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.
George Tsamouras Football Journey 