Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic 0-1 Kahibah FC
Kahibah FC head coach Blair Newham believes the Rams can beat anyone after producing their biggest win of the year, defeating 2026 premiers Broadmeadow Magic 1-0 at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
Despite securing their place in the Australian Championship and claiming their third consecutive premiership, Magic fielded a strong side and showed no intention of taking the Rams lightly, with both teams making it clear from the outset that they were looking to move the ball around.
But both defences proved equal to the task, with the attacks of the sides suffering from moments of over-eagerness in front of goal. The final passes and link-ups repeatedly failed to come to fruition, keeping the game finely balanced.
Magic looked to gain the upper hand with several shots on target in the closing stages of the half, but Kahibah goalkeeper Jacob Zissis maintained a clean sheet, with the sides going into the break scoreless despite an entertaining half of football.
The break proved fortuitous for the teams to catch their breath, but the match turned into a seesawing affair as it approached the hour mark.
With the final 20 minutes approaching, changes from the bench followed, but it was Kahibah who started to grow in confidence, making increasingly threatening inroads into Magic territory with the game there for the taking.
Magic’s strong injection from the bench inside the final 10 minutes kept the contest finely balanced, but as stoppage time commenced and Kahibah survived a corner, the match appeared destined for a draw, with the sides ruing missed opportunities to claim the win.
But in the second minute of stoppage time, the Rams won a corner, and with the visitors’ vocal fans urging them on, Robbie Turnbull delivered a perfectly curved ball that sailed past goalkeeper Daniel Axford, clipped the woodwork and found the back of the net.
Magic tried their best to force an equaliser, but the premiers ran out of time as the Rams became the first NPL Men’s NNSW away team of 2026 to win at Magic Park. The result lifted them six points clear of Charlestown Azzurri and to within one point of Adamstown Rosebud and Newcastle Olympic.
The significance was not lost on Newham, with the result potentially ranking among the biggest wins in the club’s history while also keeping alive their hopes of staying in the NPL NNSW competition.
“I [last] won at Magic Park in 2018 in an under-16s final, but it was against Valentine. My last actual win at Broadmeadow against Broadmeadow was a under-16s game in 2016,” Newham said.
“Full credit to Jim Cresnar and his team in winning the premiership. They deserve it; they've been the best team all year. We went there with a solid plan, and we executed.
“We had plenty of chances, to be fair, but so did Broadmeadow.
“We're ten-foot tall at the moment. We feel like we can beat anyone. We've just beaten BelSwans, we've just beaten Broadmeadow.
“41-year-old Robbie Turnbull scoring from a corner in the 90th minute in his last season, if anyone says football's not romantic, they're kidding themselves.
“It's job half done [though]. We know that we're one win away from safety because we have to play Maitland and Cooks Hill United in the last week of the season.”
It was a frustrating end, but Magic head coach Jim Cresnar was keeping in mind the bigger picture, his side going on to lift a third consecutive premiership in front of the Magic fans following the match.
“The conditions were difficult to play in,” Cresnar said.
“It made it hard. But credit to Kahibah, they stuck in and stayed in the game as long as they could. Their defensive unit worked really hard to break us down.
“Obviously, a late winner from a set-piece is something that we need to make sure we get better going forward. It's just disappointing that we conceded in the last minute of the game.
“It's just one of those things where we could have managed that a lot better. It's more knowing how to adapt to those conditions rather than anything else. We've got semi-finals at home to focus on.
“Overall, this season has been a very positive one for the club, and credit for that lies with the players, the coaches and the committee for their hard work, and to our supporters and our sponsors for their passion and support.”
Magic will look to finish the regular season on a high with a final game against Charlestown Azzurrion Sunday, while Kahibah will have a round 17 catch-up game against Maitland FC on Wednesday, one of two final rolls of the dice to get themselves out of the relegation play-off spot.
Edgeworth Eagles 0-0 Weston Bears
Edgeworth Eagles head coach Peter McGuinness believes his team can take plenty of positives into the finals after a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Weston Bears at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday, despite being forced to settle for a share of the points.
The battle for second place lived up to the hype in front of a strong crowd, with the Bears threatening early through several promising attacks, only to be met by a condensed Eagles back third.
