Match of the Round
Belmont Swansea United v Adamstown Rosebud
Blacksmiths Oval, Sunday 2pm
Belmont Swansea United head coach Michael Stafford will be aiming to allow his side to enjoy the final weekend of regular season action, as they welcome Adamstown Rosebud in a match at Blacksmiths Oval for Old Boys Day on Sunday.
As all final round matches will be played at the same time, teams will find out in real time the fate of their respective seasons. For BelSwans, however, the results of Wednesday night’s catch-up games have already locked them into fifth place.
Stafford’s men snapped a three-game losing streak last weekend with their 2-1 win over Lambton Jaffas, the result securing a maiden finals appearance after the Buds forced Cooks Hill to a 2-2 draw, ending their finals hopes.
With their opponent for next week to be determined by other results, BelSwans will look to finish the regular season on a high and cap off a stunning year of improvement.
Stafford believed the three losses brought out his side’s resilience, lessons that will be needed both in the finals and against the Buds.
“We're elated that we made our season goal of finals football and I think it's a reward for the hard work, not only by the players but the club and the community as a whole,” Stafford said.
“We learned a lot out of those three losses. We had a lot of players unavailable for various reasons, but I learned a lot about the group. They showed a lot of resilience and alignment with what we're doing.
“That made me really recognise that we are good enough.
“I think it showed the energy we had from the start. I’m excited that they reached their goal as a group. We get to have a good crack at finals. No matter where we finish in it, I think we're going to be a hard team to play.
“We're going to enjoy Sunday and then start fresh in finals with an attitude of just going to throw everything at it.”
The Buds, by contrast, sit in a precarious position of 10th on the table, only one point separating them from a fast-finishing Kahibah FC in the relegation play-off position.
Adamstown and Kahibah come off catch-up games on Wednesday night, with the Buds going down 4-2 to Weston Bears, while the Rams saw their winning streak, which included wins over the likes of BelSwans and Broadmeadow Magic, end with a 2-1 loss to Maitland.
While the sides are now safe from direct relegation, the tussle for who will finish in the relegation play-off position is far from secure, with Newcastle Olympic and Lambton Jaffas also at risk of potentially dropping down to 11th, pending results.
For the Buds, who have lost Tom Smart for the season to a hamstring injury, it makes the calculations on Sunday for head coach Chris Moylan very simple: win, at any cost.
“We go into every game believing that we can win the game,” Moylan said.
“Our squad is good enough. We just have to execute, [and] don’t have these momentary lapses of concentration that end up costing you.
“We've had some terrific performances and just haven't quite got the results in some games. Anything could happen over the next few days. We've been here before, so we know what we've got to do.
“If they [Marco Gueli and Andrew McGee] play we'll make sure that we try and limit the supply that they get, which we managed to do when they played at home when we played them in the first round, when we had a 2-1 draw.
“It's just dealing with those little idiosyncrasies of the team you're playing against.”
Maitland FC v Edgeworth Eagles
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 2pm
Maitland FC head coach Adam Hughes believes the pain of their Hahn Australia Cup exit has provided the Magpies with valuable lessons, which they hope to put into practice when they welcome Edgeworth Eagles to Cooks Square Park on Sunday.
With the sides having similar runs in their catch-up games on Wednesday, the Magpies sit just one point behind Weston Bears after a 2-1 win over a firing Kahibah FC side, following a 2-1 win over Charlestown Azzurri last round.
The Magpies have good reason to feel confident at home, having claimed seven wins from their last eight games, with a 1-0 loss to Broadmeadow Magic the only exception.
Maitland boasts strong depth and good rotation heading into the weekend, but Hughes expects Edgeworth to prove more than a tough challenge, with the visitors also hitting a rich vein of form late in the season.
“I thought we handled ourselves as best we could to get through the [Charlestown Azzurri] game to win it in the end,” Hughes said.
“[From the Men’s State Cup win], the way we were able to manage that game, if we'd not gone through the experience of the Hahn [Australia] Cup, I feel that big hurt we had is going to lead us into good stead leading into finals football.
“Sometimes it takes a moment like that hurt to know how to manage the next moment that comes around.
“Pete [McGuinness] has them well-geared, they've been a very good team over the previous few seasons.
“It's a difficult task to come up against them, but we will go out there and hopefully be able to have some fresh legs coming to that game.”
After their tense 0-0 draw over Weston, the Eagles followed up with a 2-0 win over Charlestown in their round 19 catch-up game on Wednesday night, setting the stage for a grand stand finish this weekend.
It sees Edgeworth undefeated in their last six games, results that will likely please head coach Peter McGuinness, but the experienced campaigner has made it clear he wants his side to be full throttle going into finals.
A result against Maitland this weekend would send a strong message to the other five teams in action next week and given they have welcomed back some key players in Stefan Cordwell and Tyler Harrison, could be still to hit their ceiling in 2026.
