Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic v Cooks Hill United
Darling Street Oval, Saturday, 2pm
Cooks Hill United head coach Jamie Dunning believes his side’s blossoming belief will be needed to push for a maiden finals appearance, as they prepare to face Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval on Saturday afternoon.
With Lambton Jaffas held to a draw and a loss and Edgeworth Eagles sustaining several losses until a 3-2 win over Lambton on Tuesday night, a pathway has opened up for Cooks Hill to make a run for finals.
Aside from one loss to Belmont Swansea United, Cooks Hill have enjoyed a stellar run of results since their 3-1 win over Adamstown Rosebud in round 10. Going on to win three of their next six games, including coming from behind to draw 3-3 with Weston Bears and a 2-2 draw with Charlestown Azzurri on Tuesday night.
The injection of Stephen Hoyle into the attack has proven particularly effective, with Dunning employing a rotation of players to manage workload, also welcoming Kane Woolston back from injury, albeit in a limited minutes capacity.
Despite going into this weekend’s fixture with the better recent form, Dunning has kept an eye on Olympic throughout the season, the hosts having stayed in nearly every contest despite not getting the results on the table.
“The league, it's been mental,” Dunning said.
“Obviously, I've only come in this year, [but] I've looked over the last few years. There's been big, big point gaps. But this year, it's just absolutely crazy. Everyone's beating everyone. We'll take one game at a time.
“I think it's going to be a very tough game, especially at theirs. They're desperate for points as well, so that gives them that extra edge of wanting to win the game. They're a good footballing side.
“I watched the Maitland game, and it was pretty unlucky, especially [in the] second half. I expect a really tough game, but if we can keep our quality and be ruthless when we can as well, I think we can get the result.”
Despite going down 1-0 to Maitland last weekend away from home, Olympic looked an improved side on Saturday, building nicely into the match.
Following on from their 3-3 draw to Kahibah FC that snapped a three-game losing streak, head coach Alex Tagaroulias is taking a big picture approach, with the side regularly challenging the top teams despite not getting results yet.
With Olympic also having to navigate a catch-up game with Charlestown next week, the hosts are in a good position to climb up the table very quickly should they be able to string several results together.
“The competition now is about the one percenters, I think,” Tagaroulias said.
“At different times of the season, either a Cooks Hill or a Kahibah or a Valentine have looked like they might struggle. They've found a way to bounce back and get results against supposedly stronger opposition.
“The message there is that this competition is quite even and anybody can beat anybody at any time. We've got to find the will to be able to do the same thing.
“If they can do it, we can do it.
“Cooks Hill are clearly an improved outfit and [had] great results, certainly in the last month.
“I've watched the other teams. The results sometimes have gone for them, sometimes they haven't. It's that kind of competition this year, that logjam that we have from the bottom [of the table] all the way to the semi-final places, I think, is indicative of that.”
Valentine FC v Lambton Jaffas
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 4.30pm
Lambton Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski knows executing in front of goal will be a critical issue his side needs to address as they travel to Croudace Bay Complex to take on an in-form Valentine FC on Saturday afternoon.
Jaffas have been well-rewarded for their recent form, claiming wins in three of their last four games before last week’s 1-1 draw with Adamstown Rosebud.
The result saw Lambton climb over Edgeworth Eagles until their catch-up game on Tuesday night saw the Eagles win 3-2 at the death, conceding goals late a habit Tanchevski is desperate for his side to kick.
Despite the disappointment, Lambton are still firmly in the mix for finals as they look to keep away the logjam of teams chasing them, with Tanchevski knowing Valentine’s recent strong form will make this clash difficult to navigate.
“It was almost like a déjà vu of Magic [losing to Edgeworth],” Tanchevski said.
“I think that's seven times we've drawn or lost a game in injury time this year. When you add those points up, it puts us in a very different position, how close we've been in games.
“There's a bit of mixed feelings, I think; a bit of disappointment about some results that have been recently had, but I think [there] is still enough confidence in the camp to think that we can make the semi-finals.
“[Valentine], they're flying.
“From what I've seen recently, they've been playing with a bit more confidence and they've got a few handy boys up top as well. That recruitment's been good for them.
“They’re probably one of the in-form teams at the moment in the competition, definitely going to be a tough game. It doesn't matter if you're playing second place or you're playing last place at the moment. If you don't show up, you get punished.”
The Phoenix have looked like one of the most dangerous sides in the league over the last five weeks, their 2-0 win in Weston seeing them start a good run of form with draws against Broadmeadow Magic and Belmont Swansea United, before beating Edgeworth 2-1 last week.
The result was their first win at home in 2026, seeing them jump two places up the table to sit in ninth, just four points behind Cooks Hill.
With the Phoenix needing only one more win to better their 2025 season record, every win will be worth their weight in gold as they try to break out of the table logjam.
