Match of the Round
Urunga FC v Woolgoolga United
Urunga Recreational Reserve, Saturday 7 June, 3pm
Woolgoolga United coach Joel Finlayson is hopeful that his side can pick up some much-needed points and put their stamp on the competition when they travel to Urunga Recreational Reserve to take on Urunga FC on Saturday.
The visitors will be eager to bounce back from their round one 2-1 defeat to Inverell FC away from home against their local rivals.
Urunga and Woolgoolga have gone head-to-head numerous times over the years in North Coast Football’s local competitions.
But there will be more on the line on Saturday with the two sides desperate to get points on the board and secure their spot in the finals.
“We went into the game as well prepared as we could have against Inverell and though we didn’t quite get the result, there were lots of good things to take away,” Finlayson said.
“Hopefully in this round we can get some much-needed points and make our presence known in our pool to then hopefully progress to the finals.
“This weekend is pretty important for us to get points and to have any chance of progressing out of the group.
“I don’t really care who we take points off at the end of the day, I am always aiming to take points off teams. It doesn’t matter if they are a higher ranked team or if they are not going well, we always go in with the same mentality.
“Three points is always the goal.”
Woolgoolga like many sides in the competition have had a rain-affected start to their season but Finlayson said that he was still confident that his squad would be fit and ready for Saturday’s battle.
“It is a difficult one as we haven’t been able to play much football. We have played about four or five games this season. But we know so many other clubs are in the same boat,” Finlayson said.
“It has been hard to get any continuity with match or training time.
“I don’t know what other clubs have been able to access in regards to alternative training venues but I am lucky that most of our playing group manages themselves well away from training.
“Urunga is always a hard team to beat, especially at home.
“We haven’t faced them this year so I can only go off what I know of them in the past.
“We have a good squad with plenty of depth and I am confident in their ability.”
Urunga’s 2025 campaign has also been heavily hampered by wet weather and they are yet to play their round one NNSW RSL match after their fixture against Macleay Valley Rangers was washed out.
Coach Jaxen Heward said that the wet weather had impacted their ability to train and also increased their casualty ward but he remained positive ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster clash.
“We haven’t been able to prepare really. It has been a really stop-start season and hard to get any continuity,” Heward said.
“We have had a lot of injuries from boys who are turning up to games with limited training and are not match fit.
“But we have some young boys who will step up and do a job.
“We are familiar with Woologoolga. It helps to know what players can be dangerous to plan defensive ideas.
“In the last 15 years we were one of the top teams but we dropped out of the top league and are in a rebuilding phase. Whereas we know that they will be really strong.
“We have beaten them before so we know we can do it. They are a quality side that we can measure ourselves up to.
“Any win is a good win, especially if it is against a local team. There are a lot of healthy rivalries against the good clubs.”
Don’t miss out on all of the action from the NNSW RSL round two Match of the Round, which will be streamed live and free on NNSWF’s YouTube channel HERE.
Port Saints v Port United
Findlay Park, Saturday 7 June, 3pm
Port Saints assistant coach Oliver King says that his side is fired up to take down rivals Port United when they face off on Saturday afternoon.
The two sides are no strangers to each other and have had many battles in the local leagues.
The last time these two sides met was in the 2024 grand final where premiers Port United went down to Port Saints 2-0.
The Saints are yet to feature in the NNSW RSL as their round one fixture against Northern Storm was postponed due to wet weather.
King said that there was no love lost between the cross-town rivals and that his side was eager to get one over them this weekend in their quest to lift another trophy.
“This will be the first fixture against [Port Saints] since we beat them in the grand final,” King said.
“We currently hold the higher ground.
“The club v club rivalry has grown since we last met. Last time we played we were lifting the trophy and they were licking their wounds.
“The boys will certainly be motivated by the rivalry.
“There are some nerves ahead of the match with some unknowns. We know that they have had a lot of changes since we last met with a new coach and new players coming in. But we have also had some changes.
“We have players playing in different positions to fill a hole.
“We are hoping to have a strong start to the competition and especially to win the derby. Hopefully it works out well.
“We are hoping to secure the two trophies available to us this year. It would be nice to win another trophy.”
The two sides have had a heavily disrupted season so far after devastating wet weather and floods hit the Mid North Coast region.
King said that their preparation for the game has not been as thorough as they would have liked but was excited to play football again.
“We are excited to get onto the pitch,” King said.
“We have only played two games this season and we haven’t really been training at all. The boys feel like it’s the first game of the year again.
“We are excited but also a bit weary. But we know that Port United are in the same boat as us with the weather affecting them.
“We are trying to get the boys motivated. We have had access to tennis courts and local indoor courts for training but from a tactical and fitness perspective it is not the same.
“The boys are buzzing for it. It gives them something else to focus on and they are just keen to play.”
Port United enters the contest full of confidence after their 2-0 win in round one of the competition over Armidale City Westside.
Riley Taylor scored both goals and will be eager to add to his tally again this weekend.
Port United will be determined to secure back-to-back wins in the league and take back the bragging rights.
Macleay Valley Rangers v Inverell FC
Rangers Park, Saturday 7 June, 3pm
Inverell will search for back-to-back wins when they travel to Rangers Park to take on Macleay Valley Rangers on Saturday.
Inverell will enter the contest full of confidence after they beat Woolgoolga United FC 2-1 in round one at home with goals from Sam Byrne and Paul Leo.
They have also had a strong start in the Northern Inland Premier League after four wins and two losses and sit at the top of the table in the Northern Conference.
Inverell will hope they can continue their momentum and take home another three points to help secure their position in the finals.
This weekend’s clash will be Macleay Valley Rangers’ first hit out in the NNSW RSL after their round one clash was postponed due to wet weather.
Macleay have had a mixed start to their 2025 campaign, with one win and two losses in the Mid North Coast’s Zone League One competition. They, like many clubs, have had a stop start season so far with rain interruptions.
They will hope that they can get off on the right foot and make the most of their home ground advantage to secure all three points.
Northern Storm v Armidale City Westside
Korora Oval, Saturday 28 June, 2pm
Two sides will be searching for their first win in the league when Northern Storm welcomes Armidale City Westside FC to Korora Oval on Saturday 28 June.
The round two match-up will not take place until three weeks after the rest of the competition as Northern Storm prepare to face NPL Men’s NNSW side Cooks Hill United in round six of the Hahn Australia Cup thi Saturday.
The Storm are yet to make their NNSW RSL debut after their round one clash was postponed due to wet weather.
They sit third on the table in North Coast Football’s Men’s HIT105.5FM Premier League after two wins, two draws and one loss but have missed multiple matches due to the weather.
But unlike the rain, they will be eager to make a splash in the competition and secure all three points in front of a home crowd.
Armidale City Westside enters the contest off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Port United in round one of the competition.
They have had a mixed start to their local competition after two wins, two draws and one loss in the Northern Inland Premier League.
Coaches Anthony and Steve Gray will hope that their side can bounce back and return home with all three points.
