Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic v Newcastle Olympic
Magic Park, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Nima Nikfarjam says that the loss of their star striker will not hinder his side when they host rivals Newcastle Olympic at Magic Park on Friday night.
The 2023 premiers and champions have started the season in style, as they sit at the top of the table after four wins and one draw.
But in a big blow for Magic, A-League veteran Adrianna Konjarski announced that the round five match against Warners Bay would be her last for the season as she takes a step back from football.
Nikfarjam said that Konjarski’s departure does affect the side but is confident that he has players within his squad who can fill her shoes.
“She (Konjarski) is a loss,” Nikfarjam said.
“In terms of leadership, AJ played at the highest level and her experience has been so handy for the younger players coming through.
“But this opens up an opportunity to those who are willing to grab it. I would say Emily Loader Weston and Mattiese Loretan are playing well and have a good chance to be able to fill these roles.
“I am very pleased to have a squad that is very versatile and will switch to anywhere that I want them to play and I can bring players up from reserves and they fit straight in.”
The Broadmeadow coach believed that his side was finally where he wanted them after five rounds after multiple personnel changes shook the club up in the offseason.
‘We are where we planned to be at the start of the season in terms of performance,” Nikfarjam said.
“The progression in the work we have been doing is solid and the way I want the team to be playing is finally where it’s supposed to be. Then to top it off and win some games has been great.”
Nikfarjam said that the team is excited to go head-to-head with their rivals this weekend and expects a hard battle.
“I really look forward to being a part of a great opportunity like this and a fierce local derby,” Nikfarjam said.
“Olympic started the season solid but had some rough weeks lately. But that doesn’t take anything out of them being a good club and we know that we need to treat them as a top team and give them the respect they deserve.
“The main focus will be to retain the possession. When you have possession the other team can’t score.”
Newcastle Olympic got their season off to a great start with three wins but has had a dip in in recent weeks after they suffered two back-to-back defeats against Maitland and Charlestown Azzurri.
In an extra blow, the side then were thrashed 7-0 by Maitland in the Women’s League Cup semi-final over Easter.
Olympic sit fourth on the table on nine points and coach Craig Atkins said that they will be desperate to turn things around in the red and blue derby this weekend.
“Obviously we started really well and had a good performance against Maitland and were unlucky but the last two performances have not been to the standard that we are capable of,” Atkins said.
“In the last couple of games, the intensity has not been to the level we want and that is something that we are going to have to bring more on Friday night. You must be getting up for these games.
“We are very confident that we can get back to the way we were playing at the start of the season.
“We just have to get back to playing our style of football and once we start doing that it will click into gear.”
“The girls are keen to bounce back against Magic.”
“I think the red and blue derby is a highlight game on the calendar for both teams and I will be expecting quite a physical and high-intensity battle.”
Sophie McDonald is in doubt for the Friday night clash after sustaining a suspected concussion in the Women’s League Cup match.
Three points can launch Olympic as high as second on the table if other results go their way, which will be an extra incentive for the side this Friday.
Warners Bay FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
John Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Adamstown Rosebud coach Martin Slade says that his side’s aim is to be the best of the bottom four teams this weekend as they travel to John Street Oval to face Warners Bay FC on Sunday.
Adamstown sits fifth on the table and is three points behind Newcastle Olympic. A win will help to ensure that they stay in touch with the top four teams.
But Slade said that his side is realistic about the difficulties of cracking into the top four and has set an aim for the season to finish no lower than fifth.
“We have set ourselves a target that, yes we would love to play finals football this year but if we can finish above New Lambton in fifth then that would represent a huge achievement for us,” Slade said.
“New Lambton, Warners Bay and Mid Coast are our direct competition and we want to be the best of those four teams.
“This is one of the most important weekends of our season.”
Rosebud’s young squad has beaten two of those three teams and will face their final test of the bottom sides on Sunday against the Panthers.
Adamstown showed incredible resilience in their round five 2-0 win over New Lambton after their goalkeeper Janali Haynes was sent off in the 23rd minute which meant that striker Tanya Jones had to put the gloves on.
