Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic v Lambton Jaffas
Magic Park, Sunday 2pm
Lambton Jaffas coach David Tanchevski believes Broadmeadow Magic will be fighting to ensure they do not fall six points behind the pack when they go head-to-head at Magic Park on Sunday.
The Jaffas kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory on home soil against New Lambton last Sunday, two days after Magic conceded a stoppage-time goal to lose 1-0 against Edgeworth at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
That was the same venue where Lambton defeated Magic in a penalty shootout in the HMRI Charity Shield earlier this month, which Tanchevski expects to fuel the defending champions this weekend.
Magic are part of several of the great rivalries in Newcastle football and one of those is against a Jaffas side they have met in a handful of the biggest games on the calendar in recent years.
The two clubs have especially been standouts across the past two seasons.
Inclusive of the league, the HMRI Charity Shield, the Men’s State Cup and the Australia Cup preliminary rounds, they have lost the fewest number of games of all of the NPLM clubs since the start of the 2023 campaign.
The young and talented playing group at Broadmeadow have only lost 13 times in that period, and seven of those defeats have been at the hands of the Jaffas including their most recent encounter only 13 days ago.
One thing Magic have not done in that time is lose three in a row, but Tanchevski is determined to ensure that happens come Sunday.
“It’s always a tough game against them, and they are going to be really hungry to make up for a couple of losses on the trot, which doesn’t happen for them very often,” Tanchevsi said.
“I think there will also be the element of nervousness for them because if they lose, they could be six points behind us and Edgeworth after a couple of games.
“While there’s that pressure on them, they’re always a tough team to beat. It’s a bit of a flip of the coin between us and them and it’s usually about who takes their chances on the day.
“I do think they are the benchmark of the competition again and they have Bailey Wells back in the team, which is big for them. They had a few guys missing when we played them in the Charity Shield too.
“It will be really good to see where we sit after this game.”
One thing Tanchevski is demanding from his players this week is more energy, which he thought was lacking against New Lambton last weekend.
For Broadmeadow’s coach Jim Cresnar, topping last year’s premiership-championship double includes winning both again in 2025 while also improving by 20 per cent across all areas of the game, including training, preparation and matchday.
Cresnar believed that it was missed opportunities rather than game management or discipline that resulted in his side’s recent back-to-back losses and expected another tough battle against the Jaffas on Sunday.
“It’ll be similar to Edgeworth; a tough game. They have some quality players all around the park,” Cresnar said.
“We need to make sure we do our job and keep those strong individuals at bay, and I think we’ll be fine in this game.”
Each club will field stronger sides than they did in round one.
The suspended Jimmy Oates is back for the Jaffas, which will allow Pat Bond to push from the centre of defence into the midfield. Tom Waller is also back in starting contention following a few weeks away prior to round one.
Magic will have the return of suspended James Cresnar who was a crucial part of last season’s double.
But Lambton are still without Riley McNaughton and Magic will still be missing Nicholas Kacev, Alex Rose and Riley Smith.
Newcastle Olympic v Weston Bears
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4:30pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Paul DeVitis is eager to not let history repeat itself when they welcome Weston Bears to town on Sunday night.
Darling Street Oval has been a happy hunting ground for the Bears in recent years and they are looking to win there for a third time in as many seasons when they challenge Olympic this weekend.
The Bears played the hosts off the park in a 3-0 victory back in 2023 before winning a much tighter contest 2-1 in 2024, but the Olympic side they will face this Sunday will be by far their toughest test yet.
New signings Roy O’Donovan, Kale Bradbery, Adam Zervas, Ben Hay and the returning Jared Muller all started in Olympic’s season opener and played key roles in securing the three points in a 4-2 home win against Cooks Hill.
DeVitis expected a difficult challenge from Kew Jaliens’ Weston Bears and knew that they would be keen to bounce back from their round one loss.
“We were really happy to start with three points at home on Old Boys Day,” DeVitis said.
“There was a lot of buzz around Hamilton and we knew we needed to get three points.
“Weston has a lot of new players in their team, and I’ll definitely be watching their (round one) game closely during the week, but we know they’ll be a good football team. Kew is a good coach.
“They’ll be well structured with dynamic players in the top third.”
The Bears lost their first game of the season last Sunday when they went down 3-1 away from home against Charlestown Azzurri.
The start to their 2024 campaign was a horror one as they picked up just seven points from their first eight matches, which led to them finishing five points behind Olympic in sixth spot and missing out on finals football.
They are determined to not let history repeat itself as they look to avoid back-to-back losses to start the 2025 campaign.
