing the season with an eye on building momentum for next, they beat Dulwich Hill in round 29 action by a 3-0 margin at this same venue.
A performance which pleased coach Shane Cevenini. Sam Armson, Owen Duke and James Khoury all found the back of the net on the evening. Their seventh placed finish an improvement on last season where they finished in tenth.
Bulls FC Academy v Mounties Wanderers; Saturday 30 August, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
The equation is simple for Mounties Wanderers this weekend in their hopes to avoid the automatic drop. They simply need to win and hope that Bonnyrigg White Eagles don’t against Inter Lions elsewhere to ensure safety.
Coming in off their sixth win of the season last weekend against Hills United, Amos Okumu and Fikret Berisha both scored along with a second half own goal. Playing at the same time as Bonnyrigg, a good start here could put the pressure on them. A big game for the club, can they pull a rabbit out of the hat?
They have a good chance of a result if recent form is anything to go by given Bulls FC Academy who are ten games without a win in the league. Last weekend they came close however in a 3-3 draw with Hakoah FC at home.
Taking a broader view of their season, they haven’t really recovered from their registration window turnover. Though this period could be valuable in improving their prospects next season. It’s also worth noting that their 20’s side took out the premiership last weekend with a 112 goal differential.
Elsewhere:
Hakoah FC v Macarthur Rams; Saturday 30 August, 4:30pm, Hensley Athletic Field
It’s been a tough end to the season for Hakoah FC. As such, last weekends come from behind draw against Bulls FC Academy was a welcome boost of morale for Craig Sharpley and his side approaching the end of the season.
Taking a look at the season as a whole, they ensured safety a while back and have gone of the boil. Their defensive record will need to be improved going forward. While Nicholas Tooley has been their best goal scoring outlet with 14 goals this campaign.
Considering where they were earlier this season, survival is an achievement for Macarthur Rams who once again finish in 14th position. This season finishing with five points more than they managed last season while making a incremental improvement on their goal difference.
Their defence has played a big role in securing safety conceding just 45 goals this season (five of which came last weekend) so that’s where our mentions will come from with Jerome Narayan, Michael Martin, Aaron Green and Alex Gollan all playing their role.
Rydalmere Lions v Bankstown City; Saturday 30 August, 5pm, Rydalmere Park
Although they can’t finish in a top two position, Rydalmere Lions have taken a massive step in the right direction in season 2025. Having finished in 9th position last season, a win here could see them climb as high as third if results go their way.
They’ve got there on the back of the leagues second best attack, set to finish as one of two sides with over two goals a game (the other being Newcastle Jets). As such, it’s the familiar trio of Robert Eremugo, Ahmad Taleb and Adil Toska get the final player mentions for season 2025.
They face a side with contrasting fortunes this season in Bankstown City. Finishing in the bottom half after a third placed finish last time out, there will be plenty of work to do in the off season as they look to bounce back.
It’s in the final third where they have struggled throughout the season finding the back of the net just 38 times this season, 16 of which through Jonathan Grozdanovski. That’s where we can perhaps expect to see changes in the off-season.
Canterbury Bankstown v Newcastle Jets; Saturday 30 August, 5pm, Jensen Park
Same result but different circumstances involved, Canterbury Bankstown came from behind to take a point from their fixture with Northern TIgers in round 29 action. Playing without a recognised goalkeeper for half an hour, they managed to secure a point through a Jake Mcleod goal.
It’s a result which could boost them heading into this one after securing just one win in the second half of the season back in round 25. Indeed 34 goals indicates that improvement will be needed next season while they have done well defensively.
Newcastle Jets returned to winning ways with a 5-0 win over Macarthur Rams last weekend at home. Their 15th win of the season, its definitely a platform to build upon going into next season which will be their second in the league.
However as always when talking about an academy side, results are half the story with development also playing a big role. And from that perspective, many players who have featured this season have made the step up. Most notably, Xavier Bertoncello, Ethan Debono, Oliver Cockle, Christian Bracco and Maxwell Cooper.
Hills United v Blacktown Spartans; Saturday 30 August, 7pm, Valentine Sports Park
Hills United finish the season going in the right trajectory after a rocky start to the campaign. You can divide the season into before Gary Van Egmond’s appointment and after his appointment which saw them on a six game winning streak at one point.
Opposed to others we’ve mentioned in this preview, there’s not an obvious weakness in this side of late, though they will have been disappointed with last weekends loss to Mounties Wanderers. Can we expect a response here?
In terms of finishing position year on year, Blacktown Spartans have edged a step closer to the top of the table in 2025. Knocked out of contention for a top two spot last weekend, they have the chance to finish the season on a high here.
So far this season, they’ve thrived on keeping things tight with the fifth best defence in the league. A win over Northern Tigers in round 25 perhaps their best result of the season to date. They took out the first meeting between the two back in May by a 2-1 margin.
By Justin Smith