Slade is pleased with how his squad responded against New Lambton and is glad to have his number one goalkeeper Olivia Sneddon back in between the posts after she was sidelined for three weeks with a concussion.
“Against New Lambton, we managed to do what we have been working on and get the three points in difficult circumstances,” Slade said.
“Liv (Sneddon) is a valuable part of this club, but the fact is that we got the job done without her which speaks volumes to character of our players and the belief that this team has.
“But we are so glad to have Liv (Sneddon) back and it will now free Tanya up to go into the position that she is more comfortable in and hopefully score some goals.”
Adamstown’s coach said that his side will look to shut down Warners Bay’s threats in attack and hoped they can return home with three points.
“I think if we win the ball higher up the pitch then they won’t have the chance to get the ball to Emily (Diaz) or Indianna (Asimus). Those two are very important to that team and without them, there are not a lot of goals scored,” Slade said.
“The focus this weekend is to continue to put in a good performance and play a good style of football which hopefully enough to win the three points.”
Rosebud will likely be without Mia Cook again this weekend as she still recovers from an ankle injury suffered in round four.
Warners Bay will come into the match just two days after their Women’s League Cup match against Charlestown Azzurri on Thursday night.
Ryan Swinkels will hope the quick turnaround does not affect his side and they can bounce back again for Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers have had an improved start to the season compared to 2023 but have still struggled to pick up points, as they sit seventh with one win and four losses to their name.
Swinkels’ side have proved that they can hit the back of the net, as star signing Emily Diaz has scored seven goals in five matches.
But Warners Bay has also conceded 32 goals, which they will need to work on to shut Rosebud’s attack down.
A win this weekend for the Panthers could see them leapfrog New Lambton on the table into sixth position if results go their way.
New Lambton FC v Maitland FC
Alder Park, Saturday 4pm
New Lambton will be eager to bounce back when they host Maitland FC at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles have had a mixed start to the season, with one win and four losses to their name after five rounds.
Aaron Stedman will hope that his side can turn things around after a 2-0 defeat against Adamstown, who played 70 minutes of the match with 10 players and had their striker between the posts as goalkeeper.
With the news that the Newcastle Jets have made it into the semi-finals of the Liberty A-League, New Lambton will have longer to wait for star signings Cass Davis and Lauren Allan to join the squad. The side will have to turn the momentum around in their favour in the meantime in order to keep them in touch with the top four sides.
The Magpies have continued to soar high as they have won their last four games and sit second on the table, one point behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic.
Maitland kept their winning momentum alive in the off week in the competition, thrashing Olympic 7-0 with a clinical performance.
The Magpies reserve grade stars Georgie Williams and Marissa Masterantonio have thrived in the first grade ranks and will give coach Keelan Hamilton a selection headache as multiple key players return to the squad after being overseas for a wedding.
Paige Kingston-Hogg and Alesha Clifford will return this weekend from teammate Georgia Amess's overseas wedding but Amess and Keely Gawthop will still be unavailable. Madeline Howard will also miss the another week with injury.
Mid Coast FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Taree Zone Field, Sunday 4pm
Mid Coast hopes that they can continue to build when they return home to host Charlestown Azzurri on Sunday afternoon.
Middies have not got off to an ideal start, as they sit at the bottom of the table on zero points and have conceded 40 goals in five matches.
But coach Mandy Langlar said that her side’s focus is on improving as individual players and as a team rather than results.
Mid Coast will hope that they can hold strong against Azzurri’s high-intensity side and salvage a point to get them into the competition.
Azzurri will travel to Taree Zone Field after back-to-back wins in the competition and they sit third on the table, three points behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic.
Ella Joyce has put her mark on the competition in recent weeks as she has scored seven goals in five matches and will hope to continue her form again against Mid Coast this weekend.
The Blues will have to deal with a quick turnaround as they have their Women’s League Cup semi-final match against Warners Bay on Thursday night.
But Health Whyte will hope that the fitness and depth of his squad will be able to overcome this challenge and that they will be raring to go from the first whistle this Sunday as they hunt to reach the top of the table.
