PS4 NPLW Round 4 Preview 

Round Four of the Playstation4 National Premier League Women’s Capital Football will kick off this weekend with a big Grand final rematch headlining the two-day fixture list. 

Monaro Panthers will host Woden-Weston FC on Saturday afternoon as they look to bounce back from an 8-0 humbling at the hands of Belconnen United last round. The Panthers started the season with a win but have struggled since, and have failed to win a further game.

They will come up against a Woden-Weston side riding high on the back of their win over Tuggeranong United before the Easter break. Diego Elmoudawar’s side had shown promise before that but were unable to break through, and two late goals helped them home. A similar display of attacking intensity will be invaluable here.

Canberra Olympic will be searching for their first win of the season when they host Gungahlin at O’Connor on Sunday. Rob Scott’s side pushed last year’s Grand-Finalists Canberra FC all the way in their last encounter before the Easter break. The side has shown improvement throughout the first three rounds and will want to take that further here against a stuttering Gungahlin.

United meanwhile struggled against a younger, faster Canberra United Academy side in the last round as they went down 2-1. Their plan to body the younger players around didn’t work as planned as they were undone by ball movement, and a more mature, stronger Olympic side may well pose a problem for them here. Despite this, Gungahlin still pose one of the most dangerous forward lines in the competition and Olympic will need to be very wary at the back.

The match of the round will see a grand final rematch of last season, as Canberra FC host Premiers Belconnen United at Deakin Stadium. Canberra FC squeaked past Olympic last round despite still missing a number of starters, and will want a fast start here. Without a full team still, Mark Risteski will need to find a way to nullify Belconnen’s dangerous attacking throng.

The Blue Devils thumped Monaro 8-0 before the break and will want to use that momentum heading into the clash at Deakin. Both of these teams have had their sole defeat so far against Tuggeranong United, but the Blue Devil’s rebound from that suggests they are still a formidable side. Antoni Jagarinec’s side is slowly returning to full fitness and this match is sure to be a belter. 

The final matchup will see Tuggeranong United take on Canberra United Academy, and it is sure to be an exciting match between two of the fast, young sides in the league. The Academy have roared out of the blocks so far as they sit at the top of the table, undefeated with 18 goals to their name. Aroon Clansey’s side will need to make sure that they are not caught on the counter however by a Tuggeranong side happy to sit back and absorb pressure.

Tuggies suffered their first loss of the season last round after opening 2-0 against last years Grand Finalists, and will face another stern test here. The Tuggies defence will need to make sure they are not caught out by the pace of the Academy forward line, particularly youngster Jasmine Genovesi, who scored seven goals in Round 2 against Canberra Olympic. Sure to be a great game between two young, talented sides, a Tuggies win will help pull them right up to the top of the ladder.