NPL Men’s NNSW Rescheduled Round 18 Preview: Magic, Magpies to continue premiership race
Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic v Maitland FC
Magic Park, Saturday 2pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Damian Zane says his side will not be resting on their laurels following their victory against Charlestown Azzurri last weekend which saw them climb to the top of the table.
Magic will now turn their attention to second-placed Maitland on Saturday in what will be their second top-of-the-table clash in as many weeks. As the table takes shape heading into the final stages of the season, the winner of Saturday’s clash could take a major step towards this year’s premiership.
Magic moved to 35 points following their 2-0 triumph over Charlestown Azzurri in round 21, while Maitland returned from their bye round with a bang against Lake Macquarie City with a 4-0 win.
It seems Magic have not let news of star striker Jacob Dowse leaving Newcastle for an opportunity with Perth Glory affect their performances. Maitland could soon be in a similar position following news that key defender Zach Thomas has secured a train-and-trial opportunity with Central Coast Mariners for this year’s A-League Men’s pre-season.
Broadmeadow Magic delivered Maitland their first defeat of their campaign in their last meeting in round seven, with Magic blowing the home side off the park early to take home a 3-1 victory.
Magic coach Damian Zane said Maitland posed another challenge for his side but felt Magic were in great form coming into the clash.
“We had a great week last week,” Zane said.
“We beat Adamstown coming into last weekend and we thought that was a really good match. They have gone on to win two matches in a row since. Valentine had won five in a row [and we defeated them], so we are looking pretty strong. [The players] are playing beyond their years and in a mature manner.
“We are confident coming into this weekend. We are also aware of Braedyn Crowley and James Thompson. I think I bring it up every game against them, they are just so integral for what [Maitland] does. A big part of our game is how we shut them out of the game and if we do that, it goes a long way to winning it”.
Maitland assistant coach Gav Wolfe said the club was focused on taking home the premiership and they can take a huge step towards achieving that with three points at Magic Park.
“We have had a couple of ding-dong battles with Magic,” Wolfe said.
“We are both at the pointy end of the table so you expect [a tough match]. They got us in the Australia Cup in the 92nd minute and our boys certainly haven’t forgotten that. Our boys will be up for the game and ready for a tough contest against Magic.
“We are focused on winning our remaining games irrespective of who is on the other side of the pitch. We get a good six to seven-day turnaround for this weekend's match which is good, we were pretty light-on [last weekend] with Alex Read coming down with Covid, Zach Thomas with suspension and Joel Clissold who returned to New Zealand for a week. But we are expecting Joel Clissold and Alex Read back next week.”
Newcastle Olympic v Lambton Jaffas
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 2pm
Newcastle Olympic will look to consolidate their spot in the top five when they meet reigning premiers Lambton Jaffas on Sunday.
Olympic were humbled following their defeat at the hands of a rejuvenated Adamstown Rosebud side last weekend 2-1 but were able to hold fifth spot for another week.
The result followed a spirited performance against Melbourne City days before in their Australia Cup round of 32 fixture, where they took the A-League heavyweights right down to the wire in their 1-0 defeat.
Joel Griffiths' side will want to make sure last weekend’s defeat was just a bump in the road and will be wary of Edgeworth and Valentine who could leapfrog them with victories in their fixtures this weekend.
Jaffas moved to 33 points with a draw against Edgeworth last weekend, level with second-placed Maitland and fourth-placed Charlestown Azzurri.
Lambton remains firmly in the hunt for the premiership and still have matches in hand but Shane Pryce’s men have a golden opportunity to go top of the table with a victory this weekend depending on the outcome between Broadmeadow and Maitland.
Jaffas and Olympic could not be separated in their earlier meeting in round seven, with the two sides settling for a 1-1 draw at Darling Street Oval.
Jaffas coach Shane Pryce said after Olympic’s gutsy performance in their Australia Cup fixture they must be given every consideration.
“There is big respect there for Olympic,” Pryce said.
“The Australia Cup result was 1-0 and that was a massive effort for them. Backing up against Adamstown and losing that would have hurt them a lot so I am expecting a massive rebound.
“I think it is going to be an exciting game like last weekend’s [against Edgeworth] and full respect to Olympic, they will be hurting from those two losses.”
Weston Workers FC v Valentine FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Sunday 2pm
Weston coach Anthony Richards said he believes his side are still well and truly in the hunt for a finals berth as they host Valentine on Sunday.
Weston rocketed into finals contention following a run of five successive victories but their chances of a finals appearance now seem remote after losing their next three games on the trot to sink to eighth.
The Bears are on 23 points but with Valentine, Edgeworth and Newcastle Olympic all ahead of Richards’ men on the table, it seems unlikely they will be able to complete the fairy tale.
Weston will be without regular starters Nathan Morris and Zac Sneddon at Bear Park due to suspension and injury respectively but the Bears are hopeful of welcoming back Sam Kamper to the fold for the clash.
Valentine are seventh and were firming for a finals appearance until their run of four unbeaten matches was punctured with losses to Broadmeadow Magic and Cooks Hill United.
Valentine, like Weston, are in a fight with Edgeworth and Newcastle Olympic to secure a spot in the top five and Sunday’s clash could prove season-defining for both sides.
Richards said he was confident his side could win all their remaining games but was cautious of a Valentine side that have aspirations to do similar.
“We still think we can make the finals, three games to go and we think they are winnable,” Richards said.
“Any side with Ryan Clarke in it is going to be a tough side to beat. They also have experienced players in the Thornton brothers and Matt Thompson. Valentine has A-League experience with players like Nick Cowburn, so they are a tough side I think.
“We have a few boys out this weekend but will still be looking to be competitive. We are expecting Sam Kamper to be back after he missed a game with a concussion. Hopefully he gets through training and will suit up for us this weekend.”
Lake Macquarie City v Cooks Hill United
Macquarie Field, Sunday 2pm
Lake Macquarie City will look to lift themselves off the bottom of the table when they meet Cooks Hill United on Sunday.
Lakes sunk to the bottom of the table following Adamstown winning consecutive matches but they can still avoid a last-placed finish as they sit just one point behind Rosebud.
Despite their 11-game losing streak that stretches back to round 10 Lakes have been gallant in their performances despite injuries and illness playing their part.
Cooks Hill have warmed into the season as it has progressed and has become a well-balanced side that has four victories to move into ninth.
Cooks Hill are fresh from a strong performance to down Valentine in their backyard last weekend and will look to secure successive wins for the second time this season at Macquarie Field.
Although finals are an impossibility for Lakes and Cooks Hill, plans and preparations for next year will soon be underway with both sides looking to improve on their performances this season.
Cooks Hill coach Dave Tanchevski said there were no easy matches in the NPL Men’s NNSW and he would be wary of a Lakes side looking to find form.
“No game is easy in this competition anymore,” Tanchevski said.
“Any team can turn up on their day. I mean look at Adamstown versus Newcastle Olympic [last weekend]. We have shown that we can be in most matches, Lakes are probably trying to find some form at the moment but we just take each game as it comes and play our own game.
“We know if we play to our potential we can probably mix it with any team in the competition and we have probably shown that with some of our results. We had a couple of draws against Charlestown, a draw against Maitland and a win against Weston, so on our day we can be good. We have a lot of young boys, so we just need to keep that level up each week.”
Charlestown Azzurri downed Adamstown Rosebud 2-1 in their round 18 fixture on 9 July.