Sydney Olympic lead the NPL NSW Women’s competition ahead of round 13 action as they face a top of the table clash. 

The Spartans will look to get back to winning ways and Manly will want to secure back-to-back wins.

Only a victory separates second to sixth on the ladder, with the chasing pack not too far off.

Blacktown Spartans v Bankstown City @ Blacktown Football Park, 3pm POSTPONED

Two teams coming off defeats clash at Blacktown Football Park as the Blacktown Spartans host Bankstown City.

Brad Attard’s team is only two points off the top five, but they need to take all three points here.

After a fine run without defeat, the last team that defeated the Spartans, repeated that again on Sunday.

It was the first time in almost two months that the Spartans were held scoreless and they’ll need Maja Markovskim Rosie Galea and Ash Crofts ready to fire.

After two straight wins, it’s now two straight losses for Bankstown with four goals conceded in each of those.

Matthew Costatini wanted to see improvement from Bankstown in comparison to 2020 and it has definitely happened.

Finishing has been an issue but the Lions are hopeful they’ve sorted that problem with the arrival of Daisy Arrowsmith from the Northern Tigers.

Arrowsmith a proven goal scorer will provide that firepower they require with rumours of a couple more signings arriving at Jensen Park.

When these two met earlier in the season, it was an extremely tight match in which a last-gasp Michelle Dal Bon goal was the difference for the Spartans.

Manly United v NWS Koalas @ Cromer Park, 3pm POSTPONED

At Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon, Manly United host the North West Sydney Koalas.

Manly kept their finals hopes alive with a massive win last weekend, putting them four points outside of the top five.

It looks as though Remy Siemsen has started to find her goal scoring form as she dominates opposition defenders, scoring her sixth goal of the season in spectacular fashion on Sunday.

Tara Andrews, Siemsen’s strike partner, is doing the same and it seems as though one of the most dangerous attacks in the competition has started to peak at the right time.

That will bring a smile to Tom Hopley as the season slowly starts getting to that pointy end.

They haven’t secured back-to-back wins since round one and two, the same point at the reverse part of the season.

For the Koalas it seems finals are too far away for this season but they won’t give up that easy.

You’d have to say that the Koalas have been one of the more unlucky teams in the competition, pushing their opponents to the limits.

A win, loss and draw in their past three matches isn’t a bad return, in particular when you look at the strength of their opponents.

Manly took the points the first time these two played in a five-goal thriller, after the Koalas led 2-0 at the break, only for United to come back and take the win.

Illawarra Stingrays v Football NSW Institute @ JJ Kelly Park, 3pm POSTPONED 

Football NSW Institute travel south to JJ Kelly Park to take on the Illawarra Stingrays.

Losing Caitlin Cooper to the Matildas the Stingrays weren’t expected to make a finals push without such a key player to their team.

But they’ve been fantastic and pushed themselves into equal fifth place on the ladder, securing two straight wins after snapping out of a losing streak.

Every week we speak about Michelle Carney but she genuinely is amazing.

Nine goals and the team’s top scorer, her importance to the Stingrays is undeniable.

Talitha Kramer has been lending a hand too and she’ll need to keep her form going in the Stingrays finals push.

It wasn’t the performance Jaime Gomez thought his team would put out on Sunday night as they got pummelled by Sydney Olympic.

Gomez had 11 players at a Young Matildas Camp throughout last week and the tiredness was evident.

They have dropped out of the top five, one point behind Sydney Uni, and need to pick up all three points to not drop further behind.

Charlie Rule and Holly McNamara have been amongst Institute’s best players and they’ll need to lead this team out of the rut they currently find themselves in.

The Stingrays won the first clash between these two but the game could’ve gone either way.

Emerging Jets v Macarthur Rams @ Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, 3pm POSTPONED

The Emerging Jets welcome the Macarthur Rams to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday.

Yet to register a point the season, it’s been a tough slog for the young Emerging Jets team.

The last few weeks have been particularly painful and they’ll need to tighten up the defence and stop leaking goals.

They have been much better throughout the campaign and will need to get back to some of that form to have any chance.

The Rams are slowly dropping down the competition ladder after leading the league for 10 rounds of the season.

Stephen Peters’ side is still in equal second place but could drop out of the top five if results don’t go their way.

They haven’t managed to find the back of the net in their last three games, picking up only a point over that time.

They’ll need top scorer Leena Khamis to step up and get back to goal scoring form as soon as possible to remain in the Premiership hunt and finals football.

When they met earlier in the season, the Rams came away with a tight win in a match the Jets probably felt they should’ve got more out of.

The Rams will need to be aware of the threat the Jets could pose here.

Northern Tigers v Sydney Olympic @ North Turramurra, 3:30pm POSTPONED

The top two clash at North Turramurra as the second place Northern Tigers host the league leaders Sydney Olympic.

They only played a few weeks ago, Olympic taking the points in a match where the Tigers didn’t really turn up and Jason Eagar blamed yours truly as the curse of the commentator.

Eagar will be hoping his team can turn that result around and continue their unbeaten run, which stretches three games, their last defeat coming in that mid-week clash against Olympic.

