Match of the Round
New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Alder Park, Sunday 5pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC coach Martin Slade says belief will be key as his side prepares to take on New Lambton FC at Alder Park on Sunday afternoon.
Adamstown will enter the match hopeful to secure their first win of the season after kicking off their 2026 campaign with a draw and a loss.
But despite the lack of three points, Slade is confident that the time is coming for his side.
“Every player, every coach, everybody that's involved with any sport at any level wants to win games because they feel it's a direct result of their hard work,” Slade said.
“It would be important for us to get a win and it'd be the same for everybody in this competition.
“Ultimately, for me, these girls are unbelievable. They've been putting in some excellent performances, and I have every confidence in the group that they will win a game at some point.
“But as long as they keep believing in what they're doing, keep enjoying what they're doing and keep putting in good performances, then I'm sure it will turn around.”
The Buds have conceded first in every match this season but have responded with strong determination on each occasion.
They trailed 2-0 by the 48th minute against Broadmeadow Magic before fighting back to secure a 2-2 draw.
Against Lake Macquarie City, they fell behind in just the third minute but hit back seven minutes later to quickly level the scores before falling short 2-1.
Slade said the way his side responded in both matches showed the belief and resilience growing within the group.
“I think every coach wants to go ahead early in the game, but it's very similar reactions. If you go behind, you want a reaction. If you go ahead, you want a reaction as well,” Slade said.
“So, conceding early against Lakes [Macquarie City] provided us with the opportunity of getting a reaction, which we did with the players. The same with Broadmeadow as well and that just highlighted the quality that Marry [Ntsweng] gives us now that we can score goals, which is something over the last couple of seasons, we haven't done.
“Nobody wants to go one nil down, let alone two nil down, but all you can ask for is a response from your players to believe in themselves more than anything.
“They know that they are good enough as a group, which proves that they can come back and keep themselves in the fight for 90 minutes.”
New Lambton will take the field at home for the first time this season and will be determined to bounce back from their detrimental 7-1 loss to Maitland FC last week.
It was a blow to the Golden Eagles who were on a high following a 10-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri in round one.
But coach Craig Atkins is ready for his side to return to the basics this weekend and secure all three points in front of a home crowd.
“Obviously in the first round it was a big result and then a disappointing result last weekend, but it's one game of football as well. We spoke after the game [against Maitland] and you know Maitland are a quality side and they were red hot last Sunday,” Atkins said.
“We were prepared, but unfortunately, we didn't turn up the way that we wanted to. That happens in football and it's happened early in the season, so that gives us an opportunity to go back and work on some things and some of those things are just the basics of the game.
“There's a number of underlying things there that we need to focus on. We had our preparations in place ready to go against Maitland but unfortunately couldn't execute.
“We just need to get our organisation right, communicate better and be quicker in the way that we do things as well.
“You never want to lose at home. You play at home; you’ve got to win at home. That's what you want, you have local people coming to watch you, so you've got to be winning these games at home.
“The girls will be very motivated to turn that result around pretty quickly.”
Lake Macquarie City FC v Broadmeadow Magic
Macquarie Field, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jason Konjarski is optimistic his team can halt Lake Macquarie City FC’s winning streak when they clash at Macquarie Field on Friday night.
Broadmeadow had the bye in round two and will be eager to get back out on the pitch after a 2-2 draw with Adamstown Rosebud JFC in round one.
The side led 2-0 until the 57th minute and were unable to hold onto the lead against a motivated Buds side.
But Konjarski was proud of what his side displayed compared to their 8-2 defeat to open the 2025 season.
“We're only going off what we had last year and going off last year, it's already a massive improvement,” Konjarski said.
“I think it's just performances that have to raise, I’m not really worried about these first few rounds, results wise.
“We just want to get to a point where we're proud about our performance and then if we need to tweak things like we are now for the Lakes game we can tweak and work on it. We're more than capable of getting results.
“We've got Tori Johnson back from suspension and we've got Nina Collins back for this game and they're two very important players for us.
“We've pretty much got a full squad, so it should be very interesting, but we're definitely going there to knock them [Lake Macquarie City] off their perch.
“They're a good side. Gab's [Gabrielle Blanch] has got them playing good football. They're entertaining to watch and they're strong all over the park.
“Stopping Alyssa Togo-Paragalli will be our main goal. She just makes everything happen for them from the back but then again, they've got 11 very good players and they've got good depth off the bench.”
The Magicians are an almost unrecognisable side, but Konjarski is full of confidence for the squad he has brought in.
“There's definitely a lot of girls with something to prove in our squad with not much first grade experience,” Konjarski said.
“A lot of those girls that we have signed were waiting for their chance to play first grade and I think a lot of them will show that they are first graders for this season and moving on.
“I want to see a bit more fight for that Broadmeadow Magic badge, which is what magic teams are usually like. We're pretty proud to wear that magic shirt, so it's good to see that the girls are striving for that”
Lake Macquarie City will be searching for their third consecutive win on Friday night, currently the only side to have claimed victory in their opening two matches.
If they defeat Broadmeadow Magic FC, it will mark the first time they have won three matches in a row since entering the competition in 2025.
Across their opening two rounds, the Roosters have produced five different goal scorers and will be hopeful of continuing to showcase their strength in the attacking third against Broadmeadow Magic FC.
But they will need to remain disciplined as they come up against a new look Magic side, who will return with fresh legs after serving the bye last week.
Charlestown Azzurri FC v Maitland FC
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 6.30pm
Maitland FC will look to assert their dominance over Charlestown Azzurri once again when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday night.
Maitland will enter round three on a high after they kicked off their season with a 7-1 victory over New Lambton FC. The same side who downed Azzurri 10-0 in round one.
The Magpies and Charlestown are no strangers to each other after their continuous battles in 2025, but 2026 brings a new season with fresh faces on both sides, especially within the Azzurri squad.
The two sides have met once so far this year in the 2026 HMRI Charity Shield, where Maitland completed a relentless 7-0 performance.
They will be eager to repeat that in round three, but they cannot afford to undersell the Blues, whose improvement from week to week has been noticeable.
Charlestown have conceded 12 goals across their first two matches but have netted zero of their own.
The Blues’ confidence in front of goal appeared to grow as their round two clash with Newcastle Olympic FC unfolded, but they will need to be more clinical and composed in the front third when they face Maitland.
Azzurri must also be wary of Maitland’s attacking threat. But Chloe Martin and Danielle Bartels have been consistent pillars within the Blues squad and with the addition of centre back Jannali Hunter, they will be determined to stand their ground.
Bye - Newcastle Olympic