The hosts worked their way into the game by building from deep, but despite several moments of brilliant transitional football, clear chances on goal proved hard to come by as the match ticked past the half-hour mark.
The Bears won the territory battle in the first half, registering seven shots on goal and four corners, but were unable to capitalise as a brilliantly organised Eagles defence held firm, with the sides scoreless at the break.
The hosts had built nicely into the first half and managed several late ventures forward, picking up where they left off after the restart.
But with both sides creating opportunities, shots on goal remained few and far between, as strong defensive pressure and misplaced final passes continued to prevent promising attacks from developing.
With Edgeworth having evened out the territory battle, the final 10 minutes shaped as a classic case of which team could make the most of its chances. After three minutes of stoppage time, however, neither side could find a way through.
It is a result that the sides will likely have their frustrations about; the Bears will hold onto second place, but a draw leaves their hopes of a home finals run far from secure, with the Eagles, Belmont Swansea United and Maitland FC all now still a shot to snatch it off them.
McGuinness was happy to get something out of a game against a quality opponent, and has his sights set on a full-throttle finish to the regular season.
“At the end of the day, I was happy to get something out of the game,” McGuinness said.
“First half, I thought Weston had the best of it. They were really good, they moved the ball well, and they dominated field position.
“Second half was a different story. I thought we were well in the game and had some good chances. We knew we were up against a good side. They took it to Melbourne City a couple of weeks back; they've been on top of their game.
“It was really good for us. It was like a semi-final. A tough game like that is good leading up to finals football.
“It's full throttle [now], we go to win every game. At the end of the day, if you want to win a grand final, you've got to win all your games. We've got to win and get in the habit.”
Both sides will have crucial catch-up games this coming Wednesday, with Edgeworth travelling to face Charlestown Azzurri while the Bears will welcome the Adamstown Rosebud to Hunter City Motor Group Stadium.
Newcastle Olympic 1-2 Valentine FC
Valentine FC have secured their 2027 NPL Men’s NNSW position and put the entire competition on notice of their potential next year, prevailing over Newcastle Olympic 2-1 in a seesawing clash at Darling Street Oval on Saturday.
Coming up against one of the most unpredictable sides in the league, the Phoenix put their recent form to good use, and in the 18th minute scored their first off a corner, Cale Graham managing to find a way past goalkeeper George Stephens to lead 1-0.
Olympic upped the momentum as they gained several chances of their own to equalise from set pieces, but ultimately went into the break down 1-0.
The hosts entered the second half with more composure in attack, and in the 53rd minute their promising set piece finally paid off, a free kick finding the head of Dominik Brymora, the defender delivering a classy finish to equalise the score.
The goal saw the match open up significantly in the second half, with the sides riding the line of physicality as they looked to find the goal to swing the game their way. In the 75th minute, Valentine’s persistence paid off.
A stunning Eli Hunt corner saw the ball miss everyone, with Stephens only able to get his fingertips to it as it went into the back of the net, the strike ultimately proving the difference as the visitors held on in a tense final 15 minutes.
The result sees Valentine claim their seventh win and push them up the table to seventh, well out of range of relegation, while Olympic now sit in a precarious position, awaiting the results of catch-up games on Wednesday to see if their 2027 position is secure.
Olympic will face Lambton Jaffas in their final match on Sunday, while Valentine will host Weston the same day.
Adamstown Rosebud 2-2 Cooks Hill United
Adamstown Rosebud are one step closer to securing their 2027 NPL Men’s NNSW position, with a 2-2 draw at Adamstown Oval on Saturday ending Cooks Hill United’s hopes of a maiden finals appearance.
The visitors arrived at Adamstown looking for a much-needed win to keep their finals hopes alive but found themselves in a tight contest as the Buds looked to apply pressure from the outset.
Just when Cooks Hill were growing into the game and finding themselves in the right areas of the field, the Buds capitalised on a lapse in defence in the 35th minute, with Dino Fajkovic edging a cross past goalkeeper Daniel Eisenhauer to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the break.
