Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic FC v Maitland FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 7pm
Newcastle Olympic FC coach Michael Bolch believes his side needs to find its next gear and maintain their resilience when they host Maitland FC at Darling Street Oval on Saturday night.
Olympic come into the match on a two-game winning streak, bouncing back from their 4-1 loss to Weston Bears at the start of the season with wins on the road over Charlestown Azzurri FC and Kahibah FC.
The results have come either side of their first home fixture against Adamstown being rescheduled to April due to wet weather conditions.
The side will get its chance to impress at home this weekend, with Bolch having to navigate the loss of Brody Taylor, who will miss the next few weeks with a groin strain.
But Bolch is eager for his side to test themselves against Maitland and take their attack to the next level, after his side took 23 shots against Kahibah for two goals.
Improvements in attack have been combined with Olympic only conceding one goal since their round one loss, thanks to a strong defensive foundation.
“After the Weston game, when you concede four goals, you've got to obviously look at your defence,” Bolch said.
“We changed our structures a little bit, how we were playing out of the back. The boys have bought in really well.
“We need to be a little bit more clinical on the front third.
“[Maitland], they've got some quality there. Braedyn Crowley's been the leading goal scorer for the last few years. Jimmy Thompson's back in the side, Danny McFarlane, they've got quality all around the park.
“We'll just go in, concentrate on what we've been doing well, get our structures right. We've been pretty resilient since the Weston game.
“I'm just looking for more of that from the group.”
Maitland have bounced back from a loss of their own against Weston in round two, coming from 3-0 down to beat Belmont Swansea United FC away from home in round three.
The Magpies nearly had back-to-back wins after leading against Valentine FC for the entire match last week, if not for a late strike by the Phoenix that saw the teams share the points at full-time.
Coach Adam Hughes will be determined to get his side back to winning ways and leave Darling Street Oval with the three points, having to also deal with an illness that has made its way through the playing group.
“We're trying to contain that [illness] and keep players at home, rested. It's been a tricky one to navigate,” Hughes said.
“Last weekend, we knew that we did enough to win the whole match. There was enough opportunity, enough moments and it just didn't fall for us.
“That sometimes happens in the games, but we've continued to work hard. You've got to be able to continue to work for each other and support each other, it's something that they've grown into. They've adapted well and we just continue to evolve each week.
“They [Olympic] have a good team, got quality players that can play any position in a variety of roles.
“We've got to be wary of their threats and where their threats come from, but we've also got to back ourselves to be on the front foot.
“There's going to be a lot of transition moments if we give the ball away.”
Charlestown Azzurri FC v Kahibah FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Sunday 3pm
Kahibah FC coach Blair Newham has been focusing on a week-by-week approach and taking the emotion out of their performances, as his side looks to grab their second win of the season when they head to Lisle Carr Oval to take on Charlestown Azzurri FC on Sunday.
The Rams bounced back from their opening round loss to Lambton, picking up their maiden win in the NPL NNSW competition against Adamstown the following week, along with a critical 2-2 draw against Edgeworth in round three.
But the side went down 2-0 last week to Newcastle Olympic, the visitors wearing the Rams down before sealing the result late in the match.
Kahibah have also had to deal with injuries, with star imports Shiwa Dul (Lateral Collateral Ligament) and Jilles Bos (hamstring), sidelined until the end of April.
The Rams also lost Elliot Paksec in the warm-up against Olympic but dangerous striker Matt Homer is set for a return in the coming weeks.
Newham believes his side is in a good headspace to challenge the Blues.
“As they say, a week's a long time in football. We proved that after our Lambton result going into Adamstown,” Newham said.
“We had managed to take most of the emotion out of our play after the Lambton game and everything that that meant to the club.
“There are no expectations on them at all, we're going week by week. The main message I'm giving to the boys is that we're looking at each week as an opportunity to get points.
“Watching Charlestown versus Lambton [Jaffas], for the first 15 minutes, Charlestown were close to unplayable. They were phenomenal with the ball, [but] slowly they let Lambton back into that game and probably exposed a couple of defensive frailties.
“I know [coach James] Pascoe and [assistant coach Scott] McCarter well enough to know that they'll work on that this week and they'll be very hard to break down.
“Nothing's out of our realm of achievement. If we can focus on us and being more clinical in front of goal, I think we'll be very competitive.”
The Blues have made a strong start to the 2026 season, bouncing back from a 2-1 loss to Olympic to defeat Adamstown, upset Weston Bears away from home, and push Lambton to a 2–2 draw last week at Arthur Edden Oval.
But after a fortnight on the road, Azzurri will enjoy the next three weeks at home, and with the side causing all sorts of problems for the competition heavyweights, they will look to capitalise over the next few rounds by delivering solid performances.
Azzurri will be without Pharrell Trainor as he serves a two-match suspension.
