2025 League One Men’s Season Review
The 2025 Football NSW League One Men’s competition saw more eyes on it then ever before with a thrilling title and promotion race going down to the wire before UNSW FC were crowned champions and SD Raiders joined them after winning the promotion/relegation playoff.
A season with plenty with moments to recall within, let’s take a look at the highlights, low-lights and everything in between.
The Premiership Race
We’ll start fittingly here with league Champions UNSW FC who secured promotion to the top tier after just their second season in League One. Dropping just two points from their final eight fixtures, they overcame significant injury woes with some smart acquisitions in the registration window in turn possessing the leagues best defence.
Following them up into the top tier are SD Raiders who won the promotion/relegation playoff over Central Coast Mariners. Leading the competition for a lot of the first half of the season, at full flight they were a pleasure to watch and there’s reason to believe they can compete in the top tier next season.
Outside of those two, at one point there were eight teams in contention. Including Newcastle Jets who in the middle third of the season were the best side going round. While Northern Tigers also led the competition at times fighting with SD Raiders in particular in the first two thirds of the season. As well as those two, we’ll cover the others in the next section.
Improvement across the board:
On the whole, the level of the competition took a step forward this season compared to last with a lot of teams taking points of each other throughout the season.
There were teams who showed significant improvement in the 2025 season headlined of course by our top two of UNSW FC and SD Raiders. While Blacktown Spartans, Rydalmere Lions and inter Lions also improved significantly.
Blacktown Spartans only dropping out of top two contention in round 29, winning ten games in the second half of the campaign. Rydalmere Lions perhaps unlucky not to finish higher with an impressive +20 goal difference and the leagues second best attack. While Inter Lions just couldn’t maintain a challenge towards the end of the campaign.
While a few teams who were struggling in the first half of the season, improved as well with Hills United, Dulwich Hill and Macarthur Rams all playing their way out of relegation danger.
Two of those clubs improving after making a change of coach with Hills United shooting up the table after bringing in Gary Van Egmond. While Macarthur Rams opted to bring in their head of football Tim Aitken who steered them off the bottom.
Australia Cup qualification and success
Taking a break from the league for a second, it would be wrong to mention the cup success of a couple of teams this season with both Northern Tigers and SD Raiders both qualifying for the national stage.
Northern Tigers qualifying for the Waratah Cup final which they lost to Sydney United, that same opposition seeing them depart in the round of 32 after wins over Hills United, Cringila Lions and Parramatta FC.
While SD Raiders knocked out three NPL Men’s NSW opponents in Wollongong Wolves, Rockdale Ilinden and Blacktown City. The Raiders hosting the Macarthur Bulls A-league side also in the round of 32.
The two academy clubs of Bulls FC Academy and Newcastle Jets also proved their worth to their A-League set up appearing in both league and cup of late. Most recently seeing Xavier Bertoncello, Maxwell Cooper and Christian Bracco feature in coach Mark Milligan’s Newcastle Jets’ Hahn Australia Cup run to the final against Heidelberg United in a couple of weeks time.
Individual Achievements and players to watch
Taking out the golden boot this season was Kai Denton who scored a remarkable 23 goals whilst featuring in every game this season for Northern Tigers. He was followed by Aedon Kyra from Blacktown Spartans, Jonathan Grozdanovski from Bankstown City and two Rydalmere Lions players in Ahmad Taleb and Robert Eremugo on 18 goals. Those two Rydalmere players having a remarkable chemistry in attack.
At the other end, Bodie Denton also kept the most clean sheets in the division for Northern Tigers with 12 during the course of the campaign. While retiring UNSW goalkeeper and Champagne Football co-host Charles Samushonga kept an incredible 10 clean sheets in the league as well.
In the more unheralded positions, there were definitely players who deserve a mention in this review. Defenders that come to mind being Cooper Hanagan from SD Raiders, Cole Mutton and Koya Nakano from Northern Tigers and Claudio Fabiano and Richie Blanco from UNSW.
While a bit further up the field, Conor Quilligan was once again a standout in the league at the champions. Other players who impressed in central midfield being Tigers captain Lachlan Lloyd and SD Raiders youngster Matthew Lee who developed into a good player across the season. The pick of the A-League academies probably being Janni Rafty from the Jets.
The Lowlights and Room for improvement
Of course in football, when there are winners, there are also losers and two sides will drop down to the League Two competition next season. Mounties Wanderers succumbing to the automatic drop in their return to the league.
While Bonnyrigg White Eagles couldn’t quite save themselves in a playoff after a positive run at the end of the season, losing to Prospect United 4-3 on aggregate over two legs despite fielding a star studded side. Hopefully for them, lessons have been learnt from a season in which they went 20 games without a win at one point.
Outside of the two teams going down, both Bankstown City and Hakoah FC stand out as clubs who made a tough go of it for different reasons. Bankstown City struggling particular in attack with just 38 goals across the season, a large share of which came through Jonathan Grozdanovski who scored 18 goals this season.
While Hakoah FC conceded the second most goals (63) this season. Craig Sharpley’s side struggling for consistency throughout the season. Definitely room for improvement in the 2026 season for the Eastern Suburbs based club.
However celebrating the weird as well as the wonderful, Canterbury Bankstown managed to draw a remarkable 13 games this season as they finished in 12th place. Something I’m not sure they could do again if they tried.
By Justin Smith
