Round 24 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW

One win separates the top four teams in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition with only three rounds remaining.

Northern Tigers v NWS Spirit @NTRA, Saturday 6:30pm

Round 24 kicks off on Saturday night at NTRA at 6:30pm as the Northern Tigers take on NWS Spirit.

Neither the Tigers nor NWS Spirit will be playing finals football in 2025, something that both teams would have been expecting to be fighting for at this point of the season.

The Tigers were solid last weekend against the high-flying APIA Leichhardt but didn’t take opportunities that were presented to them.

Spirit played out an eight-goal thriller, in the end not taking three points and their slim finals hopes coming to an end on Sunday.

These two teams will come into this one with nothing to lose and we could see some good football on display from two good teams.

Sydney Olympic v APIA Leichhardt @VSP, Sunday 5pm

The action at 5pm on Sunday kicks off at Valentine Sports Park as Sydney Olympic face off against APIA Leichhardt.

Olympic’s form hasn’t been ideal of late, only one win in their last five games and two straight losses.

They do have the quality to hurt their opponents though, in particular through Alyssa Whinham who has scored eight goals in 11 games.

APIA is the form team in the competition with five straight win and are chasing down Bulls FC Academy.

They’ll be aware to the threat Olympic can pose and will need to disciplined and patient in this one.

Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays @Cromer Park, Sunday 5pm

The Illawarra Stingrays make the long trip to Cromer Park on Sunday to take on Manly United at 5pm.

Manly kept their finals hopes alive with a 3-0 win over the Gladesville Ravens last weekend and sit five points behind the Stingrays as things stand.

If the northern beaches side is to win, they will close the gap to two points with two games remaining.

As for the Stingrays, they battled hard to a 1-0 victory over UNSW in tough conditions and against a strong opponent.

Should the Stingrays win or draw, it should be enough for them to eliminate Manly United from the finals race and more or less secure their play-off spot.

Macarthur Rams v Bulls FC Academy @Lynwood Park, Sunday 5pm – MOTR

At Lynwood Park in the match of the round, the Macarthur Rams host Bulls FC Academy on Sunday at 5pm.

The Rams picked up an impressive and unlikely 3-0 win on Sunday away to Sydney University.

The win all but secures Macarthur’s status as a top flight team in 2026 and they can now relax and start planning for the following season.

Tea Mucenski continues to find the back of the net, scoring a brace last week and taking her season tally to 13 league goals.

The Bulls showed character last weekend, trailing at the break to turn the result around and take all three points in a convincing 4-1 victory over Sydney Olympic.

APIA are hot on their trail though and any dropped points, the inner west side will lock to leapfrog them into first place.

Isabella Coco Di Sipio is making some noise as well, scoring a hat-trick last weekend.

WSW v Mt Druitt Town Rangers @Wanderers Football Park, Sunday 5pm

The Western Sydney Wanderers host Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Wanderers Football Park on Sunday evening.

It is now 10 games without a win for the Western Sydney Wanderers, currently sitting in 13th spot on the ladder.

They’ve shown they have the ability in a number of games but are struggling to shut opponents out.

Tonight begins a gruelling run for Ben Gough and the Rangers, where they will play five games in only 21 days.

This will be one of those that Gough would have pencilled in as a win, but as we all know in football, those that are pencilled in wins are generally tougher.

A win against UNSW and this one on Sunday will secure finals football for the Rangers.

Newcastle Jets v UNSW @Lake Macquarie, Sunday 5pm

The Newcastle Jets host UNSW on Sunday at Lake Macquarie.

After finally snapping their long losing run last week, the Jets couldn’t back it up the following weekend, going down heavily to Mt Druitt.

They’ve given themselves a fighting chance of remaining in the competition but need to pick up any points they can take a hold of.

UNSW’s defeat on Sunday to the Illawarra Stingrays seriously dented their finals hopes.

They have two tough away trips in a matter of days, for to Mt Druitt, then north to take on the Jets.

If they can win both, they will make for an interesting final two rounds of the competition.

Gladesville Ravens v Sydney University @Christie Park, Sunday 5:10pm

The final game of the round takes us to Christie Park as the Gladesville Ravens host Sydney University.

After a good run of results, the Gladesville Ravens have now lost back-to-back games, the last a comprehensive 3-0 loss to Manly United.

They’ll want to finish as high as possible on the ladder and will need to collect three points here.

Uni suffered a surprise defeat on Sunday against the Macarthur Rams and will want to bounce back.

A win here lifts them one spot higher at least on the table, jumping the Ravens.

Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw

-By Nikola Pozder