Round 6 – NPL NSW Men’s 3 Preview
We can look forward to some real mouth-watering clashes this week in Round Six of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition, with all seven matches scheduled on Saturday across three different timeslots.
There’ll be some revisiting of old acquaintances at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday afternoon, with Dunbar Rovers welcoming Sydney University for a 3pm kick off.
Both sides have had indifferent starts to the 2018 campaign, and were definitely expecting to be occupying higher positions on the ladder.
Sydney University are in 8th spot with 2 wins from 5 matches, whilst Dunbar Rovers have only had the one victory and sit in 10th position, just 2 points behind.
It cannot be denied that Sydney University have a ‘Dunbar’ feel to their squad, with ex-caoch Will Cullen pulling the strings from the dugout, plus ex-Dunbar stalwarts Robbie Deasy, Mike Sealy and Stephen Liu amongst those who will be reminiscing good old times when they return to Hensley Athletic Field.
Four of Dunbar’s matches this season have been very tight affairs, and even last week’s 2-4 reverse against league leaders, SD Raiders, was a competitive encounter, so they could be closer than you think to the three points come Saturday, an outcome which will propel them above their match day opponents on the ladder.
A top of the table battle of sorts will occur at David Bertenshaw Field on Saturday afternoon, with Hawkesbury City meeting competition leaders, SD Raiders, at 5-30pm.
3 plays 1 in a game where both teams are separated by only two points, with the Hawks desperate to put their home ground advantage to good use by hurdling the Raiders on the ladder on the back of a possible win.
Both sides have had unbeaten starts to the season – SD Raiders on the back of an all star attack, netting 23 goals in the five matches, with Ben Welch scoring six of those goals, whilst Hawkesbury City have a rock hard defence to thank for having conceded a miserly 3 goals, the best in the league, of which skipper and goal keeper, Daniel Schwarzer, has been an integral part.
The best attack against the best defence and both sides undefeated ….. something has to give at Richmond on Saturday afternoon.
Dulwich Hill will be anxious for nothing less than three points when they entertain the Western NSW Mariners at Arlington Oval on Saturday, the game scheduled for a 7pm kick off.
Great things have been expected this season from Dully’s star studded line up but they have failed to deliver to expectations, and currently sit in 9th spot on the ladder on 5 points.
The good news is that we have only had five rounds of football, and that, following two losses in their opening two matches, Dully have had a win and two draws in the most recent three games and will hope to continue to build on that momentum.
Even though the Mariners are winless after five matches, they have managed three draws, and have shown plenty of determination to suggest a three pointer is closer than what most people think. With Brock Logan in scintillating form between the sticks, one goal could very well give the Mariners the three points they crave.
Granville Rage will be out to stop the Stanmore Hawks when they battle it out at Garside Park on Saturday night, with the game kicking off at 7pm.
Two defeats either side of their solitary victory this season against the Mariners means the Rage are battling near the foot of the table, but they know an improved effort and subsequent win against the Hawks can see them jump as many as seven positions in the congested bottom half of the ladder.
Well haven’t the Stanmore Hawks been flying high of late!
Three wins and a draw in their past four matches means Stanmore occupy 5th position on the ladder on 10 points, and are only three points from the summit of the competition, so expect yet another focussed performance from the Hawks come Saturday night.
Bankstown City Lions will be hoping for nothing less than three points when Inter Lions come to Jensen Park for a 7pm start on Saturday night.
It has been the Tomic-Todorovski show of late for Bankstown, with the duo netting 11 goals between them across the five matches this season to help steer the team to equal first position on 13 points.
Inter Lions have suffered four consecutive defeats since their opening day win, but all have been very close battles, with three lost by a single goal. Inter do have plenty of experience on the park, especially in the front third with Occhipinti, Chavez and Domenic Di Mento, so this could turn into a goal fest of sorts as the two teams of Lions fight for bragging rights in the jungle.
In a derby of sorts at Jubilee Oval on Saturday night at 7pm, St George City FA will know that victory and three points will help catapult them over Gladesville Ryde Magic on the competition ladder.
Both sides can score goals, but they are difficult to penetrate in defence, having conceded 15 goals between them – Magic slightly the better with seven goals versus St George’s eight.
Luke Burke and captain, Bill Tsanidis, especially, have both been a real presence in central defence, the towering centre backs also proving nuisances at set pieces in attack. Sean Thomas and Jonathan Dimopoulos provide able support in defence and attack as effective wing backs, and all four will need to be on their game if they are to keep the Gladesville attack – which includes the Gaitatzis brothers – at bay.
Camden Tigers welcome the visit of Fraser Park to Ron Dine Stadium on Saturday night for a 7pm kick off.
This match pits together the league’s second best attack against the worst defensive record, so based on this you would expect nothing but a home victory for Camden.
However, Fraser’s 14 goals conceded is matched by one other club – you guessed it, Camden Tigers, so the scoreboard attendant at Ron Dine could be in for a busy night based on these stats.
The one major difference is that the Tigers have managed 15 goals across five games so far, giving them a healthy average of 3 goals per game, so the strategy is a simple one for the home side – shore up in the back third, and you could very well be on your way to a third triumph of the season.
