Newcastle Olympic take on Valentine Phoenix FC in the Qualifying Final of the Men’s Reserve Grade on Saturday and with a win, they secure a place in the Grand Final of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW Football.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 1:45pm on Saturday 29th August at Magic Park.
During the season Olympic lost 2-1 at Valentine and won 3-2 at Darling St Oval. Valentine won the Minor Premiership after finishing two points ahead of Newcastle Olympic. Despite this both teams are very strong and games between the two are decided on minor details.
If Olympic are successful in defeating Valentine they will book a place in the Grand Final which is scheduled to be played at Darling St Oval!
Will this year’s Minor Premiers defeat last season’s Minor Premiers for a place in the Grand Final or will Olympic earn a place to play before a home crowd?
Newcastle Olympic defeated Cooks Hill Utd 3-2 in the 2026 Northern NSW Men’s Reserve Grade Qualifying Final at Maitland’s Cooks Square Park, today. They will now face Minor Premiers Valentine Phoenix FC and if successful, will qualify for the Grand Final at Darling St Oval.
The match was tight with little time and space on the ball permitted by either side. Despite this it was Olympic who had 5-6 clear cut goal scoring opportunities by half time to Cooks Hill’s one!
In the second half the game continued in the same tempo with Olympic tight at the back and creating chances in attack while Cooks Hill trying to be compact all over the field. The first goal came for Olympic in the 52nd minute after sustained pressure from the boys in blue. In a move which exposed Cooks Hill’s defence several times, Rhys Butler finished off with a curling shot from just outside the box!
Olympic continued to control the game and it was only a matter of time before a second goal would be added. The Olympic goalkeeper was a spectator for most of the match but in the 63rd minute he conceded a shot from well outside the box which was struck beautifully to bring the score to 1-1.
Olympic piled on the pressure but Cooks Hill refused to crack. The more the game went on the more you felt that whichever of the two teams scored the next goal would be the eventual winner.
In the 80th minute Olympic won a corner which was whipped to the far post by George Tsamouras and a lurking Rhys Butler struck another shot to the previous goal to send the ball crashing on the post and into the Cooks Hill net. With 10 minutes to go and the scoreline at 2-1 it was hard to see another goal.
In the 85th minute Kane Treble rounds his defender on the left that enables him to send in a low cross which was met by Blake Clifton on the line and a simple tap in brought the score to 3-1 in favour of Olympic. The game was now all but a formality and all Olympic needed to do was hold on for the remaining five minutes.
In the 87th minute everyone began biting their nails as a shot from the narrowest of angles resulted in Cooks Hill getting a second goal and the score line being reduced to 3-2! Despite all efforts by Cooks Hill in the remaining minute and a half, the score remained 3-2 and Olympic booked a meeting with Valentine next week and if successful, a place in the 2026 Reserve Grade Final!
Cooks Hill will meet Maitland who earlier eliminated Broadmeadow Magic 5-0!
Newcastle Olympic take on Cooks Hill United in the first game of the 2026 Reserve Grade NNSW semi-finals. The match will be played at Cooks Square Park in Maitland with kick off scheduled for 12:45.
Olympic finished the season in 2nd place on the ladder with 47 points while Cooks Hill in 3rd spot with 46 points. Olympic scored 54 goals in 22 matches and conceded only 20 while Cooks Hill scored 62 and let in 35! Cooks Hill boasts the best attack in the league and Olympic the best defence!
In the first round match at Cooks Hill Olympic defeated their opponents 3-0 while in the return game at Darling St Oval it was the Cookers who won 1-0! It is therefore a well balanced match and should prove a great battle by two teams eager to win and face Valentine next week for a win and a place in the Grand Final.
Earlier in the day 4th placed Broadmeadow Magic will face 5th placed Maitland FC at Jack McLaughlan Oval in Edgeworth. The loser in this match will be eliminated while the winner will face the loser from the Olympic – Cooks Hill clash.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade continued their quest to retain the Premiership by defeating Lambton Jaffas 1-0 at Arthur Eden Oval but were denied the title 12 minutes from time by Valentine FC who took the lead 2-1 against Weston and kept it until the very end.
Newcastle Olympic went into this match 2 points behind Valentine FC, knowing they needed to win and for Valentine to draw or lose their match against Weston FC. Despite taking to the field with many unavailable players, Olympic scored through Rhys Buttler mid-way through the first half and kept the lead to the very end.
Valentine took the lead 1-0 but before half time Weston drew 1-1 and this scoreline kept Olympics’ hopes alive until 12 minutes from time! At the point Valentine scored again and were able to retain their 2-1 lead until the very end!
