Bulli waited until the dying stages to clinch both the league and grand final title in 2018 while down the league, Fernhill fresh from promotion defied everyone’s expectations by comfortably avoiding relegation.

In 2019, the Premier League says goodbye to Picton Rangers after they picked up a miserly 10 points last season with Coniston coming up to the top flight for the first time in six years.

With the competition set to kick off this weekend, let’s mull over each club’s chances.

Albion Park White Eagles

Last season - 3rd - 12 wins, 8 draws, 2 losses - 44 points

Opening month - Port Kembla (A), Wollongong United (H), Wollongong Olympic (A), Coniston (H)

Major signings - Cameron Morgan (Port Kembla), Kyle Senior (Port Kembla), Brad Jardine (Port Kembla), Ethan Kambisios (Wollongong Wolves), Bojan Caric (South Coast Flame), Valentino Merxhushi (Woonona Sharks), Joel Beattie (Thackley FC), Oliver Carrasco (South Coast United), Eiki Fukushige (Kwansei Gakuin University), Naomichi Araki (Kwansei Gakuin University), Yuki Uno (Kwanseigakuin University)

FFA Cup - Yes

Paul Carter will be looking to build upon a third-place finish in his second season at Terry Reserve.

New signing Cameron Morgan scored six goals in the Fraternity Club Cup to help his side to the final where they were humbled 3-1 by Corrimal.

Keep an eye on Ethan Kambisios, the former Wollongong Wolves youngster could prove a great addition and he is likely to partner Robbie Delbanco in midfield.

Despite making the final of the preseason cup, the lack of a clean sheet and patchy performances across all six of their matches is a slight cause for concern.

The White Eagles look sure things for the top five but improving on last year's finish is a tall order.

4th

Bulli

Last season - 1st - 18 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss - 57 points

Opening month - Corrimal Rangers (H), Woonona Sharks (A), South Coast United (H), Tarrawanna Blueys (A)

Major signings - Ben McGinnes (Coniston), Kyle Hazebroek (Port Kembla), Rui Kamada (Khon Kaen United), Brendan Pattman (Woonona), Mitch Turner (Fernhill Foxes), Trent Sierra (Mt Druitt Town Rangers), Adam Baker (Unattached)

FFA Cup - Yes

The Premier League champions have lost six of their starting eleven from last year’s decider including captain Guy Knight and centreback pairing Scott Best and David Abel.

In terms of ins, Brendan Pattman rejoins after three years with Woonona while utility Kyle Hazebroek has also come onboard.

The club finished last in a Fraternity Club Cup group which featured the two most recently promoted sides while trial match thumpings against Broadmeadow Magic and Gungahlin United leave much cause for concern.

Matt Bailey received plenty of praise, and rightly so, for delivering the club’s first grand final in 32-years but securing a top-five finish with his current squad would be a greater achievement.

They will need to take advantage of a start to the season where they don’t play a side who finished in last season’s top five until round seven. 

7th

Coniston

Last season - 1st (District League) - 19 wins, 1 draws, 2 losses - 58 points

Opening month - Wollongong United (H), Wollongong Olympic (H), Cringila Lions (H), Albion Park White Eagles (A)

Major signings - Blake Coad (Corrimal Rangers), Rob Brown (Unattached), Yuki Samoto (Irrmattio FC), Daniel Wagus (Unattached), Nikolas Miceski (Bulli), Boden Allport (Bellambi Rosellas), Denis Stojic (South Coast United), Kristian Jovanovski (Bankstown United), Blake Horton (Mildenhall Town), Kody Maude (Albion Park White Eagles)

FFA Cup - Yes

Coniston return to the top flight for the first time since 2013 and new coach Jeff Allport is eyeing off a finals birth.

Many of the players who won promotion remain including strike duo Dinko Terzic and Mark Picciolini who combined for 49 goals last season in the second tier.

Coniston had a good Fraternity Club Cup, finishing second in a group containing Wollongong Olympic, Bulli and Fernhill.

The side lacks pace in defensive areas which could prove to be their downfall in the top flight.

A good story worth noting is captain Frank Pierro, who joined the club in the Community League, will make his return to the Premier League.