Adamstown Rosebud FC v Valentine FC
Adamstown Oval, Friday 8pm
Two sides searching for their first wins of the season will kick off round two on Friday night when Adamstown Rosebud host Valentine FC at Adamstown Oval.
The final 30 minutes of this match will be well and truly under the microscope and could decide who picks up the three points.
Valentine came back from 2-0 down to secure a 3-3 draw with Maitland FC in their first hit out of the new season.
Coach Kallum Garbett was thrilled with the impact that his substitutes had against Maitland and was hopeful that will be one of his side’s major strengths in 2025.
“A big shout out needs to go to the boys we brought off the bench. They added massive energy into the front third and midfield and changed the game for us a little bit,” Garbett said.
“If we can continue to get that impact off the bench for the rest of the year, that will be positive for us.”
Should Valentine look to repeat their second-half surge against Adamstown, how the Buds deal with it will be the big talking point.
They were impressive for most of the opening 74 minutes in their round one match against Belmont Swansea, at which point they led 2-1, but the BelSwans bench changed the game as they ran riot to hand Chris Moylan’s men a 5-2 loss.
Moylan said he was looking for his side to improve their discipline in terms of staying in formation and sticking to their gameplan when they play at home for the first time this season on Friday.
Charlestown Azzurri FC v New Lambton FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 2pm
New Lambton FC will be looking to bounce back from a round one loss when they take on Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
It will be a second away game on the bounce for the Golden Eagles after they went down 2-0 against Lambton at Arthur Edden Oval in the derby on Sunday.
Shane Pryce’s men showed glimpses of quality in round one and were unlucky not to have scored after striking the crossbar twice, one of which was with five minutes remaining when Jagger Wholert was inches away from scoring from distance.
They will now go in search of their first goal and first points in round two.
Charlestown’s round one win came as a shock to no one given their recent history in the league, which included a six-game winning streak to start last season, a five-game winning streak to begin 2023, and an 11-game undefeated streak to kick off 2022.
Azzurri attacked with class and defended well in a 3-1 win against the Weston Bears, and they are now looking to continue building another hot streak in 2025 when they welcome New Lambton to town.
Cooks Hill United FC v Maitland FC
No.2 Sportsground, Saturday 4:30pm
Chris Zoricich is looking for an improved defensive performance and has challenged his senior players to step up in the crucial moments when Cooks Hill United host Maitland FC at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday evening.
Cooks Hill found themselves behind 2-0 early in the second stanza of their round one clash against Newcastle Olympic, but they fought to get themselves back within a goal twice before ultimately losing 4-2.
Zoricich was disappointed with the opening-round loss, especially with the manner in which his side conceded.
“We gave them the four goals, and twice we got back within a goal but we conceded cheaply in the end,” the Cooks Hill boss said.
“If we want to really compete with the big boys this season, we can’t afford to do that, and that’s something we spoke about.
“A positive out of the game is that we competed well.
“Like most teams, we haven’t quite clicked yet, but when we do and we fix up those defensive errors, hopefully we can show that we can compete.”
Just as frustrated with their round one result was Maitland after they gave up a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Valentine.
Captain Braedyn Crowley described the feeling as disappointing after full-time, especially given that the Magpies were up 2-0 at half-time.
Like Cooks Hill, Maitland is eager to make amends this Saturday at No.2 Sportsground.
Belmont Swansea United FC v Edgeworth FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Saturday 6:30pm
Belmont Swansea United coach Mick Stafford is under no illusions that his side will need to go to another level when they host Edgeworth FC at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday night if they are to continue their successful start to the campaign.
BelSwans stormed home to a 5-2 victory against Adamstown Rosebud in front of a home crowd in last Thursday night’s season opener with four goals in the final 15 minutes plus injury time to pick up three crucial points.
That was their maiden NPL match and their first game in the top division since 1999, but it only gets more difficult from there as they match up against the 2024 grand finalists and fellow round one winners Edgeworth.
“I think we can add something to the league on the field and off the field. We want to be better than what was here before,” Stafford said.
“We’ll need to go to another level against Edgeworth, but we’ll be taking things week by week and seeing what happens. There’s nothing to lose for us.
“I can’t wait to face Edgeworth. They are a quality side with quality players, and it will be good for our crowd to see good players at Blacksmiths and us having a crack.”
The Eagles kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 victory in the grand final rematch against Broadmeadow Magic and they are eager to keep the ball rolling in round two.
But they will have to do so without golden boot winner Ryan Feutz who is serving a one-game suspension this weekend.