Match of the Round
Alstonville FC v Moore Creek FC
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 14 February, 4pm
Moore Creek FC coach Andrew Cygan expects a challenging contest when his side takes on Alstonville FC at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday in round one of the UNE NNSW Regional Super League.
Moore Creek is a seasoned club in the Northern Inland Premier League, fresh off a premiership winning 2025 campaign.
The Mountain Goats will now kick off their 2026 season with travelling almost four hours from their home base in the Northern Inland region to take on the Football Far North Coast club, who will make a two-hour journey of their own to Coffs Harbour.
But even on neutral ground Cygan understands that Alstonville is a tough matchup for their UNE NNSW RSL debut.
“It's going to be hard for us. We know we're going to be up against a really strong side,” Cygan said.
“We know OVA [Oxley Vale Attunga] from Tamworth, that'll be a hard game. For the Coffs City [United] game we're hoping we can go there and get a win.
“But this first one [against Alstonville], we kind of believe as a club that this will be our hardest game we'll play this season. So if we can go there and hold our heads high when we leave, that's what we'll be aiming for.”
Cygan said his premiership winning side have had a small change in personnel and suffered a range of injuries but if they believed in their abilities they could go beyond the group stage.
“We've lost probably four of our first graders, with the younger guys moving away to university or a couple of players that have moved on. But we’ve had a good recruitment team that have got us a couple of players, so I think we are going to be as strong, if not stronger than we were last year,” Cygan said.
“We lost our top goalscorer for work commitments and we do have one of our very good strikers injured at the moment, so it'll be a couple of months before he's back in for a spring.
“Our game will probably start a bit different to normal because of who we have out. We're a brilliant attacking team. We score lots of goal but in this Regional Super League, I think it needs a different approach.
“We'll probably be a bit more cautious. We need to be very switched on. This first game we just need to prove that we're good enough and believe in ourselves.
“We talk a lot about a buy-in, if everyone buys into what we're trying to do as a club and as a team and if everyone has the same thought process that I certainly have, I think we’ll do well.”
Alstonville enters the contest as another strong club in their local football community.
They finished top of Far North Coast Men’s Premier League table in 2025, with coach Andrea Zubani named Men’s Premier League Coach of the Year and player Eli Gambley named Men’s Premier League Player of the Year.
Zubani said he was ecstatic his side would take part in the UNE NNSW RSL with the aim to go all the way to the end.
“Me and the boys are very excited to be part of it. It was great news to me that this year we can do it and I mean honestly speaking we want to try and go as far as we can,” Zubani said.
“I know that probably every single team would say the same but since we're in it, we want to try and get to the grand final, if possible.
“We've lost a couple of players from last year's squad but we brought a few new players in. We started pre-season a month ago and we've already had three trial games leading into the game coming this weekend.
“I'm actually really looking forward to it because I've been around this area for a while. First, I was at Alstonville as a player and I started coaching last year and I'm just excited for the boys to play a new competition, which is going to let us play against teams that we never usually play against.
“So yeah, it's just everyone is really looking forward to it. We can't wait for Saturday.”
The UNE NNSW RSL consists of three group stage matches before finals and Zubani said he understood how important it was to start the competition firing.
“We've had our last trial this past weekend and that has already stepped up from the previous two. The competition is only three rounds to try and make the top two in your group, so I think the intensity is going to be quite high,” Zubani said.
“It's almost like a cup final in a sense because if you lose this weekend, then you're in a position where you already have your back against the wall, you need to win the next two games to actually have a chance at making the semis.
“So, I think this game is really, really important.”
Byron Bay FC v Port Saints
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 14 February, 6pm
Byron Bay FC coach Ben Ahern is not worried about his side taking on the reigning UNE NNSW Regional Super League champions when they go head-to-head with Port Saints at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday afternoon.
Byron Bay is a well-established club within the Far North Coast football community and competes in the Football Far North Coast Men’s Premier League.
The side were just three points away from securing the premiership in 2025 but had the last laugh when they scored a 3-1 victory in the grand final.
Ahern believed his squad was even stronger in 2026 to boost their championship defence and UNE NNSW RSL debut.
“We've retained a lot of our team plus we've sort of grown a little bit, so the squad is actually a little bit stronger, which is a good sign to start with,” Ahern said.
