Amy Gosling and several teammates made the move from Warners Bay FC to New Lambton in 2023 with the ambition of building something special. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles will finally have the chance to see just how far that journey has taken them when they contest the Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women’s NNSW grand final.
Gosling joined New Lambton following a successful 2022 season with Warners Bay, where she helped secure the premiership and championship.
Four seasons on, Gosling is thrilled to see the work she and some of the players who made the move with her have put in come to fruition under the guidance of former Warners Bay coach Craig Atkins.
“I’m really proud of the girls, we’ve been building for a while. I joined the club around four years ago with a group of us that came from Warners Bay after winning [in 2022], so we’ve been building every season,” Gosling said.
“We made the semi-finals last year and then this year we’ve made the grand final and that’s just amazing. It just shows how much effort we’ve been putting in.”
Saturday will be New Lambton’s first grand final appearance since 2019, when the Golden Eagles claimed the Herald Women’s Premier League championship and premiership.
The competition transitioned to the National Premier League in 2022, making Saturday’s decider New Lambton’s first Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women’s NNSW grand final.
After reaching the minor semi-final in 2025, the Golden Eagles fell 5-2 to Newcastle Olympic but they have taken another step forward this season to book their place in the decider.
They will enter Saturday’s grand final with the confidence of knowing they are the only side to have defeated Maitland FC in 2026, securing a 2-1 victory in round 16.
“[Having been the only side to defeat Maitland in 2026] definitely just shows that we can do it again and we all believe that we’re in with a very good chance to win this weekend,” Gosling said.
“It’s a neutral field. We’ll have a lot of supporters here and I think a grand final game is just so different to any other game that you play in a season.
“There is so much more pressure, there’s so much more of a crowd. But I think it does give us a lot of encouragement that we can do it.”
The club’s rise has also extended to its reserve grade side, which has gone from finishing bottom of the table last season to reaching the grand final in 2026.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Gosling is proud to see her side’s hard work rewarded with a grand final appearance, while two members of the squad will have the chance to return to the biggest stage with New Lambton, seven years after the club’s last triumph.
“It means so much to be here. It just shows how much effort we have put in this year and I’m just proud of the girls for even making the grand final,” Gosling said.
“We’ve got Lauren Allan and Tara Andrews who were both in the grand final that New Lambton won in 2019, so to be back for them I think is really exciting as well.
“It’s just been a massive buildup for us and now we’re here.”
While New Lambton are chasing the culmination of a four-year build, Maitland arrive at Saturday’s decider driven by a very different motivation: redemption.
The 2026 premiers were left heartbroken after falling 1-0 short to Charlestown Azzurri in last year’s grand final but captain Sophie Stapleford believes that disappointment has helped shape their approach this season.
Maitland have already secured the HMRI Charity Shield, Women’s State Cup and premiership in 2026, but Stapleford is eager to see her side go one step further and finish the season with the championship trophy.
“We set goals at the start of the season and we knew what we needed to focus on and what we wanted to do,” Stapleford said.
“I think the hard work that we've done throughout the season has put us in a really good spot.
“There’s still a lot of hard work to do. It doesn't matter how good you play in the season, finals football is a little bit different but we've shown a lot of resilience this year.
“We've put in a heck of a lot of hard work and mostly I think the girls just want to do it for each other. We believe in each other, we believe in the person that's next to us and what better way to celebrate?”
Stapleford is Maitland’s inaugural captain and has led the side since the club took over Thornton Redbacks Herald Women’s Premier League licence in 2021.
Throughout that time, Stapleford has not lifted the championship trophy but for her, it’s not about the individual accolades, it’s about doing it alongside a team that feels like family.
“Grand final trophies have eluded me for my whole career, so it would be great [to win] but honestly I just want to do it for the girls,” Stapleford said.
“I want to lift the trophy with the girls and celebrate this season because this season has been second to none.
“It’s the camaraderie within the team. Even though we train three times a week and for almost 12 months now, we see each other more times than we see our family during the week.
“It's pretty special when you can say you play with a bunch of talented girls but also some of your best friends as well.”
Saturday is about more than adding another trophy to a season that has already delivered three for Stapleford.
It is an opportunity for Maitland to finish their campaign together, with a club and community that have shared in their journey, while also completing a season that has already seen the club make history.
Across the weekend, Maitland will have all four senior teams competing in grand finals.
The Cardiff Motor Group NPL Women’s NNSW reserve grade side will take on New Lambton on Saturday, while in the NPL Men’s NNSW grand finals on Sunday, the reserve grade side will face Newcastle Olympic before first grade takes on Weston Bears.
Stapleford believes having four teams reach the biggest games of their respective competitions is a reflection of the strength and unity that has been built throughout the club.
“We're already writing history with four teams into the grand final, that's awesome enough,” Stapleford said.
“I'm proud to do it with this club and I'm proud to do it with the community as well because they've been amazing. Our supporters are always there week in, week out.
“Four teams, four grand finals and hopefully four wins.”
Watch Gosling and Stapleford go head-to-head for the championship from 2pm at Darling Street Oval on Saturday 12 September.