Broadmeadow Magic v Charlestown Azzurri
Magic Park, Sunday 2pm
The top and bottom of the table meet at Magic Park on Sunday, but there will be plenty at stake as Broadmeadow Magic and Charlestown Azzurri look to finish their regular seasons on a high.
Magic, having lifted the premiership trophy last week in front of their home fans, will be determined to bounce back into the winner’s circle after the party was spoiled at home by a last-gasp goal to Kahibah FC.
While that result will not change the table, Magic will want to hit the ground running with home finals in the mix, as well as with selection spots up for grabs ahead of their participation in the Australian Championship.
It makes a win for the hosts likely one that holds more value than what first appears but for their opponents, a win this weekend would be more valuable than gold.
Following the Rams’ big wins over Belmont Swansea United and Magic, the Blues’ slim hopes of avoiding relegation were ended by a 2-1 loss to Maitland FC last week and a 2-0 loss to Edgeworth Eagles in their round 19 catch-up on Wednesday night, with the six-point gap between them and 11th sealing their fate.
Charlestown will now lick their wounds and look to prepare for a rebound season in HIT106.9 Northern League One next year. A win over the current premiers would be the perfect way to signal their intent to return.
Sometimes wins are about more than just the table and can serve as a signal of intent for the future. For the Blues, finishing their time in the NPL Men’s NNSW, for now, with a win could prove critical to their chances of returning.
Lambton Jaffas v Newcastle Olympic
Arthur Edden Oval, Sunday 2pm
Either Lambton Jaffas or Newcastle Olympic could find themselves in the relegation play-off position if they lose when they face each other at Arthur Edden Oval this weekend.
With Kahibah FC storming home with wins over Broadmeadow Magic and Belmont Swansea United, the Rams now have a chance to climb as high as eighth depending on other results, presenting a problem for the teams currently sitting above them.
The Jaffas come into the match just two points ahead of Kahibah and on a four-game losing streak, with defeats to Weston Bears, Maitland FC, Cooks Hill United and BelSwans, albeit in closely contested fixtures.
The chance to face a side lower than them on the table will be a welcome one given their form, but the hosts likely know that nothing separates them from a dangerous Olympic side.
The visitors are sitting just one point ahead of Kahibah, and while all three teams below them have been unable to capitalise on the game in hand they had on Wednesday night, the margin is likely still too close for comfort.
The only solution for the visitors is to find a way to win, with three points lifting them clear of any risk of relegation.
Kahibah FC v Cooks Hill United
Fred Wright Oval, Sunday 2pm
An on-fire Kahibah FC will be looking to push themselves out of the relegation play-off position and lock in a second year in the NPL Men’s NNSW when they face Cooks Hill United at Fred Wright Oval on Sunday.
The Rams have turned the relegation race on its head in the last fortnight, producing two massive wins over top sides Belmont Swansea United and Broadmeadow Magic to lift themselves six points clear of last-placed Charlestown Azzurri.
Despite their strong run being ended on Wednesday night with a 2-1 loss to Maitland FC, the Rams have shown enough mettle to climb out of the bottom two and pose a legitimate threat to Adamstown Rosebud, Newcastle Olympic and Lambton Jaffas above them.
With a healthy crowd expected at Fred Wright Oval, the hosts will have the form and the motivation to pull a big result, but it won’t come easy against an in-form Cooks Hill.
The visitor’s hopes of a maiden finals berth were ended with a 2-2 draw with Adamstown last week combined with BelSwans victory over Lambton, making the six points needed to qualify a mountain too high to climb with one game to play.
No matter the result this weekend, Cooks Hill will finish the season in sixth place, a significant year of improvement on previous seasons and a promising maiden season to build on under head coach Jamie Dunning.
Seeing the season off with a win in the final game bodes well that 2027 will see Cooks Hill in an even better position to secure a maiden finals berth.
Valentine FC v Weston Bears
Croudace Bay Complex, Sunday 2pm
Valentine FC will look to lay down a marker for 2027 when they finish their 2026 season hosting a finals-bound Weston Bears at Croudace Bay Complex on Sunday.
The Phoenix locked in their 2027 position last week with a 2-1 win over Newcastle Olympic, making Valentine unable to finish lower than eighth, a scenario that can only happen if Lambton win against Olympic this weekend.
This fixture will prove a worthy send-off for head coach Lee Sterrey, who will hand the reins over to reserve head coach Tony Majurovski in 2027 and it proves fitting with Valentine’s round 11 win over Weston kickstarting a successful second half of the year.
The hosts, however, will know that there is plenty on the line for the Bears, and the visitors will likely be determined to return the favour after the Phoenix stunned them at home earlier in the year.
Achieving victory over Adamstown Rosebud 4-2 on Wednesday night sees the Bears holding onto second, but with Edgeworth Eagles and Maitland FC still in the hunt, victory here is paramount for Weston to confirm a home qualifying final.