George Tsamouras Football Journey

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade continued their final run towards the 2026 NPL Premiership of Northern NSW with a triumphant 5-0 demolition of Charlestown Azzurri. This is the teams third match in seven days and the third win by the same score! They have scored 15 goals against Belmont, Edgeworth and Charlestown and not conceded any!

Charlestown were competitive for about 20 minutes but once Olympic got their noses ahead by 2-0, Azzurri gave them time and space to carve them up like slicing a melon!

The first goal came in the 13^th minute when dead ball specialist George Tsamouras floated in a pin-point accurate free kick from outside the box and onto the heads of an armada of Olympic players queuing up to score. By the 21^st minute a great steal of the ball by Liam Craig in the midfield and an ensuing attack resulted in an Azzurri defender scoring an own goal in his attempt to clear the ball!

In their quest to peg a goal back Azzurri opened-up play and in doing so enabled Olympic complete control of possession and domination of play. Olympic stroked the ball around and launched attacks at will. Despite this, the scoreline remained 2-0 until half time.

By the 58^th minute the game was effectively over as a contest with Olympic bagging their third goal through Blake Clifton from a Nikolai Zervas assist. In the 77^th minute an Azzurri defender was caught in possession and dispossessed of the ball. The ensuing one-two between Steinerts and Fitzgerald resulted in the later scoring another goal, his seventh in a week! By the 85^th minute it was Steinert’s turn who struck a thunderous shot from outside the box to record the final 5-0 score line.

After this result Valentine continue to head the points table on 43 points from 19 matches, Olympic are in 2^nd spot on 41 from 20 matches and Cooks Hill in 3^rd spot on 37 points from 18 matches.

Valentine play Adamstown away on the 1^st August, Olympic away on the 8^th August and Weston at home on 16^th August!

Olympic play Valentine at home on 8^th August and Jaffas away on the 16^th of August.

Cooks Hill have Broadmeadow Magic at home on the 31^st July, Azzurri at home on 4^th of August, Adamstown away on the 8^th of August and Kahibah away on the 16^th of August.

Mathematically any one of these three teams can win the Premieship but Valentine and Olympic look to be the favourites.

If Valentine lose or draw against Adamstown on 1^st August, the competition is wide open and the clash between Olympic and Valentine at Darling St Oval in the second last game of the season will have a big bearing as to where the 2026 Premiership will go.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade are three games away from winning the 2026 NPL Premiership of Northern NSW Football. If achieved, this will be the second Premiership in a row by this squad of players!

The team made a flying start to the season winning 7 games from as many matches before being held to a 0-0 draw by Adamstown. There then followed a period during which they lost three consecutive matches, 1-0 to Edgeworth, 2-1 to Valentine and 4-3 to Lambton Jaffas! One of the contributing factors were changes to their line up from having to accommodate first grade players with playing minutes!

Despite this, the boys bounced back and returned to their winning ways!

Their next set back was a loss of momentum due to constant washed out matches and the departure of their coach to first grade! Two further consecutive defeats followed but the Olympic spirit bounced back!

In the space of a week the team defeated Belmont 5-0 and followed this with another 5-0 away win to Edgeworth!

Three games from the finish and Olympic sit in 2^nd place 5 points behind league leaders Valentine! Tonight they face Charlestown Azzurri at the LMRFF in a wash out fixture which has been postponed twice so far. A win tonight will bring them within 2 points of Valentine and a huge showdown with the Phoenix on Saturday 8^th August at Darling St Oval!

A win at Darling St Oval will put them 1 point ahead and all that will be required in the last game of the season is an away victory to Lambton Jaffas!

The match between Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri kicks off tonight at 18:15 at the LMRFF.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade crushed Edgeworth Eagles 5-0 while First grade were defeated by 2-0!

After the 5-0 flogging of Belmont midweek, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade dished out the same punishment to Edgeworth Eagles, avenging the 1-0 loss at Darling St Oval earlier in the season. As the scoreline would indicate, Olympic dominated play and at times provided an exhibition in technique. Edgeworth were competitive in the opening 15 minutes of each half by maintaining a physical presence but after that it was all Olympic!

Proceedings began in the 17^th minute when a well worked move involving Clifford, Tsamouras, Paksec, Petersen and Fitzgerald resulted in the later finding time and space to line up a shot and force the Edgeworth goalkeeper to retrieve the ball from the back of his net!

By the 24^th minute a nice through ball to Fitzgerald by Paksec resulted in the ball rebounding from the Edgeworth goalkeeper and the Olympic No 9 had no problem scoring his second of the night and 6^th goal of the week!

