Monthly Archives: June 2025

Newcastle Olympic played out a 2-2 draw in Reserve Grade against Broadmeadow Magic and were narrowly defeated 1-0 in First Grade. Both games were closely contested affairs with luck not being on the side of the boys in blue.

A depleted Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade took the field against their arch-rivals and found themselves behind within the opening 3 minutes from a great header by Angus Mcleod! By the 26^th minute the same player scored again with a stunning shot from distance! At this point in the game, the result looked like a forgone conclusion and the only question was by how many goals!

Due to injury, suspension and players being drafted to play in First Grade, the Olympic team fielded three players who had never started before and some playing in positions they had never played before! Despite this, the end of the first half found Magic going to the dressing room with a 2-0 lead and the shots on goal, 4 a piece! The obvious area for concern for Olympic being the attack!

In the second half Olympic settled their nerves and despite their poor finishing were able to peg a goal back through a penalty. A free kick won by George Tsamouras in the 58^th minute and taken by the same player caused so much panic inside the Magic box that Charlie Halls was wrestled to the ground! The ensuing penalty was executed by Oliver Steinerts who scored by sending the keeper the wrong way.

By the 65^th minute a sustained attack by Olympic resulted in a number of players shooting from inside the box and when the ball fell nicely to midfielder George Tsamouras, he placed it in the top right-hand corner to bring the game back to 2-2. Chances were created by both teams to win the game but the score remained at 2-2.

The most revealing statistic of the game were the 12-7 shots on target in favour of Olympic. This showed how much they dominated, especially in the second half, but also how poor their finishing was up front! To the credit of the players of both teams, not a single card was shown by the referee throughout the game!

If the 12-7 shots on target demonstrated the domination of Olympic in Reserve Grade, the same could not be said about the action in First Grade! Despite the 16 point gap on the points table between the two teams, the game was so close that at the end of the first half, the shots at goal were merely 3 a piece with two on target for Magic to 0 for Olympic.

Indeed, the only highlights of the first half were a yellow card to Luke Ruttledge in the 32^nd minute and a very well executed cross and goal for Magic in the 43^rd minute! Jack Simmons received a pass out wide on the left, he was able to beat Jye Rodway to the bye line and after a perfectly whipped ball across the face of the Olympic goal, James Cresnar tapped the ball into the net!

Olympic came close to levelling the score in the 55^th minute when Kyle Bradbery struck the Magic woodwork but disaster struck for the blues when in the 58^th minute they were reduced to 10 men after Luke Ruttledge received a second yellow card and had to exit the game! Despite this Olympic continued to hunt for an equalizer until the very end but to no avail! The only good opportunity for a goal in the second half was a long range shot by Magic which was saved by the Olympic goalkeeper, Adam Pearce.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Round 17 of the Northern NSW NPL brings together Newcastle Olympic and Broadmeadow Magic at Darling St Oval. The Reserve Grade of both teams are sulking over defeats from the previous round while in First Grade Broadmeadow Magic appear stronger on paper.

Newcastle Olympic and Broadmeadow Magic have played 13 games and in Reserve Grade the boys in blue are in 1^st spot on 30 points while the visitors in 3^rd place on 23 points. Olympic witnessed a 10 game winning streak come to an end when they were narrowly defeated in the previous round 1-0 by Maitland. Magic went down 1-0 to Lambton Jaffas midweek and have only 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses in their past five games.

The break caused by 3-4 weeks of wash out fixtures due to the weather has certainly affected the momentum of both teams. Despite where they sit on the table when these two teams meet any result is possible as the matches are a local derby!

In the fixture at Magic Park earlier in the season Magic dominated play in the first half and pulled away to a 2-0 lead before Olympic reversed the domination and won the match 4-2! Both teams are similar in attack but in defence Magic have leaked in 7 more goals than Olympic!

Given that it is a derby and given that both lost last week, both teams will be out to restore their pride! Will Olympic return to their winning ways and make it a double against their arch-rival or will Magic avenge the 4-2 loss on home soil from earlier in the year?

Kick off at 12:00pm on Sunday 29^th June 2025 at Darling St Oval

Newcastle Olympic and Broadmeadow Magic First Grade appear to have some difference between them on paper! Newcastle Olympic are in 5^th spot on the table with 18 points while Broadmeadow Magic are in 2^nd spot on 34 points! An incredible 16 point gap exists between the two teams and while Magic have had only one loss and one draw all season, winning all the rest, Olympic have not won since Round 8 on the 11^th April!