They showed great character to pinch a point from APIA at the death last week and will take heart from that result into this game.

Lauren Allan and Aideen Keane are key to the Tigers, as is Shay Evans who has chipped in with some important goals this season.

At the other end, Winnie Heatley’s defensive contribution has been great and her experience is vital to the Tigers along with Malia Steinmetz in midfield.

Well George Beltsos is on cloud nine at the moment, looking down on the rest of the competition from the top.

Only one defeat in seven games, in a game they’ll claim just wasn’t their day, and they’ve exploded into first place.

All this incredibly without their captain and midfield magician Teresa Polias who herself is set to return in a couple weeks.

Seeing Cortnee Vine in the stands on Sunday may have raised a few eyebrows as well and if she is close to returning, then Olympic will definitely be seen as Premiership favourites, at least.

Five different scorers on the weekend show how much quality he league leaders have across the park with Teigan Collister on seven goals and Aimee Phillips and Mackenzie Hawkesby close behind on six.

It promises to be a match full of fireworks and one definitely to keep an eye on.

APIA Leichhardt v Sydney University @ Lambert Park, 7pm POSTPONED

Another big clash in round 13 takes us to Lambert Park as APIA Leichhardt and Sydney University lock horns.

APIA and their gaffa Spencer Prior will be very disappointed after Sunday’s result. They had the three points and were going home happy till a late goal spoiled the party.

Only one win in their last five outings and the inner west side missed their chance to head to the top of the competition.

The poor run in form has APIA in fourth place but with the squad assembled, a higher position on the ladder must be demanded.

Princess Ibini returns for Leichhardt and there will be a fresh face at training with Teigen Allen finally lacing up the boots after ankle surgery.

They are slowly becoming the draw specialists but they’ll need to turn those into wins soon to ensure they don’t drop outside the top five.

Inconsistency has pushed Sydney Uni to fifth place on the ladder. Their form in the last month – D L W L W

Playing a heap of catch up games following their deferred start to the campaign, tiredness could be a reason for the form.

Kaitlyn Torpey leads the scoring charts for the Students and will be the biggest threat to APIA’s defence.

Influential midfielder Bianca Galic will also be important to Uni and they’ll lean on her leadership to help them get through this tough away fixture.

A solid win last weekend helped forget a disappointing mid-week defat and they’ll need to be fully focused at Lambert Park.

These two drew the last time they played with both teams having chances to take all three points, in the end, a fair result to split the points.

BY: NIKOLA POZDER, CHIEF NPL NSW WOMEN’S WRITER  

The Northern Tigers lead the National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s competition, at least until 9:30pm tonight after over-taking the Macarthur Rams on Sunday. 

Victory for Sydney Olympic in their catch up game against Sydney University will see them jump from fourth to first.

The Jets host Illawarra, while Uni and the Spartans clash after playing each other only a couple weeks ago.

Bankstown will be looking to get back to winning ways against Manly, as will Macarthur against the Koalas.

Olympic complete their double up against the Institute and the Northern Tigers seek revenge against APIA.

Emerging Jets v Illawarra Stingrays @LMRFF Speers Point, 3pm 

At LMRFF Speers Point, the Emerging Jets will host the Illawarra Stingrays.

With zero points at the half way point of the season, the Emerging Jets are in last place on the competition ladder.

Their lack of points on the board can somewhat be said to be ‘unlucky’ and a result of less experience against their older opponents.

They made life difficult for the Spartans on the weekend, as they have for most this season and the Stingrays can’t expect anything else.

Should they be able to knock off some simple errors, they could spring a surprise here.

Desperate for a win last week, the Stingrays delivered when nobody expected it.

To stay within touching distance of the five, nothing but a victory would be deemed acceptable and knowing they did it without Caitlin Cooper adds an even greater element to what they did.

The Stingrays had only won one of seven matches before the weekend fixture and have now set themselves up for the second half of the season.

They cannot drop points in games they’re expected to take all three, like Sunday, in order to make finals football.

Michelle Carney once more proved her importance to the team with the winning goal on Sunday, taking her season tally to eight, comfortably leading the clubs goal scoring charts.

It was a comfortable 3-0 win to the Stingrays in round one.

Sydney University v Blacktown Spartans @Arlington Oval, 3pm 

Sydney University takes their home match against the Blacktown Spartans to Arlington Oval on Sunday afternoon.

These two clashed just over a month ago in an absolute see-sawing five-goal thriller in which Sydney Uni came out on top.

Since that victory, Uni have gone on to register two losses and three victories and put themselves in seventh place (potentially fourth if they defeat Olympic).

They were very comfortable on Sunday, almost too comfortable and went on to hammer Bankstown 4-0.

Emily Husband was able to give her leaders Torpey, Galic and Peak an early mark and some extra rest ahead of the tough week that is to come.

Torpey picked up a brace (should’ve had four), and took her goal scoring tally to six. While the introduction of Demi Koulizakis in the second half on the weekend lifted the team’s tempo.

The Spartans are only a point outside of the top five after a fantastic month and a half, Brad Attard’s side are one of the form teams of the competition.

