Match of the Round
Lake Macquarie City FC v Maitland FC
Macquarie Field, Sunday 5pm
Lake Macquarie City FC coach Gabrielle Blanch believes her team still has another level to reach as they prepare to face Maitland FC this Sunday at Macquarie Field.
Lakes remain undefeated after three rounds of the 2026 season, recording two wins and a draw.
They were forced to settle for a point in round three in their clash with Broadmeadow Magic. The Roosters held the lead twice before falling behind in the second half, eventually fighting back to secure a 3-3 draw.
Despite the positive start to the campaign, Blanch said her team has not reached its best form and knows there are areas that need improvement heading into the weekend.
“I'm feeling like we are exactly where we need to be at this point in time. We haven't played our best football yet, but we're on the way to doing so,” Blanch said.
“I think the girls were good in patches [against Broadmeadow Magic] and I think we made Broadmeadow look good in patches. Broadmeadow played good football against us more so than what they have in previous weeks from what I've seen.
“So, I think it was a great match and we were able to take away some learnings, more so about us and where we let ourselves down.
“I think taking our opportunities in the top third is a big focus. We create really well and we create with intensity and aggression and so just that final third execution is really something that we need to be focussed on.”
The Roosters sit at the top of the table, one point ahead of this weekend’s opponents. But Blanch is confident in her side and said the focus will remain on sticking to the same processes as they hunt for a clean sheet.
“It probably won’t be too different to what we've been focussing on since round one, just sticking to our processes, believing in what we do at training and how that translates into how we play,” Blanch said.
“I don't have plans to change too much up going in because I think what we're doing is working well for us and I think every week we'll just continue to improve.
“It's important to have a clean sheet and that's going to be hard against sides like Maitland that are renowned for scoring goals.
“I think discipline in defence and in goalkeeping practises is something that we have to take into this weekend as the key focus to ensure that we can continue to not just win games or compete in games but keep a clean sheet.
“That's important for us.”
Blanch confirmed Sunny Mitchell will return to the squad this weekend after sustaining an injury in round one.
Maitland will enter round four on the back of two wins after having the bye in round one.
The Magpies opened their 2026 campaign with a dominant 7-1 victory before backing it up with a hard-fought 3-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri in round three.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, coach Ben Horgan said the match proved challenging and provided valuable lessons for his side.
“We're looking forward to it. I think we had a pretty tough game last weekend and we probably had to work a bit harder than obviously the [HMRI] Charity Shield to get some goals,” Horgan said.
“They [Charlestown Azzurri] sat a little bit deeper, and they were really well organised, so it took a bit to break them down, but I think it sort of puts us in good stead.
“It's good for the league to have competitive games every week and for us it really tests us and we had to change a few things to score some goals in the second half.
“Hopefully we bring that form into the game against Lakes.”
The varying results reinforced to Horgan the importance of adaptability, acknowledging his side must be ready to adjust to whatever opposition they face.
Horgan was pleased to see his side recognise that during the clash with Azzurri, adapting their approach as the game unfolded to eventually secure the result.
“I think it's just being prepared for different teams setting up to play against us in different ways,” Horgan said.
“New Lambton was a much more open game and on a big pitch at Maitland and then playing on the sort of smaller pitch with long grass at Lisle Carr Oval. Azzurri were sitting a bit deeper and being sort of content to give us a bit of time on the ball, but not allowing space behind just meant that we had to sort of adapt and it took us a little while to do that.
“But I was pleased with how we did it in the end. It just requires us to sort of recognise what's going on in the game and how best to sort of break down the opposition and it took us a little while, but we got there in the end.
“Hopefully as the season goes on, we get a little bit more versatile tactically and we can just play the game the way it needs to be played to break down whatever the opposition's doing.”
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 1, Friday 8pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Alicia Ferguson says the next step for her side is turning their performances into goals as they prepare for Friday night’s clash with Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Azzurri bounced back from their 10-0 thumping by New Lambton FC in round one with improved performances against Newcastle Olympic FC and Maitland FC.
The Blues followed the opening defeat with a 2-0 loss to Olympic before going down 3-0 to Maitland, but the results showed encouraging signs for the club.
Despite the three losses to start their campaign, Charlestown have continued to showcase their perseverance week in and week out and have steadily closed the gap against strong opposition.
After focusing on their defence, Ferguson is ready for her side to score their first goal of the season and secure points.
“I'm feeling really positive. Honestly, I think the last two performances against [Newcastle] Olympic and Maitland showed that we have definitely become more organised and compact defensively,” Ferguson said.
“The next piece of the puzzle is creating more goal scoring opportunities. But it's been really good and we've kind of stemmed the flow of conceding goals. Now we need to go and start challenging teams and making it difficult for them.
“We need to try to create a few more scoring opportunities to get on the score board, that would be amazing and a real lift for the group.
“We're still realistic about that and achieving that but it's a bit of a grind where all you're focussing on is defending every game. We do want to look for opportunities to go forward a little bit more, so that's the focus this weekend.
“Defensively we're pretty organised, we're structured and the other teams will know how we're setting up. So now it's about how we can make it difficult for the opposition and create some goal scoring opportunities going forward.”
Charlestown will be without goalkeeper Danielle Bartels after she suffered an injury in their round two clash against Maitland.
Adamstown will look to bounce back after a disappointing 3-1 loss to New Lambton FC in round two.
The Buds have recorded one point so far this season after a 2-2 draw with Broadmeadow Magic to open the season and will be determined to take all three points on Friday.
The side had a dominant second half against New Lambton in round three, keeping the side scoreless and clawing one back of their own.
But they will need to come out ready for a tight contest from the first whistle after conceding first in all three of their matches so far this season.
Coach Martin Slade will be wanting a reaction out of his side no matter the score line and will be hopeful to claim their first win of the season.
Newcastle Olympic v Broadmeadow Magic
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 5pm
Broadmeadow Magic will look to secure their first win of the season when they go head-to-head with Newcastle Olympic in the Red and Blue derby at Darling Street Oval on Saturday.
Broadmeadow are yet to secure a win this season, having recorded draws against Adamstown Rosebud JFC and Lake Macquarie City.
Unlike their round one draw, where Magic was forced to hold on in the closing moments after losing a 2-0 lead, their clash with Lakes highlighted the determination they have shown so far this season.
Magic bounced back quickly after conceding just two minutes into the match, equalising six minutes later and responding again almost immediately when Lakes regained the lead in the 30th minute.
Coach Jason Konjarski will be eager to see the same hunger for victory this weekend, though he will hope his side can hold onto a lead rather than spending the match chasing.
Newcastle Olympic will have fresh legs for the match after their bye in round three, but they will be hopeful the weekend off has not disrupted the momentum gained from their 2-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri in round two.
The win was an important response following a disappointing 4-1 loss to Lake Macquarie City in their opening match.
Olympic will need a fast start, with all three of their goals this season coming in the second half and will be looking to keep another clean sheet against a dangerous Magic attack.
Bye - New Lambton FC