Match of the Round
Valentine FC v Newcastle Olympic FC
Croudace Bay Complex, Saturday 7pm
Valentine FC coach Kallum Garbett said that his side will be without their star striker Carter Smith as they search for their first win against Newcastle Olympic at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday.
Smith has quickly become a fan favourite at Valentine after scoring three goals in three matches, two of which were phenomenal efforts, but a hamstring injury has sidelined him for what is expected to be an extended period of time.
He joins Nicholas Martinelli on the sidelines after he suffered an ankle injury that forced him from the field in round two.
Garbett admitted that Smith would be a significant loss across the next two months but expects his side to adapt and overcome.
“It’s a little bit of an unknown with Carts at the moment,” Garbett said.
“He’s done something to his hamstring. It’s not great when you see those ones where they pull up without contact. We’re probably looking at four to six weeks off I would assume.
“His attacking output with three goals in three games has been really good, but I don’t think we’re left short though. We also lost Nick Martinelli to injury in the Adamstown game, but the big thing for us is we have a deep enough squad where there’s no excuses to stop sticking the ball in the back of the net.
“I firmly believe we have the players to step in and do a good job for us.”
The Phoenix have picked up two points out of a possible nine following draws against Maitland FC and Belmont Swansea either side of a 3-2 loss against Adamstown in round two.
They led in two of those matches and all three of them were winnable, so their challenge now is to start finishing games off.
Doing so against a hungry Newcastle Olympic side will be a tough challenge, but one Garbett expects his men to tackle head-on.
“For us, it’s just about putting together a full 90-minute performance,” Garbett said.
“Last weekend we got ourselves in a good position to win the game but we let it get away from us there at the end.
“We have to keep pushing with what we want to do, and we are of the feeling that eventually the results will turn around. It’s just a matter of making sure we put together a full match.
“The players that Olympic have got in over the off-season make them a very formidable side to go up against.
“From what I’ve seen, even though they’ve had some frustrating results over the past two weeks, they’re going to be a really tough team.”
Olympic has had a mixed start to their campaign with a win, a draw and a loss during the first three rounds. All of those games were played at home and the side now faces four consecutive away fixtures.
Coach Paul DeVitis identified the way his men have been starting as something he would like to see improve come Saturday night as they look to begin that run with a win.
“I think Valentine will be a good team. I’ve watched bits and pieces of their games and they’re really dynamic,” DeVitis said.
“For us, I’m looking for more positive starts to games. We’ve been finishing games extremely well and our fitness levels are showing. But we need a mindset change; from the beginning of games, I think we’re a bit too relaxed. You can win a game in the first 20 minutes in this league.”
DeVitis expected to be without Roy O’Donovan (back) and Zach Thomas (groin) again this Saturday after they missed last weekend’s loss against Charlestown and he is hopeful they will both return in round five following next weekend’s designated washout weekend.
Broadmeadow Magic FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Magic Park, Sunday 2pm
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar said his side will not be able to afford to concede the way they have in this Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against Charlestown Azzurri at Magic Park.
Charlestown are the only team to have won all three matches to start the season and they have the best defensive record alongside Edgeworth with just one goal conceded and two clean sheets kept so far.
Magic is the only other team to have won more than one match so far and they have been ruthless across the past two weeks as they have found the back of the net 10 times to put a 1-0 loss against Edgeworth in the season opener behind them.
Broadmeadow’s men conceded three goals against New Lambton last Sunday in an eight-goal thriller, and Cresnar said that while that was not a cause for concern, he would like to see his side switch on from the get-go this Sunday.
“It’s a big clash being one versus two. It’s a crucial game for us,” Cresnar said.
“They’re well-organised and well-coached, so it should be a good, exciting game.
“I think a bit of complacency early on played a part (against New Lambton). In the first 20 minutes especially, we were pretty poor. But after the drinks break, we turned things around.
“You can’t be complacent against any team in this competition, and we need to start better than that.”
A Broadmeadow side that netted 80 goals during the regular season in 2024 has looked electric across the past two matches as they put away five goals against both Lambton and New Lambton, with six players finding the back of the net.
The additions of attacking weapons Jack Simmons and Seo Ram Lee as well as Ezra Palombini have been beneficial to the Broadmeadow squad and have them firing on all cylinders.
“It’s similar to what we were doing last year when we scored over 80 goals,” Cresnar said.
“We have a similar attacking force, and the good thing is it’s not just one or two players scoring, a lot of players are scoring from our front three and our midfield. It’s coming from various sources.”
Charlestown’s coach James Pascoe is hopeful that a defensive boost will be ready to help thwart that Magic attack, with visa player Richie Danquah touching down in Australia this week. He will train with Azzurri on Thursday night and is expected to be in the squad for Sunday’s match.
