Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri v Weston Bears
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 3pm
Charlestown Azzurri head coach Josh Rufo says he is eager to continue building his side as they prepare for a busy couple of weeks, beginning with Sunday’s clash against Weston Bears at Lisle Carr Oval
The Bears come into the match hungry to turn around a disappointing 1-0 loss to Maitland FC last week, the result now seeing them sitting in a precarious position in second place, with everyone around them holding a one-game advantage thanks to the rainy weather.
Compounding the home loss to the Magpies were injuries to Dylan Burston (hamstring) and Connor Evans (knee).
Head coach Damian Zane will be calling on his outfit’s impressive depth as he prepares for a busy June, which will include a trip up to Byron Bay to face Pottsville Beach FC in the Hahn Australia Cup as well as their NPL NNSW fixtures.
The Bears have shown a knack for turning around their form quickly after a loss multiple times this season, and they will have extra impetus to do so against the Blues, who handed them a 4-2 loss at home the last time the sides played in round three.
Zane has kept an eye on the Blues and Rufo ever since their win over Maitland and is expecting an arm-wrestle on Sunday afternoon.
“I watched them, commentated on them during Josh's first game at Maitland,” Zane said.
“You could definitely see they lifted. They were down at half-time, but their response in the second half was very good.
“They pushed Magic. When a new coach comes in, you're reinvigorated. You need to prove yourself to him. They're a talented squad, and they've beaten us.
“It's going to be a tough game, it's [Lisle Carr Oval] not an easy place to go and win.
“We're expecting a hard game. We've bounced back well when we have lost. We'll be looking to do that again.”
That come-from-behind victory over the Magpies saw Rufo hit the ground running at the Blues, backing it up with a 2-0 victory in the Hahn Australia Cup a few days later.
But their NPL NNSW results have fallen away since then, going down 5-3 to Broadmeadow Magic, before a disappointing 2-0 loss away from home against Adamstown Rosebud.
The result sees Charlestown sitting in ninth on the table, losing four of their last five games, but Rufo backs his side to rediscover their early form, the new coach being impressed with how quickly the side has adapted to the style of play he wants to implement.
“There's a good mood about the team,” Rufo said.
“The lads have been working hard, training hard. Ultimately football is about results and winning, but some of the key things that I've been really happy with is the way the club's taken to the different types of style we're trying to play, principles that we've introduced.
“I don't think we're too far away from it. I've been happy over the last two weeks with the team in terms of their application, their work rate, their effort. They're taking on new ideas and new tactics, new systems.
“I've known Damian for a long time. He's done a very good job with Weston in the short time that he's been there.
“We have to obviously respect that Weston is at the top of the league for a reason.
“On the other side of that, we've just got to focus on us. If we stick to the principles and we do what we know we can do with the strengths we have in our team, it'll be a really competitive game.”
Broadmeadow Magic v Lambton Jaffas
Magic Park, Sunday 1pm
Lambton Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski says he is excited to test his side’s growing confidence against defending champions Broadmeadow Magic on their home turf of Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Jaffas have put a slow start to the season firmly behind them, winning four of their last five games to come into the weekend as arguably one of the in-form teams of the league at the moment, sitting on the edge of the top five.
The side will be without Riley Taylor, who is set to sit out the next couple of weeks after sustaining an injury against Kahibah FC.
But with Jordan Gu returning to training, Mitchell Rooke working back to full fitness, and Jimmy Oates firmly re-established, Tanchevski is optimistic his side can pick up where they left off before the rain interfered with last week’s fixtures.
“We've got a bit of confidence coming into the weekend,” Tanchevski said.
“We've got some good things happening in the team. It's a bit of déjà vu to last year, but that's probably given the boys confidence that we know we can come back and make the finals.
“We've got a fairly young squad, [but] we've got an exciting future if we can keep this squad together. I think we’re turning this season around in the right direction at the right time.
“The second half of the game [earlier this year against Magic], showed more than anything else, the character to me. That the boys weren't just going to lie down and go, the game's over. There was a bit of pride to play for in there.
“That's what Magic can do. For us this week, it'll be about just staying switched on for the whole 90 minutes.
“We know Magic start like a house on fire. They're going to be the team that everyone wants to beat this year. That's where the bar's set.
“[This week], we'll try to see how close we are to that bar and try and get a result.”
Magic, meanwhile, looms as one of the other in-form sides and now have a chance to pull clear at the top of the table following the Bears' stumbling in the El Clasicoal derby last week.
Having not lost an NPL NNSW match since the opening round, Broadmeadow have taken leaps and strides in their consistency, winning four of their last five games and proving to have enough mettle to down the likes of Charlestown Azzurri and Edgeworth Eagles in consecutive weeks.
But the next few weeks will prove a big test for the defending champions, as they prepare for three consecutive matches on the road against Belmont Swansea United, Adamstown Rosebud and their rescheduled round 13 fixture against Valentine FC.
