Match of the Round
Kahibah FC 2-4 Cooks Hill United
Kahibah FC head coach Blair Newham knows his side will have to show that their 2026 growth is enough to keep them in NPL Men’s NNSW after a 4-2 defeat to Cooks Hill United at Fred Wright Oval on Sunday afternoon sent them into the promotion/relegation play-off series.
A frenetic opening 15 minutes saw the visitors take several shots, but just as Kahibah looked to have settled themselves into the match, a Kent Harrison strike off a ricocheting free kick saw the visitors take a 1-0 lead on the half-hour mark.
Cooks Hill doubled their lead in the shadows of half-time, Stephen Hoyle getting a clean shot from close range to leave the hosts with work to do to get back into the game.
The Rams came out strongly in the second half, peppering the visitors’ goal with four solid chances in the opening eight minutes, but were unable to convert any of them.
The deficit grew in the 53rd minute as, after sustained pressure, Cooks Hill caught the Rams on the counterattack, with Harrison managing to lob the ball over goalkeeper Isaac Quinn to nab his second.
After Shiwa Dul was held in the box, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, with Rams skipper Robbie Turnbull scoring from the spot in his 100th game in green to give his side their first goal.
When Matt Homer was similarly tackled in the 77th minute, the referee pointed to the spot again, with Daniel Byrne getting the ball past Daniel Eisenhauer on the second attempt to set up a grandstand finish.
A piece of brilliance from Cooks Hill midfielder Malcolm Young would ultimately prove the difference, as he produced a brilliant strike from outside the box in the 89th minute to seal the 4-2 win for his side.
For Newham, his focus now turns to preparing for the promotion/relegation play-off series against HIT106.9 Northern League One side New Lambton FC.
While no NPL Men’s NNSW side involved in the promotion/relegation play-off series has ever been relegated, Newham pointed out that no newly promoted team has previously found itself in that position.
“Fair play to Cooks Hill. They had a couple of moments of quality that outshone us,” Newham said.
“We had opportunities; a lot of players in our team haven't been in a pressure situation like that before. Once we got rid of those nerves and the boys just started to play football in the second half, I thought we were the better team.
“That'll be another first [to play in the promotion/relegation play-off series] to see how we go and to see how much we've improved.
“We came up against them [New Lambton] earlier in the season in the [Hahn] Australia Cup, and they gave us a good battle. They've got some experienced players in there that have played NPL, so it's not a match that we're going to take lightly.
“If we're going to stay at this level, it's going to be because we've earned it and deserved it. We've got three more weeks now to show that we deserve to be here.”
The win proved bittersweet for Cooks Hill head coach Jamie Dunning, who, despite guiding his side to their highest finish so far in NPL Men’s NNSW, was left to wonder what could have been in 2026.
“To have the best season that they've had in the NPL makes me very proud; the boys should be very proud,” Dunning said.
“We also want more. We just don't want to be sixth and missing out by two points.
“We wanted to prove to everyone really today what kind of team we are, and I thought the first half was probably one of our best halves. To be fair to them [Kahibah], they're fighting for everything; they got themselves back in.
“We'll have a few weeks off; I've got a big season coming up with the Jets women as well.
“[We’ll] take a breath and be very proud of what the boys have achieved, support the reserve boys in the finals. Hopefully we can learn from the Charlestown and Olympic draws [that] killed us a little bit.
“That is what it is, we'll learn from that and come back stronger next year.”
Belmont Swansea United 2-3 Adamstown Rosebud
Adamstown Rosebud head coach Chris Moylan has praised his side’s fighting spirit and retiring striker Dino Fajkovic, as his side came from two goals down to defeat Belmont Swansea United 3-2 in extra time at Blacksmiths Oval.
With BelSwans locked into a maiden finals appearance, head coach Michael Stafford aimed to give his side a chance to play with freedom, and the hosts started so on Old Boys Day.
BelSwans got on the board in the 16th minute, a pinpoint Reece Newton cross finding Joe Kable, who delivered a stunning finish.