Blacktown’s last loss came against, you guessed it, Sydney University.

Since then, one draw and four victories, catapulting them up the ladder into fifth place.

Depite losing Kyra Cooney-Cross and Courtney Nevin to national team duty, the Spartans haven’t been affected as yet.

Ash Crofts has found her scoring boots with goals in back to back games and that will be a positive sign for Attard, while Maja Markovski has been on fire, scoring seven so far.

The first half of the season though for the Spartans belongs to Sally James. The Spartans goalkeeper has been in outstanding form and is no doubt one of the best custodians in the league.

Bankstown City v Manly United @Jensen Park, 3pm 

Manly United will travel to Jensen Park to face Bankstown City on Sunday afternoon.

Picking up a massive win over Sydney Uni two weeks ago, you felt that it would be the turning point of Manly’s season.

It wasn’t to be though, going down unexpectedly to the Stingrays on Sunday.

Only four wins in the first half of the season isn’t acceptable for the champions though and their finals hopes are already hanging by a thread.

Only a victory will keep their post-season hopes alive, sitting at least six-points out of the top five currently.

Tom Hopley without a doubt has the quality to turn it around but time is slowly starting to run out for the Northern Beaches side.

They’ll need Remy Siemsen and Tara Andrews firing in the next 11 rounds to give themselves a chance of defending their trophy.

Bankstown was going in the right direction with two straight wins but their positive vibes were quickly extinguished by Uni on Sunday.

They started brightly, looked okay but couldn’t deal with Uni’s high press and sheer quality, in the end succumbing to a 4-0 defeat.

Every time Olivia Price was on the ball, things looked positive for the Lions and she is key to what they do moving forward.

Their woes have been in the front third though and Matthew Costatini will be hoping he’s solved that by snapping up former Northern Tiger Daisy Arrowsmith who will debut in a couple weeks time.

For the Bankstown coach, this season is about improving on last (which they already have) and continually getting better year after year so they will be looking for an improved performance come Sunday.

Manly came away with a 3-1 win the last time these two met.

Macarthur Rams v North West Sydney Koalas @Lynwood Park, 4pm 

Lynwood Park is the venue for Sunday’s clash between the Macarthur Rams and North West Sydney Koalas.

Leading the league from round one, right on the half way mark, the Rams have slipped off first place and could find themselves in third place at the end of the night.

Nevertheless, they’ve defied all the odds and pre-season predictions, playing a fine brand of football with a tight defence.

Stephen Peters has done well to turn things around at Lynwood park and is getting the best out of experienced faces Leena Khamis and captain Renee Rollason.

Laura Murtagh has been having a solid season along with Patty Charalambous and Mel Caceres.

The Rams have only won one game in the last month and will need to snap out of the poor run of form as soon as possible.

Incredibly, the Rams could find themselves outside the top five should they fail to win on Sunday.

Another game, another tight loss for the Koalas.

They haven’t been as prolific as they’d like, nor have they been as disciplined as they should be in defence, all culminating in 10^th place on the ladder.

Only two wins this season, and four losses in their last five starts has them some way off finals football.

Adam Keramea’s team though seem like they are one who can beat anyone on their day and with game changers like Nat Tobin, Sophie Harding and Rachael Soutar in the line-up, opposition teams need to be aware.

Should they be able to stay concentrated and focused for the full 90 minutes, the Rams will most definitely have a tough time of it.

The Rams came away with the spoils in a confident performance in round one, winning 3-0.

Sydney Olympic v Football NSW Institute @ Belmore Sports Ground, 6pm 

Sydney Olympic will meet the Football NSW Institute on Sunday at Belmore Sports Ground.

And the home side could enter this fixture on top of the competition ladder should they secure all three points tonight in their final catch up game.

After a surprise defeat two weeks ago at the same venue to the Koalas, George Beltsos’ team bounced back to win a difficult match against the Macarthur Rams.

Aside from that Koalas defeat, the only other time Olympic was defeated in 2021 was against their weekend opponent.

There really only was one team that night and Olympic weren’t at the races as the youngsters ran away with a 4-2 win.

Since that loss in mid-May, the Belmore based side has been on fire, winning four of the five games that followed, all without inspirational leader and captain Teresa Polias.

It’s been up to players like Mazckenzie Hawkesby and Aimee Phillips to lead the way with five goals each so far.

A minor blip in form has seen the Institute slide down into fifth place on the ladder, on the edge of dropping out of the top five.

Three straight matches without a win and only two victories since that game against Olympic, Jaime Gomez will be expecting his team to lift sooner rather than later.

Charlie Rule was a woman on a mission when they met last, scoring a hat-trick and putting Olympic to the sword.

Holly McNamara got the other that night and these two will again be key to everything the Institute can produce.

The Institute have the best defence in the competition and they’ll need to be on their game this week against the dangerous firepower that Olympic possess.

Northern Tigers v APIA Leichhardt @North Turramurra, 3:30pm 

In the final match of the afternoon has the Northern Tigers hosting APIA Leichhardt at North Turramurra.

Jason Eagar’s squad sits in first place after 11 rounds but may not be there by the time this one kicks off on Sunday.

