George Tsamouras Football Journey

Newcastle Olympic came away with two draws in the wash out Round 3 fixture of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition. Playing only their second home game of the season Reserve Grade dropped their first points after being forced to a 1-1 draw while First Grade were able to force a 2-2 draw at the end of the match!

Olympic Reserve Grade began their game with much promise after taking the lead in the 4^th minute of play when Steven Theacos put a well flighted ball to Kane Treble on the left flank. The Adamstown goalkeeper came charging out of his goal, Treble sidestepped him and tapped the ball into an empty net! This was a perfect start to the game and the Olympic faithful who filled the Darling St Oval grandstand began to rub their hands for the sixth consecutive victory of the season.

What no one knew was that by the end of the match the referee was going to hand out 7 yellow cards and 1 red to Olympic and another 3 yellow cards and 1 red to Adamstown Rosebud for a total of 10 yellows and 2 reds! Being a referee is not an easy job and sometimes they too can have a bad game! The fouls ratio by the end of the match was 17 to 14 Adamstown’s way, yet the cards 8 to 4 Olympics’ way!!!

 Olympic was very compact in defence and reduced Adamstown to only 5 shots on goal throughout the match with only 2 on target while Olympic took 18 shots on goal and only 3 on target! Olympic controlled the game and were never threatened but Adamstown had a physical presence that prevented Olympic from dictating play like they did in the 5 previous games.

Despite this, Olympic were cruising along and after a corner by Adamstown was cleared with a header by George Tsamouras, the ball fell into the path of left back Lewis Houston who chested a bounced ball to get it under control and while leading a speedy counter-attack, the referee blew his whistle to stop play. The decision was that Houston didn’t control the ball with his chest but with his elbow and Adamstown were awarded a penalty! Despite the protests the gift was then converted into a goal and 1-1 was the scoreline that the teams walked off for the half time interval.

In the second half Olympic continued to have the lion’s share of shots on the Adamstown goal but the physical presence of the Rosebuds kept the scoreline at 1-1. As the game wore on, both teams began to show evidence of fatigue given it was a midweek game and after a day’s work for most of the players. Olympic tried to freshen their play by brining in Lucas Walshe, Oliver Steinerts and First Grade player Brody Taylor, in the 60^th minute.

Taylor’s first touch on the ball resulted in a yellow card and given the referee’s appetite for cards on the night, he received another yellow and was shown the path to the dressing rooms with a red, 20 minutes later! The Olympic coaching staff also received 2 yellow cards for protesting and 4 minutes later, Adamstown received a red card to make the player number equal again until the end of the match.

Despite the draw, Olympic are 1^st on the points table, and after a rest over the Easter weekend, face Broadmeadow Magic on Saturday 11^th April at Darling St Oval.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade went into this game facing a team at the bottom of the points table without a win and having scored only 3 goals in 5 games! By the end of 90 minutes of play the shots on goal were only 2-1 to Olympic, Olympic scored 4 goals, and the result was 2-2!

Olympic began the game well but were too slow in winning the ball in midfield and without the ball, could not provide service to the front line or give their defence time to catch their breath! Despite this, they took the lead in the 32^nd minute when Ben Hay lobbed the ball from the centre circle to Kale Brabery who in turn lobbed a poorly positioned Adamstown goalkeeper. Rosebuds appealed for an offside, the linesman’s flag didn’t go up and Olympic were 1-0 in the lead.

Two minutes later an incorrect pass in midfield by Sean Pratt resulted in Adamstown launching a quick counter-attack, the ball is fired at the Olympic goal, Adam Pearce saves but the ball hits an Olympic defender and deflects into the net for a 1-1 scoreline!

At half time, the score is 1-1 and according to the statistics board supplied by Northern NSW, the crowd were treated to only 1 shot on goal a piece by both teams in 45 minutes of football!

In the 2^nd half the introduction of Lachlan West and Wil Harvey on the hour mark gave the midfield spark and speed but not before another set back! A routine cross from the right by Adamstown resulted in the ball being chested into the Olympic goal by a defender for a 1-2 scoreline!

Adamstown sensed the possibility of an upset and retreated to hold the score while Olympic took control of the game and pressed their opponent all over the field. By the 83^rd minute across from the left by Kierry James resulted in the Rosebud defence clearing the ball into the path of Marcus Duncan who unleashed a powerful volley to level the score 2-2.

Despite covering every blade of grass until the 90^th minute Olympic were unable to find another goal and the 2-2 scoreline remained. After two successive draws against Cooks Hill and Adamstown, Olympic are in 7^th place.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic returned from their Round 6 outing at Cooks Hill undefeated! Reserve Grade put on their best performance of the season to win 3-0 while First Grade secured a valuable 1-1 draw.

Olympic Reserve Grade put on a performance against a Cooks Hill side, which had beaten them last season three times, that made them look like a mid-table First Grade team than a Reserve Grade! Cooks Hill were not bad, they were simply made to look not good! The Cookers threw everything at Olympic! They tried to play through the middle, they attempted to come through the flanks and they even tried to come over the top, using the long ball. Olympic were simply too strong in every department and prevented their opposition of even coming within a sniff of a goal!

The early signs of a great afternoon for Olympic came in the 16^th minute when a nice through ball from Rhys Butler resulted in Jess Fitzgerald hitting the woodwork! A minute later a careless challenge by the Cooks Hill keeper on Fitzgerald on the edge of the box resulted in the referee correctly awarding a penalty kick! Fitzgerlad was out of luck again when his shot was saved by Patrick Innes, the Cooks Hill goalkeeper. By the 28^th minute a great interception by Rhys Butler and pass to Jess Fitzgerlad resulted in the later putting through Blake Clifton who had no problem registering Cooks Hill – Newcastle Olympic 0-1!

In the second half, a bench with the quality of Tsamouras, Steinerts, Walshe, Middleton and Zervas were slowly introduced to make Olympics’ domination absolute. Such was the pressure that a cross by Kane Treble from the left resulted in an own goal by the home team! Cooks Hill tried everything to find a way through but Olympic kept the door to their goal shut. In the 87^th minute an interception in the middle of the field by Tsamouras and a quick pass to Fitzgerald resulted in a through ball to Walshe who side stepped the Cooks Hill goalkeeper to record a 3-0 scoreline.

This result was the fifth win in as many matches and obviously first spot on the points table. What is more important is that this team is now settling into a rhythm and with maximum points so far, they look like they will be favourites to win the Premiership yet again!

On Wednesday night at 6:00pm they take on undefeated Adamstown Rosebud at Darling St Oval, as part of Round 3 which was washed out three weeks ago. Another win will have them 4 points clear at the top from their nearest rival and a great position to welcome the eternal foe, Broadmeadow Magic, at Darling St Oval on Saturday week!

Newcastle Olympic First Grade secured a 1-1 draw in a match they should have dominated and secured all 3 points. Olympic were strong and composed at the back, dangerous up front but lacked the ability to win the ball in the midfield and dictate play! As a result, their opponent was free to test themselves against Olympics’ defence while our attacking players didn’t receive the service from which they could hurt Cooks Hill!

With few clear goal scoring opportunities the ball was being leisurely knocked around in the middle of the park with neither team being able to take control and dictate terms. During a routine attack on the left flank by Cooks Hill in the 23^rd minute an Olympic defender misjudged the bounce of the ball and this allowed Daniel Yaxley to pick his spot and curl a shot into the top corner of the Olympic goal!

Olympics’ reply came in the 30^th minute when during a quick counterattack a number of one touch passes put Kale Bradbery in a great position to pull the trigger, only to see his shot come off the woodwork! Five minutes later Kanata Furutani tested the Cooks Hill goalie with a thunderous shot, only to see the ball tipped over the crossbar for a corner. By the 40^th minute Olympic struck the woodwork again with a header from a well struck corner kick.

Despite this, it was Cooks Hill who almost went into the half time break with a 2-0 lead when one of their forwards missed an absolute sitter with only the keeper to beat!

The second half was a mirror of the first. A pass to Jared Muller who had just come on by Kale Brabery resulted in him drawing out the Cooks Hill goalie and slipping the ball through his legs to level the score 1-1 in the 61^st minute!

The rest of the half continued without any incident of note and with spectators treated only to some individual flashes of good play.

This draw leaves Olympic in 7^th place and hopefully with a win against bottom of the table Adamstown Rosebud on Wednesday night, they may be able to improve their position on the table.

Source:

Tom Tsamouras

The senior men’s teams of Newcastle Olympic finally appeared before their supporters at home in Round 5 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition! Although the Reserve Grade team put a smile on everyone’s face by climbing into first place on the table with an emphatic 3-1 win over Maitland, the same could not be said for First Grade who lost 3-2.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade entered the match with 3 wins from as many games knowing that another win in front of their home supporters would guarantee them 1^st place on the points table. The match was tight with both teams eager to possess the ball and not give it away. There weren’t as many goal-scoring opportunities and because of this insistence on possession it lacked speed and intensity.

At half time the score was 0-0 with only a 7-2 goal attempt ratio to Olympic and from those only 3-0 ratio on target! In the second half the deadlock was broken in the opening minute with a long range shot by Yuhei Sato from outside the box which the Maitland goalkeeper failed to get a touch! In the 62^nd minute a lazy pass across the face of the Maitland goal resulted in the same player intercepting, side stepping an opponent and firing Olympic 2-0 in the lead!

Olympic looked comfortable and with a 2-0 lead, another routine win looked to be on the cards. In the 66^th minute however a routine corner by Maitland resulted in the Olympic goalkeeper failing to connect with the ball and the head of Ethan Vidler ensured the score was reduced to 2-1!

The game continued in the same tempo and despite both teams using their reserve players it wasn’t until the 87^th minute when the result was put beyond doubt. In this minute a poor clearance from a high ball by a Maitland defender resulted in the ball falling into the path of Steven Theacos who had no problem firing the ball into the back of the Maitland net.

A great win for Olympic Reserve Grade and first place on the table in their first home game of the season!

The first home game was not as sweet for Newcastle Olympic First Grade who were defeated 3-2 by Maitland FC.

The game began with Maitland controlling possession and dominating the movement of the ball as the game wore on. Despite the possession neither team made clear cut goal scoring opportunities. The first goal came on the half hour mark and can best be described as soft penalty by the referee who judged a Maitland player to have been tripped inside the area. Braedyn Crowley executed the penalty and sent the Olympic keeper the wrong way.

With a 1-0 advantage Maitland continued to dominate possession and attempted to open up a compact Olympic defence with through balls. In the 43^rd minute the Olympic defence was breached with a defence splitting pass which ended up at the feet of Braedyn Crowley who had no problem making the scoreline 2-0.

In the second half Olympic game out with more aggression and greater intensity in the middle of the field and were able to stop the free-flowing passing of Maitland. During a free kick in the 58^th minute, Ben Hay sent in a well weighted cross which Wil Southcombe was able to head into the back of the Maitland goal to reduce to the score to 1-2.

This goal changed the momentum of the game with Olympic able to win more of the ball in the middle of the field and able to pose a threat to Maitland’s goal. During an attack from the right Nathan Toby was able to cross the ball across the face of the Maitland goal and left back Kierry James was able to blast the ball into the back of the Magpie net to bring the game back to 2-2!

An arm wrestle ensured between the two teams until the 90^th minute when the visitors won a corner. The corner was not cleared by the Olympic defence, the ball landed in the six yard box and from the subsequent scramble, it ended in the net of the home team. Maitland were able to win 3-2 and Olympic we denied a draw, which would have been a fairer result, in their first home game of the season.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic cruised past Kahibah FC in round 4 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition after recording victories by 2-1 in Reserve Grade and 2-0 in First Grade!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade faced newly promoted Kahibah FC with a 3-4-3 formation and the 10-1 shots on goal in favour of Olympic, by the end of the first half, is a good indicator of how the game was played. Olympic dominated play but their poor finishing in front of goal kept the scoreline at 2-1.

Proceedings began with a well curled shot by Wil Harvey from outside the box in the 15^th minute! Olympic dominated play in defence and midfield and Kahibah countered this with physical play and numbers in defence!

During the execution of one of the many fouls won by Olympic, Wil Harvey sent a careless pass across the face of the Olympic defence, only to see it intercepted by Joe Cutfield and buried into the back of the net! This was the first goal conceded by Olympic in the new season!