Having won the territory battle in the first half, Cooks Hill came out determined to get a result, and in the 64th minute Stephen Hoyle, who had been threatening throughout, capitalised on a quick transition to give his side the equaliser they desperately needed.
Cooks Hill then took the lead for the first time less than 10 minutes later, with Malcolm Young’s free kick from outside the box taking a favourable deflection off a defender and finding the back of the net, giving the visitors hope they could keep their finals dream alive.
That hope lasted less than five minutes, with Christopher Reay finding himself in the right place for a quickly executed corner to restore parity and ensure the game finished 2-2.
Cooks Hill’s hopes of making finals were ended soon afterwards with Belmont Swansea United’s victory over Lambton Jaffas, creating an unassailable margin for finals and locking in the top five.
The Buds will face Weston Bears in their round 20 catch-up game on Wednesday night to get themselves out of the risk of relegation, while Cooks Hill will look to finish their season on a high on Sunday against Kahibah FC.
Belmont Swansea United 2-1 Lambton Jaffas
After an incredible breakout season, Belmont Swansea United will play in the NPL Men’s NNSW finals for the first time after securing a top-five spot with a 2-1 win over Lambton Jaffas at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday.
The match marked a special day for Jaffas defender Josh Piddington, who notched up his 450th first grade appearance across a stellar career for the Jaffas, Broadmeadow Magic and New Lambton FC.
Coming into the match on a three-game losing streak, Belmont Swansea United attack weapon Marco Gueli took just eight seconds to get the hosts on the board in a contender for the fastest goal scored in NPL NNSW history.
The Jaffas were undeterred by the early setback, getting themselves back into the match by pinning the hosts deep in their own half. BelSwans’ transitions proved difficult to contain, with the visitors heading into the break a goal down.
Incredibly, the hosts struck again inside the first 30 seconds of the second half, with Gueli setting up Andrew McGee, the American producing a brilliant finish from outside the box to double BelSwans’ lead.
It proved a pivotal score, but Jaffas’ persistence was finally rewarded six minutes later, with Joseph Langlois heading the ball in off a corner despite Nathan Archbold’s attempts to swat it away, pulling one back for the visitors.
Looking for an equaliser, Jaffas unloaded their bench in the final 25 minutes, but despite the visitors getting more shots on goal, BelSwans managed to hold on for a critical victory in their campaign.
The win, combined with Cooks Hill United’s draw with Adamstown Rosebud, secured a maiden finals berth for BelSwans, marking their tenth victory in a trailblazing season.
They will look to stay in the hunt for second when they host Adamstown in the final round of the season on Sunday, while Jaffas will play their final game at home against Olympic.
Charlestown Azzurri1-2 Maitland FC
Maitland FC have landed a critical blow to Charlestown Azzurri’s hopes of staying in NPL Men’s NNSW, a late goal sealing a 2-1 win for the visitors at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
Azzurri came into the match needing a win to keep pace with the Rams and built themselves slowly into the contest against a high-flying Maitland side.
The visitors were quick to expose the Blues defence, pinning the hosts back and getting plenty of opportunities on goal.
The hosts held out until the 38th minute, when a quick transition from James Thompson lined up captain Braedyn Crowley, the striker making no mistake to give the hosts the lead.
But it would barely last three minutes, as Matthew Cahill produced the Blues' first goal in four matches off a well-executed free kick, the sides going into the break locked at 1-1.
After 12 shots on target in the first half, Maitland found chances on goal harder to come by as the Blues fixed several defensive issues, the visitors improving on attack and looking more promising to strike.
The Magpies weathered the pressure well, and after injections from the bench, found the killing blow in the 80th minute, with advancing defender Semi Wara finding the ball falling for him just outside the box, producing a brilliant finish to hand the Blues a critical defeat.
The result sees the Magpies climb into the top four, sitting one point behind second-placed Weston Bears, but for the Blues, the loss could prove fatal, now sitting six points behind Kahibah FC and need two big wins to have any hope of avoiding relegation.
They will face Edgeworth Eagles on Wednesday night in their round 19 catch-up game, while Maitland will travel to Fred Wright Oval to face Kahibah in their round 17 catch-up game before the final round of action on Sunday.