It seems as though every time Eagar’s team losses, they quickly recover and go out the following few weeks and make some statement victories.

That was the case in the last two weeks, defeating the first placed and second placed teams in consecutive rounds.

Shadeene Evans has been the form player in the last few weeks for the Tigers and is well supported by top scorer Lauren Allan.

The Tigers need a win here to keep their premiership push going, in particular against a direct rival in the race.

Their opponents, APIA, snapped a three match winless run last week.

They did it tough though, throwing away a two-goal lead before scoring late on to secure all three points.

APIA’s major problem has been consistency and the fact that they haven’t been able to put up a run of victories together.

With Princess Ibini back on the training paddock, we could expect her on the park as soon as this weekend, a welcomed addition to Spencer Prior’s team.

Thanks to the arrival of Leah Davidson, who has fit in well, Rhianna Pollicina can now venture forward as she did Sunday, scoring one of her trademark goals and her first of the season.

When these two met back in early May, APIA took the points with a 3-1 victory, in a very close, evenly fought encounter.

BY: NIKOLA POZDER, CHIEF NPL NSW WOMEN’S WRITER  

 

 

The half-way point of the season is here with premiership and finals battle only just heating up in the NPL NSW Women’s competition. 

The Spartans will look to continue their rise up the ladder this week, while Manly will be looking for back to back wins.

Bankstown are flying high and welcome Sydney University full of confidence and it’s a massive clash at Valentine Sports Park as the Institute host the Northern Tigers.

At Christie Park, coming off a win, the Koalas face APIA and the round is completed at Lynwood Park as Sydney Olympic take on the Macarthur Rams.

 

Blacktown Spartans v Emerging Jets@ Blacktown Football Park, 3pm 

The Blacktown Spartans will continue their ascension up the competition ladder when they face off with the Emerging Jets at Blacktown Football Park.

Since that heavy defeat to Sydney Olympic, the Spartans have only lost to Sydney Uni and are one of the form teams of the competition.

Losing two stars in Kyra Cooney-Cross and Courtney Nevin to the Matildas, you wouldn’t have been mistaken if you thought the Spartans would struggle.

They came out of a tough away clash at JJ Kelly Park with all three points and a brace to Maja Markovski, scoring six goals in her last three games.

Ash Crofts also managed to find the net for the first time this season and now Brad Attard will expect one of his best attacking threats to kick into gear.

A win for Attard’s girls could push them into the top five for the first time since round two.

The Jets continue to battle away but go home with nothing to show for their fight.

They put on a solid display once more on Sunday but weren’t able to secure anything against Bankstown.

It seems as though they can’t sort out costly errors, literally giving away goals to their opposition.

Experience is a key factor and they’ll hope to improve as the season progresses.

 

Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays @Cromer Park, Sunday 3pm 

At Cromer Park on Sunday, Manly United will host the Illawarra Stingrays.

Finally! A win against one of their finals contenders, in last season’s grand final rematch.

It could well be the turning point for Tom Hopley’s side who haven’t been all that bad but have more so struggled to keep concentrated for 90 minutes.

They got the job done last week against Uni and know that a win here will see them jump above the Stingrays and stay close to the top five.

Remy Siemsen is in good form and is leading the side as she is expected to, along with Caitlin Jarvie and Nicole Stuart who had a fine game over the weekend.

They’ve only scored two wins in their last eight games though and cannot afford to drop too many more points this season, in particular against direct competition.

With no Caitlin Cooper, the question becomes, can the Stingrays put up a real fight?

They did so for 45 minutes on Sunday but fell away in the second period and ended up losing heavily.

Michelle Carney leads the club scoring charts with eight and she is vital to this team creating opportunities and scoring goals in the final third.

But it’s at the back where they’ll need to tighten things up, in particular with their leader missing.

 

Bankstown City v Sydney University @Jensen Park, Sunday 3pm 

High-flying Bankstown City will welcome Sydney University to Jensen Park on Sunday afternoon.

Two straight wins has Matthew Costantini and the Lions finally feeling good about themselves.

They’ve come close and played good football for long parts of the season but things finally seem to be clicking into place for them.

Bankstown managed to score more goals in the last two games as opposed to the whole season so far and it looks to be clicking now where it matters most.

Olivia Price had a brace over the weekend and will do the world of good to her confidence as she is a major part of what the Lions do.

A few wins in a row had Uni as the inform competition team but they were quickly brought back down by Manly last week.

They’ll need to bounce back this week but it definitely won’t be a walkover.

Kaitlyn Torpey leads the scoring charts for the premiers but would want to forget last week’s guilt edged opportunity against APIA.

Uni has shared the goals around though, with eight different scorers already this campaign.

 

Football NSW Institute v Northern Tigers @VSP, Sunday 3pm 

Football NSW Institute will host the Northern Tigers at Valentine Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.

Institute, third and the Tigers, second, both have first place ambitions and three points here will be imperative.

For the first time this season, the Institute are winless in back to back games.

They’ve been ruthless this year and bounced back following defeat two weeks ago to put in a fine performance against APIA and go home with a draw.

