Match of the Round
Valentine FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Sunday 4:30pm
Adamstown Rosebud FC head coach Chris Moylan knows from experience the dangers Valentine FC will pose this weekend when the two sides face off at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday, the winner getting off the bottom of the table.
Valentine were left reeling from a second-half capitulation to Kahibah in round seven, the 3-0 loss result ending a positive fortnight that saw the young side pick up wins over Lambton Jaffas in the NPL NNSW and Newcastle Olympic in the Hahn Australia Cup.
Adding to the frustration was Jake De Marigny striking Rams defender Oscar Crackanthorp following a shove on goalkeeper Isaac Quinn, resulting in the experienced midfielder seeing a red card and copping a three-match suspension.
Reinhard Lloyd is also set for a long stint on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury.
But with the disappointing result comes a chance to bounce back, and with Cale Graham and Cooper Wilmott expected to return from serving one-match suspensions, head coach Lee Sterrey is expecting a big turnaround at home and isn’t taking the Buds lightly.
“We self-destructed on Sunday,” Sterrey said.
“We gave away the penalty to start with, so that gave them a jump start, and we've been doing that all year, to be honest.
“Whether it's been really poor defensive mistakes and giving away some soft goals, we've got to stop doing that.
“That's what happens with young players. They do make big mistakes, and it costs you. We're going to go through that wall of pain.
“We're going to move on very quickly. We can easily move on [from Kahibah] because at the end of the day, we know we gave the three points away.
“I've seen heaps of their [Adamstown] games this year already, and they don't deserve to be where they are.
“They’re one of the few clubs that's been growing and growing in performance if you measure them in the last three years. I've got a lot of respect for what Chris has done there.”
The Buds' hopes of landing their first win of the season after Easter were dealt a huge blow by Braedyn Crowley’s boot, the Maitland striker netting five goals in his side’s 5-2 win last week.
Christopher Reay is also set to miss much of the season after suffering an ankle injury in the Buds’ Hahn Australia Cup match against University of Newcastle FC.
But with Taj Buck, Nicolas Gismero and Charlie Naylor all back to full fitness, their return comes at a critical time for Moylan, the Buds head coach knowing full well the transition and threats that await him at Croudace Bay Complex.
“We understand where they're [Valentine] coming from because we've been through that same process,” Moylan said.
“We almost got relegated. The difference is we were lucky to maintain the players that we had coming into this last season. They've got a really young side.
“That's what's going to happen when you've got a young team. One week they'll play brilliantly, and the next week things don't go their way. It is what it is.
“I'm expecting a pretty good bounce back from last weekend's performance.
“We were generally disappointed with the way we played [against Maitland]. It wasn't credit to them, they dragged us out of position and took advantage of their chances.
“We move on, it's football. This week's a different week.”
Maitland FC v Lambton Jaffas
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Lambton Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski says his sides’ spirits are high ahead of their clash with Maitland on Saturday, despite having a difficult start to the 2026 season.
Following their massive victory over Kahibah in round one, the Jaffas have only managed two draws and three losses, with an additional game against Adamstown rescheduled due to a failed floodlight.
The failure to pick up results has come during an extended period at home, with consecutive losses against Valentine FC and Weston Bears last week seeing the Jaffas sitting in 10th on the table.
But Tanchevski believes it’s not panic stations yet despite the loss, with the Jaffas frequently starting their season slowly and building into it, his outfit making the final last year.
“I think the spirits are high despite where we're sitting on the ladder,” Tanchevski said.
“We've done this a few years in a row now, started off slow. But we spoke as a group and dissected our start to the season.
“It's not panic stations for us at the moment and the boys are actually feeling good after the Weston game.
“We thought we competed really well with Weston and we probably created more chances than what they created on the weekend, but we're not scoring them at the moment and that seems to be a common theme with the last couple of years. It takes a while to get going.
“Maitland's always been a tough game, but we finished off the season last year well with two wins against them. They're a tough team, for sure.
“We're going in this week and we feel like we're in good form. At some point in time, luck's going to turn in front of goal, and we'll be able to get on a bit of a roll.”
The Magpies currently sit in fifth on the table and look to be regaining their form thanks to a five-goal haul from Braedyn Crowley in their win over Adamstown Rosebud FC last week.
But the hosts will likely have extra impetus to perform coming into this game, with the Magpies surprisingly struggling to find form at home, their two losses of the season coming against Weston Bears and Kahibah FC on home soil.
The hosts will be determined to ensure they deliver a better result for the home fans and with all sides above them on the table likely favourites for their respective clashes, Maitland will know they need to win to stay in touch with the pacesetters.
Broadmeadow Magic v Cooks Hill United
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic will look to capitalise on a decent start to their season when they welcome Cooks Hill United to Magic Park in the first match of the round on Friday.
With the sides having previously faced off in the HMRI Charity Shield clash earlier in the year, both have had contrasting form since then.
