Match of the Round
Lambton Jaffas FC 2-5 Broadmeadow Magic FC
The grand final rematch proved a memorable occasion for Broadmeadow Magic FC coach Jim Cresnar, with his side defeating Lambton Jaffas 5-2 at Arthur Edden Oval to climb to the top of the table and mark the first time three Cresnar siblings featured together in first grade.
The opening stages were a seesawing affair, with Jaffas turning to long-range efforts and set pieces while Magic relied on sharp counterattacks, with Luis Lara Delgado causing plenty of headaches.
Magic broke through in the 16th minute thanks to a beautiful cross to James Cresnar, leaving Jaffas defender Thomas Waller and goalkeeper Ben Kennedy in knots.
The visitors would extend their lead six minutes later, with Ezra Palombini producing a contender for goal of the year from the corner of the box.
The lead galvanised Magic following a drinks break, winning the physical battle and applying great pressure, as Jaffas only managed two shots on goal in the first half.
The margin stretched to three in the 30th minute, when Jarred Baker delivered another cross from the left for James Cresnar to grab his second.
A fourth came in the 38th minute through the same venture, with Delgado producing a great finish after threatening the whole half and sent Magic down the tunnels with a resounding lead.
Jaffas turned to their bench in the second half, with Jordan Gu and Lachlan Griffiths proving effective as they shifted the action into Broadmeadow’s defensive third.
Magic’s defence held firm and their efforts were rewarded at the other end in the 54th minute, when Delgado landed his second off a free kick, the 5-0 scoreline looking ominous for the hosts.
A piece of brilliance in the 65th minute from Drew Patterson found Jaffas’ first goal of the afternoon, a carbon copy of Palombini’s first-half effort.
The goal galvanised the hosts as they began to string together passages of play and test Broadmeadow’s Will Ingram and Thomas Beecham.
But it would not be until the 90th minute that the hosts would find their second goal, with a piece of individual brilliance from Riley Taylor to set up Griffiths for an easy finish.
Jaffas head coach David Tanchevski lamented his side’s slow start but was glad they were able to win the second half and take some positives from a disappointing result.
“It's similar to what happened to us last year, we just didn't come out of the box at the start,” Tanchevski said.
“We know Magic start fast and hard, we talked about it. I'm disappointed with our start and I thought the effort from some of the boys at the start wasn't great.
“The chat at half-time was just get back in the game, forget about it. It's easy to win in good times and do good things in good times. But when you're losing and you're down, that's where it's hard to stick together and do well.
“I think the boys' character came through and we did well in that second half. We'll forget about the first half and take the second half next week and get back on track.”
Cresnar was glad to see his side rediscover their attacking consistency, despite conceding two goals.
“It was brilliant. In terms of level of commitment, we got a few things right,” Cresnar said.
“Lambton's difficult to play against. We've been a lot more consistent in the last two or three weeks in terms of the training, [that’s] starting the show on the park.
“I think it's a bit disappointing that we conceded in terms of the goals. Obviously, it's a mental game after that.
“[James Cresnar] seems to be fine [after copping a hit]. Jakob's [Cresnar] come back from a major surgery as well.
“Joey [Josef Cresnar], it's his first regular year playing for first grade. It's a proud family moment.”
Broadmeadow will return home next Friday to face Adamstown Rosebud FC, while Lambton Jaffas will stay at home, taking on Charlestown Azzurri FC on Saturday.
Valentine FC 0-6 Cooks Hill United FC
Cooks Hill United FC coach Jamie Dunning has praised his side’s determination to deliver a ruthless 6-0 win over their ‘bogey’ team Valentine FC at Croudace Bay Complex on Friday night.
After a five-day turnaround from their round two loss to Belmont Swansea United, Cookers hit the ground running with danger striker Kane Woolston scoring in the 8th minute.
Valentine struggled to get into Cookers’ 18-yard box and in the 24th minute, the deficit grew with an own goal off a ricocheting header from defender Myles Gaffney.
As momentum swung their way, Cookers pushed further ahead when a long ball from Kai Bradley saw Liam Spurway in space to lob the ball over Phoenix goalkeeper Brodie Volkiene.
As half-time loomed, Cookers made the result comprehensive as Woolston completed a hat-trick with two goals in as many minutes, sending the visitors into the break 5-0 up.
Valentine brought in a flurry of changes to reverse their fortunes, but despite increased urgency in attack they couldn’t find a crucial goal.
Cooks Hill’s captain Alex Hilton struck in the 73rd minute, finding the bottom-left corner to seal the win.
While Valentine’s Max Middleby was shown a red card in the dying moments, rounding off a challenging night for the hosts.
Dunning was not just pleased with the turnaround, but also because his players revealed the result marked Cookers’ first-ever win over Valentine at NPL NNSW level.
“They’re [Valentine] a team that the club has never beaten in NPL, they’ve had one draw and five losses. The boys are telling me that’s their bogey team,” Dunning said.
“To score five goals in the first half and another one in the second, [it was] pleasing to see the boys bounce back from the defeat against BelSwans.
“We’ve had some good things [the last few weeks], but last night was the first time it’s come together.
“The boys know we’re a good side and we can compete with anyone in the league. Last night we played our own football, which was pleasing to see.
