WOMEN’S PREVIEW: MANLY UNITED v ILLAWARRA STINGRAYS

The Manly United Women’s 1st Grade team has another home fixture on Sunday evening. This time, Illawarra Stingrays are travelling up to Cromer Park from the south coast for what will be a very important game.

Our previous game against the Stingrays was a huge success, with Manly winning 3-0 at Macedonia Park after a hat trick from Emily Minett. A repeat of that Round 2 victory would see Manly jump ahead of the Stingrays on the table, so there is sure to be plenty on the line come 5pm Sunday.

Illawarra will be looking for a return to winning ways after their last outing, a 0-0 draw against Northern Tigers at North Turramurra Recreation Area. Their young goalkeeper Aimee Hall has impressed between the sticks for Illawarra in 2023, while the likes of Chloe Middleton and Danika Matos provide much needed energy for the Stingrays, so we can expect a tough contest.

Manly will have a short turnaround after Sapphire Cup quarter final duties in midweek. Despite having our chances, we were unlucky on Thursday night, losing 1-0 to Gladesville Ravens. In recent weeks, Manly have made a couple of promising signings – midfielder Laura Hughes brings plenty of experience from her time with Canberra United and the Young Matildas, while Daisy Arrowsmith has scored plenty of NPL NSW Women’s goals during stints at Bankstown City, Northern Tigers and North Shore Mariners.

For the Manly Reserve Grade team, last weekend’s game was dramatic, with Alanna Fisher’s late goal securing a 1-0 win over Macarthur Rams. Our Reserves are having a good season and currently sit in fifth place on the table – coincidentally, they also won 3-0 against the Stingrays in Round 2.

If you can’t get to the ground for our Women’s 1st Grade clash, tune in on NPL.TV .

Manly United v Illawarra Stingrays

Sunday 18 June, 5pm (Reserves at 3pm)

Cromer Park