Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2pm
Lambton Jaffas coach David Tanchevski has challenged his men to prove that they deserve to play finals football this year as they prepare to host Charlestown Azzurri at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Jaffas are sixth on the table but are just one point behind Newcastle Olympic (5th) and three points behind their round 16 opponents, which means a win this weekend could see them climb into the top five.
They have one of the best defences in the league but have not been troubling teams enough at the other end of the park, having scored just 11 goals in 12 matches.
With fixtures against Azzurri, Broadmeadow Magic and Weston Bears in an eight-day run, they are going to need to start clicking in the front third and their coach was confident they could do so.
“We’re not trying to look too far in front of us, but the next five games are massive for us. It’s a really tough run coming up, with three of those being Charlestown, Magic and Weston in a week,” Tanchevski said.
“We’ve set ourselves a target to take some points from these matches. We had a (1-1) draw against Charlestown last time and it was a tough, even game. It could have gone either way.
“Azzurri played some pretty good football against Magic last weekend, so we know it will be a tough game. If we want to make the finals, we’re going to have to match it with teams like this. We need to be as good as the teams that are around us on the table.
“Against these better teams, our aim is to keep a clean sheet and pinch goals when we can. Against a team like Adamstown last weekend, we should have put three or four goals away.
“We haven’t been taking our chances this season, but on the positive side, we’re creating chances. It would be more problematic for us if we weren’t creating goal-scoring opportunities. One day soon it will click and we’ll score four or five in a game.”
The Jaffas will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper and captain Ben Kennedy on Saturday, who has been sidelined by a calf injury since Lambton’s round 11 clash against Maitland last month.
Tanchevski said he was thrilled to have Kennedy back in the lineup but also commended the efforts of Jack Pandel, who he said had been impressive in the skipper’s absence and had proved that the Jaffas have two first grade standard keepers in their squad.
Fullback Tom Waller is in some doubt for Lambton after leaving last Saturday’s 1-0 win against Adamstown in the 40th minute, but Tanchevski was hopeful that he will be back this weekend.
This Saturday’s fixture is a chance for Azzurri to return to winning ways and put some more space between themselves and the sides below them.
They are fourth on the table, but teams like Newcastle Olympic, Lambton, Belmont Swansea United and Maitland are now breathing down their necks.
James Pascoe’s men have drawn their past two games since they kicked off June with a 3-2 win over Olympic, and they are eager to produce another scalp of a fellow finals hopeful rival come Saturday.
Broadmeadow Magic FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Magic Park, Friday 6:30pm
Belmont Swansea United coach Mick Stafford is daring to dream as his side prepares to face competition heavyweights Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Friday night.
The boys from Blacksmiths are unbeaten in six games and produced their most complete performance of the campaign last Saturday when they defeated Cooks Hill United 4-1 away from home.
That victory saw them climb into seventh place on the table and has given them a chance to move up into the top five if they can get the job done on Friday night.
They will be at full strength as Ethan Hall returns after missing the Cooks Hill game and Stafford was confident that his men could take it to the defending champions on their home turf.
“It’s a free shot for us. BelSwans isn’t supposed to get any points when we go to Magic Park to face a club like that,” Stafford said.
“Now we’ve got a few points on the board, we’ve got a bit of freedom to have a proper crack at them and throw everything at them.
“We probably would have restricted ourselves if the game was a few weeks before this, but now we’ll go there and have a crack and try and get three points.
“I think it would be a bit of history if we do win. I don’t think BelSwans has ever beaten Broadmeadow at Magic Park, so we’re going to try and have a crack at that.”
Broadmeadow are battered and bruised after two recent Hahn Australia Cup matches, during which they lost Riley Smith, Cody Nancarrow and Bailey Wells to injuries.
They still managed to secure a point on the road against Charlestown Azzurri without the three attacking weapons last Sunday to extend their unbeaten league run to 10 games.
That was the first time they dropped points since an opening night defeat against Edgeworth Eagles and are now hungry to secure their 10th win of the campaign against one of the toughest underdogs in the competition.
Weston Bears FC v New Lambton FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Saturday 2pm
New Lambton FC will embark on one of the toughest away trips in the league on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Rockwell Automation Park to challenge Weston Bears as they look to boost their hopes of survival and secure their first victory of the campaign.
