Newcastle Olympic face Adamstown Rosebud FC in Round 14 of the 2026 NPL competition of Northern NSW. After the wash out against Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 and the expected heavy rain on Thursday-Friday the games for both the men’s Reserve Team and First Grade will be held at the LMRFF of Speers Point.
Olympic Reserve Grade have the opportunity to frog leap Valentine FC on the points table who face a tough away game at Cooks Hill. Olympic sit just 2 points behind in second spot and have recorded their first win against Weston after three consecutive defeats!
Adamstown is in 9th place on the ladder and are winless in their past 6 matches! In the Round 3 fixture which was postponed and replayed on Wednesday April 1st, the score between the two teams was a 1-1 draw. This was a physical match which will be remembered for the 10 yellow cards and two red handed out by the referee.
Both teams will have something to prove and both will want the 3 points.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade face Adamstown Rosebud two hours earlier at the same venue! Both teams had washed out games last week against Charlestown Azzurri and Kahibah respectively. Olympic have won 3 games all season and occupy 8th spot on the points table on 13 points while Adamstown have won just 2 games and are in last place on 10 points.
With only 3 points separating the teams a loss by Olympic could land them in last place on the table and a battle to escape relegation. A win for Adamstown will get them off last place and give them some breathing space to pull away from the danger zone.
In the Round 3 fixture earlier in the season the teams played out a 2-2 draw at Darling St Oval.
Kick off is scheduled for 6:00pm on Saturday 30th May, 2026 at LMRFF 2.
Round 13 of the 2026 NPL Northern NSW competition between Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown Azzurri scheduled for Saturday 23rd May 2026 at Darling St Oval has been postponed due to the wet weather.
Newcastle Olympic take on Charlestown Azzurri in Round 13 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL competition.
Reserve Grade will be looking to record their 9th win of the season in order to reclaim 1st position on the points Table while First Grade their 4th win of the season in an attempt to move away from the relegation zone.
After winning seven games and drawing one from eight matches, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade experienced a horror three weeks in which they sustained a 1-0 defeat by Edgeworth Eagles, a 2-1 defeat by Valentine FC and a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Lambton Jaffas!
All this came to an end last week with a 3-1 home victory over Weston Bears in a match which they had to work hard to win. They sit in 2nd spot two points behind Valentine FC!
Charlestown Azzurri sit in 11th position on the table on 3 wins, 5 defeats and 3 draws. In the second-round fixture Olympic had no problem defeating Azzurri by 3-0 and should be favourites to collect the 3 points at Darling St Oval on Saturday. Kick off is scheduled for 12:00am.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade have won once in their last eight outings and sit 3 points off bottom of the table! Although there are 10 games remaining they are in desperate need of points to move away from the bottom end of the points table!
They have won a total of three games all season and one of those was a 2-1 win over Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval. Azzurri have won one game more but sit on the same points but with a game in hand.
They are a team which is either hot or cold. On their day they can beat the league leaders away (4-2 over Weston) and on a bad day they can lose at home to the bottom team of the league (1-2 by Valentine). This indifference in form was the cause of their coach James Pascoe to walk away from the club and focus on his family.
Hopefully Azzurri can be in the lesser mood on Saturday and Olympic can secure 3 points. Kick off is scheduled for 2:00am but a lot will depend on the amount of rain between now and Saturday.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade returned to their winning ways against Weston defeating the Bears 3-1. Olympic First Grade however lost again by 2-1 against the same opponent.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade put smiles on everyone’s faces with a gutsy 3-1 win over Weston after three successive losses which cost them first place on the points table. Playing in front of their fans at Darling St Oval for the second successive game the boys in blue took control of the match and dictated play.
Without the handicap of players from first grade “playing down”, the midfield trio of Goble-Lote, Harvey and Tsamouras were controlling proceedings in the middle while Zervas, Fitzgerald and Butler were a constant threat up front.
In the 19th minute a through ball by Blake Clifton in midfield to George Tsamouras and a quick one-two with Fitzgerald resulted in a wide pass to Zervas who laid the ball perfectly for Butler to strike it home and open the score for Olympic, 1-0!
A few minutes later Jye King of Weston was allowed to advance unchallenged until outside the box and from there he unleashed a long range shot which the Olympic goalkeeper wasn’t able to even get a hand for a 1-1 scoreline!
In the remaining 20 minutes until half time, an injury to Rhys Butler which caused a reshuffle of players as well as the natural confidence from the equaliser resulted in Weston getting the upper hand.
At half time Olympic swapped both centre halves who were filling in for Phillips and Paksec who were recovering from injury. The team regained control of the game and began to dictate play. With strength and composure at the back, crispy one touch passing in the middle and threatening strikes by their forward line, they were a delight to watch.
As early as the 46th minute a quickly taken short corner by Walshe and Tsamouras resulted in a beautiful cross into the box and with a glancing header by Fitzgerald the score became 2-1. A little while later a magnificent move and a through ball by Tsamouras to Fitzgerald resulted in another goal but this was disallowed as offside!
With the introduction of Steinerts and Petersen Olympic were in complete control and it was only a matter of time before they scored again to secure the result. This came in the 82nd minute when a pass from Fitzgerald found Steinerts on the edge of the box who had little trouble burying the ball at the back of the net with a smashing left drive.
Olympic not only returned to their winning ways but this was done against a strong opponent who fought and competed throughout the match. Despite the win Olympic remain 2 points behind Valentine on the points table but with 10 games remaining, there is plenty of time for them to return to 1st spot.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade misfortunes continued against Weston, going down by 2-1 despite putting up a fight. The boys in blue began well but found themselves behind as early as the 24th minute when Brock Beveridge opened the score for Weston with a long range shot from outside the box!
This lead was short lived as four minutes later a quick counter-attack produced a fine cross from Kale Bradbery and Ben Hays pounced to level the score 1-1. The arm wrestle continued between the two sides and just before half time a routine attack by Weston resulted in Chris Hatfield wrong footing the Olympic goal-keeper to send his side 2-1 into the half time interval.
In the second half Weston tried to score the goal that would secure the three points for them but Olympic fought all the way to try and equalise. The excellent performance by the Weston goalkeeper played a big role at keeping Olympic at bay!
Despite a gusty effort this was Olympics’ second successive defeat at home and it leaves them 14 points from the top and a mere 3 points off bottom spot. Next week they host Charlestown Azzurri and they are in desperate need of the two points to avoid a battle at the wrong end of the points table.
Newcastle Olympic take on Weston Bears at Darling St Oval in Round 12 of the 2026 Northern NSW NPL Men’s competition. Reserve Grade kick off at 1:00pm on Sunday 17th May 2026 while First Grade kick off at 3:00pm.
Reserve Grade go into the second half of the season having won 7 games, drawn 1 and lost 3 and sitting in second spot on the table, 2 points behind Valentine FC. Although this is an envious position to be, given they have lost their past three games in succession, they could have been in a lot better position!
Although they have no problem in attack, having scored 26 goals in 11 matches, their otherwise rock-solid defence has leaked in 7 goals in the past three matches for a total of 13 for the season!
The team seamed to be going from strength to strength having won all their games and dropping only two points in a midweek catch up game to Adamstown Rosebud in a match during which the match officials dished out 10 yellow cards and 1 red!
The momentum of the team appeared to change when first grade players were sent to “play down” in reserve grade to gain some playing minutes. This sometimes created a situation where the players on the bench were stronger than those in the starting the line-up!
The three losses were by 1 goal difference and while it’s not the end of the world, particularly at the halfway mark of the season, a return to their winning ways will be a welcomed sight on Sunday.
Weston is in 6th place on the table with 5 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses. They didn’t begin the season well losing 1-0 to Olympic but managed 4 wins in their past 5 games. They were completely dominated by league leaders Valentine FC by 3-0 and will not be coming to Darling St to repeat their loss.
Given that Olympic also are coming from 3 consecutive losses both teams will have something to prove on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade have not had a good first half of the season having won only 3 matches, drawn 4 and lost 4! They are in 7th spot on the table 2 points outside the top five but also 3 points from second last spot!
Apart from a 6-1 triumph at Valentine FC two weeks ago they have had little to be happy about for some time! Inconsistency and better finishing in front of goal are the ingredients required in the second half of the season.
A few consecutive wins could turn an ordinary season to a promising season with the team within reach of making the finals. Alternatively, if they continue being unable to win for a little longer, they could find themselves battling at the wrong end of the points table.
Weston arrive at Darling St Oval in second place on the points table after leading the competition for most of the season! A 2-2 home draw at the hands of Edgeworth and a shock 2-0 loss at the hands of Valentine have knocked them off their perch and they will want to secure the 3 points on Sunday to return to their winning ways.
Will Olympic find a way to score against Weston and record their first win in the second half of the season and fourth overall or will Weston put the disappointing results of the past two weeks behind them by Olympic to the sword?
Newcastle Olympic crash out to Lambton Jaffas in the last game of the first half of the 2026 NPL season of Northern NSW! Reserve Grade lost their third successive game of the season 4-3 while First Grade were defeated 2-0 at Darling St Oval.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade made it a trifecta in losses and dropped from first spot on the table to second after a 4-3 loss in front of a full house at Darling St Oval! Olympic began the match in almost a hypnotic pace conceding in the 3rd minute and the 22nd minute before kicking into gear.
