Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas v Broadmeadow Magic
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar said that this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against Lambton Jaffas will be their biggest match this season.
Magic will travel to Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday afternoon in what is set to be another high-quality, fiery match-up between two of the best teams in the competition.
Broadmeadow sits second on the table with 39 points, with Jaffas at the top with 43 points and an additional game in hand.
Magic enters the clash off the back of their third loss of the season in their mid-week round 15 rescheduled match against Edgeworth FC that ended in a 1-0 result.
For Cresnar’s men, this match is their opportunity to bounce back but also remain in the race for the premiership.
“The weekend is another big game for us. It is probably our biggest game of the season,” Cresnar said.
“It is important that we get a result. We want to win the competition, we are there to win.
“We take it week by week but also we want to come first on the table and if that isn’t what you strive for, I’m not sure what you are doing.
“Our main goal is to come first on the table.”
The two sides have faced each other three times already this year, in the HMRI Charity Shield, round seven of the competition and in round seven of the Australia Cup.
Jaffas have the bragging rights with two of three wins over Magic but Broadmeadow is the only team to beat them in 2024.
Cresnar expects another tough battle on Saturday but said that beating them once this year has given his side the confidence that they can do it again.
“We know Lambton have been doing really well,” Cresnar said.
“We have played them three times this season and they have beat us twice since we beat them at the start of the year.
“We have confidence knowing that we have beat them once and in the other two games we have pushed them all the way.
“It’s important that we are making sure we are right in the key moments of the game and focus on a full 90-minute performance.
“Our biggest hurdle has been making the most of our opportunities in attack against other teams. But if we are able to convert those chances on the weekend, we will be right.
Lambton Jaffas continue to ride high this season, sitting pretty at the top of the table with 43 points.
Coach David Tanchevski said his side are enjoying their undefeated run but he believes they still have another gear to reach.
“We still need to lift our performances another 30 per cent. At the moment we have been playing at about 70 per cent,” Tanchevski said.
“We didn’t play our best against Maitland but still got the result. It a positive that we can still grind out a result.
“We have been on a long run but we need to make sure that we don’t turn it around and go backwards.”
Despite their impressive record against Magic, Tanchenvski said his side knows they are in for one of the hardest games of the season.
“We are looking forward to the weekend’s game,” Tanchevski said.
“We are preparing for our toughest game of the season. We know that we have to be at our maximum to play them.
“We have had a good run against Magic, we have the wood over them and they haven’t beaten us in the league in a few years.
“But that counts for nothing when it comes to game day.
“Magic has players who can hurt you. We know that they come out hard and fast.
“This weekend we need to make sure that we aren’t chasing the game and have a better start.
“The aim is to make sure we keep a clean sheet in the first half and then run over the top of them in the second.
The Jaffas will have to play the waiting game to see if goalkeeper Ben Kennedy will be available to play, with his wife due to give birth to their first child any day.
“BK (Kennedy) will definitely be playing at this stage,” Tanchevski said.
“But Boz (Alexander Bozinovski) is our back up and we have had a chat about what that would look like in case Ben is unavailable.
“He (Bozinovski) has played first grade and is a good keeper to come in and back us up if we need it”
The side will continue to be without star defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley as he continues to recover from a foot injury.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Maitland FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Saturday 4pm
Lake Macquarie City FC coach Pete Preston says his players will not go down without a fight as they take on Maitland FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday afternoon.
The Roosters continue to sit at the bottom of the table with four points in the automatic relegation zone and are five points behind Adamstown in 11th.
They went down 4-1 in their mid-week catch-up match against Newcastle Olympic on Wednesday night.
The Roosters coach has continued to remain optimistic about where his side sits in the competition and said they are still determined to get themselves out of the relegation zone.
“We know we have a good young group and we will keep hanging in there,” Preston said.
“We all realise where we are now and we aren’t hiding from that.
“We will continue to give ourselves a chance. We will keep working on things that are within our control.”
The last time these two sides went head-to-head in the competition in round seven, two first half goals helped Maitland to secure a 2-0 win.
Lakes will hope to settle the score and continue to build on their performances week on week as the season progresses.
The Magpies enter the contest in some good form with two wins from their last three matches.
Mick Bolch’s side was unable to hold onto a draw against the league leaders Lambton Jaffas in their 2-1 loss on the weekend that saw them break their back-to-back winning streak.
