Football Season Guide

Despite not entirely impressing in their NPL New South Wales campaign, finishing third due to not scoring enough goals, they did eventually clinch the title by way of a penalty shootout against local rivals Sydney United 58 in what turned out to be a heated affair. Made some really interesting pre-season acquisitions, all of which have A-League experience. Mourdoukoutas should bring stability to their defence, it's a chance for Swibel to prove himself in Australia once more. Tsekenis was the controversial move though. He was once highly-regarded in the A-Leagues but was banned for over two years due to his involvement with prohibited substances. This is his way back in Australia, and this club is the one to benefit from his misfortune. As long as their new recruits settle in quickly, they should be able to bridge the gap when it comes to attacking, something they've struggled with for a while now. Controlling games and frustrating opponents comes naturally to them so if they start finding the net more often too, then they'd have to be taken very seriously indeed. They've not lost anybody of note so they should be in a good position to start their Australian Championship strongly. As long as Bayliss, Mourdoukoutas, Tsekenis etc. show up then they should be able to do well enough in this competition. It's not the worst group they could have been drawn in. They've got some interesting matches but really should be looking to qualify, given their standing, experience, quality, and fanbase for this level. As long as they navigate their New South Wales derby against Wollongong Wolves well, they should get through the group.