But more dropped points could put them further away from the premiership fight they currently find themselves in.

Charlie Rule has been incredible, as has Holly McNamara and these two provide much of the attacking spark for the Institute.

With Bryleeh Henry due to return in a few weeks, if the young stars can stay within touching distance of first place, we could see them seriously in the mix at the pointy end.

‘The curse of the commentator’ said Jason Eagar after last Thursday’s loss. Two of the side’s three defeats this season have come when yours truly is on the microphone.

But the Tigers have managed to only win half of their away matches this season, three wins and three defeats.

An emphatic win at home against the league leaders pushed the Tigers into second placed and they’ll be disappointed they didn’t turn up mid-week as they could’ve been in first place.

Lauren Allan, Aideen Keane and Shay Evans have all been amongst the goals in recent weeks but special mention must go to Malia Steinmetz who is in some form when it comes to scoring screamers, her most recent over the weekend.

Winnie Heatley has been a rock at the back and her leadership from the back is important to what Eagar’s team does.

 

NWS Koalas v APIA Leichhardt @Christie Park, Sunday 6pm 

APIA Leichhardt travel to Christie Park on Sunday night to take on the North West Sydney Koalas.

It was a long time between drinks for Adam Keramea’s side but finally, after six weeks they managed to register their second win of the campaign.

And it came against non-other than premiership hopefuls Sydney Olympic and they did it away from home.

They need to build on those three points now against APIA after what has been a tough campaign.

Rachael Soutar and Sophie Harding are so vital to the Koalas and if they are on their games, the going could get tough for the visitors.

APIA are desperate for a win after going three straight matches without a victory.

Those matches did come against Olympic, Sydney Uni and the Institute but with a team like the one Spencer Prior has acquired, results are expected against everyone.

Prior won’t be looking for excuses though and will expect his team to turn the form around and get the job done come Sunday.

Rhianna Pollicina has been one that has managed to pull the side out when the going gets tough in the past but hasn’t been at her sparkling best yet this season.

Grace Maher is the form APIA player, having scored three goals in as many games over the last two weeks.

 

Macarthur Rams v Sydney Olympic @Lynwood Park, Sunday 7pm 

The round concludes with a blockbuster at Lynwood Park as the Macarthur Rams welcome Sydney Olympic.

Macarthur, current league leaders, suffered defeat last weekend in fairly convincing fashion to the hands of the Northern Tigers.

More concerning for Stephen Peters was the injuries to both central defenders Renne Rollason and Holly Williams.

They’ve been here before though and bounced back the following week in style, something Peters will expect from his team.

Right now, they lead the race, but will the Rams have the stamina to hold onto first place moving into the second round of competition?

Leena Khamis and Mel Caceres will be key. Khamis the club’s leading scorer, Caceres the creative midfielder, returning from injury.

Just when you think Olympic are on their way and there will be no stopping them, they fall over.

After seven games without defeat, and four wins on the bounce, Olympic slipped up at home Sunday to the Koalas.

George Beltsos’ team has done well without the charismatic midfield magician Teresa Polias (return imminent) but need points here to keep in touch with the Rams.

In Polias’ absence, it’s been Mackenzie Hawkesby who has been the star, along with Sarah Yatim’s return to the squad.

A defeat could see Olympic fall eight points off the pace and they’ll be desperate to avoid that.

BY: NIKOLA POZDER, CHIEF NPL NSW WOMEN’S WRITER  

The Macarthur Rams have managed to hold on to the lead at the top of the competition ladder of the NPL NSW Women’s competition but another challenger rises this weekend in round 10 action. 

They travel to North Turramurra to face the hungry Tigers, while Manly plays a must win clash against Sydney University.

A real six-pointer takes shape down the south coast between the Stingrays and Spartans, and the Jets and Lions will both be confident they can register victories on Sunday.

Sydney Olympic will look to keep their good form going against the Koalas as the Institute and APIA look to get back to winning ways.

Manly United v Sydney University @Cromer Park, Sunday 3pm 

Sydney University will travel to Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon as they take on Manly United.

June will be a tough and testing month for the Students with six games on the schedule for them.

After a slow start where they didn’t win in their first two games, they lost only once in their last five outings with some impressive victories to boast about.

They proved many wrong who doubted their credentials after their uncharacteristic start, but now sit a point outside the top five with two games in hand on most of their rivals.

Holly Caspers and Kaitlyn Torpey have been standouts in the goal scoring departments while it’s the rock in defence of Taren King who keeps things tight at the other end.

Should June go well for Uni, they could find themselves right in the battle for premiership honours, a title they currently hold.

It’s disappointing at Cromer Park.

They had three points in the bag at the 44^th minute of their match on Sunday but unfortunately for them, football games last 90 minutes.

They were playing some good football, could’ve been four-goals to the good had it not been for the phenomenal Sally James and then just stopped playing.

The drop was unexplainable from Tom Hopley’s side and the coach was devastated at losing all three points, fully well knowing that a win would’ve thrown them right back in the finals mix.

A win is imperative on Sunday and with the quality at his disposal, Hopley will be expecting his side to be at their best.

