Preliminary Final
Broadmeadow Magic v Maitland FC
Magic Park, Sunday 3pm
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar knows his side needs to be ready to take down a well-organised Maitland FC outfit when the teams face off at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon as they battle for a spot in the grand final.
Broadmeadow started the 2026 season looking to make history in NPL Men’s NNSW and become the first club ever since the current format was introduced in 2014 to win the double in three consecutive seasons.
It would be an unprecedented achievement across the entire history of Northern NSW Football, with Weston Bears the only other club to have achieved such a feat, doing so from 1971 to 1973 when the competition was known as the Northern First Division.
Magic have already secured the 2026 premiership, topping the table at the end of the regular season. However, Magic’s hopes of claiming the championship were dealt a huge blow last week.
In a well-fought contest that went to extra time at Magic Park, Weston Bears stunned the hosts with three goals in the final half hour to book their first grand final in 12 years, the Damian Zane coached side looking to claim their first piece of silverware in 31 years.
Now, with Magic facing a tough opponent in Maitland, Cresnar knows his side will have to produce something special if they are to take that next step and secure what would be an incredible piece of club history.
“[We were] very disappointed [about the Weston result],” Cresnar said.
“There were a lot of individuals that probably didn't play at their best, we probably got the tactics wrong as well. In combination with that, we just need to get better ready for the game on the weekend.
“Maitland, they're well-organised, well-coached.
“We struggled against them last time we played them. We've just got to make sure we get better this time.”
Maitland’s trip to Magic Park has been one filled with twists and turns, the side navigating a difficult path through the finals in 2026.
After going down in a thrilling El Clasicoal penalty shootout against the Bears in the opening weekend of finals, the Magpies bounced back well last week, weathering nearly 30 shots on goal and 16 corners from a relentless Edgeworth Eagles.
Coming out of that match with a 2-1 win, head coach Adam Hughes will be chasing his own slice of history for the Magpies, having already claimed an inaugural Men’s State Cup title this year.
Maitland will be looking to reach the grand final for the first time since 2022 and are still yet to win the big dance in the current iteration of NPL Men’s NNSW, having finished runners-up on three separate occasions.
Should the Magpies prevail this weekend, they will have the chance to snap a 46-year championship drought, with their only previous title coming all the way back in 1980, when the competition was known as the Northern First Division.
“When you come to finals football, every moment gives that opportunity to progress,” Hughes said.
“It's also got that different emotion: if you lose the game, season's over.
“The way that we've been able to nullify the opponents in being able to score opportunities and progress, I think it has grown another leg on the players themselves with regards to winning the game.
“We know that we've still got more in us to be able to do more with the ball. That's a massive positive going forward.
“[Weston] had a bit of a plan there and how they went about things. It gave them different possibilities into finding ways to go. But in saying that, each week's a different week and it's one where we're definitely the underdogs.
“They've won the league this year and won the final last year, so we're definitely the underdogs and we're happy to take this tag into the match this weekend.”