Match of the Round
Maitland FC v Newcastle Olympic
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 4pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Craig Atkins is confident his side can get the job done in their top-of-the-table clash against Maitland FC on Saturday despite missing their star goalkeeper.
Olympic will arrive at Cooks Square Park bursting with confidence after they won the club’s first Women’s State Cup last weekend in a thrilling final against Charlestown Azzurri that went down to penalties.
But the silverware came at a cost after goalkeeper Isabella Whitton suffered a serious finger injury in the final that has ruled her out for an extended period.
Young shot-stopper Tallon Convery will step up in Whitton’s absence.
Atkins has full faith that Convery has what it takes to help her team secure a big three points on Saturday.
“For young Tallon, it is a great opportunity for her to step up,” Atkins said.
“She is a fantastic trainer and always keen to learn more. I am confident that Tallon will do a good job.”
Olympic sits second on the table but is on equal points with the Magpies, who have a game in hand, which makes a win this weekend vital.
Atkins said that the Women’s State Cup win had reignited his squad ahead of a crucial final stage of the season and was confident they could upset Maitland.
“It was a fantastic result in the State Cup last weekend,” Atkins said.
“Everyone has been buzzing at training this week. The girls have taken a lot from the win.
“We have had two very close competition games against them so we are expecting no different.
“If we can get the three points this weekend it will go a long way in helping to secure a top-two spot at the end of the season which is what we want to achieve.
“[Maitland] are very dangerous all across the park so we have done some analysis on the last two games we have played against them. We have put a plan in place to stop some of their attacking raids.
“Maitland has their strengths but we have to focus on our own team and the strengths that we have.
“We are pretty keen heading into this one.”
Olympic will also be without Evie Horgan, who is sidelined with a knee injury.
Maitland will be at full strength this weekend, with coach Keelan Hamilton reporting that everyone was available to play at this stage.
The Magpies have been the most consistent team this season, with 12 wins and two losses to their name after 14 games.
Hamilton said his side was in a good place and excited about the battle against Olympic on home turf.
“When you get to this time of the year these are the games you look forward to being a part of,” Hamilton said.
“We always look forward to playing Olympic. They will feel good after the Women’s State Cup win and their competition form has been great.
“We were disappointed not to get as far as we would have liked in the cup but it was a great opportunity to play some consistent minutes after a disruptive season.”
The Magpies coach said his side’s preparation for the match would be key to how they perform in the top-of-the-table match.
“Our main focus is getting our preparation right and make sure we keep ticking all of the boxes required to allow us to turn up on Saturday and be ready to go,” Hamilton said.
“This is an important fixture in our season and is reasonably significant in respect to the table.
“It is important where you sit on the table. We need to turn up on Saturday and be the best version of ourselves and play the best football we can.”
A win for Maitland would see them go three points clear at the top of the table.
Charlestown Azzurri v Warners Bay FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 4pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Heath Whyte expects a strong performance from his side when they welcome Warners Bay FC to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday.
The Blues have gone from strength to strength in the competition and are on a four-game unbeaten run.
But Azzurri will be eager to bounce back from their heartbreaking Women's State Cup final defeat, where they went down to Newcastle Olympic on penalties.
Whyte believed the tournament would help set his side up for success in the final stages of the season.
“Our girls had a good tournament [at the Women’s State Cup]. They were very disciplined, we kept the football and moved it well,” Whyte said.
“The performances from the side will give the girls a lot of confidence heading into the last batch of games.”
Charlestown sit fourth on the table and will have the chance to leapfrog Broadmeadow Magic into third if they can secure a win over the Panthers and Magic lose to Adamstown on Friday night.
The Panthers have had another challenging season, with two wins from 16 matches to place them seventh.
They are 10 points behind New Lambton and will be desperate to shorten the gap and turn their campaign around.
Warners Bay cannot make the finals but it will be important for Ryan Swinkels and his side to keep building with the aim of finishing the season as best as they can.
Broadmeadow Magic v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic will be eager to return to winning ways when they host Adamstown Rosebud at Magic Park on Friday night.
Magic enter the clash off the back of two losses and a draw that saw them drop from first to third.
They sit six points behind league leaders Newcastle OIympic and Maitland FC, who they will be eager to hunt down to keep their premiership hopes alive.
Broadmeadow has conceded the greatest number of goals out of the top four sides and have struggled to fill all of their defensive positions, with players leaving the team.
Magic coach Nima Nikfarjam will hope that his side can fix their defensive errors and respond to their dip in results to pick up some crucial points for their campaign.
Adamstown enter the match off the back of a confident 8-1 win over Mid Coast. Rosebud are fifth, which is where coach Martin Slade would like them to finish at the end of the season.
But with New Lambton two points behind, Rosebud will be determined to return home with all three points.
Rosebud have pushed every team in the top four to the final whistle, which is to be expected again on Friday night.
Mid Coast FC v New Lambton FC
Taree Zone Field, Sunday 4pm
New Lambton FC will be determined to keep their finals hopes alive when they travel to Taree Zone Field to take on Mid Coast FC on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles have struggled to pick up momentum with games few and far between due to wet weather. They have played the fewest games in the competition, with four games in hand.
Aaron Stedman’s side are sixth on the table, 13 points behind the top four, which means they will need to pick up points in all of their remaining games and hope that the teams above them drop points.
They enter the clash full of confidence off the back of a 6-0 thumping over Broadmeadow Magic, which Stedman will hope can repeat this weekend.
These two sides have only gone head-to-head once in the competition in round four when New Lambton secured a 5-0 win.
Mid Coast will hope that they can settle the score this weekend and get their season back on track.
Middies’ season has not gone as planned with one win from their 14 competition matches played.
They sit at the bottom of the table and will be determined to cause an upset on Sunday in front of a home crowd.