Edgeworth Eagles v Adamstown Rosebud
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2pm
Edgeworth Eagles will be looking to consolidate their top five position when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud to Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles kicked off a busy period over next two weeks with a 3-2 win in their first catch-up match against Lambton Jaffas and will play Kahibah FC as their last catch-up game after Adamstown this weekend.
The win over Lambton at the death has proven a positive result for Eagles after enduring a frustrating month, their 3-2 loss to Broadmeadow followed by tight losses to Cooks Hill United and Valentine FC, briefly costing them their top-five position on the table.
The side, having undergone a few injury concerns and changes to the starting side across this period, welcomed back several key players at Croudace Bay.
The Buds, however, loom as a considerable challenge, having also climbed out of the bottom two of the table thanks to last week’s 1-1 draw away from home with Lambton.
Aside from their second-half capitulation to Broadmeadow Magic, Adamstown have looked strong over the last several weeks, pulling wins over Charlestown Azzurri, Newcastle Olympic and Kahibah as well as a 2-2 draw against a high-flying Belmont Swansea United outfit.
The 2-1 win over Kahibah in their midweek catch-up fixture lifted them to eighth on the ladder. Another victory against the Eagles would see them continue their climb up the table.
Charlestown Azzurri v Belmont Swansea United
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 2pm
Fresh off their historic win over Broadmeadow Magic, Belmont Swansea United have a golden opportunity to close the gap on the defending champions when they travel to play Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday.
BelSwans sit five points behind Magic coming into Saturday, their victory last week seeing them open up a two-point lead over Weston Bears and Maitland FC on the table.
With Magic and the Bears going head-to-head at Magic Park on Sunday, BelSwans understand the importance of claiming three points here as they begin to calculate a potential maiden finals berth. Encouragingly for Mick Stafford, he is close to having a full-strength squad available.
The visitors will have another reason to get up for the weekend, as they look to start the next four weeks on the road on the front foot.
Charlestown enter the weekend under pressure after Sunday's defeat to Kahibah FC extended their losing run to four matches and left them at the foot of the table.
But a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Cooks Hill United on Wednesday night saw the Blues climb to 11th, level on points with Kahibah and Newcastle Olympic. Charlestown also have games in hand, with a catch-up fixture against Olympic scheduled for next week and another against Weston still to be played.
While the demanding schedule presents its own challenges, it also offers opportunity. With the competition tightly congested, a positive run of results over the coming week could quickly propel the Blues up the table if they can capitalise on their chances.
Broadmeadow Magic v Weston Bears
Magic Park, Sunday 3pm
Broadmeadow Magic will be returning home with a point to prove when they welcome Weston Bears to Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
The fixture carries plenty of significance, not only because of Magic’s narrow 2-1 victory over the Bears in Weston earlier this season, but also due to the implications at the top of the table.
After seeing their winning streak snapped by Belmont Swansea United last week, the defending champions will be eager to respond quickly. With Weston applying pressure from behind, a victory on Sunday could prove crucial in helping Magic maintain their place at the summit
With the side welcoming back Bailey Wells over the weekend, head coach Jim Cresnar will likely have a strong side to call upon to contain the Bears’ threats.
Weston have endured a frustrating period of their season since their round 12 loss to Valentine, the side only winning one of their last four games since that result.
The last fortnight, however, has shown the side isn’t far away from rediscovering their form from earlier in the year with high-scoring draws against in-form sides BelSwans and Cooks Hill United.
With Maitland FC’s strong form closing the gap between the two to just goal differential, Weston knows taking three points away from Magic Park would be a gamechanger for their season, and the league at large.
Kahibah FC v Maitland FC
Fred Wright Oval, Sunday 3pm
Kahibah FC will look to put their recent improvement to good use when they welcome high-flying Maitland FC to Fred Wright Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Rams' demanding run of fixtures is already underway, with Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat to Adamstown Rosebud in a catch-up match seeing them slip back to the foot of the table on goal difference.
Despite the setback, there have been encouraging signs for the league newcomers. After rediscovering their goalscoring touch against Newcastle Olympic, Kahibah produced one of their most impressive performances of the season in a 4-1 victory over Charlestown Azzurri, showcasing the attacking quality that helped them dominate HIT106.9 Northern League One in 2025.
While the loss to Adamstown was a missed opportunity, the Rams remain firmly in touch with the congested mid-table pack. Sitting just five points outside seventh place, a strong return from their busy stretch of fixtures could quickly reignite their finals ambitions heading into the run home after the July break.
By comparison, Maitland comes into the match on a four-game winning streak, their victories over Weston Bears, Belmont Swansea United, Valentine FC and Olympic seeing them in the hunt to climb up to second place on the table this weekend, pending other results.
With no catch-up matches, however, the Magpies need to make this form count if they are to mount a serious challenge on Broadmeadow Magic, with a win here giving them valuable breathing space on the table while sides around them play their catch-up fixtures in the next fortnight.
A victory here would also see them equal their total wins achieved in 2025, indicating a side heading firmly in the right direction, with five rounds to go until finals after this weekend.