Valentine FC were crowned 2026 Reserve Grade Premiers, Olympic finished 2nd, Cooks Hill 3rd, Broadmeadow Magic 4th and Maitland 5th!
Olympic will meet Cooks Hill at home next week and if they win, they will play Valentine for a place in the 2026 Northern NSW NPL Reserve Grade Grand Final.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade finished the season with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Lambton Jaffas but thanks to Kahibah losing 4-2 to Cooks Hill finished the season in 3rd last spot and saved their position in the league by just 1 point.
This put an end to one of the worst seasons in their 50 year history!
The two Newcastle Olympic Men’s teams go into the final round of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW Football targeting objectives on the opposite end of their respective points table! The 2025 Minor Premiers in Reserve Grade are within a whisker of retaining their crown. All they need in the final round is a win against Jaffas and for Valentine to have a draw or a loss against Weston! First Grade on the other hand need a win to avoid coming second last and being involved in a play-off to continue in the same competition next season!
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade began the season with 7 wins from as many matches! Then their rhythm was broken by the introduction of First Grade players who needed playing minutes! Whilst this is a common event, the majority of these First Grade players were of average ability and most of them are no longer at the club!
Despite this the team turned things round and returned to their winning ways. Just as it looked like they would continue from where they left off, their coach was asked to assist with first grade and their assistant coach went overseas!
The team returned to their winning ways and in the space of seven days won three matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding none! After collecting the scalp of league leaders Valantine Phoenix 3-2 in the last game of the season at Darling St Oval they are now ready to take on Lambton Jaffas. The requirement here is a win and for Valentine to draw or lose their match against Weston!
If both win, Valentine collect the Minor Premiership and Olympic 2nd spot! This will then bring Cooks Hill to Darling St Oval as the first match in the play-offs for the 2026 Grand Final.
Kick off at Arthur Eden Oval at 12:00 pm on Sunday 16th August 2026
Newcastle Olympic First Grade travel to Arthur Eden Oval to secure the 3 points and their position in the NPL competition for next season. Lambton Jaffas are only 1 point ahead of Olympic and they will be seeking to do the same! Charlestown Azzurri have come last and thereby already been relegated. Lambton Jaffas, Newcastle Olympic, Adamstown Rosebud and Kahibah are the four teams who could end up second last which will lead to a play-off for survival or demotion!
To say that Newcastle Olympic First Grade have had a disastrous year would be an understatement. Last week in the 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Valentine, they were poor. If a similar performance is played out at Lambton Jaffas it will be very hard for them to come away with any points. A great deal will be determined by how each team adapts the conditions of the game.
Kick off at Arthur Eden Oval at 2:00 pm on Sunday 16th August 2026.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade proved too strong for the league leaders Valentine Phoenix and have moved to within 2 points with one game left while First Grade lost 2-1 and will be contesting their survival in the last game of the season against Lambton Jaffas FC.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade resembled a gun whose ammunition was left on the bench at the start of the match against Valentine FC! As a result they spent an entire half without their customary lion’s share of possession which in turn caused them to have less shots on goal. In fact, the first visible shot on goal didn’t come until the 39th minute!
Valentine were gifted the first goal in the 13th minute when during a routine back pass the Olympic goalkeeper was caught in possession after he tried to dribble the ball out of trouble! Following this, the absence of a defensive midfield player on the field enabled Valentine to string passes at will and to put Olympics’ defence under undue pressure.
The second goal which came in the 22nd minute highlighted exactly this when Valentine was able to thread a number of passes which ripped apart a stretched Olympic defence for a 2-0 scoreline! Valentine were 2-0 up and enjoying possession against a team which would otherwise not have given them so much time and space on the ball.
The first clear goal scoring opportunity didn’t arrive for Olympic until the 39th minute when Jess Fitzgerald fired over the crossbar from a free kick outside the box. In the 44th minute it was the turn of Lucas Walshe who placed a simple tap in on the wrong side of the post.
At half time the league leaders Valentine were 2-0 up in a balanced game during which they were enjoying space and time on the ball. Olympic must have remembered the ammunition they left on the bench during the first half and loaded the gun with Oli Steinerts and George Tsamouras from the 46th minute.
The impact was immediate with Valentine not being able to enjoy the same amount of time and space on the ball! This gave the Olympic boys more possession and the confidence that comes with that. The more the game wore on, the more possession, the greater the aggression and intensity and the greater the composure. Despite being 2-0 down it was Olympic who looked more composed and in control of the game.
The first great chance came when George Tsamouras stole the ball on the right, advanced into the box and cut back a ball which was met by Marchant, who couldn’t keep his shot on target. Moments later Marchant puts a good ball through to Zervas who crosses from the right into the path of Fitzgerald who had no problem tapping the ball into the back of the net. By the 72 minute a poor clearance from the Valentine Keeper resulted in the ball falling on the path of Jesse Fitzgerald who brought the game level at 2-2!