Illawarra Stingrays v Blacktown Spartans @JJ Kelly Park, Sunday 3pm 

At JJ Kelly Park on Sunday, the Illawarra Stingrays host the Blacktown Spartans.

Only one win in six and two straight defeats has seen the Illawarra Stingrays drop out of the top five for the first time this season.

With Caitlin Cooper being selected into the Westfield Matildas squad (Congratulations to her), things will only get more difficult for the south coast side with one of their influential leaders absent.

With a tough run of games in front of them, they’ll need to reconsolidate quickly in order to keep their finals hopes alive.

Michelle Carney and Erica Halloway will need to step up now and help lead Bruce Tilt’s team.

Out at Blacktown Football Park, form has drastically improved and Brad Attard’s team is now closer to finals football.

This rise in form though coincided with the arrival of Kyra Cooney-Cross and Courtney Nevin to the squad, two players they will soon lose after gaining selection into the Westfield Matildas team, a fantastic achievement for these two talented youngsters.

But how will Attard’s side cope without them? Nevin’s replacement Tanya Borazio is out with an MCL injury and Cooney-Cross is one of their most important players.

Rosie Galea and Maja Markoviski have been playing well, the latter scoring her first hat-trick on Sunday in a Spartans jersey.

They showed excellent character to come from two-goals down and win over the weekend but will need youngsters Lowry and McKenna to step up in midfield with the imminent departure of Cooney-Cross.

Without a doubt, the Spartans currently have the best goalkeeper in the competition in Sally James, pouring confidence across the rest of her team with her saves and leadership.

Emerging Jets v Bankstown City @Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Sunday 3pm 

Bankstown City travel North on Sunday afternoon to take on the Emerging Jets.

Fresh off their first win of the season, Bankstown enter this one full of confidence.

Matthew Costatini will believe his side can get on somewhat of a roll and a win here would set them up nicely for two straight home games.

Finishing has still been a major problem for them, even though only one was needed on the weekend, Meleri Mullan seems to possibly be the answer.

At the other end, Annie Grove was colossal in goals, pulling off a large number of top saves to secure Bankstown’s first three points of the campaign.

Finals are most definitely too far away but this season was all about consolidating and building for the future for Bankstown.

The tough season continue for the Jets, nine games and yet to register a point.

It genuinely seems as though the experience from their opponents gets the better of them as they are well in the battle for most games.

Nevertheless, they’ll feel they can take something from this game, in particular with it being at home.

Could the Jets score their first three points of 2021?

Sydney Olympic v North West Sydney Koalas @Peter Moore Field, Sunday 3pm

On Sunday afternoon at Peter Moore Field, Sydney Olympic host the North West Sydney Koalas.

The home team’s main problem in 2021 is consistency.

They have won their last three matches on the bounce but you get the feeling they should have picked up more points along the way.

Still, they have played two games less than most teams and came away with a magnificent victory on Sunday when they defeated premiership contenders APIA Leichhardt.

The last piece missing from the Olympic puzzle seems to be Cortnee Vine but with no real concrete return date, other will need to step up, other like the returning Sarah Yatim.

Yatim marked her full return with the winning goal in spectacular fashion on Sunday and she’ll be important to what Olympic do along with others such as Taylor Ray, Teresa Polias, Mackenzie Hawkesby and so on.

Aside from their round one defeat to Macarthur, the Koalas you can say have been unlucky so far in 2021.

Adam Keramea’s team has been right in the mix and usually only a goal away from a win or draw.

The inability to turn draws into wins and losses into draws has the Koalas in 10^th place on the ladder.

With the quality the squad possess within, Keramea will be expecting things to turn around sooner rather than later.

Football NSW Institute v APIA Leichhardt @VSP, Sunday 3pm 

It’s second against fourth on Sunday at Valentine Sports Park as the Football NSW Institute host APIA Leichhardt.

These two enter this one both coming off defeats in their previous round.

The Institute did it tough against the league leaders and fell away courtesy of two first half goals on Sunday.

Jaime Gomez will expect an immediate response, much like they did the last time they tasted defeat when they disposed of Sydney Olympic.

The task won’t be any easier against a tough APIA side and Gomez’s youngsters will need to be at the top of their game to tame the potent strike force that APIA possess.

An APIA side coming off a defeat to Sydney Olympic in front of a bumper home crowd.

The club has put together a side worthy of winning the competition stacked with quality W League players, it’s now time for the players to prove the preseason expectations are real and not just hype.

Lisa De Vanna and Georgia Yeoman-Dale, both missed out on call ups to the Westfield Matildas side and will now need to turn their focus to leading their young team following the disappointment of the recent announcement.

With fire in their belly, you’d hate to be the team they come up against this weekend.

But, someone’s loss is another’s gain and Spencer Prior will be able to count on two of his super stars for up coming fixtures.

Two wins and two draws in their last four matches, consistency will be key for Prior’s team as they look to get back on with their premiership push.

Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams @North Turramurra, Sunday 3:30pm 

In the final match of the round, all eyes will be on the top of the table clash at North Turramurra as the Northern Tigers host the league leaders, Macarthur Rams.