Steven Theacos restored Olympics’ lead four minutes later through a header from a well taken corner and the 2-1 lead was taken in at half time.

The second half was similar in terms of domination of play but the opportunities in front of goal were fewer for both teams. Kahibah had one shot on goal all game to Olympics’ total of 12, of which only 5 were on target!

Kahibah did not threaten Olympic during the match but were able to contain them and prevent them from making the result a formality until the very end. Olympic dominated all over the field yet again but showed their weakness in finishing, once again.

Despite this, they recorded their 3^rd victory in three matches and occupy 2^nd spot on the table with a game in hand.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade went into this game against an opponent who had defeated Adamstown Rosebud away and drew against the almighty Edgeworth Eagles! Despite this, Olympic were able to score early through an unchallenged header by Marcus Duncan!

Throughout the half Olympic were too strong and were able to control the game. Although they were unable to add to the score, they had 11 shots on goal of which 8 were on target to Kahibah’s 7 of which only 2 were on target!

The second half followed a similar pattern with Olympic controlling the game but not being able to put it out of reach until the 88^th minute when Kyle Bradbery took advantage of a stretched Kahibah defence and made it 2-0 with a well curled shot.

The end of the game had Olympic with a total of 23 shots on the Kahibah goal compared to 14 of the local team. This was Olympics’ second win of the season and a great confidence booster for the remainder of the season.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic returned with 6 points from Lisle Carr Oval! Reserve Grade defeated Azzurri by 3-0 and First Grade by 2-1.

Maximum points after Round 2 and equal first on the ladder for last season’s Premiers Newcastle Olympic after goals by Walshe (24’, 67’) and Fitzgerald (56’). This is in stark contrast to the two home defeats in the opening two rounds of last season’s competition!

Olympic Reserve Grade defeated their opponents in auto-pilot, dominating possession and having an incredible 24 shots at goal to 7 from their counter parts! The Olympic goalie was rarely tested and had it not been for our poor finishing, the score line should have been much higher.

The two teams which appear will battle it out for the Premiership this season are Olympic and Cooks Hill and both already occupy equal 1^st spot on the Reserve Grade table.

Newcastle Olympic 1^st Grade were rewarded with their first 3 points of the season with goals from Southcombe (12) and Yuhei Sato (75). After conceding 4 goals in round 1 at Weston, Olympic kept a clean sheet until the 82^nd minute when Azzurri were able to score a consolation goal. The strength of the side was it’s ability to close down spaces and to stop the opposition from threatening their goal.

Next week Newcastle Olympic face Adamstown at Darling St Oval in their first home fixture of the season.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

NNSW 2025 NPL Reserve Garde Premiers began the new season with a 1-0 win away to Weston on Saturday afternoon.

The match was played in cool conditions after a downpour of rain prior to the game. It had all the characteristics of a Round 1 match at the start of a new season. Both teams played at a slow pace and despite the game not rating very high as a spectacle, it is obvious that both teams will play with greater intensity as fitness and momentum develops over the next few weeks.

Olympic had strength all over the field but lacked the ability to shoot on target and put away the opportunities created. Shots by Fitzgerald, Tsamouras and Steinerts which would normally end in the back of the net, didn’t in this game. The boys in blue had a total of 23 attempts on goal but only five of these were on target compared to 8 from Weston and only 2 on target.

The goal that decided the game came 9 minutes from the end when the Weston goalie decided to save a shot with a two-fisted punch several metres outside his box! The referee showed him a red card and from the ensuing free kick, Fitzgerald fired a shot which deflected into the top left-hand corner.

Olympic spent the remaining minutes in complete control of possession to secure 3 away points. Although they didn’t dominate and pressure the opponent like we were accustomed last season, they were never threatened throughout the game.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade crash 4-1 at Weston

Olympic and Weston played out a physical and high intensity game which was even until the end of the first half. In the 41^st minute Beveridge opened the score for the home team.

With the start of the 2^nd half Olympic found themselves 2-0 down from a goal by Hatfield in the 46^th minute and by the 53^rd 3-0 through a goal by Buettner. In the 68^th minute Beveridge increased the score to 4-0 and the game was effectively over. Ten minutes from time Bradbery scored a consolation goal for Olympic but it was too little too late.

