1 Mar 2023

Round 5 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s

1 March , 2023 By Football NSW

Round four provided several upsets as the National Premier Leagues NSW competition proved its unpredictability once more.

Here’s the rundown for an exciting round five.

Rockdale Ilinden FC v Sutherland Sharks FC

3:00 pm, Sunday 5 March, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden and Sutherland Sharks will seek to add to positive round-four results on Sunday at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre as the two meet in the local derby.

Rockdale have not looked back since their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of APIA with two wins in a row – most recently a well-earned 2-0 victory over Sydney Olympic last Sunday.

Alec Urosevski proved his irreplaceable value to the side once more picking up a brace early on in the second half to secure the result.

Since being appointed as club captain, Urosevski and his teammates have not turned back with Lachlan Griffiths and Nikola Ujdur in fine form too.

Paul Dee’s team will hope to carry on this positive run against Sutherland, however, the Sharks will be buoyed by their first victory of the campaign last weekend.

Damir Prodanovic’s men edged past NWS Spirit 1-0 with Alexander Brown’s goal just after the half-hour mark proving the difference.

After two defeats to start the year, the Sharks have picked up four points from a possible six since then, and a win this Sunday will further cement the turnaround for the side.

Rockdale got the better of Sutherland in 2022 winning both matches with a 3-0 win at Seymour Shaw and then a 3-2 win at home in the final few weeks of the season.

Urosevski was the star of the show in that round nineteen clash bagging two goals including the winner in the final fifteen minutes of the game.

It’s a crucial matchup for both teams heading into this one as neither will want to concede the momentum accumulated over the past couple of weeks.