Preliminary Final
Broadmeadow Magic 0-1 Maitland FC
Maitland FC head coach Adam Hughes knows his club is on the verge of an historic finish to their season, as the Magpies stunned defending champions Broadmeadow Magic 1-0 at Magic Park to set up an El Clasicoal grand final against Weston Bears.
Magic had the lion's share of attempts on goal with eight shots and six corners in the first half but found it hard to get a clean shot, with Semi Wara, Luke Corcoran and Kyle McSeveney among others working overtime for the visitors.
The Magpies also threatened to break out in several passages of transitional football, spearheaded by their skipper Braedyn Crowley.
Despite several attempts from Magic, the visitors continued to frustrate the hosts, with the sides going into the break level at 0-0.
The second half began with Maitland creating several opportunities in the Magic penalty area and in the 49th minute, Corcoran delivered a cross that held up in the wind. Crowley met it with a header that edged past goalkeeper Daniel Axford to give the visitors the lead.
Magic continued to press for an equaliser, with the home crowd providing support as the game became increasingly physical and both sides showed signs of frustration.
That frustration was evident in the 77th minute when Luis Lara Delgardo found Jakob Cresnar, who put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Maitland were unable to add to their advantage, with Crowley missing a one-on-one opportunity against Axford before being forced off with an apparent injury in the closing stages.
As the final minutes approached, Magic made several substitutions in an effort to find an equaliser. The increased pressure led to a number of errors in execution, with passes going directly to Maitland defenders and several attempts narrowly missing the target.
Delgardo came closest in the 87th minute when his strike hit the woodwork, but Maitland held their lead through six minutes of stoppage time to secure the win.
It proved a heartbreaking fall at the final hurdle for Magic with the side’s dominance of the competition of the last few years seeing them in the running to become just the second team to win three consecutive season doubles - premiers and champions - since Weston Bears in 1971-1973.
Magic head coach Jim Cresnar did not mince words but knows there is plenty still to be gained from the 2026 season, now turning his attention to battling Wests APIA, Avondale FC and Adelaide City in the forthcoming Australian Championship.
“It's a game of chances, unfortunately,” Cresnar said.
“Credit to Maitland; they won the game. End of the day, they're going to the grand final.
“I think football, depending on how you see it, winning the premiership or being in the grand final, what's more important, I'll leave that to the individual.
“The reality is we're still playing and have a good opportunity to play in the Australian Championship and showcase where we are in Broadmeadow Magic and Northern NSW Football.
“We've got potentially six grand finals coming up. That's another way, from a club perspective and the team perspective, what we’re looking at. [It’s] a huge opportunity for us to showcase where we are.”
The Magpies will now face rivals Weston in the grand final. The first time in the entire history of NNSWF the two sides have faced off in the big dance.
Should they prevail in the grand final, Maitland will snap a 46-year drought between titles, their last one coming in 1980.
With the senior and reserve grades of both the men’s and women’s sides making their respective finals, Hughes knows next week could be one of the most significant in the 65-year history of the Magpies.
“We stayed calm,” Hughes said.
“I think we weathered a bit of a storm in the first half where we probably got a couple of things mistimed within what we wanted to try and do.
“Once we adjusted a couple of things for the second half, I really thought that we got on top and grew into the game in certain moments.
“We've taken our opportunity, and every time we play against top teams in the area, it's always going to be a close result.
“It's one of those ones where we were resilient, we defended our zones well again, we kept a clean sheet, and it's worthy at the end to get the win.
“I think they're deserving of this opportunity coming next weekend.
“It's not only a derby grand final [next week] but I don't know if there have been four teams from the men's and the women's program in the grand final from one club, so that in itself is a big achievement for the club and something we're going to look forward to next week.”