Two minutes later, the hosts had their second when Ian Matthews found Marco Gueli, with the striker sneaking past goalkeeper George Scorer to put BelSwans in the box seat inside the opening 20 minutes.
The Buds managed to steady the ship and get a few shots on target but were unable to capitalise, with the hosts heading into the sheds with a 2-0 lead.
Adamstown had built momentum through their efforts and started the second half perfectly, with Thomas Rooke delivering an incredible strike from a corner to find his way past Nathan Archbold in the 48th minute.
BelSwans weathered the momentum, and as the hosts gave several young players some time on the park ahead of finals, all looked set for a home win.
As stoppage time started, a fast-finishing Buds side won a corner, with Fajokvic, playing in his final game, finding the head of defender Cy Goodwin. The ball ricocheted into the net for an own goal and a critical equaliser.
With one last throw of the dice less than two minutes later, a through ball from Nicolas Gismero found an unmarked Fajokvic, who produced a stunning finish to hand the Buds a remarkable late win and keep their NPL Men’s NNSW position.
Moylan praised the effort of his side to finish the year positively but conceded a lot of work must be done to do get the Buds back up the table next year, embracing the challenge.
“We knew that if we hung in there, we might get a goal and the whole complexion of the game changes, and that’s what happened,” Moylan said.
“The group has a good fighting spirit; we knew we could get something out of the game. Of all people to score the goal, Dino in his last game, it’s fairytale stuff. What a way to finish his career.
“We don’t have the pressure to play in the [promotion/relegation] play-offs, which is a great relief all around.
“We’re all for promotion and relegation; it makes the competition better. Everyone has got to keep trying every week. Any other team on any given day can beat any other team.
“Losing Dino and Smarty [Tom Smart] to retirement, we have to replace those players; we’ve got to try and strengthen our squad, no doubt about that. Work for that will start in the next couple of weeks.”
Despite a heartbreaking end for BelSwans, which also included Gueli losing the race for the Golden Boot thanks to Luis Lara Delgardo’s incredible eight-goal haul against Charlestown Azzurri, Stafford’s men have nothing short of an incredible season.
They will now contest the NPL Men’s NNSW finals for the first time, facing Edgeworth Eagles in a historic occasion for the club.
Maitland FC 2-1 Edgeworth Eagles
A double to Daniel McFarlane saw Maitland FC finish the regular season claiming second place on the table, overcoming a determined Edgeworth Eagles 2-1 at Cooks Square Park.
With eyes also on the Valentine-Weston clash to determine second place, both sides came out determined to grab three points, creating plenty of chances.
A free kick in the 26th minute by McFarlane broke the deadlock, bouncing favourably off the woodwork to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Edgeworth continued to ask questions, but despite six shots on goal, could not find an equaliser, going into the break down 1-0.
Maitland had a perfect start to the second half, a McFarlane cross in the 47th minute holding in the breeze and once again benefitting from a favourable bounce off the woodwork, the score giving the Eagles a mountain to climb.
The visitors were not going to be left wondering, and in the 58th minute, a favourable cross found Reece McManus unmarked in the Maitland box, the striker making no mistake to give his side a sniff of a comeback.
The score saw both sides turn to their benches in the final half-hour, with both looking to use fresh legs to swing the result, but the score remained unchanged at full-time to give Maitland the critical three points.
With Valentine drawing with Weston, the win was enough for the Magpies to climb into second place, earning a home qualifying final against Weston Bears in what will be their fifth El Clasico clash of the year, while Edgeworth will host Belmont Swansea United in the elimination final.
Broadmeadow Magic 8-0 Charlestown Azzurri
Luis Lara Delgado wrote himself into the history books of NPL Men’s NNSW at Magic Park, with the striker netting eight goals to claim the 2026 Golden Boot as premiers Broadmeadow Magic blew away Charlestown Azzurri 8-0.
Coming into the weekend sitting three goals behind Belmont Swansea United striker Marco Gueli in the race for Golden Boot, Delgado made the perfect start to close the gap. A tackle from Blues goalkeeper Patrick Ferrara resulted in a penalty in the 14th minute, which Delgado easily converted.