In the fixture between the two teams earlier in the year Olympic lost 2-1 at Magic Park despite dominating play! Since then Magic have continued to show a level of consistency that has made the competition a two horse race with Edgeworth. Olympic on the other hand have found scoring difficult of late resulting in them accumulating 6 draws, the equal highest of the competition!

Regardless of position on the table and statistics all games between these two teams are a derby and any result is possible.

Will Olympic break the ice and win their first game since April or will Magic continue their journey at the top by defeating their rival at Darling St Oval?

Kick off at 2:00pm on Sunday 29^th June 2025 at Darling St Oval

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic struggled against Maitland FC losing 1-0 in Reserve Grade and drawing 1-1 in First Grade. Reserve Grade lost in the 87^th minute a match which they should have won while First Grade drew a game during which the referee dished out eight yellow cards and one red!

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade saw their 10 consecutive game winning streak come to an end when they conceded a goal in the 87^th minute despite having many chances to score throughout the game. The two highlights of the game were poor finishing by both teams and inconsistent refereeing!

Olympic began the game well with an appeal for a penalty coming within the first minute of the game when midfielder George Tsamouras was brought down inside the box! This was followed by two further incidents involving Jed Hornery who was brought down twice in the box and the referee waved on play before the disbelieving eyes of the Olympic faithful!

What followed were some physical challenges that were waved on by the referee while others were pulled up! Olympic had the chance to open the score with two well struck shots by Walshe in the 30^th and Steinerts in the 34^th minute that were saved by the Maitland keeper and a volley by Tsamouras in the 41^st minute that shaded the wrong side of the post! Olympic had 11 shots on goal to Maitland’s 4 by the end of the half.

With the start of the second half Jed Hornery charged towards goal and after side stepping a Maitland defender and lining up a shot with only the goalkeeper to beat, he was pulled down from behind by the defender with both arms stretched over his shoulders! This was a classic case of a “professional foul” but the referee only gave the defender a yellow card!

Olympic continued to pressure the Maitland goal and came close 5 minutes later through a header by Lucas Walshe which grazed the post! In the 64^th minute a good combination between Townsend and Walshe resulted in a cross which deflected off a Maitland player and came off the post! Maitland also had some shots on goal but also to no avail.

In the 79^th minute the most controversial incident of the game occurred. During a physical challenge in the middle of the field Louis Townsend was shown a yellow card and a foul was given to Maitland. While the Maitland team prepared to take the free kick the referee consulted his linesman, returned and showed the Olympic player a straight red!

As soon as play resumed a Maitland cross from the right found the hand of an Olympic defender and the referee pointed to the penalty spot! Suddenly, a game which Olympic was dominating but was unable to score looked like it was about to be lost! Maitland took the penalty and the Olympic goalkeeper, Issac Quinn, pulled off a double save to keep the ball out of his net!

The golden rule in football, if you fail to capitalize when you dominate you get punished in the end, applied to this game too. A through ball by Maitland in the 87^th minute found an attacking player who had enough time to shoot and despite a great effort by Issac Quinn, the Olympic keeper was unable to stop the ball from bouncing into his net.

Maitland players were over the moon with the goal and result while the ten game winning streak by Olympic came to an end.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade continued with a 4-4-2 formation, the same as in the match with Valentine, in the Round 16 NPL match with Maitland FC.  In the first 15 minutes the game was even with neither team being able to find openings and looking to maintain possession.     

In the 16^th minute the Maitland goalkeeper failed to come off his line to collect the ball and a number of headers inside the box resulted in the ball falling at the feet of Roy O’Donovan who scored from a position harder to miss! By the half hour mark, little had changed with both teams trying to exploit the flanks but with very little goal mouth action at either end.

Slowly the tempo of the game began to rise with play being switched from right to left and vice versa. Maitland had a goal disallowed for offside in the 40^th minute but despite the quick movement of the ball neither side was able to open each other’s defense with a clear goal scoring opportunity. Just before half time it was Olympics’ turn to score from an offside position. By half time, Olympic had recorded only 3 shots at goal to Maitland’s 2!