The third goal which came in the 37^th minute was an absolute gem by the Olympic goalkeeper, Bowen Stubbs! After receiving the ball, the Olympic keeper looked up and put a through ball to River Petersen who was lurking unmarked and upon receiving the ball had only the Edgeworth goalkeeper to beat! This goal showed vision and technique of a team which was light years ahead of it’s opponent.

Olympic had a back four defence which was solid and flawless. In the midfield, pit bulls Liam Craig and George Tsamouras tackled and distributed balls all day ensuring their team had the lions share of possession. Up front, Fitzgerald was deadly, scoring 6 goals in two matches, while River Petersen teased and tormented opponents with his technique and dribbling skills. The rest of the players were the nuts and bolts of a well-oiled machine.

The second half was just as entertaining as the first half. Oliver Steinerts added the 4^th goal in the 67^th minute and Lucas Walsh the 5^th just before full time to complete a great afternoon for the boys in blue.

Following this win, Olympic are left with Charlestown Azzurri to play on Tuesday night at the LMRFF, Valentine at home and Lambton Jaffas away in the last game of the season. A win in all three of these games guarantees them the Premiership!

Newcastle Olympic First Grade came close against Edgeworth Eagles but it was not meant to be. The necessity to win to secure a top five finish enabled the home team to record a 2-0 victory.

Playing their first competitive match in three weeks, Edgeworth took the lead in the 18^th minute with a header by Aaron Niyonkuru. Olympic reacted with a number of opportunities that lacked the finishing touch.

In the second half the game opened up with both teams playing attacking football. Olympic created some chances but again poor finishing prevented them from scoring. What Olympic was unable to do, Edgeworth was able in the 74^th minute through Goodman who beat two defenders and even the Olympic goalkeeper to record the final 2-0 scoreline.

This result allows Edgeworth to reclaim 5^th spot on the points table while it means Olympic require a win from their last two matches against Valentine and Lambton Jaffas to avoid the relegation zone.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic triumphed 5-0 and 5-2 in Round 19 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northen NSW Football. Reserve Grade had no problem collecting the three points and moved into 2^nd spot on the table. First Grade also collected three points and this should ensure they avoid relegation over the remaining three games.

Playing at the LMRFF on Tuesday night, Olympic took on a Belmont team which was happy to give them space and time on the ball! This fact didn’t take long to provide Olympic with dividends with Jess Fitzgerald receiving a cross in the 3^rd minute and guiding the ball past the Belmont keeper for a 1-0 lead.

Olympic stroked the ball between their back four and their two defensive midfield players effortlessly and by the 7^th minute the marking was so poor that Jess Fitzgerald decided to line up a shot from outside the eighteen-yard box! The ball was struck with such venom that the Belmont keeper couldn’t even get a hand to it before picking it up from the back of his net!

With a 2-0 lead Olympic were in total control of possession and dictated the tempo of the game. Belmont sustained wave upon wave of Olympic attacks and were able to keep the scoreline at 2-0 either through their woodwork or defensive heroics by their goalkeeper! By the 30^th minute the game was over as a contest when midfielder George Tsamouras entered the eighteen-yard box, beet a number of players and sent in a low cross to Jess Fitzgerald who controlled the ball and put it past the helpless Belmont goalkeeper to record 3-0!

A fourth goal by the same player was added before halftime and with a 4-0 lead at the break, it was all just a formality. Oliver Steinerts made his return from injury midway through the second half and added Olympics’ 5^th goal of the night which resulted in them frog-leaping Cooks Hill on the points table into 2^nd spot. League leaders Valentine are 5 points clear but Olympic have a game in hand against Charlestown and host them at Darling St Oval in the second last game of the season!

Newcastle Olympic first grade faced Belmont a day later at Darling St Oval and with a line up both on the field as well as the bench, of essentially players who had come up through the Olympic ranks. After their heroic display against Broadmeadow Magic Olympic looked sharp, were first to the ball, and were winning most of the 50-50 challenges!

Despite the domination in play, some poor marking inside the box led to Belmont taking the lead in the 8^th minute through Andrew McGee! By the 16^th minute a shot by Bradbery from a corner deflected off a Belmont defender to bring the game level to 1-1. By the 24^th minute a poorly cleared corner kick by Olympic resulted in a Belmont defender heading the ball into his own net for an Olympic 2-1 lead!

