Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas 1-3 Maitland FC
Maitland assistant coach Gav Wolfe said the job is not done yet after taking out the 2022 NPL Men’s NNSW premiership.
The Magpies downed reigning premiers Lambton 3-1 at Arthur Edden Oval on Sunday to win their first premiership since 2019.
A hat-trick from Maitland captain Braedyn Crowley delivered the Magpies the title, with Crowley also taking out the NPL Men’s NNSW top goal scorer award comfortably with an impressive 27 goals this campaign.
The torrid weather conditions that coincidentally caused the round one matches to be rescheduled to the end of the season were not enough to deter a fiercely competitive match.
Lambton and Maitland came into the encounter with a chance to walk away with the premiership but Broadmeadow Magic could have trumped them both if a winner could not be found at Arthur Edden Oval.
Jaffas were hoping to retain the premiership but Maitland were seeking revenge following Lambton being awarded last year’s premiership when COVID-19 halted last season.
Maitland could not have started the encounter any brighter as three-time golden boot recipient Crowley gave the visitors the lead in the opening minute of play.
Jaffas looked to steady the ship after falling behind and were not without their chances, dominating possession in the opening half hour of the contest. But Maitland doubled their advantage following a change of possession when Crowley grabbed his second of the afternoon.
Jaffas went into half-time two goals behind and needing a miracle to overturn the deficit. Shane Pryce’s men also needed to better their goal difference if they were to retain the premiership with Broadmeadow Magic expected to down Lake Macquarie City.
Jaffas emerged in the second half with renewed vigour and were inches away from halving the deficit but Magpies goalkeeper Paul Bitz denied Lambton’s Mitch Rooke from close range.
The Magpies immediately turned defence into attack following Bitz’s save as Crowley went inches away from notching his hat-trick, hitting the woodwork.
But Crowley was not to be denied moments later as James Thompson played him into the Jaffas penalty area to complete his hat-trick in the 52nd minute.
With a three-goal advantage it seemed the premiership was destined to head back to Maitland but the contest took a turn when Jaffas’ Kale Bradbery was pulled down in the penalty area and awarded a penalty.
Bradbery calmly converted to make the score 3-1 and give the home side a glimmer of hope in the premiership race.
Some desperate defence from Jacob Bailey and Zach Thomas denied the Jaffas any chance of an unlikely comeback as the visitors closed out the match to come away with the premiership.
Wolfe said he was proud of his side after securing the title but insisted the Magpies would not be completely satisfied until they completed the premiership-championship double.
“This is massive, especially after last year with the COVID situation,” Wolfe said.
“The boys were really fired up for the match and we made sure to not play the game at training during the week, we needed to deliver [today]. To their credit, they did that. The boys deserved it today. It’s been a long slog with some tough matches throughout the year.
“It was massive to the boys [to win the premiership against Lambton]. Obviously it’s interesting emotions for Will McFarlane who was on the other side of the white chalk last season and won the trophy. But Will is an integral part of our backline and he will enjoy the celebrations, he is one of Maitland’s own now.
“We are very much focused on the double. The boys were just chatting about it in the shed. The job is half done from our perspective. For many people, including myself, the premiership is super important but not many people remember the minor premiers so this bunch of boys want everyone to remember them.
“So therefore we are chasing the double and we will go hard at it.”
Maitland will enjoy a week off next weekend, while Lambton will travel to Magic Park to face Broadmeadow in the qualifying final on Sunday.
Lake Macquarie City 0-3 Broadmeadow Magic
Broadmeadow Magic coach Damian Zane has told his side to remember the disappointment of missing out on the premiership when they begin their finals campaign after falling just short of the title on Sunday.
Broadmeadow had the chance to secure its first premiership since 2013 should Maitland have fallen to Lambton and Magic could down Lake Macquarie City but Damian Zane’s men will instead have to adjust their focus to winning the championship after finishing one point behind premiers Maitland.
The match venue was changed to the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility due to the wet weather’s affect on Macquarie Field.
Magic opened the scoring through captain Jeremy Wilson as the defender found himself with a rare opportunity to shoot following a corner.
Magic midfielder Bailey Wells put his name on the scoresheet just before the 30th minute as he found the bottom corner following an astute through ball from Ryan Ensor.
Magic held the two-goal advantage heading into half-time with Lakes having all the work to do in the second half.
Lakes’ Carter Smith was shown a second yellow card for dissent in the 67th minute and Magic were quick to capitalise on the advantage as Keanu Moore made it 3-0 minutes later to put the result well beyond doubt.
Zane said his side was disappointed not to come away with the premiership but Magic would reflect on what had been a huge season for the club.
“We are disappointed. The players are disappointed,” Zane said.
“But I told the boys in the shed, it’s good to be disappointed because next year we can use it in motivation in pre-season and during the season. We had a number of our big name players leave and we were tipped to miss semi-finals. So I made sure the players don’t forget that disappointment but to move on pretty quick.
“It’s been one hell of a season and I have really enjoyed it. I couldn’t be prouder but it is a hard one, you get one point off [the premiership] and you want to look back through the season and look for the game that cost you but Maitland are a good football team. We stuck with Maitland the whole way and I couldn't be prouder.
