Round 12 Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Women’s

The Macarthur Rams lead thePlayStation®4 NPL NSW Women’s competition ahead of round 12.

Football NSW Institute v North Shore Mariners

At Valentine Sports Ground on Sunday, the Football NSW Institute welcomes the North Shore Mariners.

Craig Foster’s team have recorded four of five wins and even managed to take a point off the Illawarra Stingrays down the South Coast.

Despite conceding three last week, the young side has managed to sure up their defence while the goals have continued to flow at the other end of the park.

The Mariners looked done for two weeks ago, but two wins from their last couple outings have thrown them back into contention for a finals place.

Sitting six points outside the four, they can’t afford to drop any points on the run in to the finals.

It was tight when the two met in April with the score finishing 0-0.

Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams

North Turramurra Recreational Area will host the clash between the Northern Tigers and Macarthur Rams.

The Tigers have been possibly the most unpredictable team in the competition thus far this season.

The win against the Spartans and draw with Koalas last week has really sent warning signs to any team coming up against the Tigers in the next few rounds.

Only two losses this season for the Rams has them flying high in first place on the competition ladder.

A convincing win and a masterclass from veteran Kylie Ledbrook saw them consolidate a comfortable win against the Spartans last week.

The win put them clear out in front of the chasing pack and Norm Boardman will hope his team can continue their good form.

The Tigers surprised the Rams last time out, drawing 2-2.

Blacktown Spartans v Emerging Jets

The Blacktown Spartans and Emerging Jets will battle it out at Blacktown Football Park.

June has been a tough month for the Spartans with zero wins and only one point from their last four matches.

From being premiership contenders, the team has fallen to sixth place on the ladder with finals hopes slowly drifting.

A turnaround is imperative for the Blacktown based side.

The Jets have continued to find it tough this season and have lost their last three straight games.

They are a side that could cause an upset though and a wounded Spartan side may be a perfect target.

It was one-way traffic the first time they met, the Spartans winning 5-1.

Sydney University v NWS Koalas

At 4pm on Sunday afternoon, Sydney University will host the North West Sydney Koalas at Sydney University Football Ground.

A squad riddled with injury has only recorded one win from four outings and has just dropped to third place on the ladder.

Heather Garriock will need her side to hit form at the right time if they’re to continue their fight for the premiership.

It seems that the Koalas may miss out on finals football this season.

Stephen Peters’ side has been unlucky this season and have drawn far too many games, almost half of the eleven played.

It has seen them fall right five points behind fourth place, a margin that will increase to eight if they lose on Sunday.

Last year’s grand final rematch finished 1-1 at ELS Hall Park in round three.

Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays

Cromer Park will host Manly United and the Illawarra Stingrays in a massive match for both teams at 5pm on Sunday.

United are only just out of finals places but cannot afford to drop any points at this point in the season.

Only one loss in their last four has propelled them to that position and three points is imperative for this young side.

The Stingrays are in second place on the ladder and are looking good value at the moment.

They haven’t lost since round six but have had to settle for two straight draws, albeit against tough opposition.

With the Rams three points ahead, they can’t afford to lose anymore ground on the league leaders.

It was the Stingrays that picked up the win last time, coming away with a tight 2-1 victory.

-By Nikola Pozder