The Golden Eagles are still last after a winless opening 12 games. They have three points to their name after three draws and are two wins inside the automatic relegation zone after 11th-placed Valentine FC earned their ninth point last weekend.
Shane Pryce’s men were thumped 5-1 on home soil by the Bears back in round five.
They were in the game at 1-1 until the 67th minute when a red card derailed their day, and they are going to need to produce a 90-minute performance if they are any chance of winning the return fixture on Saturday.
Weston sits in third spot on the table seven points behind league leaders Edgeworth Eagles and are on a three-game winning streak.
The in-form Bears have only played three of their 10 league games on home soil in 2025 and have picked up a maximum nine points at Rockwell Automation Park.
They also won an Australia Cup penalty shootout there against Edgeworth Eagles last week to advance to the Round of 32 and they are eager to further solidify their fortress this Saturday.
Valentine FC v Cooks Hill United FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 4:30pm
A chance to finally climb out of the relegation zone awaits Valentine FC when they host Cooks Hill United at Croudace Bay Oval on Saturday evening.
The Phoenix snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend when they held Newcastle Olympic to a 2-2 draw away from home to secure their ninth point of the season.
They are now just one point behind Adamstown Rosebud and three behind Cooks Hill, which means that a win this weekend could see them climb as high as ninth after more than six weeks in 11th spot.
Cas Wright’s men have shown they can score goals this year, having netted more than any other side in the bottom five and even striking 10 more goals than sixth-placed Lambton Jaffas.
But conceding has been an issue for them as they have been leaking almost three goals a game in 2025. If they can tighten that up come Saturday, a first win since mid-April could be there for the taking.
Cooks Hill United will be searching for a refreshed and improved performance following a 4-1 loss on home soil against Belmont Swansea United last weekend.
That result came after a tough midweek Hahn Australia Cup battle against Broadmeadow Magic, which they won to advance to the Round of 32.
Chris Zoricich’s men were feeling the effects of that match against BelSwans but there will be no excuses this Saturday as Cooks Hill look to put some more space between themselves and the relegation zone.
Edgeworth Eagles FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Sunday 2pm
Adamstown Rosebud will look to do what no other side has been able to so far this season and beat the Edgeworth Eagles when they travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The undefeated Eagles are flying high in first place after taking advantage of Broadmeadow Magic’s slip-up last weekend.
Edgeworth went into round 15 ranked second on the table and got the job done 3-0 on home soil against New Lambton FC on Saturday afternoon before Broadmeadow drew with Charlestown Azzurri on Sunday night.
The win was the Eagles’ eighth win in a row and their ninth of the season. Alongside two draws, they have accumulated 29 of a possible 33 points so far.
Peter McGuinness’ men are leading the way at each end in 2025, having scored a league best 31 goals and conceded a league best four goals.
They have now kept eight clean sheets in 11 matches and rarely look like they are ever going to be beaten.
But Adamstown is up for the challenge, and with skipper and the competition’s fifth top goal-scorer Dino Fajkovic leading the way up front.
They will be looking to produce the upset of the season on Saturday.
The Buds were beaten 4-0 when they hosted Edgeworth back in round five and they have only picked up four points in seven matches since to fall to 10th, but they are hungry to start to move away from the relegation zone and climb the table.
Newcastle Olympic FC v Maitland FC
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4:30pm
Round 16 will wrap up at Darling Street Oval on Sunday evening where two underperforming teams will go head-to-head as Newcastle Olympic host Maitland FC.
Olympic are clinging to fifth with 17 points after a five-game winless run, but they could well be eighth once the three sides just outside the top five had played as many games as them.
One of those teams is Maitland, who are in eighth spot with 14 points but have two games in hand on this weekend’s opponents.
The Magpies are coming off a 2-1 loss after conceding a 90th-minute free kick on home soil against Weston last weekend, but they showed they can match it with the best teams in the competition in the narrow defeat.
That result snapped a three-game winning streak and they are now determined to get back to victorious ways.
Olympic started the season positively but back-to-back losses and three straight 2-2 draws around a wet weather break have left them winless since early April.
They are desperate to get back in the winner’s circle in front of a home crowd on Sunday.