A massive battle is expected here along with the tussle for the golden boot as Rams’ Leena Khamis and Tigers’ Lauren Allan sit atop the ladder with seven goals apiece.

The Tigers have been very good and you wouldn’t expect anything less with the squad that Jason Eagar has at his disposal.

Since their opening day loss against the Stingrays, they’ve only lost to APIA and Jason Eagar will tell you that on both days, his team should’ve come away with more.

Aideen Keane is looking sharp, dangerous and in form, as is Shay Evans and top scorer Lauren Allan.

Winnie Heatley has been a rock at the back for the Tigers as has Malia Steinmetz in midfield.

They’ll expect all three points here and won’t be happy with anything less.

So the league leaders lost two weeks ago, but bounced right back and won their top of the table clash against the Institute…that wasn’t supposed to happen.

That was it for the Rams, their descent down the ladder should’ve started!?

No, Stephen Peters’ side fell off the bike, dusted themselves off and got straight back on it.

That is why they are real premiership contenders and that is why they currently lead the competition.

As mentioned earlier, Leena Khamis is in fine form as is captain Renee Rollason.

With the equal best defence in the league, Rollason and Sham Khamis have been massive for the Rams and they’ll be pivotal for a positive result on Sunday.

BY: NIKOLA POZDER, CHIEF NPL NSW WOMEN’S WRITER  

As we slowly approach the halfway point of the season, there’s a real traffic jam at the top of the competition ladder. 

Only six-points separate first place to fifth place with a few teams still to play their catch-up games.

One of the closest fought premiership races continue this weekend with a top of the table clash at Lynwood Park between the Macarthur Rams and Football NSW Institute.

It’s 3v6 in the ‘Festival of Football’ at Lambert Park for the inner west title, while another intriguing clash takes place between the Blacktown Spartans and Manly United.

The Tigers will look to take care of their northern rivals at Christie Park and at Jensen Park Bankstown search for their first win of 2021.

Similarly, the Emerging Jets will be hoping to surprise Sydney Uni away from home and record win number one of the season.

North West Sydney Koalas v Northern Tigers @Christie Park, Sunday 5pm 

The action kicks off on SATURDAY, yes, you read correctly, Saturday night 5pm, as the North West Sydney Koalas host the Northern Tigers in a derby double header with the men’s match taking place at 7pm, right after the women’s clash.

It’s been a fairly tough campaign so far for Adam Keramea’s side and they find themselves in 10^th place with only six points.

With only one win in eight, finals hopes are slowly starting to creep away from the Koalas and three points are imperative Saturday night.

They have the quality in the side with Erin Pridmore, Nat Tobin, Rachael Soutar and Sophie Harding all there, making expectations much higher than where the team currently sits.

They were unlucky at time against the Institute but again, it took them too long to get going and the game got away from them.

It is a derby and Keramea will be hopeful his team can get up for the fixture.

But coming to Christie Park is a very well-oiled machine.

Jason Eagar has built a premiership-contending side and the Tigers currently sit in fifth place with a game in hand.

One of his star recruits, Aideen Keane is in some form scoring three goals in her last two games and creating havoc for opposition defenders.

She’ll be key along with top scorer Lauren Allan and Shay Evans who has crept into the starting line up over the last couple weeks.

They’ve only lost once in their past five appearances and are scoring goals at will but have only managed one clean sheet in their first seven matches.

Blacktown Spartans v Manly United @Blacktown Football Park, 3pm 

The round resumes on Sunday at Blacktown Football Park as Manly United travel down to take on the Blacktown Spartans.

Manly secured their first win after five games without a victory, defeating a stubborn Emerging Jets 4-1.

The result doesn’t do the match justice though with the Jets creating a plethora of problems for Manly on the day.

Nevertheless, for Tom Hopley, most importantly, his team is out of the negative rut. They now need to look forward and potentially force their way back into the top five with a win.

Remy Siemsen is starting to find form, now on four goals for the season and the important goals Emily Minnett is known for are starting to find their way into the back of the net.

A loss will see them slide down the ladder and with the teams in fifth and sixth both having catch ups to play, they could see the finals slipping away.

It seems as though Brad Attard’s team has turned a corner and are going in the right direction.

Three games on the bounce without defeat after that 5-0 drubbing by Sydney Olympic and are now four points outside the top five.

A major talking point though is the contribution of Ash Crofts whose lack of goals in 2021 is beginning to take effect.

Rosie Galea and Maja Markovski have relieved the load somewhat but Crofts goals will be pivotal to a finals push.

Sally James has been in fine form and she’ll be another key factor in getting a positive result on Sunday which will see them leapfrog Manly on the ladder.

Bankstown City v Illawarra Stingrays @Jensen Park, Sunday 3pm 

Bankstown City have brought their kick offs back to 3pm for their home matches as the Illawarra Stingrays come to town.

Still no wins and only the solitary point for Matthew Costantini’s side as they sit in 11^th place on the competition ladder.

Again, like most times this season, Bankstown were right in the battle for the majority of the match but tailed off toward the end before Sydney Olympic put them to the sword.

