Round 5 Preview – NPL Women’s NSW
Who will the Easter Bunny bring the chocolates for in round 5 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition? This Easter Long Weekend offers a blockbuster amount of fixtures, from Friday through to Monday.
Manly United v Western City Rangers
5pm, Friday 5 April – Cromer Park
Good Friday brings us the first clash of the weekend as Manly United take on the Western City Rangers at 5pm at Cromer Park.
Manly will be looking to bounce back after their defeat to APIA Leichhardt last weekend, their first loss of the season. A test of character for the Northern Beaches outfit who have serious intention in 2026.
The Rangers got back to winning ways last weekend with a hard fought 2-1 over Sydney Uni. It’s been a solid start for last season’s surprise packet, two wins and two defeats in their opening four. This will be another difficult game, but also an opportunity to make a statement.
Bulls FC Academy v Sydney Olympic
2:40pm, Saturday 6 April – Northbridge Oval
On Saturday, the action kicks off at Northbridge Oval as Bulls FC Academy takes on Sydney Olympic at 2:40pm.
The Champions suffered a competitive defeat for the first time this season, a heavy 4-0 defeat to UNSW. They come into this one without Tami Souza who saw red last weekend and will be interesting to see how they bounce back.
Sydney Olympic will still be wondering how they let a one-goal lead slip and suffer defeat to Hills United. Morgan Witz scored again and is really looking like a key player for them this season, her season tally already at 4 goals.
NWS Spirit v APIA Leichhardt
3:00pm, Saturday 6 April – Christie Park
Bottom welcomes top at Christie Park on Saturday as NWS Spirit host APIA Leichhardt at Christie Park.
Things do not look like turning any time soon for NWS Spirit, suffering their biggest lost of the season on the weekend, a 7-1 defeat to the Northern Tigers. Confidence would be incredibly low at the moment at Christie Park and it gets tougher with the competitions only team to be four from four come to town.
APIA are flying and have already bettered their start from the 2025 season, making it four wins in four games. They showed resilience and character to come back from a goal down last weekend, scoring four unanswered goals and winning 4-1 against Manly United.
Ashlie Letta has been finding a way to goal already this season, scoring five in four games so far.
UNSW v Northern Tigers
5pm, Saturday 6 April – The Village Green
At The Village Green on Saturday night, UNSW take on the Northern Tigers at 5pm.
UNSW made a statement last weekend, dismantling the 2025 Champions 4-0. Georgia Plessas showed the class everyone knew she always had with a brace, showing how much depth this team has this campaign.
Just the one defeat for the Tigers so far this season and a massive 7-1 win over NWS Spirit last weekend has them heading into this one with some new found confidence. Tanaye Morris scored four and her eye for goal could be key in this tough fixture against one of the competitions strongest.
Sydney University v Illawarra Stingrays
5pm, Sunday 7 April – Sydney Uni Football Ground
The only game on Easter Sunday takes place between Sydney University and the Illawarra Stingrays at 5pm.
Only one win for Sydney University in their first four games. They are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and definitely something they will need to tighten up if they are to be pushing for a potential finals place.
Finding the back of the net has not been easy for the Stingrays, scoring in only one of their opening four games. They may see an opportunity to exploit Uni’s defensive woes this weekend and record their second win of the season.
Macarthur Rams v Hills United
3:00pm, Monday 8 April – Lynwood Park
The Macarthur Rams take on Hills United on Easter Monday at Lynwood Park with a 3pm kick off set.
Winless to start 2026, Vic Guzman’s side will be keen to record their first victory of the season. They have been in the battle in every fixture this season but lacked the cutting edge to come away with the three points.
An impressive start to the season for the newly promoted Hills United, competitive in every game and a win and a draw to accompany two losses. Any sort of points here would nail down a very good start to the campaign.
WSW v Gladesville Ravens
5:00pm, Monday 8 April – Wanderers Football Park
At Wanderers Football Park, the WSW take on the Gladesville Ravens in the final game of the round at 5pm.
For the first time this season, the Wanderers will be at home. Four games in, undefeated and sitting in third place, no one would have expected this a month ago before the season began. Jamie Dibb’s team with victory here will certainly send shockwaves through the competition.
An inconsistent start to the season for the Ravens but a team with a lot of quality at their disposal. This is a game they need to win if they want to continue their pursuit of finals football, in particular with the form the WSW are in.
– By Nikola Pozder
