Riverina Rhinos v Woden-Weston FC | Saturday, 5pm @ Solar Mad Stadium – WATCH LIVE

The Rhinos will continue to seek their first points of the season on Saturday when they welcome Woden-Weston to Solar Mad Stadium to kick off the third round of NPL1 action. Losses to Monaro and Belconnen have the Rhinos rooted firmly in the bottom three of the table, and they will face a Woden-Weston side fresh off a two-week break. The hosts will again be without Ally McLeod as he sits out with a suspension, while Jordan Bavaresco will miss the remainder of the season from an ACL rupture sustained in round one. Gabriel Abdala will be hoping for a disciplined performance here, and his squad has enough talent to get a result from this game but need to be mindful of Woden-Weston’s ability to attack quickly on the counter. With a bye next-up followed by a tough stretch of games it is imperative that Abdala’s men get points on the board at home.

After a smash and grab win in round one Woden-Weston sat out for a week with the bye and return to action looking to go two from two. Martin Deng’s screamer got them off the mark in that clash before a late penalty sealed it and their quick forward line could prove problematic for a Riverina defense that has conceded eight goals in two matches. Deng Aleer Deng returns from a family visit overseas to join the squad, while Chris McEwan is out following surgery last week. Young Angus Bailey is shaping up as a bolter to make his first grade debut and will be something of an unknown for the Rhinos to combat.

 

Monaro Panthers v Canberra FC | Saturday, 7pm @ Riverside Stadium – WATCH LIVE

It’s crunch time for reigning Champions Canberra FC as they take on Monaro Panthers at Riverside Stadium looking for their first win of the new campaign. Losses to Canberra Olympic and Tuggeranong United have left some concerned about the campaign ahead, and Luka Ujdur will be very keen for his side to get their first goal on the board and their first points. Ujdur’s men looked toothless against a structured Tuggeranong outfit and need more output from their stacked forward line but will come up against a Monaro backline that has proved relatively sturdy thus far. With Belconnen United following this week and a monster FFA Cup Qualifying Clash with Olympic in the pipeline as well, this could prove to be a make or break game as far as their season is concerned.

Monaro started brightly with a road win in round one before succumbing to the Tigers at Nijong a fortnight ago, but this weekend they have the chance to make a statement in front of a bumper crowd at the opening of a refurbished Riverside Stadium. With their NPLW side playing directly beforehand and the Opening Ceremony to take place in between matches, the Panthers will have plenty of reasons to be motivated and will be under Colin Stirton’s watchful eye with Jimmy Kanaridis away for a few weeks. This clash last season yielded a 3-0 win for the visitors in the same round but with difference circumstances as Canberra FC made their first appearance of the season. The Panthers have a chance here to mark themselves as proper contenders for the top four with a win although a number of injuries to key players means that they will have their work cut out for them.

 

Gungahlin United v Tuggeranong United | Sunday, 3pm @ AIS 1 - WATCH LIVE

A battle of United’s beckons at the AIS on Sunday afternoon as Gungahlin United host Tuggeranong United. Gungahlin remain on the bottom of the table with minus six points following a pre-season deduction, and as a result are nine points outside the top four. A 2-0 loss to Canberra Olympic in round two was their NPL season opener but they have a chance to rebound here against Tuggeranong. Marcial Munoz has a talented side at his disposal and several new faces means that there may still be some gelling to do. A loss here risks seeing them fall as far as 15 points behind top spot, a precarious spot to be in with the prospect of relegation awaiting at the end of the season. Expect the hosts to come out firing here as they look to get off the mark.

Tuggeranong rebounded in perfect fashion following a week one loss to Tigers, running over the top of a struggling Canberra FC outfit at Greenway a week later. This week presents another challenge in the form of Gungahlin, but Mitch Stevens’ side look to have played themselves into form with that win. Regan Walsh got on the board twice and Jono Turek added a third for Tuggeranong to run away with it but whether the Gungahlin defense will be quite as accommodating as Canberra FC were remains to be seen. They are facing a side who will be starting with all guns blazing in this encounter so need to be ready to go from the outset. A win helps Tuggeranong stay firmly on the upper edge of the table, while a loss risks them becoming embroiled in the crowded fight for top four spots.

 

Tigers FC v Belconnen United | Sunday, 3pm @ Nijong Oval – WATCH LIVE

Gaby Wilk and Tigers are aiming for three in a row at Nijong on Sunday as they host Belconnen United in round three of the NPL1. A 3-0 win over Tuggeranong and a 2-0 triumph against Monaro sees Tigers sitting pretty up the top of the table with Olympic, and a point here would be enough to send them outright top after three rounds. Nic Abot has netted twice so far while contributions from Jared Tonini, Laurence Redmond and Roko Strika have helped Tigers score five goals in their first two games while remaining untroubled at the back. This weekend’s opponents found their scoring shoes last time out against the Rhinos but with a stronger defense this year than in the past Wilk will be confident of going top at the end of the round.

Belconnen fell in round one thanks to Martin Deng’s stunner and a late penalty but bounced back with conviction in round two against the Rhinos at McKellar Park. Four different scorers got on the sheet in that match which will have pleased Steve Forshaw greatly, but it’s a very different team they take on this weekend at Nijong. Their last visit to Cooma was in the final round of the 2018 season, where a red card brought undone their finals chances on the last day of the season as they lost 3-2 to Tigers. Both sides look different from that outing, and Daniel Sparrow will be keen to write over the memories of that dismissal and continue his scoring form so far, with a Federation Cup hat-trick to his name as well as the second goal against Riverina in round two. United sit third ahead of the round but with plenty of teams that could jump them if they don’t take points from this clash.