With only three goals in eight games, Bankstown’s woes in front of goal continue and are now becoming a serious issue.

Finding a goal-scoring number nine will be at the top of Costantini’s shopping list when the transfer window opens.

For the Stingrays, they’ve only managed one win in their last five games, seeing them drop down to fourth place.

They’ll be disappointed with their performance on Sunday and with the late sending off of Sheridan Gallagher, Bruce Tilt would’ve been left incredibly frustrated.

Michelle Carney and Talitha Kramer have been Tilt’s go-to players, scoring 10-goals between the two of them, more than half of the team’s return.

They’ll need support from their team mates in order to continue their push for finals football.

A win is needed here to hold onto their place in the five with the threat of dropping out of the finals places for the first time this year.

Sydney University v Emerging Jets @Sydney Uni Football Ground, 3pm 

Sydney University return to their home ground of Sydney Uni Football Ground as they host the Emerging Jets on Sunday.

Games will be coming thick and fast for the Students in the next month as they remain one of only two teams with six games played.

One loss in their last four has propelled them just outside the finals places and if they can pick up some points in the next few weeks will throw themselves right in the premiership race.

Kaitlyn Torpey has exploded in the last few weeks and leads the club’s scoring charts and will be key come Sunday.

Coaching duo of Emily Husband and Amy Shepherd will expect their team to get on a run and build on last week’s difficult away trip.

They are still searching for their first home win of the season, albeit only playing one so far this year at their normal home at the Uni grounds.

The Jets pushed hard on Sunday and really made Manly work for their win (much like they have all teams they’ve played this year).

Again, they hit the front first but couldn’t build on their lead and hold on.

Instead, they conceded four on the bounce as Manly ran away with the points. They’ll make it difficult for Uni though and could even spring a surprise.

APIA Leichhardt v Sydney Olympic @Lambert Park, 3:30pm 

The biggest match of the week takes shape at Lambert Park as APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic do battle in an inner west derby on a massive day of football.

So massive that the ‘voice of football’ Simon Hill will be at the microphone for the call for the ‘festival of football’.

Only one defeat so far this season for Spensor Prior’s girls in what was an uncharacteristic performance.

They bounced back and responded by comfortably defeating the current league leaders and inflicting on them their first defeat of 2021.

Lisa De Vanna was at it again, scoring her second brace of the campaign to take her tally to four goals in three games.

Another standout is Georgia Yeoman-Dale who is showing real leadership traits, captaining the side and leading by example, scoring a cheeky chip along the way on Sunday.

But, they do have their slight blips along the way as they fell away around the mid-way point of the second half, almost getting properly exposed against a Rams side that was reduced to 10.

They’ll need to stay focused and concentrated against a tough Olympic team.

An Olympic team that’s been good but not great after six games.

Two straight wins and seven goals scored in those victories will make you think it’s been easy for the Belmore based side but in fact they’ve been two difficult games.

They will need to raise their game, similarly to how they did when they destroyed the Spartans 5-0 in their best performance of the season at the start of May.

Aimee Phillips has been the most in form player, scoring four in her last two and sharing the top scorer tag with Teigan Collister.

With Sarah Yatim returning to the side, along with a dangerous Mackenzie Hawkesby and quality of the midfield duo of Teresa Polias and Taylor Ray, we’re in for quite the midfield battle.

Jess Framton and Angelique Hristodoulou will have their hands full and at the top of their game having to deal with the pace and skill of De Vanna and Yeoman-Dale.

We’re in for a fantastic game with so many quality players, former and current Matildas and young superstars in the making.

Macarthur Rams v Football NSW Institute @Lynwood Park, 4pm 

If someone had said that by round eight, the first placed Macarthur Rams were hosting the second placed Football NSW Institute, people probably would’ve laughed at you.

Well, they’ve been the two most form sides and most consistent teams so far in 2021.

Stephen Peters saw his team fall to their first defeat of the season against APIA on Sunday but wouldn’t have been too discouraged by what he saw.

They fought to the death, even after Kylie Ledbrook was sent for an early shower minutes after the second half resumed.

Patty Charalambous showed she has a right foot too, scoring an incredible volley to give the Rams a fighting chance.

But they were at fault for the goals they conceded, giving away two of them trying to play out of defence.

Mel Caceres should be available to Peters this week and potentially Olivia Sloan, two important players for Macarthur.

Well if the Rams have been a revelation, much the same can be said for the young girls from the Institute.

They play with so much confidence and flair that they look like they could go all the way with it this year.

Jaime Gomez has this team so well drilled and prepared that on their day they can dismantle anyone.

They did it to Olympic, the Jets and Koalas and are currently doing it without one of their best, Bryleeh Henry.

Holly McNamara has been a standout, alongside Charlie Rule, with the two of them contributing to two-thirds of the team’s goals.

But the defence cannot be overlooked. Four out of eight clean sheets and Miranda Templeman in some form in goals for the Institute.

A win for Gomez’s side will push them into the leader’s position on the competition ladder.

BY: NIKOLA POZDER, CHIEF NPL NSW WOMEN’S WRITER