Photo: Sproule Sports Focus

Ben Homer

Match of the Round

Broadmeadow Magic v Maitland Magpies

Sunday June 5, 2.30pm

Magic Park

Last Meeting: Broadmeadow 3 Maitland 0 at Magic Park, July 5, 2015.

Ladder: Edgeworth 2^nd (19pts) Adamstown 7^th (6pts)

Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):

Broadmeadow – Won Blues (a) 4-2, Drew Phoenix (h) 3-3, Lost Olympic (a) 3-1

Maitland – Lost Eagles (h) 3-1, Won Bears (a) 3-0, Drew Jaffas (h) 0-0

 Bottom Line

Broadmeadow Magic will be aiming to keep their undefeated run alive against the Magpies since they were promoted in 2014 in the PlayStation® 4 National Premier League Northern NSW ‘Match of the Round.’ The two sides have met twice since Maitland were promoted resulting in a 5-1 win for Broadmeadow at Cooks Square Park and a 3-0 to Magic at home.

After a strong start to the year in which they won four of their first five, Broadmeadow have struggled in recent weeks winning just one of their last three. However a strong performance against Charlestown last weekend seems to have returned Magic to their early form.

James Virgili and Kale Bradbury both got on the score sheet last weekend and Maitland will need to keep the home side’s two speedsters quiet if they are to leave Magic Park with the three points.

Stopping dominant attacking sides has been something which the Magpies have done well so far this season, apart from their most recent clash with Edgeworth. Before that match they had conceded just five times in seven matches and even after last weekend their defensive stats make for good reading. They have conceded just eight goals in eight matches and will need to bring a steely resolve in defence is they are to get something out of the match.

Last Sunday the final third for Maitland was where they lacked quality as they had just nine shots to Edgeworth’s 26 and there is no doubt they will certainly need goals on Sunday against a Magic side who has been kept scoreless just twice in their last 14 appearances.

Steve Piggott will look to Jye McKellar and former Magic player Matt Comerford out wide as well as Matt Thompson centrally to spark the Magpies in the final third.

Dean Heffernan is out for Maitland as he serves a mandatory suspension for his red card against Edgeworth, while Brock Oakley returns from his own red card induced suspension.

Join former Lake Macquarie and Maitland coach Chris Turner, former Broadmeadow coach Damien Smith and myself live this Sunday on BarTV from 2.30pm.

What the Coaches Said:

Bobby Naumov (Broadmeadow)

“Its another tough game for us for the fact that we are equal with them on points and we can go outright third and keep the pressure on Olympic and Edgeworth. The big challenge is scoring goals, so far they’ve proved to be difficult to break down. So that will be our challenge for the week.”

Steve Piggott (Maitland)

“They’ve been champions for years, they’ve got quality all through their side and a lot of pace in the front third. In a trial match we did ok against them, but they could have had a bad day at the office. They’ve got some guys that can defend. We need to do better than we did against Edgeworth if we want to trouble any of the better teams.”

“We have three tough matches in a row, Edgeworth, Broadmeadow and then Hamilton. It either makes your season or it doesn’t make your season for me. Maybe now that we have lost our undefeated tag it might take some of the pressure off. You don’t have to worry about turning up and losing your motto.”

Key: Against the four other sides in the top six of the ladder, Maitland have scored just two goals out of their total of 18. If Maitland can turn that around they will take some competition points from Magic Park.

 

Jets Youth v Valentine Phoenix

Saturday June 4, 3.00pm

Cahill Oval

Last Meeting: Valentine 2 Jets Youth 7 at Cahill Oval, June 8, 2013

Ladder: Jets 8^th (5pts) Valentine 9^th (5pts)

Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):

Jets Youth – Drew Jaffas (a) 1-1, Lost Olympic (h) 5-0, Won Rosebud (a) 3-0

Valentine – Lost Olympic (h) 5-0, Drew Magic (a) 3-3, Lost Eagles (h) 4-0

Bottom Line

Both sides will be looking for a win in the first match of the round 9 after Adamstown’s victory last weekend dropped the Jets and Valentine to 8^th and 9^th respectively. Valentine haven’t beaten the Jets in four attempts, drawing two and losing two of their matches across the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Last weekend the Jets put on an improved defensive performance against the Jaffas after being thumped the week before by Hamilton Olympic and it seems that they are building nicely towards the middle of the season.

After conceding 20 goals in their first 5 matches the Jets have only conceded 6 in their last 3.

Cody Carroll will be a key for the Jets, after he scored against the Jaffas via a wonderful volley and coach Clayton Zane believes Carroll is getting closer every week to the form he showed during the National Youth League campaign.

For Valentine, there were positive signs after a thrilling comeback against Broadmeadow Magic in round 7. The Phoenix were down by 2 goals before half-time and fought back brilliantly. Against Hamilton last weekend, the Phoenix started well, only down 1-0 at half-time before conceding 2 goals in 8 minutes on resumption which put Hamilton out of reach.