“This is our second year around and it was a very new team last year. We've got a good building sort of platform now. So it's sort of executing everything a little bit more often and probably adapting in our attacks, just being a bit more consistent with that.
“I'm not too sure what our competition's looking like at the moment. It sort of looks like us and Alstonville are going to be sort of battling head-to-head for most of the season.
“But I think in our second year, now that the team has sort of formed and everyone knows each other a lot better, it’s really about making everything a bit sharper and more consistent.”
Facing the reigning champions could be a worry for a lot of teams but for Ahern everyone is on an even playing field.
“I'm not really particularly worried about [Port Saints] to be honest. I think this early on in the season it’s just not worth sort of putting any of that into perspective until we sort of see everyone up and running and everyone's had a few games under their belt,” Ahern said.
“So I’m just looking forward to the team having the exposure and experience to play.”
Ahern said it would be a bonus for his side to start their campaign with a win but wanted them to focus on putting their best foot forward.
“I think it's always exciting to get a win. We're a hungry club. We want to win everything in there,” Ahern said.
“But giving the team that I'll be bringing down, it'll be great to win, but realistically, it's more about just exposing these younger players to these experiences at this point.
“A win is a bonus but if we can take that and sort of put our best foot in the door that'd be unreal.”
Port Saints will enter the competition with a target on their back after a 1-0 victory over Northern Storm in the 2025 UNE NNSW RSL grand final crowned them the inaugural champions.
The Saints were also premiers and champions of the Football Mid North Coast Zone League One, navigating the 2025 season with just one loss.
Mirroring their local league form, the Saints went undefeated in their 2025 UNE NNSW RSL campaign, recording five straight wins along the way.
But success did not come easily, with three of those five victories decided by a single goal.
Coach Luca Paolacci will be hoping his side can begin their title defence with a commanding performance.
Coffs City United v Oxley Vale Attunga
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 14 February, 11:30am
Two sides new to the UNE Regional Super League will be eager to kick off round one with a bang when Coffs City United welcome Oxley Vale Attunga to Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday morning.
Oxley Vale Attunga is a powerhouse name in the Northern Inland Premier League coming second in 2025 before falling one match short of the grand final.
They join fellow Northern Inland representatives Inverell FC and Moore Creek in the competition but there will be no friendly fixtures after the Mountain Goats knocked them out of the Northern Inland Premier League finals series in 2025.
Coach Timothy Coates will hope that they can build momentum early and start their UNE RSL campaign with a win.
Coffs City United have established themselves as a club to beat in the north coast region.
In 2025 they were crowned grand final winners of the Men’s HIT105.5FM Premier League after coming sixth in 2024.
The Lions will be hoping their home crowd acts as a 12th player on Saturday, giving them the boost they need to start the season strong.
With the fans behind them coach Connor Knight will be determined for his side to hit the ground running and make their debut in the UNE RSL one to remember.
Northern Storm v Inverell FC
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 14 February, 2pm
Two sides with history to settle will go head-to-head when Northern Storm take on Inverell FC in round one of the UNE Regional Super League on Saturday afternoon.
The two sides last met in the semi-final in 2025, where Northern Storm thumped Inverell 6-0.
A hat-trick for the Storm’s En Sian Muang Lina, double for Benjamin Dove and one for Marko Kisose helped them secure a position in the grand final where they ultimately went down 1-0 to Port Saints.
Northern Storm only lost one of their group matches in 2025 and they will be determined to do one better in 2026 and make their way to the grand final undefeated.
Coach Craig Caruana will hope his side can replicate their dominant semi-final performance to start both the UNE RSL and their North Coast Football Men’s HIT105.5FM Premier League seasons on a high.
Inverell only conceded one goal in their first three group matches in 2025, which saw them enter the finals weekend at the top of their table with the best for and against.
In the semi-final they were reduced to 10 men early in the second half after Jefica Karavaki was shown his second yellow card. They will be determined to keep all 11 on the pitch to have their best chance of weathering the Storm in round one.
Coach Damian Schutz will look for his side to replicate their dominant group stage performances in 2026 and secure a position at the top of the Men’s Group B table.
Don’t miss out on any of the action from the UNE NNSW RSL Men’s round one. All matches will be streamed live and free on NNSWF’s YouTube channel HERE.