The second half was a mirror of the first with quick movement of the ball by both teams but little goal mouth action. Maitland’s equalizer came in the 59^th minute when the Olympic goalkeeper failed to hold a long rang effort and the rebound landed at the feet of a Magpie forward who had no difficulty guiding the ball to the back of the net.

The half continued with individual flashes of brilliance by players in front of goal but due to the numbers in defense by both teams, no breach could be made to the stalemate. As the game wore on fatigue began to set in and yellow cards began to take their toll. The culmination occurred in the 85^th minute when a two footed tackle from behind resulted in Roy O’Donovan seeing a red card and Olympic being reduced to 10 players until the end of the match. The game ended 1-1 which is a fair result based on the efforts of both teams.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic FC take on Maitland FC in Round 16 of the Northern NSW NPL competition on Sunday at Darling St Oval. Unlike the past two outings, Maitland will be a much tougher opponent for both First and Reserve Grades.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade have had an incredible 10 weeks in which they have won 10 consecutive games. The momentum of the team has been disrupted by 4 weeks of wash out games and they have only just picked up from where they left off against opponents from the bottom half of the points table.

Maitland FC are not such an opponent and despite being 11 points behind Olympic, they are in 4^th place on the points ladder, just 2 short from 2^nd spot! In the Round 5 fixture at Cook Square Park, the boys in blue had to wait until the 87^th minute to come away with a 1-0 victory. The match on Sunday will be no different.

Whilst Olympic have won their past 10 games, Maitland have had three wins and two losses in their past five. In their most recent match against Weston, the local derby of the coalfields, Maitland lost 3-1 at Cook Square Park and will be seeking to avenge this against Olympic!

Olympic have won in their past two matches since the interruption from the wash out matches but have not shown the same fluency they demonstrated in their play as before the break. Injury, the departure of one player plus the promotion of a few others to First Grade may also have some impact on this fluency.

Will Olympic be able to make it 11 consecutive wins on Sunday against a very tough Maitland FC side, or will the Magpies be the team to stop Olympic and edge closer to 2^nd spot on the ladder themselves?

Kick off at 2:30pm at Darling St Oval on Sunday 22^nd June 2025

Newcastle Olympic First Grade have been winless in their past five matches having lost two and drawn three! Maitland have won three, two against Lambton Jaffas and Charlestown Azzurri, drawn one and lost their most recent game against Weston.

In the Round 5 fixture at Cook Square Park Olympic had no problem finding the back of the net, winning 5-3! Since then, they have had difficulty in their finishing and Maitland have tightened their defense, having conceded just 5 goals in their last 5 outings.

Olympic occupy 5^th spot on the points ladder and while the first two positions look like being reserved for Edgeworth and Broadmeadow until the end of the season, they are only 5 points away from 3^rd spot. Maitland is in 8^th position, three points behind Olympic!

A win for Olympic edges them closer to 3^rd spot on the ladder, a defeat will could send them to 8^th spot on the ladder with a mountain to climb for a top 5 birth.

Kick off at 4:30pm at Darling St Oval on Sunday 22^nd June 2025

Source: Tom Tsamouras

On a sunny afternoon at Darling St Oval Newcastle Olympic FC was able to come away with a 3-2 win and a 2-2 draw in the Round 15 NPL fixture against Valentine FC. Olympic Reserve Grade achieved an incredible 10 consecutive wins to be 9 points clear at the top of the table while Olympic First Grade were unlucky not to win, missing a penalty 8 minutes before the end of the match.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade reached an incredible 10^th consecutive win against Valentine FC which has brought them 9 points clear at the top of the table! Despite a number of regulars playing up in First Grade, Olympic opened the score as early as the 6^th minute through midfield ace River Petersen. Valentine replied 10 minutes later through a debatable penalty to bring the score 1-1.

The game was even possession wise but Olympic created 6 goal scoring opportunities to Valentine’s 2. Just before half time a clumsy challenge inside the Valentine box on Jesse Fitzgerald resulted in a penalty being awarded and converted to a 2-1 scoreline by the same player.

By the 52^nd minute a poorly defended corner by Olympic resulted in Tom Davies executing a free header and the score being pegged back to 2-2! Some physical play ensued as the players of both teams began to show signs of fatigue after having played midweek as well. Valentine collected three yellow cards during this period while the Olympic bench tried to freshen up the team by using their substitutions.

