Round 24 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW

2024 NPL NSW Women's preview 24

Only two points separate five teams in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition with two finals spots remaining and only three games to go.

The battle for the Premiership will also go down to the final game of the season as APIA Leichhardt and Macarthur Rams continue to battle each other.

NWS Spirit v Emerging Jets

3pm, Saturday 10 August, Christie Park

At Christie Park on Saturday, NWS Spirit open the round as they welcome the Emerging Jets.

Finals hopes for Spirit hang by a thread and they will require a minor miracle to make playoff football.

They left it all out on the park against APIA Leichhardt last week but it wasn’t enough. Nevertheless, they have performed well this year and Tony Candy will be pleased with his teams’ improvements.

After a catastrophic start to the season, it’s been an excellent second half for the young Jets side.

They were well beaten on Sunday against Bulls Academy and will look for an immediate bounce back.

Bulls FC Academy v Sydney University

4:40pm, Sunday 11 August, Northbridge Oval

The action starts on Sunday at Northbridge Oval as Bulls FC Academy take on Sydney University.

Three wins on the bounce and Bulls have clawed their way back into finals contention and have it all to play for in the remaining three weeks.

Amber Luchtmeijer continues to terrorise opposition teams and goal keepers, scoring a hat-trick on Sunday, taking her tally to 23 goals for the season.

They cannot afford a slip up here though as it will spell the end of their finals hopes.

Sydney Uni are a team that on their day can get a job done against anyone in the competition.

Their inconsistencies have cost them this season but it has been a development campaign for the Students.

Manly United v Macarthur Rams

5pm, Sunday 11 August, Cromer Park

Macarthur Rams make a tough trip north to take on Manly United at Cromer Park on Sunday.

Emily Minett saved Manly’s season last weekend with a later winner, keeping their finals well and truly alive.

They made it six games without defeat and their uplift in form has also coincided with Tegan Biasi’s explosion in front of goal.

It will be tough to stop the Rams machine rolling through Cromer on Sunday and Stephen Peters will want to ensure his team is fully focused.

All roads point to the final round match against APIA Leichhardt at Lambert but they have two jobs to get done before that match.

Illawarra Stingrays v Northern Tigers

5pm, Sunday 11 August, Macedonia Park

The Illawarra Stingrays welcome the Northern Tigers down the south coast to Macedonia Park.

It is a tough seven days for the Stingrays with a mid-week game against the Football NSW Institute on Wednesday night.

The Institute is the same opponent that beat them at Macedonia Park on Sunday, and two victories (Wednesday and Sunday) will all but secure finals football.

This is a direct match up for finals football and this is a game the Northern Tigers must turn up too.

A loss for the Tigers and you would say that their season will be finishing up in a couple of weeks, whereas a win puts the in the driving seat.

Blacktown Spartans v Gladesville Ravens – MOTR

5pm, Sunday 11 August, Blacktown Football Park

The match of the round brings us to Blacktown Football Park as the Blacktown Spartans take on the Gladesville Ravens.

Four straight losses for the Spartans and their survival in the top tier is starting to look bleak.

They are desperate for points across the club and even a point here will give the hope of remaining in the top tier for the 2025 season.

Mathematically, the Ravens still have a chance of playing finals football.

Realistically, their three straight losses have impacted their hopes and more or less removed them from that conversation.

Victory is all that can keep their slim hopes alive, meaning they must fight to break this negative duck.

UNSW v APIA Leichhardt

5pm, Sunday 11 August, The Village Green

League leading APIA Leichhardt travel to The Village Green to take on UNSW in the final game of Sunday night.

UNSW showed great character last week, recovering from being two-goals down to secure a golden important point.

In the final rounds, every point will be key for them in their survival battle with the Blacktown Spartans, something APIA will need to be aware of.

The holding Premiers have needed last minute goals in their last two wins to take the points.

In between those two victories was a heavy defeat against the Illawarra Stingrays, Brad Attard’s team will need to keep focus with a number of key players unavailable for this one.

Football NSW Institute v Sydney Olympic – Postponed

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By Nikola Pozder