Edgeworth Eagles FC v Valentine FC
Jack McLaughlan Oval, Friday 8pm
Edgeworth Eagles FC will be looking to keep their undefeated start to the season intact when they take on a tricky Valentine FC outfit at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Friday night.
Valentine enters round five still chasing their first win but have proven more than a handful for the likes of Belmont Swansea United and Broadmeadow Magic in their opening clashes of the competition.
After a big loss to Cooks Hill, the Phoenix bounced back last week against Maitland, with a goal in the final minute of regulation time giving them a 1-1 draw and their first competition points of the season.
It was even more impressive that they were able to do so without Max Middleby, with Valentine’s star signing available this week after serving a one-match suspension.
But they will have to face the only undefeated side left in the league.
Edgeworth had to negotiate a scrappy affair against Cooks Hill, the 3-2 win securing their second win of the season, the side sitting just shy of table leaders Weston Bears FC.
The result ended a fortnight of draws against Kahibah and Lambton, with Stefan Cordwell scoring a brilliant double and being assisted by a strong team effort.
With Weston set to face a difficult Cooks Hill side at home on Saturday, the Eagles will know a third win of the year could see them claim top spot on the table.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Lambton Jaffas FC
Adamstown Oval, Friday 8pm
Fresh off a valuable draw, a rejuvenated Adamstown Rosebud FC will look to get their season back on track when they take on Lambton Jaffas FC at Adamstown Oval on Friday night.
Lambton enter the match looking to maintain momentum as they bounced back from a big loss at home to Broadmeadow Magic with a 2-2 draw against an in-form Charlestown side.
The visitors shot out of the blocks in the opening quarter of the fixture, but Jaffas did a great job of reeling them in, coming back from a two-goal deficit thanks to an own goal and a critical Drew Patterson strike in the final ten minutes of play.
The side has also had inconsistent minutes from their 2025 Golden Boot winner, Jimmy Oates, but has been bolstered by strong performances off the bench from Archie Finn and Tom Parkes.
But Adamstown will be hungry to secure a victory, having also come back from a two-goal deficit last week against Magic thanks to efforts from Christopher Raey and Jack Brown.
It proved a vital result for Adamstown after having a disrupted start to their season, which included a five-day turnaround in the opening fortnight, a postponed match due to wet weather and disappointing losses to Kahibah and Charlestown.
But the postponement of their clash with Olympic to April has proven to be a valuable opportunity for the Buds to reset and victory this weekend would put their disappointing start firmly in the rearview mirror.
Weston Bears FC v Cooks Hill United FC
Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, Saturday 5pm
Weston Bears will return home to Hunter City Motor Group Stadium with a point to prove when they take on a rapidly improving Cooks Hill United FC on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears were shown up at home in round three, with Charlestown Azzurri FC delivering a flurry of goals in the first half to lock in a 4-2 victory, but Damian Zane’s side rebounded last week.
Welcoming back Dom Archbold, Weston put a dangerous Belmont Swansea United side to the sword at Blacksmiths Oval, winning 4-2.
Zane’s injury concerns still persist, with Cooper Buswell expected to be out for a long period of time with a knee injury, but the hosts will be determined to be back to their attacking best and put their last home loss behind them as they look to consolidate top spot on the ladder.
Cooks Hill improvement this season under new coach Jamie Dunning has been noted across the opening month of the competition, pushing the likes of Broadmeadow Magic and Maitland FC while achieving solid wins over Valentine FC.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing, with a disappointing loss to BelSwans in round two followed by a close loss last week to Edgeworth, Cookers taking the lead twice but not being able to hold it.
But the injection of experience through the likes of Stephen Hoyle is seeing the side continuing to grow in confidence week on week, and those key figures will provide plenty of headaches for the Bears.
Broadmeadow Magic FC v Belmont Swansea United FC
Magic Park, Saturday 5pm
A duel is set between two of the best attacking sides in the league, as Broadmeadow Magic FC welcomes Belmont Swansea United FC to Magic Park on Saturday.
The reigning champions come into the clash after a disappointing result last week, conceding a two-goal lead to finish with a draw against Adamstown Rosebud FC.
Despite the draw, Magic sit in a strong position on the table, with a win this weekend potentially sending them to the top of the league if Weston and Edgeworth fail to win.
The hosts will be without striker James Cresnar, who will be serving a two-match suspension, but head coach Jim Cresnar will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, including the joint-highest goal scorer in the league, Luis Lara Delgado.
But Magic will face a BelSwans side that will be hungry to turn their season around after a disappointing 4-2 loss last week against Weston.
After a strong start, BelSwans struggled to take their opportunities in front of goal in blustery conditions last week, the Bears shutting down their attacking options and exposing defence on several occasions.
Coach Michael Stafford will likely be addressing those issues in the lead-up to this clash.
If BelSwans’ defence holds firm, the visitors could cause plenty of problems at the other end, thanks to the blossoming partnership between newcomers Andrew McGee and Marco Gueli, the latter also joint top scorer in the league.
BelSwans will be without Chris Fayers.