During one of these substitutions Andrew Paksec come on and took up the right back position, releasing Blake Clifton to play further forward. Within 7 minutes, a great clearance kick by goalkeeper Issac Quinn resulted in the ball bouncing once in front of Blake Clifton and a delicate lob over the Valentine keeper made the score 3-2!

The boys in blue then dug deep to hold on to their 10^th consecutive win of the season, a job made easier by a Valentine player receiving his second yellow card and receiving his marching orders from the field!

A great achievement from players and coaching staff, winning 10 consecutive games after losing the first two. 10 more games remain and consistency and remaining injury free will be the keys to success.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade began their game against Valentine FC with a change in their structure, playing with two strikers, three midfielders, one holding midfielder and four in defence! The match was even with many physical battles between players and with three shots on goal each. The first goal came in the 31^st minute when Kyle Bradbery received the ball on the left, cut it back to create space and time to shoot and then he neatly tucked the ball in the far corner to make the score 1-0 for Olympic.

The second half began with Olympic controlling the game and creating the chances but being unable to finish them. In the 52^nd minute Valentine won a free kick on the edge of the box and despite 8 Olympic players inside the box to 4 from the opposition, a Valentine player was able to execute a free header and send the ball to the far post for a 1-1 equalizer!

Olympic continued to pressure the Valentine goal and again the final touch appeared to elude them until the 64^th minute when Adam Zervas received the ball just inside the box and unleashed a thunderous shot to make the score 2-1 for Olympic. Olympic continued to control the ball but in a harmless run by a Valentine forward on the edge of the box in the 72 minute, the Olympic goalkeeper charged at him, causing the referee to point to the penalty box! The initial penalty was saved but the rebound was fired back in for the game to be level at 2-2!

Following this, chances went begging for both teams. Both lacked the finishing touch to put the ball at the back of the net. In the 81^st minute Roy O’Donovan was tripped inside the box and the referee awarded Olympic a penalty. Despite beating the goalkeeper, O’Donovan fired the ball onto the woodwork and the 2-2 score line remained until the end!

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic host Valentine FC in Round 15 of the NPL competition at Darling St Oval. After playing New Lambton midweek the boys in blue are called upon to take on Valentine at Darling St Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade are an incredible 8 points clear in first place on the table and will be attempting to record their 10^th consecutive win. Inactive for over a month and a half, the team has played two games so far and is slowly starting to reach the momentum they enjoyed prior to the wash out games.

On paper Olympic are stronger in attack and defense but a lot will depend on player availability on the day. First Grade lost two players mid-week through red cards and there is a possibility they will draw players from the reserve grade to replace them.

Another important factor is Valentine’s 3-2 victory over Broadmeadow Magic on Thursday night! Indeed, they led 3-0 after only 37 minutes! This result will have certainly lifted the spirit of players and the showdown with Olympic promises to be an interesting affair.

Kick off at 12:00pm at Darling St Oval on Sunday 15^th June 2025.

Newcastle Olympic First Grade will attempt to secure 3 points from a Valentine outfit which is second last on the points table with only 2 wins and 2 draws all season! Midweek they failed to win against a New Lambton team on 0 wins and 2 draws all season!

On paper they should win but with two losses and two draws over the last four outings, any result is possible. Valentine have lost their past four matches and are due for some points if they want to avoid the wooden spoon this year. Will Olympic return to their winning ways or will Valentine cause an upset?

Kick off at 2:00pm at Darling St Oval on Sunday 15^th June 2025.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic secured a win and a draw from the midweek wash out fixture from Round 10 against New Lambton FC at Darling St Oval. Reserve Grade notched up another routine win, their 9^th consecutive, while First Grade struggled to secure a 2-2 draw and were reduced to 9 players by the end of the match!

On a cold Wednesday night at Darling St Oval, Reserve Grade won 2-0 in a match which lacked the fluency, sharpness and domination of previous games. In part this can be attributed to the fact that it was played at the end of a workday as well as being only the second competitive match in 46 days! In these matches, the extraction of maximum points is what matters. Match fitness and fluency will return as the team returns to playing regular games each week.

Apart from this, New Lambton’s tactics to overload their midfield and close down Olympic’s habit of playing out from the right and the left prevented the home side from dominating play and putting pressure on the opposition. While this worked, especially in the first half, New Lambton had only one shot on target throughout the entire match!