The goal set the tone for the match, with Magic dominating possession and territory while registering 13 shots on goal and seven corners in the first half.
A defensive lapse in the 31st minute was pounced on by Delgado in quick transition before the striker completed his hat-trick eight minutes later, this time benefiting from a perfect cross from Haris Zeb.
Delgardo then scored his fourth from a well-worked cross from Will Ingram, Magic heading to the sheds with a 4-0 lead, the striker now equal with Gueli in the Golden Boot race following his goal against the Buds over at Blacksmiths Oval earlier in the afternoon.
The shots kept raining down on the Blues' box in the second half, with Delgardo scoring his fifth in the 54th minute thanks to solid build-up work from Zeb, the hosts now running riot.
The striker would have his sixth four minutes later after Jakob Cresnar, who had stopped several Blues ventures, lobbed a ball into the box, with Delgado producing a classy finish to pile more misery on Azzurri.
Completing the rout, Delgado finished off a set-up from Jakob Cresnar and James Cresnar in the 86th minute before James Cresnar and Jarred Baker combined to set him up less than 40 seconds later for his eighth and final goal.
The result sees Delgardo net the single largest goal tally in a single game of the 2026 season across the men’s senior grade competitions.
The result marks a bleak end to Charlestown’s time in NPL Men’s NNSW, the club set for a lot of work in the offseason ahead of moving to Hit106.9 Northern League One. Magic will enjoy next week off before their major semi-final against either Maitland or Weston.
Lambton Jaffas 2-0 Newcastle Olympic
Lambton Jaffas locked in their 2027 NPL Men’s NNSW position, securing their seventh and final win of the season in their 2-0 triumph over Newcastle Olympic at Arthur Edden Oval.
With both sides having an eye on the results at Fred Wright Oval and Blacksmiths Oval, Jaffas and Olympic came in looking for a win to lock down their position for good, with the loser running the risk of dropping into the relegation play-off position.
Both sides started well, the hosts making the most shots on goal, but with Olympic securing three corners inside the first ten minutes, the visitors were up for the contest.
The first goal came in the 34th minute for the hosts with a Pat Bond corner eventually falling from Drew Patterson to nudge it into the net, Olympic were unable to equalise by half-time.
Lambton then extended their lead four minutes into the second half, with Lachlan Griffiths producing a solid individual run and a classy finish to make the score 2-0.
The visitors continued to create chances, registering 19 shots on goal and 10 corners across the match, but only six were on target thanks in no small part to the defensive pressure of Joshua Piddington, Thomas Waller and goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.
Ultimately, it proved a bridge too far for Olympic, who were unable to find the back of the net before the final whistle. With Kahibah beaten at home, though, the visitors had done enough to secure their place in NPL Men’s NNSW for 2027, finishing 10th on the table.
Jaffas’ three-point result saw them finish eighth, unable to catch Valentine FC following their draw with Weston Bears but ending their year on a positive note.
Valentine FC 0-0 Weston Bears
Valentine FC finished the 2026 season showing why they will be a side to watch next year, their 0-0 draw with Weston Bears at Croudace Bay Complex costing the visitors a second-placed finish and a home qualifying final.
Weston made several rotations with one eye on the finals, but after losing to Valentine at home 2-0 earlier in the year, were not looking to take the Phoenix for granted, threatening in the hosts’ back third early.
The visitors had the most chances on goal, but thanks to some solid efforts from Harry Lane and Cale Graham, Valentine kept the score even, going into the break with neither side breaking the deadlock.
When the second half restarted, it was the hosts who upped the tempo, threatening for the first 15 minutes and keeping the Bears deep.
The visitors withstood the pressure and despite both sides attempting to capture momentum by unloading their benches in the final 25 minutes, neither side could find the net, resulting in an unchanged score at full-time.
The result was enough to see Valentine finish the year in seventh, a notable improvement after surviving the promotion/relegation play-off series in 2025.
The result ultimately proved a frustrating one for the Bears, losing their second-place spot to Maitland following their win over Edgeworth, setting up an El Clasicoal