Waratah Cup Quarter Final Preview
As we get to the pointy end of this season, there will only be one! One team will miss out on an inaugural Westfield FFA Cup birth. Thankfully, the competition has lived up to its reputation so far with 3 of the 8 sides currently residing below the NSWNPL 1 competition. Will they be able to overcome one more obstacle to get there? Only time will tell.
Quarter Final 1: Sydney Olympic vs Sydney United. Belmore Sports Ground. Wednesday 7:30pm
In probably the most anticipated clash of the Waratah Cup so far, Mark Rudan’s Sydney United side travel to Belmore to face traditional Rivals Sydney Olympic. Both sides are very evenly matched according to the NPLNSW 1 table sitting in 6th and 7th respectively with only two points separating them.
Sydney Olympic come into the match on a bit of a dry spell having lost to a Rockdale side who were struggling to find the net and drawing against Manly United the week prior. The last game they won was a 6-0 whitewash of St George in the previous round of this competition. However they will be very keen to win this particularly given they dominated the Rockdale game, only for a slight loss of concentration to ultimately cost them. Also, the fact that the club consider themselves a national brand will motivate them to get past United.
Sydney United on the other hand have had a rather timid start to the NPLNSW season having only won 3 of their ten games. This would obviously disappoint Coach Mark Rudan, with the team setting a high benchmark by winning both the league and national NPL Cup competition last year. Obviously though his team have had the quality to see off Fraser Park and Spirit FC in previous rounds. Sydney United will be hoping this game turns their season around.
Prediction: 2-1 Olympic in extra time.
Quarter Final 2: Hakoah Sydney City FC vs Blacktown City FC. Hensley Athletic Field. Thursday 7:30pm
Hakoah Sydney City face their biggest test so far when they face NPLNSW 1 high flyers Blacktown City. Hakoah have done well to reach this far, seeing off Granville Rage, Sydney University and Dunbar Rovers in the process. However one gets the feeling that Blacktown City, who are currently sitting in second place in NPLNSW, might be a step too far. To get to this stage Blacktown have beaten Marconi Stallions and Bankstown City.
Quarter Final 3: Manly United vs Northern Tigers. Cromer Park. Wednesday 7:15pm
NPLNSW 1 strugglers Manly United host Northern Tigers in Quarter Final 3 of the competition. United were on the back end of St George FC’s second victory of the season. To get to this Stage Manly have beaten Bonnyrigg and APIA Leichhardt Tigers. Their Opponents Northern Tigers are currently sitting in third place in the NPLNSW 2 competition and have only conceded 3 goals in that competition. This could well be the most likely upset of the round having already beaten Blacktown Spartans who are on top of the NPLNSW 1 competition.
Quarter Final 4: Parramatta FC vs South Coast Wolves. Melita Stadium. Wednesday 7:30pm
The last quarter final sees another NPLNSW 2 high flyer playing a NPLNSW 1 outfit. Parramatta having been averaging over two goals a game in their league season and a few weeks ago I would have said they were favorites to knock off the Wolves. However the team from the South Coast have recently hit a purple patch under new coach Nahuel Arrarte. Expect a high scoring game in this game.