No concerns over survival, outside chance of finals football if Terzic and Picciolini hit their straps.

8th

Corrimal Rangers

Last season - 7th - 6 wins, 5 draws, 11 losses - 23 points

Opening month - Bulli (A), Port Kembla (H), Wollongong United (A), Wollongong Olympic (H)

Major signings - Alvin Ceccoli (Wollongong United), Banri Kanaizumi (FC TIAMO Hirakata), Nikolas Loe (Sutherland Sharks), Lukas Stergiou (Wollongong Olympic), Tomoki Wada (Lagend Shiga), Ben Zucco (Port Kembla)

FFA Cup - No

Corrimal Rangers go into 2019 with plenty of expectation resting on their shoulders after a superb Fraternity Club Cup campaign culminating in a 3-1 win over Albion Park White Eagles in the final.

Coaching duo Jason Davkovski and Robert Jonovski have completely revamped their midfield by signing Tomoki Wada, Ben Zucco and Lukas Stergiou while Alvin Ceccoli will add a wealth of experience to the squad.

The concern over Corrimal is their matches against weaker sides. In 2018, they lost to every club outside the top five and their worst two displays in the preseason cup were against Cringila and Helensburgh.

Corrimal to be the big improvers in 2019 with the league title not out of the question

2nd

Cringila Lions

Last season - 9th - 5 wins, 3 draws, 14 losses - 18 points

Opening month - Wollongong Olympic (A), Tarrawanna Blueys (H), Coniston (A), Fernhill Foxes (A)

Major signings - Aiden Breslin (Bulli), Alex Mojsoski (Picton Rangers), Jake Webster (Wollongong United), Alex Najdoski (Bankstown Lions), Anthony Oliver (Balgownie Rangers), Jackson Brooks (Wollongong United)

FFA Cup - No

Zivko Jovanovski has completed his first preseason as head coach of Cringila after joining six weeks into the 2018 season.

The Lions Fraternity Club Cup exploits were far from inspiring though they were fairly resolute in their 1-0 defeat to eventual winners Corrimal.

Jake Webster and Jackson Brooks are two handy acquisitions from rivals Wollongong United with the two having plenty to prove in the top grade, however, neither address Cringila’s main issue with is offensive impotence.

Youngster Kristofer Stefanovski is the only senior striker at the club and he will be hard pressed to make an impact if the side struggle to get the ball into the front third.

They will want to be within touching distance of South Coast United when they playing them on the final day of the season.

12th

Fernhill Foxes

Opening month - Woonona Sharks (H), South Coast United (A), Tarrawanna Blueys (H), Cringila Lions (H)

Last season - 7th - 6 wins, 6 draws, 10 losses - 24 points

Major signings - Matthew Donnelly (St George Saints), Alexander Josipovic (St George City), Rhys Wilson (Ulladulla), Daniel Malouf (Stanmore Hawks), Blake Friedrich (Tarrawanna Blueys), Kurt Foulger (Port Kembla), Nicholas Anagnostiadis (Georges River), Robert Watson (Sutherland Sharks), Jeremy Kemp (Gymea United), Thomas Potts (Sutherland Sharks), Yoji Ogawa (NA), James Kerr (Unattached)

FFA Cup - Yes

Bruce Tilt is back for his second season at the Fox ground after working wonders with the side many people tipped to run last in their first season back in the top tier.

The Foxes were decent in the Fraternity Club Cup with a win and a couple of narrow defeats while a 7-1 win over Bankstown RSL Dragons in the second round of the FFA Cup will have Tilt satisfied with his side’s preseason.

Shinsei Tanaka is a massive loss for Fernhill with the new Blacktown Spartans player nine goals last season securing 15 points last campaign.

Jack Lombo seems the most likely the play in the void with the lumbering forward picking up a couple of goals in the preseason cup.

Robert Watson joins from Sutherland Sharks to play in defence while former Bulli and Tarrawanna midfielder James Kerr will bring valuable experience into perhaps the league’s most inexperienced side.

It is hard to see Fernhill replicating last season’s results though relegation seems out of the question.

