Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic v Newcastle Olympic
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic’s coach Nima Nikfarjam hopes his side can improve their attitudes and performances to keep their final hopes alive when they host Newcastle Olympic on Friday night.
Magic will return to Magic Park this week off the back of a 6-1 win over Warners Bay but a disappointing run of results in recent weeks.
They sit fourth on the table, on equal points with Charlestown Azzurri in third position.
Nikfarjam said that their fall from grace from being premiership favourites to scraping into the top four has been a result of poor attitudes and performances.
“I am not happy with where we are,” Nikfarjam said.
“We have been poor and have struggled. We have had a rough few weeks which saw us give away our chances at the premiership.
“We have not had good attitudes from everyone involved. We are lacking depth and commitment. The club deserves better respect.
“We are far from where I want us to be at the moment.”
But with New Lambton hunting them down, a win this weekend is vital to ensure that they play finals football in 2024.
“To be honest we are very lucky to be where we are on the table at the moment and that we will likely scrape through into finals,” Nikfarjam said.
“We have to keep our finals hopes alive.
“I just want to finish the season on a high.
“We have three tough games ahead of us and we know that we have to approach all of these games as if we do want to play finals football.”
The last time these two sides met in the competition, Olympic dominated with a 4-0 win.
Magic’s coach admits their current form will make this weekend’s game against Olympic who have momentum a tough challenge.
“The last time that we played Olympic, they outplayed us,” Nikfarjam said.
“They [Olympic] are a better team and have been more consistent. They are playing good football and are in good form.
“We will give it our best with what we have got.
“But if we don’t rock up with the attitude to play and win then there is nothing I can do.”
Unlike Magic, Olympic enters the contest with momentum as they look to challenge Maitland for the premiership.
They sit second on the table, three points behind the league leaders and will be eager to close the gap with a win on Friday night.
But coach Craig Atkins knows that Magic will be up for the fight in front of their home crowd this weekend.
“Look it is always a tough match. It is a derby so we know that it is going to be quite physical and a tight contest,” Atkins said.
“We are just focused on us and what we can do.
“We had a good result against Magic last time we played them but we know that it will be a whole different ball game this time.
“Magic is dangerous anytime you play them. They will be very keen to get the win.”
Atkins said although their goal is to secure the premiership, they are focusing on picking up as many points as possible in their last three matches.
“We are taking things game by game,” Atkins said.
“We want to go into semi-finals in good form and make sure we are well prepared.
“Our focus is to win our last three games and build on our momentum into the finals.”
Olympic has been without their top goal scorer Jemma House in recent weeks as she has had hamstring tightness, but Atkins was hopeful that she would return this weekend.
They continue to be without their first goalkeeper Isabella Whitton (hand) and Jorjia Hogg (knee) who both suffered serious injuries but Atkins said that they were both on track to be back for finals.
New Lambton FC v Maitland FC
Alder Park, Saturday 4pm
New Lambton FC will make their final push for finals when they welcome Maitland FC to Alder Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles sit fifth on the table, four points outside of the top four sides.
But with just three matches remaining, they will need to pick up as many if not all nine points and hope other results go their way if they are to
These two sides have played just one competition match against each other this year, as their round 13 fixture was rescheduled due to wet weather and is set to be played next weekend.
Aaron Stedman and his side will enter the clash with some confidence after they defeated the Magpies last time they went head-to-head at Alder Park in round six.
New Lambton will have Lauren Allan back from suspension but may still be without their prolific striker Tara Andrews, who has missed recent matches due to injury.
But fellow A-League veteran Cass Davis has quickly become the sides’ top goal scorer, fifth in the golden boot tally with 18 goals to her name.
Maitland continues to fly high in the competition, sitting at the top of the table three points clear of Newcastle Olympic in second.
But they will need to continue to secure points from their final three matches to ensure that they take out the premiership.
Coach Keelan Hamilton is not short of attacking threats with Bronte Peel leading the golden boot race, with Sophie Stapleford and Georgia Amess not far behind.
But it will be important for Maitland to be aware and neutralize New Lambton’s attack and make sure they take all the chances they create.
With so much on the line for each side, there is no doubt that Saturday’s match will be another high-quality, intense battle.
Mid Coast FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Taree Zone Field, Sunday 4pm
Charlestown Azzurri will be eager to bounce back and cement third position on the table when they travel to Taree Zone Field on Sunday to take on Mid Coast FC.
The Blues sit third on the table but are on equal points with Broadmeadow Magic in fourth position.
Heath Whyte’s side has the better goal difference over Magic which means that three points this weekend will ensure that they remain in third spot for another week.
But they enter the clash after a dip in results, with one win from their last five games which is something that they will be desperate to respond from in the lead-up to finals.
Mid Coast sits at the bottom of the table with just three points after a season that did not go to plan.
After improving each game as the season progressed, the loss of their head coach on top of multiple injuries saw their 2024 campaign take a dive which they have been unable to recover from.
The last few weeks of the competition for Middies will be about improvement and taking it to each opposition they come up against.
But this weekend’s battle will be tough as the Blues do not hold back causing the biggest upset of the season over Warners Bay FC with a 21-0 thrashing.
With so many threats in attack, it will be important for Mid Coast to do their best to shut Azzurri down and hold their own.
Warners Bay FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
John Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC will look to secure back-to-back victories when they travel to John Street Oval to take on Warners Bay FC on Sunday.
Rosebud have had a mixed season but their aim for the season to finish fifth is still alive, as they sit five points behind fifth-placed New Lambton FC.
They enter the match off the back of a 9-0 win over Mid Coast FC and will be eager to secure back-to-back wins.
The last two times these sides have gone head-to-head Adamstown took all six points with 8-5 and 6-0 victories.
Martin Slade will hope that his side can continue their momentum and return home with another three points this weekend.
The Panthers will be desperate to finish their final weeks in the NPL Women’s NNSW competition on a positive note after another disastrous season.
They sit seventh on the table with six points but have conceded the most goals in the competition, letting in 162 goals from 19 matches.
Ryan Swinkels will hope that his side can salvage something from their 2024 campaign and put it to the young Rosebud side in front of a home crowd.