Olympic continued to control the game but it wasn’t until the 40^th minute when Ben Hays sent in a cheeky lob to increase the score to 3-1 that victory began to smile towards Olympic. In stoppage time Olympic were able to increase the score to 4-1 when a cross from the right was not cleared by the keeper and a Belmont defender put it into his own net after trying to avoid the pressure from Kyle Bradbery.

In the second half Belmont were able to pull a goal back to 4-2 through Cy Goodwin in the 56^th minute but another own goal in the 75^th minute ensured Olympic came away with a 5-2 win and all smiles. Although this doesn’t secure Olympics’ position mathematically, three more points in their remaining games against Edgeworth, Valentine and Lambton Jaffas will ensure they will there again next season!

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic visited Magic Park and was unable to come away with any points, losing 2-1 in both Reserve and First Grade!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade went into this match knowing that 3 points was of paramount importance if they were to sustain pressure on the other two teams fighting for Premiership honours, Valentine FC and Cooks Hill. In slippery and cold conditions they began the match well with Jess Fitzgerald catching a defender in possession of the ball and being able to lob the keeper to open the score line 1-0.

Just before half time Broadmeadow Magic were able to equalise after Olympic failed to mark adequately from a corner kick! This was uncharacteristic of the team but given the lack of competitive matches due to programming and wet weather, hardly surprising!

In the second half a lucky bounce of the ball from a cross from the right set up a Broadmeadow forward perfectly who had no problem increasing the score-line to 2-1! Olympic chased the game until the very end but to no avail.

They appeared to lack the spark and intensity we are accustomed to seeing. Indeed, this match resembled a trial game at the start of the season than a competition match. This is what happens due to a prolonged period of competitive games due to scheduling and wet weather.

First Grade began the match with much promise with Jye Rodway scoring in the opening minute for the visitors. Ben Diamond levelled the score in the 32^nd and J. Cresnar put Magic in front 2-1 by the 42^nd minute.

Despite all efforts, this scoreline remained until the end. Olympic were defeated but they were competitive until the final whistle.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic are away to Broadmeadow Magic in Round 18 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. Reserve Grade will have their hands full against an in form Magic team trying to cement a top 5 position while First Grade will be up against a team looking for their third consecutive Premiership!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade have not played since the round 17 home defeat to Cooks Hill two weeks ago. The wash out scheduled fixture against Charlestown Azzurri was postponed for a second time due to the poor and wet surface of Darling St Oval.

Olympic occupy 3^rd place on the points table, 2 points behind Cooks Hill and 5 behind Valentine despite leading the competition for most of the season. They won 7 consecutive games but once first grade players began “playing down” the team has only won 3 matches in the past nine games!

Broadmeadow Magic started the season poorly but a late burst of form has brought them to 4^th spot, 4 points behind Olympic. The game at Darling St Oval was a 5-1 thrashing to Olympic but so much has changed since then and Magic will be favorites to collect the 3 points in this match.

Much will depend on the mental preparation of the two teams but with Olympics’ coach joining the roster of first grade and with the assistant coach overseas, the boys in blue will be up against it.

Weather permitting the game is scheduled to kick off on Sunday 12^th July at 5:00pm at Magic Park.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade are ecstatic from winning their first game in months over Charlestown Azzurri by 7-1 and pushing away from the danger zone by 4 points. Despite this the prospect of taking on Magic who are in first place by 5 points from their nearest rival is a huge task.

The difference in strength between the two squads is enormous and Magic is favorite to collect all three points. Having said this, history has shown that when these two teams take the field, points and where they belong on the table means very little. Everything will depend with the mental preparation of each team and how quickly they adapt to the conditions of the match.

Weather permitting the game is scheduled to kick off on Sunday 12^th July at 3:00pm at Magic Park.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic was unable to score against Cooks Hill United in Round 17 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW Football. Reserve Grade suffered their fourth defeat of the season losing 1-0 and First Grade played out a 0-0 draw.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade went into this match as league leaders against the second placed team on the ladder, Cooks Hill United. They began the match well and stroked the ball around with confidence and composure but as the game wore on, they rushed and played long balls. Their strength, crispy passing game from the midfield, was replaced by rushed balls and long passes. Their wingers rarely got round the Cooks Hill full backs to cross the ball and put them under pressure.

Despite this, it was Olympic who came close to scoring when a cross from the right found Jese Fitzgerald in the box and whose effort came back off the woodwork of the Cooks Hill goal. Cooks Hill rarely troubled the Olympic goalie but during a routine back pass in the 31^st minute, Loki Marchant who was “playing down” from first grade, made a horror first touch that enabled Luke Valone to run in at the Olympic keeper and score the only game of the match! Olympics’ only clear chance to score after this was a loud appeal for a hand ball inside the box but the referee didn’t agree.