Sustained pressure by Olympic in the opening minutes of the second half through quick one touch passing and pressing when without the ball, yielded 2 goals in the three minutes! Both goals by Charlie Halls in the 47^th and River Petersen in the 48^th were the result of attacking from the right and quickly switching play to the left where New Lambton were stretched for numbers!

With the two goal cushion, the midfield trio of Petersen, Steinerts and Tsamouras began to enjoy more space and time on the ball enabling Olympic to be in control of play and threatening on occasions with counter attacking moves.

The win is the 9^th consecutive victory and places Newcastle Olympic 8 points clear in first spot on the Reserve Grade points table.

First Grade salvaged a 2-2 draw from a team which had only 2 points to it’s credit all season! They finished the game with 9 players following two red cards to Nathan Toby and Jed Hornery!

Olympic lacked the intensity and sharpness from previous games but were in control of possession and didn’t look like they were going to be threatened by a New Lambton side occupying last position on the points table. What Olympic lacked was finishing and goal scoring opportunities in attack!

During an attacking move on the left by New Lambton, a poor clearance by Zac Thomas in the 22^nd minute resulted in the ball being charged down and from a point blank position, Thomas  O’Connor fired the ball into the back of the Olympic net! Less than 10 minutes later, a cross from the left and a glancing header to the far post by Zac Thomas, and the score was 1-1.

As players began to look towards the referee for the half time whistle a forward move from New Lambton found Kanata Furutani with the ball between the half-way line and the 18 yard box. The youngster unleashed a long range shot which went over the outstretched arms of the Olympic keeper and dipped underneath the cross bar for an incredible 2-1 score line at the break!

The New Lambton lead was short lived as within a minute from the start of the second half Nathan Toby tapped in a cross from the left to bring the score to 2-2! Olympic continued to control the game but they also failed to crack open the defense of a team determined not to lose.

In the 80^th minute the referee sought the advice from the fourth official and sent off Nathan Toby with a straight red card. In the 90^th minute it was the turn of Jed Hornery who was sent off with a second yellow card! Despite every effort and playing with two players short, Olympic were unable to score and allowed New Lambton to celebrate their third point of the season!

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic take on New Lambton Eagles at Darling St Oval on Wednesday night as part of the wash out fixture of Round 10! This is one of four deferred fixtures caused by the recent rain that plagued the Hunter region over the past month.

After a comfortable away win at Charlestown Azzurri, Olympic Reserve Grade were looking forward to taking on bottom of the table, Belmont-Swansea on Friday night, but this too was postponed to a later date! This has resulted in them playing one competitive game in 46 days!

The Northern NSW NPL league leaders are on 24 points and will be looking for the 9^th consecutive win. New Lambton are 4^th from bottom on 13 points and with only 1 win in their last five outings. On paper Olympic are favourites to collect the 3 points but with only one competitive game in 46 days, any result is possible.

Kick off is at 6:00pm at Darling St Oval on Wednesday 11^th June 2025

Newcastle Olympic First Grade drew 2-2 with Belmont-Swansea on Friday night, have fallen well behind the league leaders and will need to ensure 3 points if they are to remain in contention of making the top 5!

New Lambton are bottom of the table, have not won a single game all season and have managed just two draws! Olympic sit just outside the top 5 but in games with opponents such as these, maximum points are the prerequisite to make up for results when they face much stronger teams.

Kick off is at 8:00pm at Darling St Oval on Wednesday 11^th June 2025

Source: Tom Tsamouras

Newcastle Olympic host Belmont Swansea on Friday night in a wash out fixture from Round 11. Reserve Grade are expected to win while First Grade must win!

The Reserve Grade encounter befits the cliché “David & Goliath” with Olympic cruising in first place on the ladder while Belmont Swansea occupying the last! The difference in strength between the two squads is reflected by their respective positions on the points table. Belmont have found scoring difficult but they do have the 4^th best defense in the league!

Olympic don’t appear to have any problem scoring goals and have the best defense in the league, despite conceding 7 goals in their past four outings! On paper they look favourites to collect their ninth consecutive win which will distance them even further from their closest rivals at the top of the points table.

Will Olympic collect another 3 points or will Belmont cause an upset?