Without regular centre halves Andrew Paksec and William Phillips and goalkeeper Ryan Reid the Olympic defence conceded goals they normally avoid. The first came from poor marking and not being on the goal side of the opponent after a sustained attack by Jaffas and the second from an inability to be first to the ball and clearing a cross!
At 2-0 down the team kicked into gear from their trance like tempo and began to press their opponent. The boys in blue began to play with greater intensity and aggression and by the 36th minute brought the score back to 1-2 through a nice goal by midfielder George Tsamouras.
Half time found them trailing 1-2 and with a shots-on-goal ratio of 7-5 to Olympic.
The second half belonged to Olympic with the team dominating possession and dictating play. The warning signs of what was about to happen came as early as the 49th minute when a well drilled and curling shot by George Tsamouras from the edge of the box went slightly over the bar.
In the 52nd minute an interception by Nikolai Zervas on the edge of the box to a suicidal pass across the face of goal by Lambton Jaffas resulted in a great shot and a 2-2 scoreline! The smiles returned and the momentum in the team indicated that this game was certainly not over yet.
In the 55th minute a defence splitting ball by George Tsamouras into Jess Fitzgerald inside the box resulted in Nikolai Zervas finding himself facing an empty goal but he shot over the post!
In the 59th minute a well worked move on the right by Lucas Walshe and George Tsamouras and a cross by the later found Nikolai Zervas in the far post who had no problem firing the ball into the net for a 3-2 lead! Although the goal was allowed to stand, the linesman signalled a foul on a Jaffas defender by Lucas Walshe in the lead up and the goal was disallowed. The decision was probably correct but given the number of heavy tackles that were waved as “play on” during the game, this was against the grain of play!
In exactly 1 minute latter the outstanding Jaffas goalkeeper, Ethan Lewis, was tested again by Olympic when a nice through ball by George Tsamouras to Lucas Walshe resulted in a stinging curling shot which was tipped around the post for a corner. A well flighted deep corner by George Tsamouras to the far post which was headed down by Blake Clifford and into the path of Lucas Walshe resulted in an unstoppable shot and 3-2 was now on the scoreboard. In 40 minutes Olympic turned a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead!
Olympic continued to dominate play and looked very comfortable on the ball and with their lead. During a routine attack by Jaffas and a cross from the left, not marking the opponent goal side, resulted in a lone Jaffas attacker connecting with the ball and despite being surrounded by five Olympic players, bringing the game to 3-3!
In the remaining 18 minutes Olympic peppered the Jaffas goal for the winner but without success. In the 90th minute the decision of the Olympic goalkeeper to come off his line to intercept an opponent who was being shadowed by an Olympic defender resulted in the later to fire from distance, catch the keeper out and instead of a 3-3 draw, enabled Lambton Jaffas to walk away with a 4-3 win!
The calamitous errors in defence and poor finishing up front are the main characteristics of this game. The “engine room” – midfield contributed to a 23 to 11 shots on goal ratio for Olympic but of these 23 shots, only 9 were on target!
The end of the first half of the season finds Olympic in 2nd spot on the table, 2 points behind league leaders Valentine FC. This is disappointing given that they have led the competition for most of the season! Despite this, they are certainly in contention for the Premiership and with a little more consistency should return to their winning ways.
Newcastle Olympic First Grade were hoping for a winning result after their 5-1 triumph at Valentine the previous week but it wasn’t to be against a very disciplined Lambton Jaffas.
Both teams began the match evenly with both trying to find ways to open the scoreline but it wasn’t until the 27th minute when Drew Patterson from Jaffas side stepped his opponent inside the Olympic box and sent in an unstoppable curling shot into the Olympic net.
At half time Jaffas were 1-0 up and were narrowly ahead 8-7 on the shots on goal ratio.
In the second half the arm wrestle continued until the 57th minute when a move by Archie Finn and Jospeh Langlois resulted in Sam Donnellan finding himself with only the keeper to beat and having no problem raising the score to 2-0.
Olympic continued to go forward but after 15 shots on goal, of which only 3 were on target, and 6 corners, they were unable to break the Jaffas defence.
This defeat leaves Olympic 2 points off 5th spot on the points table and 3 points from second last spot at the halfway mark of the season. Their next opponent is Weston Bears who sustained a 2-0 humiliating home defeat, as league leaders, at the hands of Valentine FC.
Newcastle Olympic recorded their 3rd win of the season defeating Valentine 6-1 while Reserve Grade recorded their 2nd successive loss of the season, going down by 2-1.
Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade went into this game as league leaders with a 4-point gap from second placed Valentine FC. The game certainly lived up to expectations and despite having double the number of shots on goal, the boys in blue sustained their second successive defeat of the season!
