Match of the Round
Kahibah FC v Adamstown Rosebud
Fred Wright Oval, Sunday 3pm
Kahibah FC head coach Blair Newham says he has a simple assignment for his side as they prepare to welcome Adamstown Rosebud to Fred Wright Oval on Sunday: focus on their own game.
Both sides are starting this round in the relegation zone of the table, but for the hosts, this match is a critical opportunity to turn their form around.
Having last picked up competition points in round seven against Valentine FC, Kahibah has had to navigate one of the toughest periods of any side in the league, facing the top three sides in back-to-back weeks.
But the last fortnight has been particularly frustrating for the Rams, with two losses away from home against Cooks Hill United and Lambton Jaffas. The second one stinging even more, considering the Rams defeated Lambton 3-1 earlier in the week in the Hahn Australia Cup.
With the side welcoming Jilles Bos, Jacob Zissis, and Blake Robinson from the transfer window, Newham will hope his side can snap the losing streak, made even more difficult by the loss of Justin Houtzager due to a red card last week.
They will also be bolstered by several players, notably Shiwa Dul, starting to come off some injury spells.
“We always knew the first year was going to be a baptism of fire and we'd be punished for mistakes,” Newham said.
“We're making fewer and fewer of those each week, and if we can capitalise on our chances at the same time, there's no reason why we can't go on a little bit of a run.
“The big focus for us is really concentrating on what we do best. We did what we do best against Lambton in the [Hahn Australia] Cup match last week, and we deserved the result.
“We're a minor detail or a minor mistake away from being very competitive.”
Despite sitting second from the bottom, Adamstown have not been playing like it in the last few weeks, picking up a 2-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri last week and a valuable 2-2 draw the week before against Belmont Swansea United.
Combined with close losses to in-form sides like Weston Bears and Lambton in the last month of action, plus promotions of Oscar Philpott and Nicholas Rich to the senior ranks, the Buds have reason to be optimistic coming into this weekend.
The visitors will also likely field a relatively unchanged side, with William De Vitis the only key omission from last week.
Head coach Chris Moylan will be taking a similar approach, focusing on his own side’s game, especially with a difficult fortnight at home ahead with games against Olympic and Magic.
“We've been playing well during the season, but we just haven't been getting the results,” Moylan said.
“Saturday [against Charlestown] was pleasing to see that we actually got the results of the hard work that we've been putting in. We've got a bit of momentum going into this game, we won our [Hahn Australia] Cup game, then grabbed the draw from BelSwans from behind.
“We'll still stick to our game plan. We know they [Kahibah] will be up to play us.
“Blair [Newham] will have them ready, and we'll just have to be at our best, the fact that they've lost two or three in a row means nothing. It's that sort of a competition this year, any team is capable of beating any other team on their day.
“You just have to perform at your best each week and getting that consistency is the challenge.”
Weston Bears v Maitland FC
Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, Saturday 2pm
Maitland head coach Adam Hughes will be expecting his side to lift as they head to Hunter City Motor Group Stadium for the second round of the El Clasicoal derby against Weston Bears on Saturday, the winner finishing with bragging rights for the year.
Maitland come into the match needing to turn around a disappointing string of results, with their defence falling away in consecutive weeks in losses to Charlestown Azzurri, Edgeworth Eagles and Cooks Hill United.
Lambton Jaffas victory over Kahibah saw the Jaffas overtake Maitland on the table, but Hughes is planning to retaliate swiftly over the next few weeks, using this derby to jump-start a key period of the season.
Welcoming visa players Cameron Jessup and Scott Wara and Bears player Kyle McSeveney to the side, Hughes will know victory here will prove invaluable, with the Magpies enjoying their next three matches at home.
“We've probably conceded a little too many goals than what we'd like to [the last few weeks],” Hughes said.
“We've probably been in a situation this year where we've had people trying to adapt into positions that might not have been their specific position from previous seasons.
“We had to recruit for that within this window, which I think we have. It's just a matter now of getting the group settled and the players in their preferred positions.
“Weston's a good team. We're a good team. I think it'll be a good spectacle.
“When you come up against Weston, there's a good lift within the group, and it's something that we need to be prepared for, defensively set up well and put on a good match.”
The Bears bounced back well from falling from the top of the table in round 11 last week, defeating Newcastle Olympic 2-1 away from home to sit two points behind Broadmeadow Magic.
The side is set to be bolstered by the promotions of Ashton Blank, Jack Butler and Deacon Erikson to the senior squad, while also welcoming in visa player Luke McCormick to further build out their depth.
With the side set to navigate several difficult clashes over the next few weeks, head coach Damian Zane will know the significance of back-to-back victories over Maitland in 2026.
The fact that it is also the biggest day in the Hunter Valley football calendar is motivation enough for the hosts.
