How we expect every side to fare in the 2024 Illawarra Premier League

Round one kicks off this weekend with six intriguing match-ups, starting on Friday night with the Lions hosting Port Kembla at Crehan Park.

Mercury football reporters Josh Bartlett and Jordan Warren looked into their crystal ball to give their bold predictions for this year's campaign.

Now, the duo have put their necks on the line to give their ladder predictions for the 2024 IPL:

Josh Bartlett

They've knocked on the door in recent years, but I think 2024 will be the season where Wollongong Olympic become league champions.

There's a Last Dance sort of feel around Matt Bailey's squad, with plenty of their stars at the back end of their careers, but eager as ever to secure more silverware.

Captain Chris Price headlines that group, while the likes of Tynan Diaz and Rick Goodchild are proven winners and will want to add to Olympic's 2022 grand final and 2023 Bampton Cup victories.

Nipping at their heels will be Cringila, who unfortunately will settle for second place again. I think they will be excellent this year, but that three-point competition deduction handed down by Football South Coast - rightfully or wrongfully, will hurt their pursuit of league glory.

Reigning league champions Albion Park, Wollongong United and Coniston round out my top five, with my predicted bolters Corrimal to finish in sixth place.

Bulli, Shellharbour and Port Kembla will be battling each other to put pressure on the Rangers, while Helensburgh - under new gaffer Paul Michlmayr - will finish in 10^th spot.

That leaves South Coast United and Tarrawanna fighting to avoid the dreaded spoon.

I think both sides will have their moments of promise throughout 2024, but the Blueys will ultimately finish in last spot.

Despite the three-point deduction, I feel it is the year of the Lion and Cringila will win the league under Jorge De Matos.

The team has come such a long way and they will learn from their painful grand final defeat in 2023 to go on to bigger and better things.

Olympic will be up there as always, and I feel Rob Jonovski has made all the right moves in the transfer market in order to get Wollongong United back in finals and competing for a title.

Two big calls I've made are newly promoted Shellharbour reaching finals football and defending grand final champions Coniston missing out.

Rod Williams' has a stellar team on his hands at Shellharbour, and whilst finals would be a lofty ambition, it is truly not out of the realms of possibility.

Coniston have lost a lot of bodies from their grand final win, and whilst the signing of James Stojcevski is an astute signing, they have lost the core of their championship-winning side in Matthew Floro, Sam Matthews, and Jason Zufic.

But in 2023 Coniston coach Franc Pierro proved everyone wrong on a weekly basis, so I'm sure he can do it again.

Tarrawanna have it all to do with both Josh and I predicting them to be in 12^th spot.

The IPL kicks-off this weekend (March 1-3). The games are as follows: