Round 16 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW pitches Newcastle Olympic against Maitland FC at Cook Square Park on Sunday! The two matches for both Reserve Grade and First Grade will be difficult and both teams need to be at their very best to come away with any points.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade are at the top of the points table with 29 points while Maitland hold fourth spot on 22 and with a game in hand. Olympics’ mid-season slip up which saw them lose three successive games after leading the pack by as many as 6 points appears to be over.
The two problems faced by the team have been injuries and playing only two competitive matches in four weeks. Hopefully the wet weather is behind us and the team will return to the rhythm that saw them winning 7 games and drawing 1 from their opening 8 matches! Injuries to key players such as Jesse Fitzgerald and Oliver Steinerts coupled with the departure of others like Kane Treble and Steven Theacos to First Grade, has left the coaching staff with less options on the bench.
Olympic defeated Maitland by 3-1 at Darling St Oval earlier in the year but Maitland are strong at home and last week defeated Valentine who were league leaders until that match. On their day, Olympic can destroy the best of teams but to achieve this against Maitland, they need to give 100%.
The match is scheduled for an 11:00am Kick off at Cooks Square Park on Sunday 21st June 2026.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade will also have their hands full against Maitland FC but for different reasons! The boys in blue are 3 points off bottom place and a mere 1 point off second last which leads to a play off to remain in the division. By contrast, Maitland FC is in 4th place on the ladder and has a very good chance of making the finals.
Maitland defeated Olympic 3-2 in the Darling St Oval fixture earlier in the season and will be looking to do the same at Cooks Square Park. If Olympic have self-belief in being able to spoil the fun for Maitland, they most certainly can come away with a point or even points! Everything will depend on the attitude with which they begin the match and the level of commitment they demonstrate during the match.
The match is scheduled for a 1:00pm Kick off at Cooks Square Park on Sunday 21st June 2026.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade returned to the top of the league table after an emphatic 3-1 win over Kahibah FC while First Grade were held to a 3-3 draw.
Playing in cold and moist conditions at the unfamiliar time of 9:00am Newcastle Olympic took on a Kahibah FC side sporting from their first win of the season! Despite being only their second match over the past four weeks Olympic set to work and was able to hit the lead in the 11th minute through Lucas Walsh and the 39th minute through Wil Phillips!
By half time there was no misconception about who was in the driving seat at Darling St Oval, particularly after the 1-0 loss by league leaders Valentine, the day before! A win in this match would return the boys in blue to 1st spot on the ladder where they had been for most of the season.
Olympic continued to go through the motions in uncomfortable conditions in the second half but did not add any more goals to kill off the game. In the 84th minute Kahibah scored through Lachlan Hodgetts and for a moment an upset was on the cards. This was put to rest in the last minute of play by Kaiden Boldery who made the scoreline 3-1 to Olympic!
This was Olympics’ 9th win of the season but only their second in the past six weeks! The win in conjunction with Valentine’s 1-0 defeat at Maitland returns Olympic to the top of the table by one point!
With seven matches remaining there is plenty of time to create a commanding lead while at the same time room to lose the lead too if there are any further slip ups.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade were able to salvage a 3-3 draw from a team which is bottom of the table and which was leading the match from the 65th minute until 10 minutes from time!
Despite the changes in coaching staff and despite two weeks break, Olympic fell behind to an own goal in the 26th minute before Kale Bradbery equalised in the 36th minute and Dominik Brymora put them 2-1 right on half time.
With the start of the second half Kahibah equalised the match in the 52nd minute with Jackson Burston and went 3-2 ahead with Jilles Bos in the 65th minute. Olympic then chased the game until 10 minutes from time when Wil Southcombe was able to score and save the day!
This draw keeps Olympic to within 3 points of relegation and 1 point to second last spot which leads to a play off to avoid relegation!
Newcastle Olympic return to Darling St Oval to contest Round 15 of the 2026 NPL competition against lowly placed Kahibah FC. In both matches, Reserve and First Grade, securing 3 points is of the utmost importance for different reasons.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade return from a bye over the long weekend and probably needed to recover from the brutal encounter with Adamstown Rosebud in the previous round. Olympic have one win in their last five outings and occupy 2nd place on the ladder, 2 points behind Valentine FC.
Kahibah on the other hand recorded their first win of the season but occupy last spot on the table, 6 points behind second last, Charlestown Azzurri! In the previous round they were on the receiving end of a 11-1 thumping at the hands of Cooks Hill and have conceded 41 goals in 12 matches!
The difference in strength between the two teams is enormous and with a defence that leaks 3.5 goals on average, it will be difficult to see how Kahibah can avoid defeat. Olympic had a brilliant start to the season with 7 wins and 1 draw before they lost three games in a row! They recorded a hard-fought win against Weston since then and a brutal 0-0 draw against Adamstown prior to this game. A win in this match is of paramount importance to keep the pressure on Valentine and reclaim their throne on the points table.
The match kicks off very early, 9:00am on Sunday 14th June at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade have undergone some changes since their match against Adamstown in Round 15 of the competition. Their coach Michael Bolch has left the club and been replaced by interim coach Alex Tagaroulias.
Kahibah are at the bottom of the table on 10 points while Olympic are just 3 points above them! Indeed, there are six clubs with only 4 points between them and all six will be battling to move away from the relegation zone!
Olympic will have worked very hard over the past two weeks to put the poor results behind them and make a fresh start on Sunday. A win will give them confidence and 3 points to move mid table and away from the danger zone.
Belief in their ability to fight and win will be the objective at Darling St Oval on Sunday.
The match kicks off at the very early time of 11:00am on Sunday 14th June at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic was held to a scoreless 0-0 draw by Adamstown Rosebud at the LMRFF in Speers Point on Saturday night while First Grade lost 2-0 and is now flirting with relegation at the opposite end of the points table!
On a cold night at Speers Point, the few spectators who braved the conditions were treated to a high intensity match with few goal scoring opportunities at either end. Just like the Round 3 fixture at Darling St Oval, the match was physical and sometimes even brutal! Unlike the 10 yellow and 2 red cards that were shown by the referee in the first game, there was only one yellow shown in this match! This occurred in the 32nd minute when Thomas Rooke of Adamstown took out Olympic midfielder George Tsamouras in a heavy tackle which should have been a straight red!
Olympic dominated possession throughout and threatened Adamstown but was unable to create any clear-cut goal scoring opportunities. The 9-1 corner count showed how much they dominated but Adamstown’s physical approach to the match meant that they also needed to be careful of quick counter attacks.
Adamstown had done their homework on the Olympic side. This was evident very early in the match when Olympics’ midfield distribution outlets were heavily marked by the opposition to contain their offensive play. This was successful perhaps due to the marking, the physical play, and possibly due to the fact the team had not played for a fortnight due to the washed-out match against Charlestown Azzurri.
Despite this, in the last 25 minutes Olympic had Adamstown playing in their final third of the field and were using the “high-press” to the point that the Rosebuds had difficulty playing out! Spectators were left biting their nails as the Olympic forwards and midfielders swarmed the Adamstown players trying to play out in an attempt to force the error that would enable them to score.
The error didn’t come and Olympic were held to a 0-0 draw, their second draw of the season, against the same opponent! This result moved them to within 1 point off league leaders Valentine FC whose match against Cooks Hill was washed out earlier in the day.
Two hours earlier and at the same venue Newcastle Olympic First Grade took on Adamstown Rosebud and were beaten 2-0, their third successive defeat by a team equal last on the points table, going into this match!
The boys in blue fell behind in the 14th minute to a goal by Nicolas Gismero and another by Kayden Soper in the 37th minute. Two yellow cards in the 28th and 30th minutes by Jared Muller didn’t help the team, having to play with one man short for one hour of the game! Adamstown missed many opportunities during the first half and were unlucky not to have been in the lead by a bigger goal margin.
The second half didn’t produce any goals but with a two-goal cushion Adamstown was able to keep Olympic at length from their goal. The final 13-3 shots on goal ratio to Adamstown tells the story of the night! Indeed, of the 3 shots on goal by Olympic, not one was on target!
This result brings Olympic to equal third last spot on the points table on 13 points, with the two teams bellow them, Valentine on 11 and Kahibah on 10, not having played on the weekend due to the weather!
Newcastle Olympic face Adamstown Rosebud FC in Round 14 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. After the wash out against Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 and the expected heavy rain on Thursday-Friday the games for both the men’s Reserve Team and First Grade will be held at the LMRFF of Speers Point.
Olympic Reserve Grade have the opportunity to frog leap Valentine FC on the points table who face a tough away game at Cooks Hill. Olympic sit just 2 points behind in second spot and have recorded their first win against Weston after three consecutive defeats!
Adamstown is in 9th place on the ladder and are winless in their past 6 matches! In the Round 3 fixture which was postponed and replayed on Wednesday April 1st, the score between the two teams was a 1-1 draw. This was a physical match which will be remembered for the 10 yellow cards and two red handed out by the referee.
Both teams will have something to prove and both will want the 3 points.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade face Adamstown Rosebud two hours earlier at the same venue! Both teams had washed out games last week against Charlestown Azzurri and Kahibah respectively. Olympic have won 3 games all season and occupy 8th spot on the points table on 13 points while Adamstown have won just 2 games and are in last place on 10 points.
With only 3 points separating the teams a loss by Olympic could land them in last place on the table and a battle to escape relegation. A win for Adamstown will get them off last place and give them some breathing space to pull away from the danger zone.
In the Round 3 fixture earlier in the season the teams played out a 2-2 draw at Darling St Oval.
Kick off is scheduled for 6:00pm on Saturday 30th May, 2026 at LMRFF 2.
Round 13 of the 2026 NPL Northern NSW competition between Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri scheduled for Saturday 23rd May 2026 at Darling St Oval has been postponed due to the wet weather.
Newcastle Olympic take on Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition.
Reserve Grade will be looking to record their 9th win of the season in order to reclaim 1st position on the points Table while First Grade their 4th win of the season in an attempt to move away from the relegation zone.
After winning seven games and drawing one from eight matches, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade experienced a horror three weeks in which they sustained a 1-0 defeat by Edgeworth Eagles, a 2-1 defeat by Valentine FC and a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Lambton Jaffas!
All this came to an end last week with a 3-1 home victory over Weston Bears in a match which they had to work hard to win. They sit in 2nd spot two points behind Valentine FC!
Charlestown Azzurri sit in 11th position on the table on 3 wins, 5 defeats and 3 draws. In the second-round fixture Olympic had no problem defeating Azzurri by 3-0 and should be favourites to collect the 3 points at Darling St Oval on Saturday. Kick off is scheduled for 12:00am.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade have won once in their last eight outings and sit 3 points off bottom of the table! Although there are 10 games remaining they are in desperate need of points to move away from the bottom end of the points table!
They have won a total of three games all season and one of those was a 2-1 win over Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval. Azzurri have won one game more but sit on the same points but with a game in hand.
They are a team which is either hot or cold. On their day they can beat the league leaders away (4-2 over Weston) and on a bad day they can lose at home to the bottom team of the league (1-2 by Valentine). This indifference in form was the cause of their coach James Pascoe to walk away from the club and focus on his family.
Hopefully Azzurri can be in the lesser mood on Saturday and Olympic can secure 3 points. Kick off is scheduled for 2:00am but a lot will depend on the amount of rain between now and Saturday.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade returned to their winning ways against Weston defeating the Bears 3-1. Olympic First Grade however lost again by 2-1 against the same opponent.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade put smiles on everyone’s faces with a gutsy 3-1 win over Weston after three successive losses which cost them first place on the points table. Playing in front of their fans at Darling St Oval for the second successive game the boys in blue took control of the match and dictated play.
Without the handicap of players from first grade “playing down”, the midfield trio of Goble-Lote, Harvey and Tsamouras were controlling proceedings in the middle while Zervas, Fitzgerald and Butler were a constant threat up front.
In the 19th minute a through ball by Blake Clifton in midfield to George Tsamouras and a quick one-two with Fitzgerald resulted in a wide pass to Zervas who laid the ball perfectly for Butler to strike it home and open the score for Olympic, 1-0!
A few minutes later Jye King of Weston was allowed to advance unchallenged until outside the box and from there he unleashed a long range shot which the Olympic goalkeeper wasn’t able to even get a hand for a 1-1 scoreline!
In the remaining 20 minutes until half time, an injury to Rhys Butler which caused a reshuffle of players as well as the natural confidence from the equaliser resulted in Weston getting the upper hand.
At half time Olympic swapped both centre halves who were filling in for Phillips and Paksec who were recovering from injury. The team regained control of the game and began to dictate play. With strength and composure at the back, crispy one touch passing in the middle and threatening strikes by their forward line, they were a delight to watch.
As early as the 46th minute a quickly taken short corner by Walshe and Tsamouras resulted in a beautiful cross into the box and with a glancing header by Fitzgerald the score became 2-1. A little while later a magnificent move and a through ball by Tsamouras to Fitzgerald resulted in another goal but this was disallowed as offside!
With the introduction of Steinerts and Petersen Olympic were in complete control and it was only a matter of time before they scored again to secure the result. This came in the 82nd minute when a pass from Fitzgerald found Steinerts on the edge of the box who had little trouble burying the ball at the back of the net with a smashing left drive.
Olympic not only returned to their winning ways but this was done against a strong opponent who fought and competed throughout the match. Despite the win Olympic remain 2 points behind Valentine on the points table but with 10 games remaining, there is plenty of time for them to return to 1st spot.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade misfortunes continued against Weston, going down by 2-1 despite putting up a fight. The boys in blue began well but found themselves behind as early as the 24th minute when Brock Beveridge opened the score for Weston with a long range shot from outside the box!
This lead was short lived as four minutes later a quick counter-attack produced a fine cross from Kale Bradbery and Ben Hays pounced to level the score 1-1. The arm wrestle continued between the two sides and just before half time a routine attack by Weston resulted in Chris Hatfield wrong footing the Olympic goal-keeper to send his side 2-1 into the half time interval.
In the second half Weston tried to score the goal that would secure the three points for them but Olympic fought all the way to try and equalise. The excellent performance by the Weston goalkeeper played a big role at keeping Olympic at bay!
Despite a gusty effort this was Olympics’ second successive defeat at home and it leaves them 14 points from the top and a mere 3 points off bottom spot. Next week they host Charlestown Azzurri and they are in desperate need of the two points to avoid a battle at the wrong end of the points table.
Newcastle Olympic take on Weston Bears at Darling St Oval in Round 12 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL Men’s competition. Reserve Grade kick off at 1:00pm on Sunday 17th May 2026 while First Grade kick off at 3:00pm.
Reserve Grade go into the second half of the season having won 7 games, drawn 1 and lost 3 and sitting in second spot on the table, 2 points behind Valentine FC. Although this is an envious position to be, given they have lost their past three games in succession, they could have been in a lot better position!
Although they have no problem in attack, having scored 26 goals in 11 matches, their otherwise rock-solid defence has leaked in 7 goals in the past three matches for a total of 13 for the season!
The team seamed to be going from strength to strength having won all their games and dropping only two points in a midweek catch up game to Adamstown Rosebud in a match during which the match officials dished out 10 yellow cards and 1 red!
The momentum of the team appeared to change when first grade players were sent to “play down” in reserve grade to gain some playing minutes. This sometimes created a situation where the players on the bench were stronger than those in the starting the line-up!
The three losses were by 1 goal difference and while it’s not the end of the world, particularly at the halfway mark of the season, a return to their winning ways will be a welcomed sight on Sunday.
Weston is in 6th place on the table with 5 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses. They didn’t begin the season well losing 1-0 to Olympic but managed 4 wins in their past 5 games. They were completely dominated by league leaders Valentine FC by 3-0 and will not be coming to Darling St to repeat their loss.
Given that Olympic also are coming from 3 consecutive losses both teams will have something to prove on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade have not had a good first half of the season having won only 3 matches, drawn 4 and lost 4! They are in 7th spot on the table 2 points outside the top five but also 3 points from second last spot!
Apart from a 6-1 triumph at Valentine FC two weeks ago they have had little to be happy about for some time! Inconsistency and better finishing in front of goal are the ingredients required in the second half of the season.
A few consecutive wins could turn an ordinary season to a promising season with the team within reach of making the finals. Alternatively, if they continue being unable to win for a little longer, they could find themselves battling at the wrong end of the points table.
Weston arrive at Darling St Oval in second place on the points table after leading the competition for most of the season! A 2-2 home draw at the hands of Edgeworth and a shock 2-0 loss at the hands of Valentine have knocked them off their perch and they will want to secure the 3 points on Sunday to return to their winning ways.
Will Olympic find a way to score against Weston and record their first win in the second half of the season and fourth overall or will Weston put the disappointing results of the past two weeks behind them by Olympic to the sword?
Newcastle Olympic crash out to Lambton Jaffas in the last game of the first half of the 2026 NPL season of Northern NSW! Reserve Grade lost their third successive game of the season 4-3 while First Grade were defeated 2-0 at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade made it a trifecta in losses and dropped from first spot on the table to second after a 4-3 loss in front of a full house at Darling St Oval! Olympic began the match in almost a hypnotic pace conceding in the 3rd minute and the 22nd minute before kicking into gear.
