NPL NSW 2026: Round 1 & 2 review, Round 3 preview
- Jose Campo
- 15 minutes ago
- 4 min read
After two rounds, the 2026 NPL NSW season has kicked off, providing great entertainment for local football fans, with Marconi's triumph against their respective rivals, APIA Leichhardt and Rockdale Ilinden, and a classic between the youth teams of the Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC last Saturday in Rooty Hill, and many more of which will be listed below. With round three ahead, Front Page Football's Jose Campo gives his NPL NSW review of the first two rounds and his take on what to watch for this weekend.
Presley Ortiz got on the scoresheet for APIA Leichhardt against NWS Spirit. (Image: APIA Leichhardt FC Facebook)
Round 1
The first Saturday was a highlight, as Sutherland Sharks debuted under new head coach David Perkovic, against his old club, NWS Spirit, at Christie Park. A tense 1–0 win for Spirit saw them start the season well as defending premiers after defying the odds in 2025. During the match, Spirit went down to 10 men after striker Callum Kealy was shown a red card for stamping on Sharks player Jamie Percevski's ankle in an off-ball incident that went viral online.
After the match, the club suspended Kealy from training and matches in a statement posted on social media. For Sutherland, Percevski is expected to be out for the next two weeks after avoiding any serious ankle injury. Away from Christie Park, the SD Raiders made their mark in NPL 1 for the first time in club history in the opening match on Friday against Sydney FC. Despite losing in a close 3–2 fixture, Luka Knezevic scored his side's first goal of the year in a monumental moment for the club.
The Derby d'Italia also took place in Round 1, with defender Teng Kuol scoring a brace on debut to give Marconi a 2–1 win over their rivals APIA. The day after, the match between Sydney United and UNSW FC saw seven goals, four of which came in the last 15 minutes. The highlight was forward Michael Krslovic—on debut for Sydney United—scoring a hat-trick off the bench to overturn UNSW's 2–1 lead and secure a 5–2 victory for his side in his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Round 2
Saturday featured four exciting matches. At 3pm, the Western Sydney Wanderers hosted the first NPL Sydney Derby, dominating their eastern rival, Sydney FC, by four goals in what was a stand-out performance from Awan Lual up front, who scored a brace in the last 15 minutes. The highlights of the match were Oscar Morrison's free-kick just before the end of the first half, and Alaat Abdul-Rahman putting in the work and passion for the Wanderers, being involved in more than one scruffle and goal-involvement throughout the match.
Over at Lambert Park at 5pm, APIA and NWS Spirit played out a five-goal thriller, with the hosts taking a 3–2 win after goals from Presley Ortiz, Jordan Segreto, and Jack Stewart. Spirit contested much of the second half but were unable to mount a comeback, despite bringing the deficit to one goal. Played at the same time, Sydney Olympic crushed SD Raiders 5–1 at their home ground. It was end-to-end football until Raiders defender Cooper Hanagan was sent off just before the break, giving control to Olympic for the rest of the match.
And finally, over in Seymour Shaw Park, Sutherland fell to another defeat, this time to Sydney United, who spent most of the game with 10 men as they did in the last game against NWS Spirit. Captain Adrian Vlastelica was sent off for violent conduct in the 42nd minute. Still, United prevailed with a man down, scoring the winner in the second half from a corner. The Sharks also recorded a home attendance of 1,523 people for the match, showing strong support for the game in Cronulla.
The following day brought a classic rival clash between Marconi and Rockdale. The Stallions outplayed their opposition 4–1 on the pitch, with Damian Tsekenis scoring a brace. It has made Marconi the favourite for the title early on, having now defeated both of last year's finalists in the opening rounds.
Who to watch in Round 3
Round three will not showcase any rivalries, but there will be matches to look forward to. The round will open with Manly United vs APIA Leichhardt on Friday. Manly has been a strong defensive team in the past, and will be a tough challenge for APIA's front third, having kept consecutive clean sheets with Jesse Piriz, Aaron O'Driscoll, and Mackenzie Syron in front of the net. Players to watch are Jordan Segreto and Presley Ortiz, both of whom will be the main men up front for APIA in a good battle against Manly's defence.
Saturday's fixtures feature ten teams to watch, but the most anticipated will be Rockdale vs Blacktown City. With both teams playing an offensive style of football, it will be a very entertaining match-up if viewers want to see goals at both ends. The next best would be SD Raiders vs UNSW FC in a rematch, now set in the NPL. UNSW have won the previous two meetings, but the fact that the two sides have been promoted may show who has prepared better in pre-season.
The best of round three will be on Sunday, displaying Wollongong Wolves vs Marconi Stallions and Sydney United vs Western Sydney Wanderers. Marconi is the favourite for their match, having a lethal partnership in Damian Tsekenis and Marko Jesic up front to put pressure on Wollongong's defence, while both Sydney United and the Wanderers are two of the most entertaining teams to match up so far, as proven by their performances in the first two rounds.
Players to look out for between Sydney United and Western Sydney Wanderers are Awan Lual, a player with a great technical profile and physical attributes, and who is in great form for the Wanderers right now. New man Jai Rose will return from suspension, expecting to return for this clash as one to watch. As for United, Mason Wells should always be on every opponent's radar for his technical ability, as well as Tomoki Wada, who has been critical in that midfield for his side lately.
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