This was not the start everyone was expecting but next week the team will have an opportunity to make amends away to Charlestown Azzurri.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Preparations for season 2026 which marks 50 years since the club’s inception is complete and Newcastle Olympic are ready for their first game of the season!

With many new faces strengthening both Reserve Grade and First Grade squads Newcastle Olympic begin their 2026 quest with an away fixture at Weston Bears FC on Saturday 21^st February!

The 2025 Reserve Grade Minor Premiers kick off at 5:00pm at Rockwell Automation Park while their First Grade counter parts at 7:00pm.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

The senior men’s team of Newcastle Olympic begin pre-season training on Monday 10^th November at Darling St Oval!

Michael Bolch will be the head coach of First Grade for the 2025-26 season and will hope the team will improve on their 6^th position last season.

Payton Tagaroulias will oversee the 2025 Premier Reserve Grade team and will hope to repeat the achievement of last season, winning the Premiership by 9 points difference!

Players will begin training at Darling St Oval on Monday night and at the University of Newcastle on Wednesday night.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic bowed out of the 2025 Reserve Grade NPL Finals after being defeated 3-0 by Cooks Hill United on Sunday. This brings their season to an end after they won the Premiership 9 points clear from second placed Cooks Hill and Maitland FC.

The match was played in dry and warm conditions at the Rockwell Automation Park in Weston. Olympic began the game with a cautious approach paying more attention to their defence than being adventurous in attack. The pattern that developed was a midfield battle with occasional Cooks Hill attacks which were repelled by the Olympic defence.

The first goal came in the 42^nd minute when Kobe Bailey lobbed in a high ball from the left which caught the Olympic goalkeeper off his line and despite back peddling to reach the ball, he was unable to keep it out. While the boys in blue were recovering from the shock of falling behind a corner kick by Cooks Hill resulted in Jemila Oko winning a header under pressure and making the score 2-0!

In the second half Olympic began to dictate play and pressed Cooks Hill for an equaliser that never came. Cooks Hill were almost content to give Olympic possession of the ball but with every attack they were quick to counter. During one such occasion they were able to score a third goal in the 61^st minute!

The Olympic bench tried to help by introducing fresh legs but to no avail. The Olympic attack didn’t even have luck on their side and the score remained 3-0 until the end.

Despite the disappointment of missing out from playing in the Grand Final at Darling St Oval, the Newcastle Olympic reserve grade team had a very successful season. They won the Premiership with 9 points difference from the second placed team and were the most consistent side of the season.

Congratulations to the players and coaching staff once again and happy holidays.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

After conquering the Premiership with nine points to spare, Newcastle Olympic take on Cooks Hill on Sunday for a place in the 2025 Preliminary Reserve Grade NPL Final! They missed the opportunity of qualifying for the Grand Final last week after sustaining a 2-1 defeat by Maitland FC in the Major Semi-Final of the competition.

As in the case with the game between Olympic and Maitland, very little separates the two teams and the result of the match will be determined by small details or flashes of brilliance by the players of both teams.

During the season the teams met twice and Cooks Hill were victorious on each occasion. In Round 1 of the competition Olympic were defeated at Darling St Oval by 2-0. The two teams crossed swords again in Round 12 at Speers Point. In torrential rain Olympic lead 2-0 in the first half only to lose 3-2 by the end of the match.

The strength in both teams is their midfield with some outstanding players in attack as well as defence. Cooks Hill finished the season in 2^nd place on the table, 9 points behind the Premiers Newcastle Olympic. To reach the Preliminary Final they were beaten by Maitland FC 3-1 in the Qualifying Final but a week later were able to defeat Broadmeadow Magic 3-1 in the Minor Semi Final. Newcastle Olympic, as Premiers, faced Maitland FC in the Major Semi Final last Sunday and despite taking the lead, were defeated 2-1.

The Preliminary Final at Rockwell Automation Park, Weston on Sunday will determine which of the two teams will face Maitland FC in the Grand Final on 7^th September.

Kick-off is at 11:30am.

Source: Tom Tsamouras