Coupled with then returning home to face a determined Weston Bears, it makes the next few weeks critical for Magic’s title aspirations.
Cooks Hill United v Valentine FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 2pm
Cooks Hill United will be looking to maintain what has been a phenomenal turnaround in form across May when they welcome Valentine FC to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday.
The last time the two sides met earlier in the year, it turned into an ugly rout for the Phoenix, with Cooks Hill blasting away to a 6-0 win at Croudace Bay Complex.
Since then, the season has been a rollercoaster for both sides, with the hosts enduring several big losses in April against the likes of Broadmeadow Magic and Lambton Jaffas.
The side has bounced back well in May, earning three victories in a row over Adamstown Rosebud, Kahibah FC and Maitland FC, the results seeing them leap up a congested middle of the table to sit just three points behind Lambton.
They will likely face a very different Valentine side this weekend, the young outfit proving a different prospect entirely away from home.
Drawing with Belmont Swansea United at Blacksmiths Oval in their last fixture, the results before had seen Valentine win three of their last four matches on the road, picking up scalps over Charlestown Azzurri and Weston Bears.
With a crucial injection of experience from the transfer window, it makes the fixture this weekend timely, as a Valentine win would give the side a valuable injection of confidence heading into three weeks of big clashes against Maitland, Edgeworth Eagles and Lambton.
Edgeworth Eagles v Kahibah FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2pm
Edgeworth Eagles will be hungry to get back into the winner’s circle when they take on a similarly desperate Kahibah FC side on Saturday afternoon at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
Having endured several key losses ahead of going down 3-2 to Magic in round 12, the rained-out weekend could prove fortuitous for the Eagles, with several key midfielders and strikers set to return in Tyler Harrison, Aaron Niyonkuru and Jarrod McKechnie.
But they face a desperate Kahibah, one that hasn’t walked away with three points since round seven when they defeated Valentine FC at home.
The Rams have had to endure a difficult run of games in the lead-up to the halfway point of the season, but despite getting a win in the Hahn Australia Cup, results have still eluded them at NPL NNSW level.
It has not helped that their defence has been particularly leaky, the side conceding 16 goals in their last four games, while their attack has been well neutralised by the likes of Cooks Hill United and Lambton Jaffas.
But given the form shown earlier in the season, the side is likely only one good performance away from turning that around, the 2-2 draw against the Eagles at Fred Wright Oval earlier in the year proving a pivotal moment in their season at the time.
Maitland FC v Belmont Swansea United
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4.30pm
Maitland FC will look to build on their drought-breaking El Clasicoal win and reverse a tough run of home losses when they host Belmont Swansea United at Cooks Square Park in Saturday’s penultimate match.
In the only match that got on the pitch last week, Maitland produced a strong first-half performance, applying pressure to the Bears and coming away with a 1-0 win, the result snapping a three-game losing streak.
The result saw them reclaim their finals spot on the table from Lambton Jaffas, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, the side set to also face Northern Storm in the Hahn Australia Cup in early June.
But if the Magpies are looking to snap a two-game losing streak at home, they’ll have to go through the big improvers of 2026 in BelSwans.
The visitors will be coming to Cooks Square Park hungry for a result, the corresponding fixture earlier this year seeing the Magpies come from three goals down to win 4-3 at Blacksmiths Oval.
It marked only one of two losses BelSwans have sustained so far this year, the side currently boasting an undefeated record on the road.
With the side now in the midst of a lengthy stint away from home, head coach Michael Stafford will be looking to ensure that record stays intact, with a finals position now a firm possibility for BelSwans in just their second year in the league.
Adamstown Rosebud v Newcastle Olympic
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 2, Saturday 6pm
The final match of Saturday afternoon will prove a pivotal one for Adamstown Rosebud and Newcastle Olympic, as both look to try and get themselves out of the bottom of the table when they face off at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The last three weeks of action have been a frustrating period for Olympic, with back-to-back home losses to Lambton Jaffas and Weston Bears capped off with last week’s home fixture against Charlestown Azzurri being postponed due to the weather.
Given the nature of the table, even one victory could rapidly change the state of affairs for Olympic, with a victory here seeing them have the potential to sit just two points outside of finals calculations.
Conversely, the numbers prove equally tight for the Buds, who currently sit second from the bottom and have only two victories so far this year, the lowest of anyone in the league.
It has not been for a lack of effort, with a draw against Belmont Swansea United and victory over Charlestown Azzurri in the last two weeks showing a side with plenty of firepower.
Their week-to-week consistency has been their biggest challenge this year and one that could be overcome if they post consecutive wins for the first time this weekend, setting themselves up for a strong push in the second half of the season.
With a Hahn Australia Cup fixture against Kahibah FC also set to be played in early June, the chances only grow to string results together should the Buds finish Saturday with three more points.