“They [Valentine] are a good side, I watched them against Magic, and I thought they were very dangerous, they’re going to hurt teams going forward.
“It was just one of those games where we had these chances and we managed to put them all away. It was good to see everything that we’ve worked on coming through, but we’re a long way off from the team I want us to be.”
Dunning is staying grounded as Cooks Hill look ahead to Edgeworth next Saturday at home, while the Phoenix will have an eight-day turnaround and will be desperate to get their first competition points when they face Maitland FC next Saturday at home.
Kahibah FC 2-2 Edgeworth Eagles FC
Kahibah FC have continued to grow in confidence as the NPL NNSW newcomers came from behind to secure a 2-2 result against Edgeworth Eagles FC at Fred Wright Oval on Friday night.
The Rams and Eagles were inseparable in the first half, as the 2025 HIT106.9 Northern League One’s best attack tested the 2025 NPL NNSW’s top defence, with every challenge expertly met by Edgeworth.
Kahibah showed their defence on set pieces had rapidly improved since their big loss to Lambton Jaffas, surviving six corners in the first half to keep Edgeworth scoreless.
The hosts would finally break through the Eagles' defence in the 50th minute, as midfielder Billy Eick delivered a brilliant strike from outside the box.
But only six minutes later, a pinpoint corner from Eagles striker Aaron Niyonkuru found Flynn Goodman, the winger producing a brilliant header to tie the scores up.
Two minutes later, the visitors took the lead for the first time as Reece McManus worked his way down the right side of the Rams’ defence, delivering a perfect pass to give Niyonkuru his second goal of the year.
With a vocal crowd behind them, the Rams’ attacking flair was rewarded in the 79th minute, as Eick combined brilliantly with Ewan Kelly before the defender’s cross found Jackson Burston, who delivered a quality finish.
The Eagles mounted a late charge in the final ten minutes, hounding the Rams’ box. But the hosts' improved defence proved up to the task, with the sides unable to be split after four minutes of stoppage time.
Kahibah will enjoy a nine-day turnaround before hosting Newcastle Olympic FC next Sunday, while Edgeworth will stay on the road, heading to Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field to face Cooks Hill United FC on Saturday.
Belmont Swansea United FC 3-4 Maitland FC
Maitland FC had to dig deep to secure their first win of the 2026 season, coming from a three-goal deficit to defeat a high-flying Belmont Swansea United FC side 4-3 at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday.
Fresh off an impressive win over Cooks Hill United FC, BelSwans made a strong start in windy conditions, taking a 2-0 lead thanks to a Marco Gueli double, both goals capitalising on Magpies’ defensive errors in the 17th and 34th minutes.
The hosts pulled ahead even further one minute later, with Andrew McGee catching the Maitland defence out of position to end up in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Taylor Pate, the striker scoring his third goal of the season.
Maitland pulled one back thanks to an opportunistic bounce off a free kick to Isaac Collins in the 41st minute, but the Magpies had work to do as they went down the tunnel 3-1 behind at half-time.
Upping the tempo in the second half, Maitland began to pin BelSwans in their own half, looking to find a goal to get back into the match.
It took until the 60th minute, but a brilliant cross saw Braedyn Crowley score off a ricochet from goalkeeper Nathan Archbold.
BelSwans fought to keep their lead, but some quick thinking on attack saw Daniel McFarlane find the equaliser in the 75th minute, his effort benefitting from a favourable bounce off the woodwork.
A brilliant piece of magic in the 84th minute from a long-range effort saw Collins deliver a crucial ball to Crowley, the striker showing why he was so dangerous in 2025 as he scored to hand Magpies an incredible comeback win.
BelSwans will look to rebound against a similarly hurting Weston Bears FC next Friday, while Maitland travels to Croudace Bay Complex to face Valentine on Saturday.
Weston Bears FC 2-4 Charlestown Azzurri FC
A flurry of goals in the first half-hour saw Charlestown Azzurri FC send a warning to the rest of the league at Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, defeating a dangerous Weston Bears side 4-2 on Saturday night.
Dealing with wet conditions in Weston, the Blues pressed the advantage early, with Matt Cahill scoring in the 14th minute to give the visitors an unlikely 1-0 lead.
The lead doubled four minutes later with Caleb Reed caught the Bears defence out of position to score his side’s second of the evening.
Charlestown extended their lead to 3-0 in the 23rd minute as Pharrell Trainor capitalised on a pinpoint free kick.
The Bears struggled to break down the Azzurri defence, heading into half-time facing a resounding 3-0 deficit.
As the rain dissipated, it would not be until the 64th minute that the Bears would finally get on the scoreboard through a brilliant Chris Hatfield free kick.
The Bears tried to push for a quick second, but Azzurri’s defence proved up to the task, stifling the side’s momentum as they spent nearly 20 minutes on the attack.
An 84th-minute goal to Azzurri substitute June Han put the result beyond doubt, with Bears striker Brock Beveridge managing a consolation goal in the final minute of the match to continue his strong individual form.
Weston will look to reclaim the top of the table when they travel to face Belmont Swansea United FC next Friday, while Charlestown will stay on the road and head to face Lambton Jaffas FC on Saturday.
Newcastle Olympic FC vs Adamstown Rosebud FC
This match was postponed due to wet weather conditions.