- Rockdale have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches.
- Sutherland have won two and lost one of their last three away matches.
- The last five head-to-heads in the NPL New South Wales 2026 have been shared as two wins each and a draw.
An end-to-end contest
Fourth-placed Rockdale Ilinden FC, who have 39 points after 24 matches, are three points better off than their fifth-placed visitors Sutherland Shire Sharks, who have 36 after 24, so this is an important scrap at the top end of the table.
Rockdale boss Paul Dee's team play a structure-first system with a 4-2-3-1 formation and look to press high, play off the first pass and move the ball quickly. After a 1-0 defeat away to Sydney United 58 last time out, Rockdale hit back in style with a 6-1 away win over St George FC in a 90 minutes of complete dominance last weekend. They should be up for this clash and have the players to get it done, but it will not be an easy game.
Sutherland boss David Perkovic's side is built around a strong, compact spine, with the ability to switch into a wing-back structure, which lends itself to a more pragmatic, counter-attacking style of play. Their form has been somewhat indifferent of late, picking up three wins, a draw and a defeat in their last five games. However, that defeat came in a 2-1 loss away to Manly United, before they followed up with a 1-1 home draw against Sydney Olympic, so Sutherland are in good shape to make a match of this.
Rockdale have the edge, but can the Sharks cause an upset?
Rockdale are the skinny favourites at 1.67, with Sutherland available at 3.95 and the draw priced at 4.0. Considering the head-to-head record of these sides in NPL New South Wales 2026, both teams have won twice and drawn once. Rockdale's recent home form is a blank, drawing 1-1 in their only match here, while Sutherland have won two and lost one of their last three on the road. The Sharks will not fear this trip, as they last beat Rockdale 3-1 in NPL New South Wales 2026 and the hosts have failed to win either of their two previous meetings here.
An open and lively affair
The market looks to favour the goals in this clash, with Over 2.5 goals coming in at 1.48 and BTTS Yes priced at a similar 1.48. That suits a game that will feature Rockdale looking to press Sutherland back, while the Sharks look to spring them on the counter and pinch the win.
Rockdale have hit just 1.55 goals per home match in NPL New South Wales 2026 and although they have the better of the play, they may not have enough to win this game by more than a single goal. Sutherland have conceded just 15 goals on the road in this competition and average just 1.15 per road match, so they have enough steel to grind this out. We're expecting Rockdale to take the territory and edge this game, but Sutherland's counter-attacking quality will mean this one is a close and tense home win, not a runaway.
