Match of the Round
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Maitland FC
Adamstown Oval, Sunday 3pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC coach Martin Slade wants his side to do something only one other team has managed in 2026: defeat league leaders Maitland FC at Adamstown Oval on Sunday and secure their place in the finals.
The Buds have been unable to overcome Maitland this season, going down 2-0 in round seven before a 4-0 defeat in round 14. But with their finals position still on the line, Slade knows his side must start overcoming the competition's top teams if they are to make an impact in the finals series.
“I want us to win the game and do something that only New Lambton have done this year,” Slade said.
“And moving forward, if we do make the finals, another point throughout this final series, we may have to come up against Maitland, or we will come up against Maitland, to win this competition.
“So we have to start winning and beating the top teams. Maitland are obviously the benchmark.”
The Buds were unable to secure their finals spot when they went down 4-0 to New Lambton FC in their rescheduled round 17 clash on Wednesday.
The result means Adamstown need a win on Sunday to guarantee their place in the finals, while a draw could also be enough depending on Broadmeadow Magic’s result.
Should Adamstown secure fourth spot, it will mark their first appearance in the finals since the competition became the Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women's NNSW in 2022, following the Herald Women's Premier League.
“There's pressure because you want to win every game. So if we do make finals I think as a group overall, they will be happy,” Slade said.
“They [the team] would actually feel that they've got their rewards for what I consider having outstanding performances throughout the year.
“I think it would be a good reflection of what we've done as a football club in the last couple of years and where we've got to now.”
While Maitland sit comfortably at the top of the table and can secure the premiership on Sunday thanks to their 32-goal advantage over second-placed New Lambton, coach Ben Horgan remains wary of the challenge Adamstown will provide.
Horgan recognised the Buds play a different style to many of the other teams in the competition and is looking forward to the challenge that awaits his side.
“It's an important game. They'll want to make sure that they put in a good performance themselves and secure a finals spot,” Horgan said.
“They're just a good team to play against because I think they're a little bit different in the way they play to most teams.
“They give us a different kind of football challenge, and players really enjoy playing games against Adamstown for that reason.”
Along with the challenge Adamstown present as a team, Horgan also recognised the difficulty of playing at Adamstown Oval.
“It's always a tough game on the smaller pitches. Obviously, you don't have the space to get in behind teams as easily. So it's a different sort of game than when we last played at Cook Square,” Horgan said.
“We need to be good in tight spaces, we need to make sure our passing, and our first touches are on point, and you want those quick little combinations to unlock the teams when you're playing on the smaller pitches.
“So we have to be sharp and at our best and take the chances when they come, because I don't expect there'll be as many as there have been in some games in the past.”
It will be déjà vu for Maitland, who lifted the premiership at Adamstown Oval for the first time in 2024.
Despite the chance to secure another premiership on Sunday, Horgan knows the job is not finished and wants his side to carry their form and confidence into the finals.
“We know that the job's not finished yet. We wanted to make sure that we're in good form and confidence is high and that we're doing all the things we need to do to play our best going into finals,” Horgan said.
“It's an important game, not just to finish on a good note, but to prepare for the finals that are coming up after that.
“We want to make sure that we're at our best this weekend.”
Broadmeadow Magic v Charlestown Azzurri
Magic Park, Sunday 3pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jason Konjarski insists there is no pressure on his side despite knowing they need nothing less than three points when they welcome Charlestown Azzurri to Magic Park on Sunday.
Magic sits two points outside the top four after narrowly going down 1-0 to Maitland FC in round 20, while Adamstown Rosebud JFC's 2-1 victory over Newcastle Olympic moved the Buds into fourth.
Despite needing a win to keep their finals hopes alive, Konjarski believes the pressure sits firmly on Adamstown and wants his players to focus on being more clinical in front of goal.
It was an area Magic struggled with the last time they faced Charlestown, with the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw.
“The girls know what the plan is. The minimum we can get out of the game is three points, that's what we know going into the game and that's what we're going to take,” Konjarski said.
“We need to be a bit more clinical in front of goal. That's the only difference that we want from the last time we played them. There's no pressure on anyone, it's just about getting good chances created and if we can finish them.
“All the pressure is on Adamstown, to try and get a result against one of the top two teams. So if they can do that, they definitely deserve to be there, but I think whoever finishes in that fourth spot will just deserve to be there.”
Despite the 1-0 loss to Maitland last round, Magic produced one of their strongest defensive performances of the season, keeping the high-flying Magpies scoreless until the dying minutes.
Konjarski now wants his side to build on that defensive effort while finding a way to be more dangerous in the final third.
“This week I'm working on a lot of final-third stuff. It's been good to be able to work on some stuff just moving forward,” Konjarski said.
“The amazing thing is we know we've got goals in us, whether we want to score them or not, and see how we can go about it. That's going to be the big thing, but here's hoping that we can have a really good game going forward.”
Charlestown will look to play a part in disrupting the finals race despite being unable to qualify themselves.
Azzurri sit sixth on the table and are five points outside the top four, meaning a win on Sunday would not be enough to lift them into the finals.
Defeating Magic would prevent Broadmeadow from moving into fourth and give Charlestown the chance to finish their campaign on a high.
The Blues will be eager to build on their 0-0 draw against Magic in their previous meeting and showcase the attacking ability they possess.
They can also take confidence from their narrow 1-0 loss to third-placed Lake Macquarie City FC in round 19, with the only goal coming from a defensive error.
A win on Sunday would provide another sign of the Blues' improvement after their 10-0 defeat in round one, as they continue their rebuild and look towards season 2027.
New Lambton FC v Newcastle Olympic
Alder Park, Sunday 3pm
Newcastle Olympic will aim to end their season on a high when they travel to Alder Park to face New Lambton FC on Sunday.
Olympic sit at the bottom of the table after 20 rounds and are unable to make the finals, leaving them playing for pride in the final match of the season.
They have not picked up a point since their 3-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri at the end of April but came within minutes of earning a draw against Adamstown Rosebud JFC in round 20.
The sides were locked at 1-1 until the 89th minute, when the Buds snatched a late winner to extend Olympic's losing streak to nine games.
Olympic will now look to regroup one last time and defeat a side that has beaten them twice this season by an aggregate score of 9-3.
The first meeting in round seven was a much closer affair, with Olympic going down 3-2 after finding themselves behind inside the opening 60 minutes. They will now look to put their recent run behind them and finish the season with a win.
New Lambton enter the match sitting second on 43 points after defeating Adamstown Rosebud JFC 4-0 in their rescheduled round 17 clash on Wednesday night.
After a month-long break came to an end in July, the Golden Eagles have put together a three-game unbeaten streak.
Despite sitting second and just three points behind league leaders Maitland FC, New Lambton are unlikely to secure the premiership even if the Magpies lose on Sunday afternoon and the Golden Eagles claim all three points.
New Lambton have a 32-goal deficit to overcome to draw level on goal difference, meaning Maitland would also need to be held scoreless for the Golden Eagles to have any chance of stealing the premiership.
Despite narrowly missing out on the premiership, their second-place finish represents an improvement on their 2025 campaign.
The Golden Eagles finished the 2025 season third on 33 points before bowing out of the finals series in week one. Their second place finish this season now gives them a second chance in the finals if required.
Coach Craig Atkins will be hopeful his side can finish the regular season with three points and build momentum before meeting Maitland in the major semi-final next weekend.
Bye - Lake Macquarie City FC