Maitland FC v Edgeworth FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 2.30pm
Maitland will look to keep their premiership hopes alive and set up a blockbuster final with a victory over finals-chasing Edgeworth on Saturday.
Maitland relinquished top spot on the table following their loss to Newcastle Olympic at the weekend but could still set up a thrilling final round against Lambton Jaffas if they are victorious against Edgeworth.
Maitland are on 36 points, one point behind leaders Lambton Jaffas who are preparing to face out-of-sorts Charlestown Azzurri.
Maitland welcomed back defender Zach Thomas from a trial with the Central Coast Mariners last weekend but coach Michael Bolch will be sweating over the fitness of star striker Braedyn Crowley who is carrying a hamstring injury.
Maitland assistant coach Gav Wolfe said last weekend's loss to Newcastle Olympic was unexpected but his team still had eyes on the premiership.
“From our perspective every game matters going into the finals,” Wolfe said.
“We had it in our plans to win all three of our remaining matches on our way home but we lost against Olympic. We are still very much focused on winning our final two games. Edgeworth has a lot to lose and are hanging around that fifth and sixth position. Valentine is also in it as well.
“[Edgeworth coach Peter McGuiness] will have his side well drilled and they have some dangerous players in Jeremy Brockie, Will Bower and Josh Rose always play well. But we will sit down this week and put together a game plan and hopefully we can take the three points home.”
It is do-or-die for the visiting Eagles side in the rescheduled round 14 clash, with Edgeworth desperate to collect three points as they sit seventh on 29 points. The Eagles are two points behind sixth-placed Valentine and fifth-placed Newcastle Olympic.
The Eagles dug deep to keep Cooks Hill at bay last weekend and will now need to pull out a season-defining performance against the same Magpies outfit that defeated them 2-0 in round three.
Lambton Jaffas v Charlestown Azzurri
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2.30pm
Lambton Jaffas could deliver a fatal blow to Charlestown Azzurri’s finals chances and take another step towards the premiership when they meet on Saturday.
Lambton are fresh from recording the biggest win of the NPL Men’s NNSW season following their 9-0 battering of Adamstown Rosebud.
The Jaffas have their sights set on back-to-back premierships but will start their finals campaign early this year, with Shane Pryce’s men facing fellow finals sides Azzurri and Maitland in their final two outings of the regular season.
Depending on the outcome of the other fixtures in the rescheduled round of matches, the Jaffas could be set for a mouth-watering final day of the season with their fixture against Maitland potentially deciding this year’s premiership.
But to set up that prospect they need to down Azzurri in their rescheduled round 15 match at Arthur Edden Oval. Charlestown incredibly face the prospect of missing the finals after leading the competition for most of the year during their 14-game unbeaten stretch.
Azzurri could all but seal a finals place with victory against the Jaffas but if defeated Graham Law’s men will have no choice but to sit and watch as they have the bye in the final round of the season.
Azzurri occupies fourth spot on the table with 33 competition points but are closely followed by Newcastle Olympic and Valentine on 31 points, who could both leapfrog Azzurri in the final round if they are victorious in their respective matches.
Jaffas coach Shane Pryce said there was still plenty of improvement left in his side on the run home to the finals.
“Teams that lose the week before are always looking to make an impression,” Pryce said.
“Azzurri will be looking to bounce back and it won’t be easy. With the table changing so quickly within one week, we have probably got to get a grip and say it could change again next week.
“Obviously there is a bit of a buzz [after going top of the table]. Mentally you look at that and say great but I think there is still some improvement for us to be done.”
Cooks Hill United v Broadmeadow Magic
Fearnley Dawes Athletic Track, Saturday 2.30pm
Cooks Hill United will look to deny Broadmeadow Magic a shot at sneaking home with the premiership when they meet on Saturday.
Cooks Hill were brave against Edgeworth last weekend before being sunk by a Will Bower goal that delivered Dave Tanchevski’s men their 10th defeat of the season.
Cooks Hill have been brave in their debut season in the NPL Men’s NNSW and will be satisfied they will not be finishing last following their tough start to the season.
Broadmeadow Magic will be out to steady the ship in time for the finals following their heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Maitland in their last outing.
Magic enjoyed a timely bye last round and are coming into their final two matches in third on the table with 35 points. Damian Zane’s men could still pinch this season’s premiership if they win their final two matches and other results fall their way.
Magic are likely to be without attacker Keanu Moore and goalkeeper Ben McNamara due to injury. While Cooks Hill will be without forward Josh Benson due to suspension for the rest of the season.
Tanchevski said for his side it was about building strong foundations for next season in these finals games.
“We are just trying to finish this season off and build a platform for next year,” Tanchevski said.
“We feel like the second half of our season has been totally different from the first half of our season. We have been a lot more consistent in the games and hopefully it will set us up for a stronger season next year.
“It is pretty tight at the top of the table [for Broadmeadow] but there's no pressure on us. We can’t finish any higher or lower than what we are on the table, so we will just go out and give some of the younger boys a run and see how they go.”
Zane said his side have their sights set on a home semi-final but it would not be easy.
“The premiership isn’t really on our mind because it isn’t in our hands,” Zane said.
“What is in our hands is collecting a couple of wins and finishing in second, that’s what we can control. It starts this weekend against Cooks Hill. I think they have lifted in the second round [of fixtures] and done quite well.
“There is no point in results falling our way and us not doing the job so we are just concentrating on ourselves and see where it takes us. Cooks Hill has a few threats attacking-wise and some speed up front so we know it is going to be a tough game.”
The match at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field is a rescheduled round 15 match.