NPL NSW Round 11 Wrap: Rockdale Run Riot as Marconi Stay Perfect

James Stuart

Round 11 of the NPL NSW season delivered a feast of goals and drama across the board, but none louder than Rockdale Ilinden’s 8-1 demolition of the Western Sydney Wanderers, while Marconi Stallions quietly extended their unbeaten run to remain top of the table.

Ruthless Rockdale

In the standout result of the round, Rockdale Ilinden tore through the Wanderers with a performance that was both explosive and clinical. Ali Auglah bagged a rapid-fire hat-trick in the first half, with Alec Urosevski also adding his name to the scoresheet twice, bringing his season tally to 14.

Aiden Simmons briefly gave the Wanderers hope of a miracle, but a second-half red card to Nathan Barrie sealed their fate. Brendan Cholakian and Brae Ovens rounded out the eight-goal onslaught, as Rockdale maintained second place.

Marconi Keep Marching

While Rockdale provided the fireworks, Marconi kept things clinical, dispatching bottom-place Central Coast Mariners 3-0 at home. George Daniel struck against his old side to open the scoring, before captain Marko Jesic netted twice to keep the champions undefeated after 11 rounds.

With a league-best record of 8 wins and 3 draws, the Stallions are now six points clear at the top.

Olympic Statement, APIA Edge Closer

Sydney Olympic made a statement with a commanding 3-0 win over NWS Spirit. Michael Vakis, Cyrus Dehmie and Teng Kuol all scored in a performance that not only reignites their finals push, but drops Spirit from second to third spot. Olympic have a game in hand - against the cellar-dwelling Mariners - and sit sixth on 16 points.

APIA Leichhardt, meanwhile, followed up their dominant display last round with a gritty 2-1 win over Manly United. Presley Ortiz’s bullet header and a brilliant solo effort from Seiya Kambayashi did the damage, with APIA now just a point off the top three.

United Resilience, Blacktown Hold On

Sydney United showed their steel with a 4-2 win over St George FC — and did it a man down. After a red card to Carlos De Oliveira late in the first half, United found another gear, inspired by a Patrick Antelmi hat-trick. Bai Antoniou was a bright spark for St George despite the loss.

Across town, Blacktown City claimed a tense 3-2 win over Mt Druitt in a fiery contest. Mitchell Mallia’s first-half brace proved crucial, with Lachlan Campbell striking the eventual winner in the second half. Mallia now has eight goals for the season.

St George City Shine, Sharks Slump Continues

At Seymour Shaw, St George City handed Sutherland Sharks another bitter home defeat, prevailing 3-0. Marc McNulty’s brace was the highlight, with Jesse Photi sealing the win late. It’s now back-to-back losses for the Sharks, who have taken just 4 points from 4 home games. They sit just outside the relegation zone on 11 points.

Wolves Comeback

The first match of the round saw Sydney FC throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Wollongong Wolves. Alen Harbas struck a beautiful free-kick before setting up Marin France, but the Wolves clawed back via a Nicholas Olsen penalty and a late leveller from Liam Ball, who pounced on a goalkeeping blunder. Both teams remain mirred mid-table, with Wollongong ninth and Sydney eleventh.

League Table Snapshot

Marconi remain the only unbeaten side, on 27 points. Rockdale, NWS, and Blacktown all sit locked on 21, with APIA just behind on 20. Olympic round out the top six.

At the bottom, the Mariners remain last on 5 points. The Wanderers and Mt Druitt are just ahead on 8, with one eye nervously on the relegation playoff spot.

With five rounds to go before the halfway mark, the race for finals, and the battle to avoid relegation, is heating up.