Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas v Maitland FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2.30pm
Lambton Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski is throwing caution to the wind when his side takes on a firing Maitland FC on Saturday afternoon at Arthur Edden Oval.
The Jaffas have not claimed three points since their round 15 3-1 win over Charlestown Azzurri. They now find themselves in a precarious position on the table, with a win or loss deciding the difference between finals and missing out.
Sitting seven points off the fifth-placed Edgeworth, the congestion that has plagued the bottom of the table for much of the year has now started to flip towards the top, with four points separating second from fifth.
If the Jaffas are to replicate their 2025 antics, they have to start their run home and make it count and do so while managing injuries to Riley McNaughton and Lucas Sutton as well as Sam Donnellan unavailable.
With the stakes so high, Tanchevski has decided to opt for a more aggressive approach when they take the field against the Magpies.
“Maitland have strung a few wins together, which is what we’ve been trying to do,” Tanchevski said.
“We really need to try and take points from them on the weekend and try and get on a roll. We’re going into this weekend with no pressure, the boys will go and play with a bit more of an attacking style.
“We’ll really throw caution to the wind this week and just go for a win. We’re not going to sit back, a draw won’t do us any good.
“We’re just going to go out there and play an attacking brand, try and get some early goals and some confidence up. Worst case scenario, we know we’re not in the semis and we’ve got nothing to lose by going for it.”
The Jaffas will have their work cut out against Maitland, who produced their fifth win on the trot at the weekend putting Adamstown Rosebud away 3-1. They also have a game in hand, their round 17 catch-up match with Kahibah FC on Wednesday night postponed.
But with Weston Bears on the march and Belmont Swansea United also flying at the top of the table, head coach Adam Hughes knows they cannot afford to slack off.
With the side maintaining a strong squad but likely set to rest some due to flu, should the Magpies maintain their run, it puts them in striking distance of current table leaders and defending champions, Broadmeadow Magic.
“We've had a good transfer window that's been able to add real depth to the group,” Hughes said.
“We've got a good balance, there is very good competition across places which then enables potential rotation with different teams that we come up against.
“We know how we've performed in the past games against them and where their strengths are, their weaknesses.
“Jaffas, they're a tough team. They've got quality players across the park. I think their qualities are no different to what we faced with Adamstown on the weekend with the way that they can be aggressive and close the ball down in moments.
“It's something where we've got to be able to compete with first and foremost, get the ball on the deck and play our brand of football, hopefully we can stay on the ball more and create more opportunities than what they can.”
Cooks Hill United v Broadmeadow Magic
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 2pm
Cooks Hill United head coach Jamie Dunning knows that if his side is to achieve a first-ever finals appearance in the NPL NNSW, a victory against Broadmeadow Magic on Saturday afternoon will put all teams sitting in finals contention on notice.
The hosts have been in roaring form for the last two months, going from the relegation zone in April to now sitting three points shy of Edgeworth in sixth place, with a shot at finals well and truly alive.
The side has also put time at home to good use, posting consecutive victories over Valentine FC and Adamstown Rosebud to sit in a good place heading into a difficult fortnight ahead.
With several players under injury clouds in Nick Curran, Koby Bailey, Kane Woolston and Stanley Manning-Lourey, Dunning will be glad the wider squad has been able to secure game time over the course of the season so far.
With Magic this weekend, followed by a Lambton Jaffas side sitting four points behind them on the table, Dunning knows this next period is set to make or break their finals aspirations.
“This is a critical stage in the season, we need to come out with as many points as we possibly can out of the next two weeks,” Dunning said.
“The boys are in a good space.
“We're playing against a very, very good football team with good players and a good coach, and they're set up fantastically. It's a tough day, but for us, there's nothing to lose in the form that we're in.
“We've definitely kept an eye on how they [Magic] went, [we] watch what the other teams that have had success against Magic have been doing, and then we'll add our own little bit in tactically and what we need to do to try and get a result.
“It's two teams that want to play football and two teams that are in red-hot form at the moment.”
Magic returned to their best in the last fortnight, being pushed all the way by Newcastle Olympic on Sunday, but managing to hold on to claim a 2-1 win.
The result sees the defending champions with a seven-point advantage heading into the weekend, but with every side in the top five holding a one-game advantage over Magic, the side is unlikely to rest on their laurels, despite their position in finals all but secured.
Broadmeadow are also set for a tricky fortnight ahead, not only facing an in-form Cooks Hill side, but an ominous-looking Maitland FC outfit next weekend away from home.