Without star midfielder River Peterson who was unavailable for this match and George Tsamouras covering the left back position, two thirds of the “engine room” was again not there! Although the game started well with both teams attacking and cancelling each other out, a poor judgement by Olympic goalie who came off his line to collect a routine ball but didn’t get there, enabled a Valentine attacker to steal the ball and fire into an empty net for a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute!
The problem with Olympic was their inability to win the ball in midfield, dominate possession and impose their game on the opposition! When they did get the ball the constant use of the long ball by Brody Taylor was ineffective! When Olympic failed to close down Valentine in midfield and a through ball was placed on one of their attackers, the decision to track him down on the wrong side by an Olympic defender enabled the later to fire a shot and put Valentine 2-0 up by the 18th minute!
With the luxury of a 2-0 cushion and the absence of an Olympic midfield which could win the ball and thread their way through with crispy passing, Valentine cruised their way to half time without any trouble. Any ball above the ground and long was being handled with ease. The 5-3 shots-on-goal ratio to Valantine is a statistic which told the story and a statistic which we have not been accustomed to seeing by this Olympic team this season!
At the start of the second half Blake Clifton replaced Oliver Steinerts and took his place in attack, sending Rhys Butler to play as an attacking midfielder. The use of the long ball continued and the frustration in the players began to build-up as the desire was certainly evident but the method of play was wrong!
In the 54th minute Brody Taylor was guilty of a reckless tackle which the referee correctly punished with a straight red, the second red in the past month by the same player, and Olympic were reduced to 10 players for the remaining 35 minutes!
Clifton was brought back in defence and Tsamouras was sent into his customary midfield role. The impact from this change was immediate. The midfield began to control possession and the short passing game began to replace the use of the long ball. Olympic players began pressing their opponents and forcing errors and retreat!
Olympic players appeared first to the ball and the warning signs of a come-back were evident when George Tsamouras saw a deflected shot go on the wrong side of the post followed by another shot by Jesse Fitzgerald just over the cross bar. From the ensuing goal kick, Tsamouras won the header in midfield, the ball bounced once and into the path of Fitzgerald who ran into the box and as he was about to shoot, was cut down for a penalty!
Jess Fitzgerald made no mistake from the penalty and Olympic brought the game back to 2-1 in the 66th minute. Valentine tried to break Olympics’ momentum with time wasting “injuries” but to no avail.
Liam Craig came on for William Phillips in the 67th minute, taking over as a left full back. Olympic continued to press Valentine all over the field forcing them to retreat inside their half to defend their lead and looking for the quick counter-attack as their only option.
This was the best period of the game for Olympic and if they had started the match playing with this formation and tempo, perhaps the result may have been different. It was also a great game to watch with one team throwing everything at the opponent to force an equaliser and an opponent soaking up pressure and looking for the counter attack to score their third goal to kill off the game.
In the 74th minute a mid-air collision between Liam Craig and a Valentine opponent left the Olympic player with a head injury which meant he had to be replaced after only being on the field for 7 minutes. This brought Kai Zervas into the game and further internal positional swapping.
The arm wrestle between the two teams continued until the final whistle with the best chance falling to Jesse Fitzgerald in the 86th minute. Despite the efforts of both sets of players the score remained 2-1 in favour of Valentine FC. The final 13-7 shots on goals ratio in favour of Olympic and 10-1 corner count is indicative of how much better the team played in the 2nd half despite playing with one player short for 35 minutes!
Olympic remain in 1st place on the table despite two successive defeats but now only with a slender 1 point difference from second placed Valentine FC. They face Lambton Jaffas at Darling St Oval in the game that marks the half way mark of the 2026 season.
Newcastle Olympic first grade treated it’s fans to a 6-1 demolition of Valentine FC who never looked capable of getting anything from the game!
After being eliminated by Valentine FC in the Cup earlier this season, Newcastle Olympic had an extra reason to want to obtain the 3 points from the Croudace Bay Complex.
Jared Muller opened the score in the 18th minute on his 100th game for the club but Valentine were quick to bring the match level in the 32nd minute through Myles Gaffrey. Wil Southcombe scored a beautiful goal in the 41st minute to take Olympic with a 2-1 lead into the half time interval. A 7-6 shots on goals ratio in favour of Olympic at half time didn’t provide any indication about what was to follow in the final 45 minutes of the game.
Kale Bradbery scored a hat trick in the opening three minutes of the second half to extend Olympics’ lead to 5-1 and put the game beyond the reach of the home side! Yuhei Sato scored Olympics’ 6th goal two minutes before the end to complete the teams biggest win of the season.
A 17-1 shots on goal ratio to Olympic showed the dominance of the side which gave them only their 3rd win of the season and 6th place on the points table.
George Tsamouras Football Journey 