The pressure continued to pile onto Valentine and Olympic could smell another goal. This came in the 80th minute when the Valentine goalkeeper failed to control a cross by Clifford from the right and Jesse Fitzgerald tapped it in for his third goal of the night!
Olympic won the match 3-2, moved to within 2 points of Valentine and await the results from next week to see where the Premiership will land. Olympic need to win away to Lambton Jaffas and Valentine at home against Weston. Both will be tough matches as Jaffas and Weston will be trying to secure 5th spot on the table. If Valentine win they become Minor Premiers. If they draw or lose and Olympic defeat Lambton Jaffas, Olympic become Minor Premiers.
Leading into the playoffs, Cooks Hill have secured 3rd spot, Broadmeadow Magic 4th spot and Maitland, Jaffas and Weston will be contesting 5th spot on the last game of the season.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade lost 2-1 to a hungry Valentine side which secured its place in the NPL for next season after a gutsy display at Darling St Oval. Although the game wasn’t a great spectacle for the neutral observer, the Phoenix played with purpose and had no problem coming away with the 3 points.
From the outset Valentine high pressed Olympic to the point where the boys in blue had difficulty playing out! They marked Olympic off the park, blocked all playing channels and were winning most 50-50 balls. In the 18th minute they were able to score from a corner kick in which the Valentine attack simply outmuscled Olympics’ defence in the air to score a textbook goal. In the remainder of the half Olympic simply could not build and their only sniff at a possible goal came from dead ball situations.
In the second half Olympic were able to draw level from a free kick from outside the box. Ben Hay sent in the cross and Dominik Brymora caught the Valentine defence napping with a well taken header. No sooner had Olympic smiles settled, Valentine took the lead again in the 74th minute from a goal, straight from the corner kick!
The loss places Olympic in 9th position on 21 points and 21 games played while on equal 21 points is Adamstown but with a game in hand! The real danger is Kahibah who are in 11th spot and on 17 points but with two games in hand!
If Olympic lose away to Lambton Jaffas next week, a lot will depend on the results of Kahibah who play Magic away, Maitland at home and Cooks Hill at home!
Newcastle Olympic take on Valentine Phoenix FC in the last game of the season at Darling St Oval. Reserve Grade will be looking to finish the season with a high in preparation for the finals while First Grade will be seeking to ensure that even mathematically, they cannot be relegated.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade looked like they would run away with the Premiership after 7 rounds into the season but with two games to go, they are only guaranteed a top 3 finish! Valentine lead the competition on 44 points after defeating Adamstown Rosebud 4-0 in a washed-out fixture on Tuesday night. Cooks Hill United are in 2nd spot on 40 points who also played out a 4-0 win on Tuesday night over Charlestown Azzurri. Newcastle Olympic are on 39 points and in 3rd position on the table but with a superior goal average to both Valentine and Cooks Hill. Mathematically, all three teams can win the Premiership depending on results in the final two games of the season.
Going into this match, Olympic have won their past three games by 5-0 and look in very good shape to continue causing havoc to whoever they face. Valentine have only lost two games all season and probably relish to test themselves against a powerhouse side that has scored 15 goals in 7 days and conceded none!
Although this match doesn’t decide the title on it’s own, winning both remaining two games is of paramount importance to both teams for the title as well as maintaining their momentum leading into the finals.
Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00pm on Saturday 8th August 2026 at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade would be eager to put this season behind them after securing 3 points and ensuring that even mathematically, they cannot be demoted! They are 4 points clear from second last Kahibah FC and if they pick up 3 points against Valentine, the result away to Jaffas in the last game of the season has no bearing on their survival!
Kick-off is scheduled for 2:00pm on Saturday 8th August 2026 at Darling St Oval.
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 13th 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 21st 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 58th 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 77th 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 85th 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 2nd spot on 41 from 20 matches and Cooks Hill in 3rd spot on 37 points from 18 matches.
Valentine play Adamstown away on the 1st August, Olympic away on the 8th August and Weston at home on 16th August!
Olympic play Valentine at home on 8th August and Jaffas away on the 16th of August.
Cooks Hill have Broadmeadow Magic at home on the 31st July, Azzurri at home on 4th of August, Adamstown away on the 8th of August and Kahibah away on the 16th 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 1st 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.
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 2nd 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 8th 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.
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 17th 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 24th 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 6th goal of the week!
The third goal which came in the 37th 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 4th goal in the 67th minute and Lucas Walsh the 5th 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 18th 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 74th 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 5th 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.
George Tsamouras Football Journey 