10th

Port Kembla

Last season - 5th - 11 wins, 2 draws, 9 losses - 35 points

Opening month - Albion Park White Eagles (H), Corrimal Rangers (A), Woonona Sharks (H), South Coast United (H)

Major signings - Christofer Fuentes Ramirez (Albion Park White Eagles), Luke Boersma (Berkeley), Karouna Michael (Corrimal Rangers), Nuno Pires (Cringila Lions), Mitch Di Pietro (Cringila Lions), Brad Acev (Tarrawanna Blueys), Dylan Nikolovski (Woonona Sharks), Jarryd Mortimer (Woonona Sharks)

FFA Cup - No

Steve Dimitrievski takes charge at Wetherall Park after the departure of Noel Spencer who delivered two fifth-placed finished and more importantly the club’s ninth grand final trophy.

With the changing of the guard comes significant player turnover with key players such as Ben Zucco, Cameron Morgan and Brad Jardine no longer at the club but there have been plenty of ins including Luke Boersma who has performed well in preseason and frontman Nuno Pires returns to the club.

Port secured 2-1 wins over Woonona and Wollongong United in the Fraternity Club Cup and only missed out on making the knockout phase via the head-to-head rule.

If Port can find their feet in the opening weeks of the season, another top-five finish seems more likely than not.

5th

South Coast United

Last season - 10th - 5 wins, 3 draws, 14 losses - 18 points

Opening month - Tarrawanna Blueys (A), Fernhill Foxes (H), Bulli (A), Port Kembla (A)

Major signings - Chris Smith (Unattached), Tomi Skara (Unattached), Josh Messinis (Hurstville FC), Yuki Kiyohara (FK Koralas Klaipeda), Cameron Hanson (South Coast Flame), Kieren Brodnik (Port Kembla), Cho Byung-kuk (Suwon FC), Zac Hawker (Wollongong Wolves)

FFA Cup - No

The new synthetic pitch at Ian McLennan Park is a reason for positivity for South Coast United and it will be intriguing to see if player-coach Greg Valic is able to use the surface to his advantage.

South Coast were porous in the Fraternity Club Cup conceding more goals (9) than any other Premier League side while the loss of Ikumi Saito, Oliver Carrasco and Denis Stojic along with a couple of talented youngsters will leave gaps which need filling.

United have pulled off a coup in signing South Korean international and former K-League star Cho Byung-kuk who at 37-years-old still seems more than capable of performing at this level.

Noted goal-getter Chris Smith has also come out of retirement to bolster the side’s attacking stocks.

So much of whether United avoid the drop this season depends on the fitness of players with concerning injury records.

11th

Tarrawanna Blueys

Last season - 6th - 9 wins, 3 draws, 10 losses - 30 points

Opening month - South Coast United (H), Cringila Lions (A), Fernhill Foxes (A), Bulli (H)

Major signings - Mitchell Ferraro (Wollongong Wolves), Haydyn Lloyd (Wollongong Olympic), Stephen Lloyd (Camden Tigers), Joey Lavalle (Port Kembla), Sam Munro (Wollongong United), Ben Spruce (Sutherland Sharks), Cody Waller (Wollongong United), Yusuke Maruyama (Fernhill Foxes)

FFA Cup - Yes

Inconsistency and injuries ultimately cost Tarrawanna a chance of appearing in back-to-back finals series and the latter is already affecting them this term with key players already missing a majority of the preseason.

Sam Munro is the most noteworthy pick up and he is likely to partner captain Ricky Goodchild and fellow new recruit Mitchell Ferraro in midfield while Haydyn Lloyd and Ben Spruce have been signed to bolster the defence.

Tarrawanna made the knockout stages of the Fraternity Club Cup as the best second-placed Premier League side but were tamed 3-1 by Wollongong Olympic in the quarter finals.

A top half finish is on the cards but predictability may see the side slip up against the better sides.