Despite head coach Jim Cresnar acknowledging his side’s inconsistent form, Magic have not dropped a game since their round one last gasp loss to Edgeworth Eagles and will come into this game looking to win three-in-a-row.
After draws against Adamstown Rosebud FC and Belmont Swansea United, Magic rediscovered their champion form with a 2-1 win away from home against league leaders Weston Bears, backing it up in the Hahn Australia Cup and last week against Newcastle Olympic.
Cooks Hill, by comparison, come into this match sitting in ninth on the table, their huge victory over Valentine FC the only highlight so far in a difficult start to the season.
Head coach Jamie Dunning will expect a strong showing from his side, with their match against Charlestown Azzurri last week rescheduled to June.
With no Hahn Australia Cup fixtures either, Cookers will come into the match having not played a game so far in April and should be fresh and ready to go against the current champions.
Edgeworth Eagles v Charlestown Azzurri
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Saturday 2pm
Edgeworth Eagles will be hungry to get back into the top half of the table when they take on a similarly determined Charlestown Azzurri side this Saturday at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
Both sides come into the weekend in similar positions, the hosts fresh off their first loss of the season in a 4-3 result to Belmont Swansea United at Blacksmiths.
Despite the disappointment, the result was not all bad news for Eagles head coach Peter McGuinness, with his side overcoming their struggles in front of goal of recent weeks to find the back of the net three times.
Should the Eagles maintain that attacking form and rediscover their strong defensive efforts of previous matches, the side is primed to push deep into finals contention, especially with the side to face off against Weston Bears and Maitland FC inside the next month of action.
They will face a fresh Azzurri side, whose match against Cooks Hill United last week had to be rescheduled to June.
The Blues were in roaring form following a surprise victory over Weston in the Hunter, backing it up with a victory over Kahibah FC and a draw against Lambton Jaffas.
But after going down 2-0 to BelSwans before the break, Azzurri will be hungry to rediscover that strong NPL form.
With the side claiming a big victory on April 8th in the Hahn Australia Cup, momentum is with the visitors to spring a surprise in Edgeworth this weekend.
Kahibah FC v Weston Bears
Fred Wright Oval, Sunday 1pm
Kahibah is set for a busy week of action, with games in the Hahn Australia Cup set to be followed by their biggest test yet, as league leaders Weston Bears arrive at Fred Wright Oval on Sunday.
The Rams are proving themselves to be a fantastic addition to the NPL NNSW competition so far in their inaugural season, with wins over Adamstown Rosebud FC and Maitland FC in their opening six weeks of competition.
But last week’s 3-0 victory over Valentine proved a significant one in the century long history of the club: being their maiden home victory in the NPL, their maiden home victory at Fred Wright Oval, and their first back-to-back victory and clean sheet ever in the league.
The side will come into several busy weeks ahead full of confidence, and head coach Blair Newham will know that the momentum gained will be sorely needed this weekend.
Weston Bears are the current table leaders for good reason, overcoming a sudden change in coach and several injuries early in the season to head into the Easter break with 4-2 record.
The side bounced back well from a disappointing loss at home to Broadmeadow Magic last week, prevailing 2-0 over Lambton Jaffas at Arthur Edden Oval, and this week will also be a busy one following their 3-0 victory over Kotara South SFC in the Hahn Australia Cup on Wednesday night.
With more players returning from injury and easing themselves back into the starting side, the next few weeks loom as a test for the Bears’ title aspirations, the side spending all of April on the road.
Belmont Swansea United v Newcastle Olympic
Blacksmiths Oval, Sunday 3pm
Finishing the weekend’s action, Belmont Swansea United will look to further solidify their position in the top three when they welcome a hurting Newcastle Olympic to Blacksmiths Oval on Sunday to round out the weekend.
The trip to Blacksmiths has become one of the hardest away trips for sides so far in 2026, with BelSwans taking advantage of an extended period at home and getting results.
Following a 2–2 draw with Broadmeadow Magic, the Michael Stafford-coached side has recorded back-to-back wins, keeping Charlestown Azzurri scoreless before overcoming Edgeworth Eagles last week to hand them their first defeat of the year.
Much of this success has been spearheaded by a red-hot attack, but BelSwans know there is still much to improve; the side also conceded the second-highest number of goals so far this season.
They face an Olympic outfit that hasn’t tasted victory in over a month and is sitting in a precarious position on the table.
Following their win over Kahibah, Olympic went down in a 3-2 thriller to Maitland FC, but disappointing draws against Cooks Hill United and Adamstown Rosebuds FC have been capped off with a 2-0 loss to Broadmeadow last week.
Add to that a 2-1 loss at home to Valentine FC in the Hahn Australia Cup, further taking the sting out of their momentum.
BelSwans will have good reason to be wary though, with Olympic proving a side that has been able to stay in the contest across all their matches so far this season.