“We are coming into the finals in good form however. We have been defending well and we are still getting used to life without Jacob Dowse. Since he’s gone we have played pretty well but to lose your number one striker at this stage in the season, it wasn’t ideal.”
Magic will now host Lambton Jaffas in the qualifying final on Sunday having finished second, while Lakes look to start next season afresh under new coach Steve Piggott.
The loss confirmed a last-placed finish for Lakes in their 110th year as a club, while Broadmeadow Magic will look to go all the way after a stellar season that saw them record 13 victories.
Newcastle Olympic 1-0 Weston Workers FC
Newcastle Olympic secured a top-five finish as they ended the regular season with a 1-0 victory over Weston Workers.
The headlines may have focused on the three teams battling out for the premiership on Sunday afternoon but elsewhere there was a three-way battle for fifth spot on the table.
Edgeworth and Valentine had a chance to leapfrog fifth-placed Olympic if they suffered defeat but ultimately Joel Griffiths' men did enough to secure their place in this year's finals series courtesy of a goal from Jackson Burston.
A cagey opening half hour at Darling Street was eventually broken by Burston as he capitalised when a loose ball fell at his feet from close range.
The goal proved enough for the hosts to come away with the three points
The Bears were playing for nothing but pride with Anthony Richard’s men unable to make the finals after a disappointing final two months of the season. Westons completed the season with nine victories to finish eighth.
Newcastle Olympic will now turn their attention to Charlestown Azzurri in their elimination final on Saturday.
Edgeworth FC 2-1 Valentine FC
Edgeworth finished their season with a gritty 2-1 victory over finals hopefuls Valentine at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Sunday.
Valentine and Edgeworth could have pinched fifth place and a finals berth should Olympic had been unable to overcome Weston, making the match a must-win for both sides coming into the match.
But the final result was ultimately irrelevant following Olympic’s 1-0 victory over the Bears.
Archie Finn opened the scoring for Edgeworth in the 10th minute with a tidy finish following an unconventional through ball from Dylan Holz.
Valentine found their reply just before the 40th minute when Nicholas Cowburn found himself with time in the penalty area following a brilliant Ryan Clarke cross.
Both sides went into half-time with their finals ambitions still alive, with the scores locked at 1-1.
It took until the 70th minute for Edgeworth to find the winner, with Cody Nancarrow benefiting from a loose ball into the penalty area following a corner.
The victory was not enough to secure a place in the finals for the Eagles but coach Peter McGuiness said it was good to finish a difficult season on a high.
“Pleased we finished the season with a win,” McGuiness said.
“We have lots of potential with these players and it has been a pleasure to work with them. We look forward to going one step better next season.”
Cooks Hill United 3-0 Adamstown Rosebud
Cooks Hill United coach Dave Tanchevski said his side’s strong back half of the season would put them in good stead heading into next year following a 3-0 victory over Adamstown Rosebud to finish their season.
Cooks Hill notched their sixth victory of the campaign with the defeat of Adamstown at Fearnley Dawes, finishing their first season in the top flight NPL Men’s NNSW competition in ninth position on the table.
The fixture had no bearing on the finals race but both sides came into the match looking to finish the year on a high, especially Adamstown Rosebud who escaped a disappointing season by narrowly avoiding a last-placed finish.
Cooks Hill also came into the match after being deducted three points during the week for match official abuse.
Finn Todhunter opened the scoring for the hosts in the 30th minute, giving his side a deserved lead following two earlier attempts from Cooks Hill that came off the posts.
Cooks Hill doubled their lead moments later through Daniel Yaxley as he nodded home past Rosebud goalkeeper Tom Jenkin.
Two goals down Rosebud’s afternoon went from bad to worse when Dane Lawther was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge.
Cooks Hill immediately capitalised on the one-man advantage as winger Sam Webb played in Jamie Burns to give the hosts a 3-0 lead heading into the break.
A determined Rosebud kept Cooks Hill scoreless in the second half but was unable to overcome the deficit. It closed a tough season for the young Rosebud side who finished 10th with just two victories.
Tanchevski said the performance was impressive given they were missing some key experienced players.
“It was a good way to finish off and caps off a good second round for us,” Tanchevski said.
“I think all our wins came in the second half of the season with six wins, so it was a good second half of the season. If we were able to do that across the whole season we probably would have been able to make the top five, so we will look to start the next season the same way.
“The back half of our season has shown our confidence has grown and we have got better from start to finish. Also for us finishing the last game of the season with some regular senior players missing like Riley McNaughton, Jacob Pepper and Jon Griffiths, showed we have a little bit of depth for next season.
“This year was always going to be a transition season for us but the back half showed we can compete with the top five teams, which is what we want to do.”
Charlestown Azzurri had the bye.
2022 NPL Men’s NNSW Finals Week One
Elimination Final
Charlestown Azzurri v Newcastle Olympic at Lisle Carr Oval. Saturday 10 September 2pm
Qualifying Final
Broadmeadow Magic v Lambton Jaffas at Magic Park. Sunday 11 September 2pm
Bye
Maitland FC