If Valentine can bring what they did for the first half against Hamilton, the Jets Youth will find it difficult to break down the Phoenix’s defence. Up front Matt Paul’s combination can only improve with Brenton Olzomer with more training sessions and game time and those two will be certainly under the microscope from the Jets’ perspective.

For Valentine, Josh Swaddling is out with a hip injury and Wilson Edwards is in doubt with a cork.

What the Coaches Said:

Clayton Zane (Jets)

“The top half of the the league play a certain way than the bottom half of the league, I think are a little bit more cautious and sit in a bit deeper against us. So its going to be a whole different game plan this week compared to how we played against Lambton. And the ground to contend with is going to be another issue on top.”

Darren Sills (Phoenix)

“They’ve got some quality there. Krisitan Brymora, Cameron Joice, Tommy Waller and Cody Carroll scored a bomb last weekend against the Jaffas. We’ve changed a couple of things as what you would expect from last weeks’ result. We’ve just changed personnel to different areas and changed our shape a little bit just to try and combat their attacking flair and to exploit any weaknesses they may have in defence.”

Key: Cody Carroll. He has been a key man for the Jets the last few weeks and Valentine will need to keep him quiet.

 

Hamilton Olympic v Charlestown City Blues

Sunday June 5, 2.30pm

Darling St Oval

Last Meeting: Charlestown 1 Hamilton 5 at Lisle Carr Oval, August 9, 2015.

Ladder: Hamilton 1^st (22pts) Charlestown 5^th (14pts)

Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):

Hamilton – Won Phoenix (a) 5-0, Won Jets (h) 5-0, Won Magic (h), 3-1

Charlestown – Lost Magic (h) 4-2, Lost Eagles (a) 6-1, Won Bears (h) 1-0

Bottom Line

A loss for Charlestown could put them in danger of slipping further outside the top four when the travel to Hamilton on Sunday. The travelling Blues have had a tough couple of weeks conceding 10 goals and scoring 3 and a match-up with a side which has scored 10 and conceded none in 2 weeks will be a daunting prospect.

The visitors though will take solace from their only win over Hamilton in their last 6 matches, which was played at Darling St Oval, the ground they will meet at on Sunday. Apart from that sole 1-0 win, Hamilton have won 3 of the last 5 between the two sides.

Last weekend Charlestown conceded in the opening minutes against Broadmeadow and were unable to get back on level terms as Magic powered away. After an outstanding start to the season in defence where the Blues conceded just 6 goals in their first 6 matches, the Blues will need to get their backline in order against the competition’s most potent side.

For Hamilton, a slow start against Valentine was followed up by a flurry of goals. Pat Brown grabbed his second in two weeks which will give him plenty of confidence. Youngster Matt Minors also scored his first goal in the top grade which not doubt would have pleased his coach Mick Bolch.

Jacob Bailey returns this weekend for Hamilton after missing last weekend’s game with a wedding and you would expect that he will slot back into the midfield and push Pat Brown back to the bench. The loss of Tom Davies didn’t seem to affect Valentine as Grant Brown slotted in and didn’t miss a beat.

For Charlestown Jared Ross is leaving to join Marconi in the second tier of the PlayStation® 4 NPL which will be a blow for the Blues.

What the Coaches Said:

Mick Bolch (Hamilton)

“Charlestown have had a really good year. I watched them play against Edgeworth and it was a tight contest up until the 60^th minute when Edgeworth blew them off the park in the last part of the game. They’ve got plenty of danger players. Scotty Smith, Rene Ferguson is knocking goals in and Ben Hughes has been very good in the middle of the park. They’ll be dangerous.”

Shane Pryce (Charlestown)

“We’ve had more than half our team as individuals have poor performances the last two weeks. We are a side which need eight to nine of our players to have a really, really good game and the four to five weeks before these games they have. I wouldn’t question their effort and what they have gone and done out on the park. The last two games I have had to question it.”

Key: After conceding plenty of goals lately, Charlestown will need to rediscover their defence from early in the season or Hamilton may run rampant again.

 

Weston Workers Bears v Lambton Jaffas

Sunday June 5, 2.30pm

Rockwell Automation Park

Last Meeting: Lambton 4 Weston 3 at Arthur Edden Oval, July 4, 2015.

Ladder: Weston 10^th (2pts) Lambton 6^th (8pts)

Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):

Weston – Lost Rosebud (a) 2-1, Lost Maitland (h) 3-0, Lost Blues (a) 1-0

Lambton – Drew Jets (h) 1-1, Won Rosebud (h) 3-0, Drew Magpies (a) 0-0

Bottom Line

Last time Weston played Lambton both sides were in finals contention and the match was a thrilling context for the neutral but heartbreaking for the Bear’s faithful. The match was probably the beginning of Weston’s slide out of the top four.