Newcastle Olympic v Charlestown Azzurri
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 2pm
Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri find themselves in a similarly precarious position on the table, which will hang over the two sides when they face off at Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Welcoming in Weston’s George Stephens and promoting Kane Treble to the senior side following the transfer window, Olympic desperately need to start turning close results into wins, having only won one of their last five matches.
While the side has stayed competitive, the last two weeks have seen consecutive home losses to a rapidly improving Lambton Jaffas and Weston Bears.
With Valentine improving below them and Cooks Hill United jumping above them following their win over Maitland FC, Olympic need three points and they face a Blues side in the same position.
The last five weeks have been difficult for Charlestown, having to navigate four losses from five matches in the NPL and a mid-season change of coach, the team also losing five players in the transfer window.
But with Kai Krainer arriving from Belmont Swansea United and a new head coach in Josh Rufo, the side has remained competitive despite dropping their last two games, going down swinging against Broadmeadow Magic and conceding two goals late against Adamstown Rosebud.
With the law of averages suggesting the side can return to form quickly and recent victories in the Hahn Australia Cup, a result against a strong Olympic side would be a welcome injection of confidence.
Edgeworth Eagles v Lambton Jaffas
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 4.30pm
A battle for fourth place on the table is set to go down at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday, as Edgeworth Eagles welcome a rapidly improving Lambton Jaffas.
After a slow start to the season, the visitors will come into this game as head-to-head contenders with Broadmeadow Magic and Belmont Swansea United for the current inform team of the competition, winning four of their last five games.
Rocketing over Maitland FC into the top five last week with a big 4-0 win over Kahibah FC, Jaffas also welcome in newcomers Josh Piddington and visa player Karam Idris to the side, the former coming off the bench last weekend.
With a favourable goal differential, should Lambton defeat Edgeworth, they’ll go above them into fourth place, a result the Eagles cannot afford to let happen.
Despite going down 3-2 last week against Magic away, it was a brave performance from the Eagles, having lost Aden Gardner and Stefan Cordwell to injury, plus Aaron Niyonkuru and Jarrod McKechnie in the lead-up to the heavyweight clash.
Marking only their second loss of the season, head coach Peter McGuinness will be hoping several of those players will be ready to rock on Saturday or at least put the improving depth of his squad and new inclusions in Jarryd Sutherland and Kye Schmacher to good use.
The strong form his side has shown before last week’s loss sees them in a good position to see off the Jaffas challenge, and victory puts them in a position to leapfrog BelSwans, should they lose this weekend.
Valentine FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 4.30pm
Valentine FC will look to end a difficult run of losses at home when they take on current league leaders Broadmeadow Magic at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The last four weeks have seen a marked improvement in performances from the young Phoenix side, pulling off head-turning away wins over Charlestown Azzurri and Weston Bears, along with a draw against Belmont Swansea United last weekend at Blacksmiths Oval.
But peppered within that has been a dire run of results at home, with the side having conceded nine goals in their last two games, a 1-1 draw against Maitland their best result so far on home soil.
With welcome injections of Joseph Melmth and Ethan Vidler from Maitland, Valentine will be hoping to turn that form around, with four of their next six games at home.
They have a tough assignment against the side at the top of the table, with Magic winning their last three matches on the trot, including overcoming their rivals Edgeworth last weekend.
The defending champions are starting to flex their muscle at the top of the table, winning six of their last seven games, the only exception being a come-from-behind draw with Maitland FC.
The side is also close to full strength, with Benjamin Diamond and Jarred Baker set to return to full fitness after coming off the bench against Edgeworth.
With the side also set to welcome in Pakistani international Haris Zeb from New Zealand, and Riley Byrn from the transfer window, the chasing pack is going to have to produce something special to defeat them.
Cooks Hill United v Belmont Swansea United
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Sunday 1pm
In the penultimate match of the round, Cooks Hill United have the chance to test themselves against a current top-three side in the league when they welcome Belmont Swansea United to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Sunday.
After enduring a difficult April with matches lost or delayed, Cooks Hill have roared back into life over the last three weeks, picking up impressive consecutive victories over Adamstown Rosebud and Kahibah FC at home, before stunning Maitland FC away last week.
Cookers have also welcomed Malcolm Young from the transfer window, the New Zealander slotting right into the side in Maitland.
Sitting three points outside the top five, the responsibility is now on Cooks Hill to pull some wins over teams above them, giving them a good opportunity this weekend against BelSwans.
The Michael Stafford coached side comes into this week in a strong position on the table and in the casualty ward, despite picking up a few bumps and bruises in their 1-1 draw with Valentine FC last week.
With the side set to spend seven of the next eight matches on the road, BelSwans have good reason to feel confident, boasting a settled side that has not lost since round four.
They are also still to be defeated on the road in 2026, a trend Cooks Hill will have to buck if they are to taste victory and throw their hat in the ring for finals contention.