But the Blues will be without Taylor Regan and Ty Cousins, who are both expected to miss three to six weeks after leaving the field with injuries in last Sunday’s win against Olympic.
Belmont Swansea United FC v Cooks Hill United FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Friday 8pm
Round four will kick off at Blacksmiths Oval on Friday night where Belmont Swansea United will look to continue an unbeaten start to their maiden NPL campaign when they host Cooks Hill United.
BelSwans were tipped by many to be facing a relegation battle in 2025, but they have proven so far that their club is up for the battle in the topflight and they will be no pushovers.
They have conceded the first goal in all three matches they have played so far, but they managed to come from behind on all three occasions to either win or draw.
Coach Mick Stafford said his ‘battlers from Blacksmiths’ had enjoyed every minute of the season so far and are looking forward to welcoming Cooks Hill to town on Friday night.
The visiting side is determined to tighten up defensively as Chris Zoricich’s men go in search of their first clean sheet of the season.
Cooks Hill has already conceded nine goals so far and twice they have conceded four goals in a game.
Cooks Hill are also looking to rebound at the other end of the park after being held scoreless for the first time this year when they went down 4-0 away from home against Weston last Saturday.
New Lambton FC v Edgeworth Eagles
Alder Park, Saturday 2pm
Edgeworth Eagles are on the hunt for goals and coach Peter McGuinness is hopeful that they can finally find them when they travel to Alder Park on Saturday afternoon to challenge New Lambton FC.
McGuinness’ men have produced some classy football across the opening three rounds and have already secured two clean sheets, but they have struggled to convert at the other end of the park, finding the back of the net just twice.
There has been a lot to like for Eagles fans as their side is one of just three that are yet to be beaten in 2025, but their coach has challenged them to start taking their chances.
“I thought we had some good moments in the game [against Jaffas], which would have been nice to capitalise on,” McGuinness said.
“Once again I thought it was a solid performance defensively. We just need to add goals to how we are playing.”
New Lambton overcame their scoreless start to the campaign last Sunday when they found the back of the net three times against defending champions Broadmeadow, but they conceded five as their goals against tally ballooned out to 10.
The Golden Eagles can be a danger side this season if they put a full 90-minute performance together and they will hope to do so for the first time when they welcome Edgeworth to town.
Weston Bears v Maitland FC
Rockwell Automation Park, Saturday 4:30pm
Two sides coming off their first victories of the season will go head-to-head at Rockwell Automation Park on Saturday evening when Weston Bears host Maitland FC in the El Clasicoal.
These two teams have been on a similar path so far in 2025, having both drawn once and lost once across the opening two rounds before banging in four goals each in round three to get their campaigns off and running.
Maitland did concede three times against Adamstown last Friday night and are looking to clean that up, but Weston marked their first home game last Saturday with their first clean sheet of the season and are now hoping to make it two from two in round four.
Boosting their chances of doing so will be a loud and proud Rockwell Automation Park home crowd as Weston host their annual Old Bears Day.
Maitland is hoping to spoil that party and more importantly, are determined to start playing to their potential.
“Weston are a physical team and they play some decent football under Kew,” coach Adam Hughes said.
“We’re going to have to be on our game, be better defensively and be better with the ball. If we do that, I feel that we’ll keep growing going forward.”
Maitland’s skipper Braedyn Crowley was withdrawn from last Friday night’s win against Adamstown due to an ankle injury after producing an exceptional first-half performance.
Hughes is hopeful he will play this Saturday and will give him up until the last minute to prove his fitness.
Lambton Jaffas v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Sunday 2pm
Lambton Jaffas and Adamstown Rosebud will face off at Arthur Edden Oval this Sunday in a clash that will see the Jaffas attempting to spark their attack and the Rosebud searching for defensive stability.
Lambton put a shock 5-0 round two loss against Broadmeadow behind them last weekend when they held 2024 grand finalists Edgeworth to a 0-0 draw away from home.
Back at Arthur Edden Oval this Sunday, Lambton is hopeful of producing similar defensive resolve while finally clicking at the other end of the field and putting some goals away after scoring just twice across the opening three rounds.
Their opponents Adamstown have had no problem scoring in 2025. They found the back of the net eight times, a total that is only bettered by Broadmeadow, but their defence has troubled them as they have conceded a competition-worst 11 goals so far.
Coach Chris Moylan’s main focus going into the season was tightening the Rosebud defence after they averaged three goals against them per game in 2024, but they conceded five goals in the season opener and four in their most recent outing.
How they perform defensively against a lackluster Jaffas attack that has been held scoreless two weeks on the trot could be season defining for Moylan’s men.
The match is also a chance for Adamstown to finally find some success against Lambton, having not earned a point off them since 2018. The Jaffas have beaten the Rosebud in all of their past 10 league encounters since 2019 and have done so a combined 38 goals to five.