They sit seventh on the table with 21 points but are two points outside of finals contention, which will be an extra motivator to get the job done against the Roosters on Saturday.
Edgeworth FC v New Lambton FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Edgeworth FC will look to make it three from three when they host New Lambton FC on Saturday at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
The Eagles have soared up the table and into third position after they defeated second-placed Broadmeadow Magic in their rescheduled round 15 match on Wednesday night.
They have 29 points, 10 behind Magic and 14 away from league leaders Lambton Jaffas but have teams below them closing in as the season heads into the back end.
Peter McGuinness’ side has a busy schedule with an away trip to Western Australia for the Australia Cup Round of 32 and the Men’s State Cup final in addition to their competition games.
With the Eagles’ eyes on multiple prizes at this stage in the season, they cannot afford to step a foot wrong and drop points in the competition.
New Lambton has struggled to distance themselves from the relegation zone, five points ahead of Adamstown Rosebud FC in 11th position.
They enter the clash off the back of a 1-0 loss to Cooks Hill but returned to the winner’s circle with a 2-1 win over Adamstown Rosebud on Wednesday night.
The Golden Eagles will be without midfielder Tyler Neilsen this weekend after he received two yellow cards and was sent from the field against Adamstown.
Shane Pryce will hope his side can return home with three points and extend the gap from the bottom two sides.
Cooks Hill United v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 4:30pm
Cooks Hill United will look to make it four games on the trot unbeaten when they welcome Adamstown Rosebud FC to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday.
Chris Zoricich’s side has gained some momentum in recent weeks as they have moved up the table into eighth position, four points behind the top five sides.
Brock Beveridge, Carter Smith and Cody Nancarrow continue to stand out in attack for the Cooks Hill side, with 22 goals between them so far in the competition this season.
They will be eager to return home after being on the road for their last three matches and hope that they can continue to hit the back of the net for their side as they hunt down a spot in the finals.
Rosebud have begun to pick up some results in recent weeks, after two wins, two losses and a draw from their last five matches.
Adamstown continues to sit in 11th position, five points ahead of bottom-of-the-table side Lake Macquarie City FC and five points behind New Lambton FC in 10th.
They will continue to be without striker and captain Dino Fajkovic as he serves a six-match suspension for match official abuse.
A win could keep them in touch with New Lambton and keep their hopes to move out of the relegation zone alive.
Weston Workers FC v Valentine FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Sunday 2:30pm
Two sides will be eager to return to winning ways when Weston Workers FC hosts Valentine FC at Rockwell Automation Park on Sunday.
The last time these two sides went head-to-head in the competition, Valentine ran away with a 2-0 win. Weston will want to settle the score and gain ground
The Bears enter the match up after back-to-back losses against the top two sides Lambton Jaffas (1-0) and Broadmeadow Magic (5-0).
They have fallen down the table into ninth position, five points outside of the top five sides.
Kew Jaliens’ side missed out on their round 17 match against Charlestown Azzurri last weekend as it was postponed due to wet weather and will be hungry to get back out on the pitch in front of a home crowd.
A win would help the Bears to keep their hopes of playing finals football alive and extend the gap between themselves and the bottom three teams in the competition.
Valentine will also hope to bounce back after a 3-0 loss to Edgeworth FC. Adam Hughes and his side remain fifth on the table but they now have multiple teams hot on their heels behind them, desperate to hunt down a finals position.
Three points on Sunday would help the Phoenix maintain their top-five spot whilst also gaining them some valuable momentum as they head into the back end of the season.
Charlestown Azzurri v Newcastle Olympic
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 2:30pm
Charlestown Azzurri will finally get their opportunity to bounce back when they host Newcastle Olympic at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
The Blues have not played a competition match since the middle of June when they went down 4-1 to Cooks Hill United.
They have slipped down into fourth position on the table with 28 points, one point behind Edgeworth FC.
James Pascoe and his side will be hungry to get back out onto their home turf and secure a vital three points for their campaign to overtake the Eagles once again this season.
They will continue to be without defender Taylor Regan, who has been unable to serve his two-match suspension due to the lack of games Azzurri played due to wet weather.
Olympic have had mixed results with three wins and two losses in their last five games.
Their 4-1 win over Lake Macquarie City FC in their catch-up game on Wednesday night saw the side return to the top six, on equal points with Valentine in fifth position.
Paul DeVitis and Neil Owens will hope that their side can make it back-to-back wins and gain some momentum to secure their spot in the finals.