With finals spots on the line, we have an important clash between Newcastle Olympic FC and Weston Workers Bears while there are interesting matchups across the rest of Round 15.
Match of the Round - Newcastle Olympic FC v Weston Workers FC
Darling Street Oval, Saturday 3:15pm
Darling Street Oval will host this weekend’s Match of the Round when Newcastle Olympic FC welcomes Weston Workers FC to Hamilton in Round 15 on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears enter this blockbuster clash hunting to regain the top spot on the ladder, while Olympic are hoping to climb the table and finish the weekend entrenched in the top five.
Olympic are in seventh position with Maitland in fourth only separated by goal difference.
There are only eight games remaining in the season as the race to the finals heats up, making each and every point a crucial one.
Olympic lost their most recent game, going down 3-1 against Broadmeadow Magic in Round 14, ending a six-game unbeaten run, picking up 14 of a possible 18 points.
But true to their form this year, Olympic managed to bounce back immediately, defeating Northern Rivers side Alstonville FC 2-0 in the preliminary round six of the Australia Cup.
The last time that Olympic and Weston met was on the Bears’ home soil earlier this year in Round four.
The last time the Bears beat Olympic in a league match was more than four years ago, in the Round 12 in 2019 when they prevailed 4-2 at Darling Street Oval.
Weston won their most recent match defeating Edgeworth FC 2-1 away from home in Round 14.
Weston have since slipped back to second after Charlestown Azzurri FC beat Valentine FC in a rescheduled Round 13 game last Saturday.
Valentine FC v Maitland FC
Hunter Sports Centre, Saturday 5pm
Maitland FC are flying and coach Mick Bolch is confident his men can improve on an eight-game unbeaten run this Saturday when the Magpies travel to Glendale to take on Valentine FC.
The Magpies have won their past five matches and they have also won three Australia Cup games during that run, which has seen them qualify for the preliminary round seven.
While Maitland are enjoying a sensational run of form, the team is motivated by the reminder of their slow start to the season, which saw the side with only one win in their first six games.
A 3-1 loss at home against Valentine in Round Four is also adding extra motivation to coach Michael Bolch and the Magpies.
“We’re travelling well at the moment. I think we were on five points from our first six games, but we’ve turned the corner,” Bolch said.
“We’ve won our past five league games and three cup games in that run, so we’re eight games on the trot now. Hopefully that form carries through to the weekend.
“We lost our first game against Valo and we’ve spoken a bit at length about it. We lost three games on the trot, which we haven’t done in the last few years. It was Azzurri, Valo and Weston.
“We spoke about this run of three games we are on now – we beat Azzurri two weeks ago and then we’ve got Valo and Weston. We’ve put emphasis on these three matches, to reverse the results of the first round.
“I’m sure the boys will be up for it when it comes to Saturday night.”
Maitland led 1-0 during the second half of its Round Four match against Valentine after a Damon Green 21st-minute strike put the hosts ahead at Cooks Square Park.
Valentine are eighth on the table and are looking to bounce back from a 1-0 loss in a rescheduled Round 13 contest against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday.
Valentine are currently two wins outside the top five and will be hoping they can begin a finals push with a win over Maitland on Saturday.
Lambton Jaffas FC v Edgeworth FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
Both teams will be vying for three points when Lambton Jaffas host Edgeworth at Arthur Edden Oval.
The Jaffas have revenge on their minds after they were eliminated from the 2023 Australia Cup in the preliminary round six last weekend by the Eagles.
The Jaffas are the competition’s defending champions but this season they are sixth on 24 points.
Edgeworth are also on 24 points, with both teams having won seven games, drawn three and lost four.
Edgeworth’s for-and-against difference of eight is one better than Lambton’s, which is all that separates the sides heading into a match that will see the winner finish inside the top five.
The finals race is shaping up to be tight with results crucial for both sides.
New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC
Alder Park, Saturday 2:30pm
New Lambton FC and Adamstown Rosebud FC were put on notice before the long weekend in round 14 when Lake Macquarie City FC scored its first win of the season.
Adamstown is 10th on the 12-team ladder on eight points ahead of 11th-placed New Lambton on goal difference.
The chances of a three-way wooden spoon battle unfolding increased when the Lake Macquarie Roosters beat the Rosebud to move to four points, closing the gap between themselves and the two teams above them from seven points to four.
Both teams are determined to finish the round in 10th and leave the two teams below in the rear-view mirror.
The Eagles have lost four on the trot since securing their second win of the campaign when they defeated Lake Macquarie 3-0 at home at Alder Park in Round 11.
Adamstown’s most recent win heading into this Saturday’s fixture was in Round 12, which they will be looking to repeat on Saturday.
Cooks Hill United FC v Broadmeadow Magic FC
Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, Saturday 3pm
Cooks Hill United FC is eyeing off a happy homecoming when they host Broadmeadow Magic FC at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field after playing their last eight matches on the road.
Cooks Hill have not had a home game since Round five and are sitting ninth on the table. They will be hoping that they are able to gain a home-ground advantage as they face a tough task against a strong third-place Magic side.
Magic have been in excellent form away from home form this season, having lost just one of their six away matches this season.
The two sides met in Round four at Magic Park where the hosts defeated Cooks Hill 2-0. A Riley Smith first half double earned Magic the three points.
Magic enters Round 15 in red-hot form, unbeaten in their past five matches in the competition as well as a 5-1 victory in preliminary round six of the Australia Cup against Northern Rivers side Bangalow FC at Magic Park on Saturday to advance to preliminary round seven.
Magic will be relying on their continuing their tacking prowess on Saturday.
Lake Macquarie City FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC
Macquarie Field, Sunday 2:30pm
An intriguing contest will wrap up Round 15 this weekend when Charlestown Azzurri take on Lake Macquarie at Lisle Carr Oval.
It has been a tough season for last-placed Lake Macquarie in 2023. But coach Steve Piggot declared earlier this month that his club’s focus was the development of its young players over results.
However, a result certainly followed when the Roosters scored their first win of the season in round 14. It was an emphatic one at that as they prevailed 4-1 on home soil at Macquarie Field against Adamstown Rosebud FC.
The Roosters are last on the table on four points following that win, four points behind both Adamstown and New Lambton. A win this weekend could see them reduce that deficit but they will have a monumental task on their hands when they meet the table-topping Azzurri.
The Charlestown have won 10 of their 14 games this season, one of which was against the Roosters at Macquarie Park in Round Four.
Azzurri’s most recent win was last Saturday, defeating Valentine FC 1-0 at Hunter Sports Centre with a goal from Rene Ferguson in the 39th minute.
Charlestown’s past two victories have come against bottom five teams by a margin of just one goal and they will be hoping to prevail more convincingly this Sunday against Lake Macquarie City FC.