Adamstown Rosebud v Valentine FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 2pm
Adamstown Rosebud will be looking to push themselves firmly out of the risk of relegation when they welcome Valentine FC to Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Buds will come into the match on a two-game losing streak, coming off losses to Edgeworth Eagles and Maitland FC. The result sees them sitting in tenth, just one win separating them from eleventh-placed Kahibah FC.
A victory this weekend will be sorely needed as a result, not just to give the hosts some breathing space, but also in the context of their run home.
With the side set to also face Weston Bears, Cooks Hill United and Belmont Swansea United, Adamstown arguably has one of the hardest runs of all the sides in the league - making the hopes of avoiding relegation all the more precarious should they lose.
For the Phoenix, their 3-2 victory over Kahibah in round 18 came at a vital time, the result seeing them better their 2025 win tally and elevate them to eighth on the table, five points clear of relegation and just one win behind a finals-chasing Lambton.
While Valentine finds themselves safe for now, head coach Lee Sterrey has made it no secret that his primary goal is to secure their NPL NNSW position for next year.
With their next three games being against sides lower than them in the table, a result in at least two of them will likely be enough to secure that spot and the sooner they can achieve them, the better.
Weston Bears v Kahibah FC
Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, Saturday 4.30pm
Weston Bears will look to reclaim their top three spot when they welcome Kahibah FC to Hunter City Motor Group Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Fresh off a 5-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri in their round 14 catch-up match on Wednesday night, the Bears have put a middling period of their season firmly in the rear-view mirror following their 3-2 win over Lambton Jaffas at the weekend.
The two wins see the side back in the mix for a top three finish, now having to contend with the likes of Edgeworth Eagles and firing Maitland FC.
With a busy upcoming schedule that includes their Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 clash with Melbourne City and the likes of Blake Archbold, Dominic Archbold and Connor Evans returning, the side has ample opportunity to continue to string results together.
They take on a desperate Kahibah this weekend, with the league newcomers turning their attention to climbing out of the relegation zone by any means necessary.
While having a match in hand due to their round 17 Maitland FC game being postponed, the Rams are currently on a three-match losing streak, working their way back into the game against Valentine FC on Saturday before going down 3-2.
With only a similarly misfiring Charlestown keeping them from the bottom of the table, any points are needed at this point as they look to catch tenth-placed Adamstown, who sit one win above them.
Newcastle Olympic v Belmont Swansea United
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 1pm
One of the most intriguing matches of the weekend is set to play out as Belmont Swansea United look to secure their tenth win of the season against an unpredictable Newcastle Olympic side at Darling Street Oval on Sunday.
Results have been hard to come by for Olympic in 2026, though it has not been for lack of trying, the side boasting a positive goal differential despite only managing four wins so far.
It proved to be a case of so close yet so far again last week against Broadmeadow Magic, the side coming close to walking away from Magic Park with a point, but ultimately going down 2-1.
Given the side’s propensity to be a hard team to put away at home they’ll be an outfit a high-flying BelSwans cannot afford to underestimate.
The visitors will be coming in fresh off two weeks without any games, the side being one of only a few teams with no catch-up games in the July break and their round 18 match against Edgeworth Eagles postponed due to wet weather.
While BelSwans’ lack of football might give Olympic a chance to capitalise if they hit the ground running, on the flipside, the visitors will come into the weekend with a fresh squad at full strength.
Charlestown Azzurri v Edgeworth Eagles
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 3pm
Edgeworth Eagles will be looking to lock in their finals spot for good when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday to face Charlestown Azzurri.
The Eagles have roared back into form over the last month, their consecutive wins seeing them climb to fifth on the table, sitting just four points behind second-place side Weston bears and three points ahead of Cooks Hill United.
With Cooks Hill looking to chase a maiden finals appearance and Lambton Jaffas close behind them, the Eagles have the chance to shut the door on both sides’ finals hopes for good in the next two weeks.
For the Blues, the goal is simple: win.
Coming off a 5-0 loss to Weston Bears on Wednesday night in their round 14 catch-up game, the Blues desperately need to reverse current results, having conceded 21 goals in their last five games.
Despite a tough run of facing Maitland FC, Valentine FC and Broadmeadow Magic in their run home, there is plenty still to play for if the Blues can snap their losing streak, with a win or draw (pending Kahibah’s results) getting them off the bottom of the table.
With the last-placed side automatically relegated to HIT106.9 Northern League One at season’s end, the calculations of how to avoid that scenario grow all the more real with every passing week.