Without regular centre halves Andrew Paksec and William Phillips and goalkeeper Ryan Reid the Olympic defence conceded goals they normally avoid. The first came from poor marking and not being on the goal side of the opponent after a sustained attack by Jaffas and the second from an inability to be first to the ball and clearing a cross!
At 2-0 down the team kicked into gear from their trance like tempo and began to press their opponent. The boys in blue began to play with greater intensity and aggression and by the 36th minute brought the score back to 1-2 through a nice goal by midfielder George Tsamouras.
Half time found them trailing 1-2 and with a shots-on-goal ratio of 7-5 to Olympic.
The second half belonged to Olympic with the team dominating possession and dictating play. The warning signs of what was about to happen came as early as the 49th minute when a well drilled and curling shot by George Tsamouras from the edge of the box went slightly over the bar.
In the 52nd minute an interception by Nikolai Zervas on the edge of the box to a suicidal pass across the face of goal by Lambton Jaffas resulted in a great shot and a 2-2 scoreline! The smiles returned and the momentum in the team indicated that this game was certainly not over yet.
In the 55th minute a defence splitting ball by George Tsamouras into Jess Fitzgerald inside the box resulted in Nikolai Zervas finding himself facing an empty goal but he shot over the post!
In the 59th minute a well worked move on the right by Lucas Walshe and George Tsamouras and a cross by the later found Nikolai Zervas in the far post who had no problem firing the ball into the net for a 3-2 lead! Although the goal was allowed to stand, the linesman signalled a foul on a Jaffas defender by Lucas Walshe in the lead up and the goal was disallowed. The decision was probably correct but given the number of heavy tackles that were waved as “play on” during the game, this was against the grain of play!
In exactly 1 minute latter the outstanding Jaffas goalkeeper, Ethan Lewis, was tested again by Olympic when a nice through ball by George Tsamouras to Lucas Walshe resulted in a stinging curling shot which was tipped around the post for a corner. A well flighted deep corner by George Tsamouras to the far post which was headed down by Blake Clifford and into the path of Lucas Walshe resulted in an unstoppable shot and 3-2 was now on the scoreboard. In 40 minutes Olympic turned a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead!
Olympic continued to dominate play and looked very comfortable on the ball and with their lead. During a routine attack by Jaffas and a cross from the left, not marking the opponent goal side, resulted in a lone Jaffas attacker connecting with the ball and despite being surrounded by five Olympic players, bringing the game to 3-3!
In the remaining 18 minutes Olympic peppered the Jaffas goal for the winner but without success. In the 90th minute the decision of the Olympic goalkeeper to come off his line to intercept an opponent who was being shadowed by an Olympic defender resulted in the later to fire from distance, catch the keeper out and instead of a 3-3 draw, enabled Lambton Jaffas to walk away with a 4-3 win!
The calamitous errors in defence and poor finishing up front are the main characteristics of this game. The “engine room” – midfield contributed to a 23 to 11 shots on goal ratio for Olympic but of these 23 shots, only 9 were on target!
The end of the first half of the season finds Olympic in 2nd spot on the table, 2 points behind league leaders Valentine FC. This is disappointing given that they have led the competition for most of the season! Despite this, they are certainly in contention for the Premiership and with a little more consistency should return to their winning ways.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade were hoping for a winning result after their 5-1 triumph at Valentine the previous week but it wasn’t to be against a very disciplined Lambton Jaffas.
Both teams began the match evenly with both trying to find ways to open the scoreline but it wasn’t until the 27th minute when Drew Patterson from Jaffas side stepped his opponent inside the Olympic box and sent in an unstoppable curling shot into the Olympic net.
At half time Jaffas were 1-0 up and were narrowly ahead 8-7 on the shots on goal ratio.
In the second half the arm wrestle continued until the 57th minute when a move by Archie Finn and Jospeh Langlois resulted in Sam Donnellan finding himself with only the keeper to beat and having no problem raising the score to 2-0.
Olympic continued to go forward but after 15 shots on goal, of which only 3 were on target, and 6 corners, they were unable to break the Jaffas defence.
This defeat leaves Olympic 2 points off 5th spot on the points table and 3 points from second last spot at the halfway mark of the season. Their next opponent is Weston Bears who sustained a 2-0 humiliating home defeat, as league leaders, at the hands of Valentine FC.
George Tsamouras Football Journey 