6th

Wollongong Olympic

Last season - 2nd - 17 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss - 55 points

Opening month - Cringila Lions (H), Coniston (A), Albion Park White Eagles (H), Corrimal Rangers (A)

Major signings - Mark Every (Wollongong United), Ikumi Saito (South Coast United), Dion Avouris (Wollongong United), Jaime Wakeling (Corrimal Rangers), Peter Prandalos (Unattached), Emanuel El Ali (Blacktown Spartans)

FFA Cup - Yes

Back-to-back second-placed finished has got to hurt the boys from the PCYC so George Antoniou will be hoping it’s a matter of third time lucky in 2019.

Olympic have, by most people’s reckoning, the best squad in the competition, however, they’ll want to quickly forget the Fraternity Club Cup where they were smashed 3-0 by Corrimal in the semi final which was proceeded by four performances which weren’t overly impressive though, in fairness, Olympic never started with their best eleven.

Yusuke Ueda will be the hot favourite to take out the golden boot for the third season running after netting six times in preseason and expect Julian Minutillo to be in amongst the goals as well with the attacker seemingly fit after being plagued by injuries in recent years.

Jake Duczynski and Shun Tokuno are no longer at the club, however, Mark Every and Ikumi Saito should prove worthy replacements.

If anyone finishes ahead of Olympic they will win the league.

1st

Wollongong United

Last season - 4th - 12 wins, 5 draws, 5 losses - 41 points

Opening month - Coniston (A), Albion Park White Eagles (A), Corrimal Rangers (H), Woonona Sharks (A)

Major signings - Shane Murray (Tuggeranong United), James O’Rourke (Bonnyrigg White Eagles), Dion Sterjovski (South Coast Flame), Billy Tsovolos (Corrimal Rangers), Kane Wright (Albion Park White Eagles), Naoki Ogawa (FC Tiamo), Hikaru Kawasakiya (Albion Park White Eagles), Charbel Haddad (Macarthur Rams)

FFA Cup - Yes

Last season's preseason favourites endured a roller coaster season which ultimately ended in grand final heartache.

Icko Atanasoski, who has been successful with United's under 23s for a number of years, is now head coach and he's welcomed in a number of top quality players including Shane Murray, Hikaru Kawasakiya and Naomi Ogawa while Ben Brooks has been given the captains armband.

While the list of signings is strong, the departure of Kazuto Kushida who was runner up in the George Naylor Medal last year is a massive loss in the middle of the park while Nathan Elasi and Mark Every’s boots will be tough to fill.

They failed to win the Fraternity Club Cup for the first time in four years, however, they navigated past Fairfield Bulls in the second round of the FFA Cup and their six other trial matches should have them ready for the season.

There is enough talent in this squad to challenge for the league, especially is Ogawa can hit the ground running and Matthew McNab makes a successful return from injury.

3rd

Woonona Sharks

Last season - 11th - 4 wins, 4 draws, 14 losses - 16 points

Opening month - Fernhill Foxes (A), Bulli (H), Port Kembla (A), Wollongong United (H)

Major signings - Ben Wunsch (Wollongong United), Jeremy Lopez (Warilla Wanderers), Aden Wade (Warilla Wanderers), Jesse French (Warilla Wanderers), Brad Strudwick (Thirroul Thunder), Corey Haines-Grose (Thirroul Thunder), Tyler Snelgrove (Thirroul Thunders), Tyron Maclou (Cringila Lions), Lachlan Newman (Picton Rangers), Jarred Morley (Picton Rangers), Kota Odakura (Tokyo Musashino City), Luke McCosker (Lilli Pilli)

FFA Cup - Yes

Dan McGoldrick returns for his second season at Ocean Park and he's joined by a dozen signings who have already performed admirably in the Fraternity Club Cup and were a goal away from progressing to the final eight.

The Sharks were the equal worst offence (18 goals) in 2018 and they have looked to address that with the likes of Jesse French, Jeremy Lopez and Corey Haines-Grose who combined for 38 goals in the District League last year.

Ben Wunsch is also a solid pick up in goal while Valentino Merxhushi and Brendan Pattman are the most notable outs.

Woonona should finish well clear of the bottom but a top-five finish still seems a stretch.

9th

 

Preview by Dylan Arvela, on Twitter @dylanarvela

Photo by Pedro Garcia