Kick off is at 6:00pm at Darling St Oval on Friday 6^th June 2025.

WASH OUT 

First Grade Newcastle Olympic have won only once in their past five outings, are in equal 5^th spot on the points table and unless they secure the 3 points on Friday night, will drop out of the top five. Belmont are in 9^th spot but have only lost once in their last five games! Although they have only won two games all season, they have been securing draws of late against much stronger opposition.

Olympic cannot afford to drop any more points and whether this statistic counts in their favour or against, remains to be seen on Friday night.

Kick off is at 7:30pm at Darling St Oval on Friday 6^th June 2025.

Source: Tom Tsamouras

After a four week absence Newcastle Olympic was able to complete their Round 14 clash with Charlestown Azzurri, winning 4-2 in Reserve Grade and losing 3-2 in First Grade.

On a heavy and slippery Lisle Carr Oval surface, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade continued from where they left off before the break, recording an emphatic 4-2 win over Charlestown Azzurri. After 10 minutes in which both teams burnt off some steam getting accustomed to the speed and momentum of the game, Olympic began to dominate possession and goal scoring opportunities.

Oliver Steinerts unleashed a thunderous shot that rebounded off the woodwork after great link up play between Louis Townsend and George Tsamouras. A few moments later another powerful shot from George Tsamouras was blocked by the Azzurri defense. These were just the warning signs of what would follow.

By the 21^st minute a well floated corner from River Peterson found an unmarked Steven Theacos who had no problem finding the net with a glancing header! Numerous appeals for penalties soon followed from interceptions of Olympic forwards inside the box but all fell on deaf ears! In the 28^th minute another such interception on Jesse Fitzgerald resulted in a penalty which was easily converted by the same player. By the 38^th minute the score reached 3-0 after a well weighted cross from Lucas Walshe and a simple tap in by Max Cotton. Olympic had a total of 6 shots on goal in the first half and went into the half time interval 3-0 ahead.

In the second half Azzurri appeared more compact denying Olympic space and time on the ball. All this did was stop Olympic from scoring more goals but the Olympic goalkeeper remained a spectator! Olympic continued to dominate possession, completed all their substitutions and were content to keep playing with a 3-0 lead. An unlucky bounce of the ball in the 70^th minute caught one of the Olympic defenders out of position and Azzurri were able to score simply because they had more numbers in the area.

Despite this set back Olympic continued to control play and kept Azzurri at bay and a well executed corner from Charlie Halls resulted in Jesse Fitzgerald making the score 4-1 in the 88^th minute. The match was effectively over but a corner in the last minute of play resulted in a maze of players all going up for the ball and the later, together with some players, ending in the Olympic net for a final 4-2 win for the visiting team.

First Grade Olympic began the game needing a win against an Azzurri side who were in equal 4^th spot on the points ladder. Apart from seeking to avenge the 1-0 defeat at Darling St Oval earlier in the season, a possible defeat by either of these two teams would leave them behind the first three teams with a mountain to climb to catch up to them.

The game couldn’t have started any worse for the visitors who conceded as early as the 2^nd minute after being unable to contain Reece McManus on the right who crossed to Harrison Frendo and an ensuing volley by the later resulted in 1-0 Azzurri lead!

In the next 10 minutes Olympic came close to equalising with a bicycle kick by Roy O’Donovan but the breakthrough came in the 12^th minute when an Olympic forward was fouled from behind inside the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty. Roy O’Donovan made no mistake and the teams were level at 1-1.

The rest of the half was spent with both teams cancelling each other out until the final minute of play. Azzurri were awarded a corner and an unmarked Taylor Regan sent a powerful header in the Olympic net to make it 2-1.

With the start of the second half the surface of Lisle Carr Oval deteriorated even further making a passing game very difficult. Both teams attempted to probe one another with long balls and physical challenges. During one such move the Olympic keeper was judged to have picked up a deliberate back pass and the referee awarded another penalty! Tyran Cousins stepped up and made the score 3-1!

Olympic threw everything at Azzurri and during a sustained attack managed to peg the score back to 3-2 in the 76^th minute with Jye Rodway. The pressure continued until the final whistle but to no avail.

Whilst both teams should be commended for trying to play on a very heavy and cut up surface, a draw would have been a fairer result.

Source: Tom Tsamouras