In the second half Olympic stepped up a gear. They played with greater speed and intensity forcing numerous saves by the Cooks Hill goalie. Cooks Hill tried to slow the game down and chew down the clock. They tried to catch Olympic on the break whenever the home team went forward but to no avail. Despite all efforts by Olympic the score remained 1-0 in favour of Cooks Hill which saw them drop from 1^st spot on the ladder to 3^rd!

They have a chance to regain their spot on Wednesday when they meet Charlestown Azzurri in a wash out game from Round 13.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade went into this game in equal last spot on the ladder and acquiring points was the order of the day. Despite a hard fought game Olympic were unable to score and managed to get 1 point which lifts them from equal last place to 10^th, 1 point away from bottom two Kahibah and Charlestown Azzurri. It also makes them the team with the least wins in the season, only three!

Despite this set back a win against Charlestown on Wednesday night could propel them to 8^th spot on the ladder and hopefully build enough momentum to see them finish mid table!

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic take on Cooks Hill FC at Darling St Oval in Round 17 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. Reserve Grade need the win to maintain their lead in 1^st place on the points table while First Garde need it to get off last spot on their respective points table!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade came away with an impressive 2-0 away victory at Maitland which enabled them to maintain their slender 1 point lead from second placed Valentine FC. After the 2-1 away midweek victory by Cooks Hill over Charlestown Azzurri, they too join Valantine on equal 2^nd place on the table with three teams fighting for 1^st spot!

Cooks Hill face Olympic at Darling St Oval following six consecutive wins while Olympic have recorded 3 wins, a draw and two losses in the same period. Olympic ran out easy victors over Cooks Hill earlier in the year by 3-0 and on their day will have very little difficulty doing the same in this match too. Much will depend on First Grade players requiring minutes, “playing down”, in Reserve Grade!

The match is scheduled for a 12:00pm kick off on Saturday 27^th June at Darling St Oval.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade hit a historic low after two mid-week wash out fixtures being played. For the first time in living memory, they occupy equal last place on the points table and will be fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation in the remaining six matches of the season!

Cooks Hill come into this match having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches to Olympic who have lost four and drawn one in the comparable period! Olympic face 7^th placed Cooks Hill on Saturday and equal last Charlestown Azzurri the following Wednesday! Points against these two opponents are of paramount importance if the team is to avoid relegation as after these two matches they have Broadmeadow Magic, Belmont and Edgeworth!

The team competed during their 1-0 loss at Maitland but against Cooks Hill at home they need to win all three points. There is no room for any other result.

The match is scheduled for a 2:00pm kick off on Saturday 27^th June at Darling St Oval.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade triumphed by 2-0 at Cooks Square Park in Round 16 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition and remain on top of the points table while First Grade suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat.

Newcastle Olympic dominated play at Cook Square Park throughout the game and were worthy victors by 2-0. They dictated play in the first 30 minutes during which they scored once through a penalty won and scored by Jesse Fitzgerald and hit the woodwork on no fewer than two occasions. In the last 15 minutes of the first half Maitland took control of the midfield and put Olympic under a little pressure to preserve the score line into the half time break.

The second half belonged to Olympic with the team dominating possession, scoring a second goal in the 67^th minute through Jesse Fitgerald and demonstrating composure and confidence from beginning to end. Indeed, there were moments where Olympic teased the opposition by maintaining possession and forcing them to run around trying to retrieve the ball.

The win enables Olympic to remain in first spot on the table on 32 points, exactly one point ahead of Valentine who defeated Edgeworth Eagles 1-0 on the previous day. Cooks Hill follows in 3rd spot on 28 points but with a game in hand. This is against Charlestown Azzurri on Wednesday night and if they win, they will join Valentine in equal second spot one point behind Olympic.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade were not as fortunate as their Reserve Grade counter parts. They conceded as early as in the 3^rd minute of play and although Maitland created more chances to add to the score they were unable to do so.

The arm wrestling between the two teams continued until the end with neither adding to the score. Maitland tried to score a second to put the game beyond the reach of Olympic while the latter were trying to score to draw the match.

Despite the narrow defeat the performance was a lot closer than the difference on the points table between the two teams. The loss brings Olympic to 1 point off the bottom, a position occupied by Charlestown Azzurri who have two games in hand.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

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 21^st 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 4^th 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 21^st June 2026.

Source: Tom Tsamouras