Grand Final
Weston Bears 2-0 Maitland FC
Weston Bears coach Damian Zane knew the start of the second half was the moment his side needed to take control of the game and they did just that, defeating Maitland FC 2-0 on Sunday to snap a 31-year drought.
The sides had produced four tense clashes throughout the year, with each match coming down to the wire and the grand final followed that script in spades. A crowd of 2,350 packed into Darling Street Oval to witness an El Clasicoal classic.
The Bears started brightly, winning two corners and threatening the Magpies’ box inside the opening five minutes, with Carson Wood and Luke McCormick causing early headaches.
But with the Magpies propensity for scoring on transition, chances at one end would frequently turn into opportunities at the other, spearheaded by skipper Braedyn Crowley and Angus Muddle.
Muddle looked to have the game’s first goal in the 10th minute before the flag was raised for offside, with Crowley also nearly striking seven minutes later if not for solid defence from midfielder Lochlan Reus.
Undeterred, the Bears settled into the game, the middle exchanges of the half seeing them dominate possession and territory, however clean shots on target proved hard to come by, with Maitland goalkeeper Taylor Pate continuing his strong form with the gloves.
While the Magpies struggled to get down the right end of the field as often, when they did, they looked threatening, with a free kick in the final minute of the half nearly beating goalkeeper Gerard Roebuck, Muddle’s running on but his second attempt drifting wide.
The Bears came close themselves in the closing stages, McCormick nearly beating Pate through a piece of individual brilliance, the equal nature of the clash reflected in a 0-0 score at half-time.
Once the second half got back underway, McCormick would not make the same mistake again.
The Bears launched out of the blocks with a brilliant press on the Maitland box, a cross finding the Englishman unmarked, his header finding the back of the net for the first goal of the final in the 47th minute.
The Bears continued to press and, in the 55th minute, a cross saw Pate only able to parry the ball, which fell to Bears youngster Max Wettig. The striker took advantage of some defensive indecision, guiding the ball past a crowded Maitland box to net his side’s second.
Maitland looked to return fire, upping the tempo and introducing the likes of Taye Power and Richard Ruiz off the bench. The Magpies created chances but were unable to convert as the match ticked past the hour mark, with Roebuck keeping his side in the game with some outstanding saves.
With both sides missing chances on goal to win, the pressure put in the front third by the two substitutes caused the rest of the Bears to lift, starting to threaten on transition, with McCormick continuing to generate chances on the right flank.
The final ten minutes saw the aggression between the two sides ramp up, the Weston fans growing louder as Maitland tried desperately to find a goal to cut the margin to one.
But with confidence growing, the Bears flew through the final four minutes of stoppage time, the crowd erupting with the referee blowing his final whistle, with McCormick being deservedly awarded the D.G. Williams medal for a player of the match performance.
It proved a heartbreaking end to the season for Maitland head coach Adam Hughes, but this cloud has a silver lining: the Magpies will head into 2027 with good reason to feel confident, with four sides making the grand finals and the reserve men’s grade prevailing 2-1 earlier in the day against Newcastle Olympic.
“It was a close contest and just small details [separated the sides],” Hughes said.
“I thought their keeper made some great saves throughout the match. They were a little bit sharper in certain moments of the game, had different phases where they come on top but we also had our moments as well.
“It's great progression from the group [this year]. They're working hard every week and its credit to them because it's them who step out in the park and make this happen.
“I'm proud of them, very proud actually. It's one that we keep building and look for success going forward.
“[It’s] massive for the club to be able to have that moment where you have four teams arrive in the senior finals and it's something that we want to continue to try and push. If we can do it again, it'll be an amazing moment.”
While the Magpies can take many positives out of 2026, the final day ultimately belonged to Weston, the result snapping a 31-year drought between titles, their last coming back in 1995.
Head coach Damian Zane has been no stranger to grand finals, winning four from six across his career. However, the head coach acknowledged that this one will be a special one to savour in his career, with him departing the Bears following the end of this season.
“It was just something different to help the club win one for the first time in that long,” Zane said.
“I remember the last one in 1995, I remember going to it. It was pretty special to help the club achieve something really special.
“[The 15 minutes after half-time], it really felt like the moment to take the game. We talked about it at half-time. It's one of the areas we've talked about how we're going to press and the distances between players.
“We executed it pretty well. That opening 15 minutes couldn't have gone better. To have Brock [Beveridge] and Hadders [Chris Hatfield], Hadders has been carrying an injury for weeks. The fact he's got up to play has been a great effort.
“I don't really feel the pressure anymore as a coach, [but] I actually felt this one. I really wanted it for the club. Not myself. It's nice winning, but this was different. You felt the pressure. You felt people getting nervous as the game arrived.
In reserve grade, Maitland FC defeated Newcastle Olympic 2-1.
“It's a really special feeling. This is one I'll definitely remember.”