Match of the Round
Charlestown Azzurri v Newcastle Olympic
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 6pm
Newcastle Olympic coach Neil Owens says his side must improve its ability to cope with pressure when they go head-to-head with Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday.
Olympic will enter the contest set on securing all three points after a disappointing start to their campaign.
The side went down 4-1 to Lake Macquarie City in round one and will serve the bye in round three, making this weekend vital to kick start their season.
“We're pretty disappointed from the performance that we put out on the weekend compared to what we were doing in preseason,” Owens said.
“I think we're a couple of games short of getting to our full force. The potential was there, but I think we were just a couple of games short in preseason.
“I've got a fairly new kind of team and a younger kind of team, so it's just about trying to find who can settle in the fastest and make a claim for a spot.
“I was really disappointed on the weekend, how we couldn't handle just a fracture more of a little bit of pressure. Everything just went out the window, so that was a disappointing thing and that's something they're going to have to concentrate on this weekend and probably for a number of weeks.
“When there’s a little bit of pressure you’ve got to be able to handle it. You can't just freak out and that's a big area where we just need to improve on.
“We just didn't cope with the pressure, we just were trying to play under-6s football every time we got it, trying to score a goal straight away and that was pretty disappointing.”
Olympic had a strong second half against Lakes but Owens is determined for his side to start strong and play the style of football he wants to see.
“We created a number of chances in the second half, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom but to Lakes credit you can’t start playing when you’re three nil down. You’ve got to start playing when it’s nil nil, if you’re three nil up, they’re backing off,” Owens said.
“We need to have a good talk, recognise where we went wrong and fix that up because I just want to play a good style of football.
“We want to play football, football, football. That’s just my philosophy and my part of the job is to coach and educate the girls.
“These girls need to learn, I've got a young squad, and they need to learn very quickly. When the pressure comes on, they need to understand that's when the skill comes out.”
Charlestown Azzurri will want to forget about their round one performance where they went down 10-0 to New Lambton FC.
The Blues remained resilient throughout the match and had a better second half as they created more chances and contained the Golden Eagles to four.
Coach Alicia Ferguson is hopeful her side can build on the positives they saw in the second half this weekend.
“We've got to go again. It's as simple as that, so we can't fall in a heap. We can't feel sorry for ourselves, we've got to just find ways to keep improving,” Ferguson said.
“I think it's just about believing in the quality of each of our individual players, because we still have some quality players.
“We still need to work on our understanding of each other in cohesiveness and I genuinely think we just made it a bit hard for ourselves on Friday night. I think everyone is probably more disappointed again just in the manner that we conceded the goals but that's really positive because that means it's not like huge things that we need to fix.
“Having those opportunities to go forward and actually create some chances, I think, is what we want to build on as well.”
Charlestown only have two remaining players from their championship squad and Ferguson is proud of the development of the side’s younger players.
“I think with every week there's a level of comfort and understanding the intensity, the opposition players and just how to manage games. It's all about experience, I mean two games in for some of those players with absolutely no first grade experience, let alone senior football experience,” Ferguson said.
“I've been really proud at how they've been able to bounce back and show a level of maturity in really tough conditions, particularly last week.
“Going in at halftime, six nil down. You could think that it could be all doom and gloom, but it wasn't. There were positives to take, and I think we definitely showed glimpses of that in the second half and that was really awesome. “
Maitland FC v New Lambton FC
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 5pm
Maitland FC coach Ben Horgan is eager to get his side’s season started on the right foot when they welcome New Lambton FC to Cooks Square Park on Sunday.
Maitland served the bye in round one, but this weekend will not be their first competition match of 2026.
The Magpies were crowned the 2026 HMRI Charity Shield champions prior to the season with a dominant 7-0 victory over Charlestown Azzurri.
But Horgan is ready to kick-off his side’s 2026 campaign and knows they need to put their best foot forward.
“We're looking forward to it [the season starting]. It's always a bit frustrating having to have the bye in the first round because you're watching everyone else kick-off and you're just excited about the season starting and you've got to kind of hold off for another week. So, we'll be ready to go,” Horgan said.
“I think usually the first game of the season, everyone's definitely getting a bit of rust out and no one's at their very best, so you're just trying to get points early and start solidly.
“For us we have to make sure we start quickly because New Lambton have already got one game under their belt.”
Both the Magpies and New Lambton FC have showcased ruthless form in the attacking third, combining to score 17 goals against Charlestown Azzurri across two matches.
Horgan knows the Golden Eagles pose a big threat but is confident his side can play their brand of football and shut down New Lambton.
“We just want to play our natural game and that is based around trying to control a lot of the ball and not give the opposition too much time and too many opportunities,” Horgan said.
“If we keep the ball well and we don't turn it over, then they've got fewer opportunities and we can create with our possessions, so that's probably where our focus is.
“We want to start off on the right foot. We want to be trying to find our rhythm and get into playing some good football quickly and settle quickly.
“So, we want to sort of set out the way we intend to play our football this year and make a mark in the first kick-off.”
Maitland will remain without Sophie Stapleford and will monitor Marion Dunbabin.
New Lambton FC will enter the contest on a high after a dominant 10-0 win over Charlestown Azzurri in round one.
Goals from Tara Andrews, Kimberly Trappett, Caitlin Pickett, Chelsea Brown and Sienna Fraser-Kelly highlighted the fierce attacking power the Golden Eagles boast in 2026.
They will be eager to showcase that attacking strength again in round two but will need to be more clinical in front of goal as they prepare to face a tough Maitland backline.
While they faced minimal resistance at the back in round one, they will need to remain switched on against the Magpies.
Having made a powerful statement to open their campaign, the Golden Eagles will be eager to back it up with another dominant performance.
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v Lake Macquarie City FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility 1, Friday 8pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC will be hunting for all three points when they host Lake Macquarie City FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Friday night.
The Buds shared the points with Broadmeadow Magic in round one after trailing 2-0 in the 47th minute.
Although they were unable to secure the win, a motivated comeback performance showcased the grit the Buds will bring in 2026.
The link-up between seasoned Bud Tanya Jones and new signing Marry Ntsweng highlighted the attacking threat the side will carry into the second round. But they will need to tighten their defence after failing to manage pressure at times.
Adamstown did not secure their first win until round seven last season and will be determined to rewrite that story this year by claiming victory as early as round two.
Lake Macquarie City will be set on taking advantage of Adamstown's slip-ups as they chase back-to-back wins.
Lakes secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Newcastle Olympic in round one, as both debutants and returning players showcased the Roosters’ new-look side for the first time this season.
New signings Chelsea Lucas and Alyssa Togo-Paragalli appeared to have played with the likes of captain Brooke Summers for multiple seasons and the Buds will need to be on high alert to put a stop to their attacking forces.
Bye - Broadmeadow Magic