In that match the Bear’s lead 3-0 at the break only to be overrun by the Jaffas 4-3 in the second half. If Weston were to get three goals against the Jaffas this weekend, you would suspect they would claim the three points. Their defence this season hasn’t been the concern, conceding an average of just over 2 a game. Their attack on the other hand has been disappointing.

In fact, since their 4-3 defeat to the Jaffas in round 12 last season, the Bears have only managed 10 goals in their last 14 PlayStation® 4 NPL matches and have won just 2 of those matches. Its no secret that Weston need goals if they are to climb off the base of the ladder and a home match against Lambton is the perfect place to start.

For Lambton this season they have found themselves in a similar predicament. Their defence has been great this season, on goals conceded it is the fourth best in the competition. But in front of goal has also been their issue. They have the seventh best attack in the league with 11 goals in 8 games.

Last weekend alone Lambton had 16 shots to the Jets five and could only manage a 1-1 draw. But, a mounting injury toll hasn’t helped the visitors cause. Injuries to Rhys Tippet, Alex Palozzi, Kevin Davidson, Riley McNaughton and now Jamie Byrnes leaves coach James Pascoe with limited options.

The match will most likely be dominated by defence, but will be won by how well each side can take their chances in the final third.

What the Coaches Said:

Trevor Morris (Weston)

“Every game is a tough test especially where our mental state is right now. We’ve got a few things we need to work on a training this week. We showed definite signs of improvement after the Maitland match. Some of the things we worked on at training worked.”

“That’s how we got the penalty from some of the attacking stuff we did at training and before the game we talked about it. We’ll just go back to the drawing board and keep working hard, and hopefully we can rectify it next week.”

James Pascoe (Lambton)

“They are probably in a bit of a false position at the minute, but I say that having not seen a lot of their football this year, but I know the squad they’ve got. They will be extra keen like we will to get something out of the game. Its certainly will be in no way, shape or form an easy game up there. Expect nothing but a tough game up at Weston.”

Key: Taking Chances. Both sides haven’t scored too many this year and whoever can put their chances away will take home the points.

 

Edgeworth Eagles v Adamstown Rosebud

Sunday June 5, 2.30pm

Jack McLaughlan Oval

Last Meeting: Edgeworth 0 Adamstown 2 at Jack McLaughlan Oval, July 19, 2015.

Ladder: Edgeworth 2^nd (19pts) Adamstown 7^th (6pts)

Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):

Edgeworth – Won Magpies (a) 3-1, Won Blues (h) 6-1, Won Phoenix (a) 4-1

Adamstown – Won Bears (h) 2-1, Lost Jaffas (a) 5-0, Lost Jets (h) 3-0

 Bottom Line

Edgeworth return home in round 9 full of confidence after a convincing win over the previously undefeated Maitland Magpies at Cooks Square Park last Sunday. But a match against an Adamstown side who too will be confident after claiming just their second win of the season in round 8, against the Weston Bears.

While both clubs’ positions of the ladder indicate that Edgeworth should win easily the past results indicate that this will not be the case. Since promotion at the end of 2013, Adamstown have only lost one of four matches they have played against Edgeworth and in their last match against the Eagles, Graham Law’s side won 2-0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval.

Edgeworth’s attack has been brimming with confidence this season, which is the second best in the lead with 24 goals. But it has been their defence as well which has been equally impressive conceding just 9 goals to be the 3^rd best in the league. Pat Wheeler and Josh Evans have been outstanding in defence for the Eagles. Josh Evans will miss the next 2 matches for the Eagles as he is away, a massive loss especially at the back.

For Adamstown they ended a four match losing run on the weekend with a win over Weston and Graham Law’s young side will no doubt take a lot out of that result. The return of Scott Carter is that match was huge for the Rosebuds, as their keeper saved them on numerous occasions late on in the match.

In attack the Rosebud’s have only managed 8 goals this season, and the loss of Matt Paul a couple of weeks ago looked to have been a further blow up front. But Chris Berlin, Alex Read and Thom Lino have all stepped up and scored lately for the visitors and Edgeworth will need to be on the lookout for those three key players for Adamstown.

As noted before Josh Evans is out for the Eagles as well as Dom Bizzarri. Adamstown will be unchanged from their win over Weston last weekend.

What the Coaches Said:

Damian Zane (Edgeworth)

“I think they will probably be tough, they are fresh off a win. I don’t think we’ve forgotten that they did beat us last year. I think we’d just jumped out in front [on the ladder] last year and then that loss brought us back to Hamilton. They thoroughly deserved it that day. We wont be taking it easy that for sure.”

Graham Law (Adamstown)

"We beat them there last year, so we will try to beat them again! It will be interesting to see how the boys will respond after a win behind their back. But, Edgeworth are a class team, make no doubt about that. They move the ball well, they’ve got experience, they’ve got youth. I respect Zaney as a coach, especially having been on my B license with him. He thinks about football very similar to me and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Key: Graham Law. He orchestrated a win against the reigning minor and major premiers at Jack McLauglan Oval last season but what has the Scotsman got up his sleeve for another clash against the Eagles?