Football Season Guide

Won the NPL Northern New South Wales earlier this month. Plucky Lambton pushed them hard but Broadmeadow Magic's quality was too much for them in the end. They were as good offensively as they were defensively in the NPL Northern New South Wales, which they'll be hoping to bring forth into the Australian Championship too. This is a difficult club to keep tabs on. They are speculated to have a massive squad available to them because they never announce that anyone has left. It's fair to say that they've kept enough regulars to do well in this competition though. The likes of Parkes, Jose etc. should give them a good chance in this tournament. One point of concern should be their Australian Cup defeat against Cooks Hill at home back in June, an opponent they know well and that finished closer to the drop zone than the title race. Over the course of a season they've obviously got what it takes, but for a one-off match (which the Australian Championship generally is) they seem to have some nerves. They've made good additions pre-season. Jakob Cresnar has experience of the A-League, and has already been invaluable for them - he was a fine acquisition. One concern is that they may not be able to keep him as the likes of Brisbane Roar are constantly monitoring NPL clubs due to a lack of funding - he may come on their radar. They're in arguably the toughest Australian Championship group though. South Melbourne are massive opponents, and Sydney Olympic are not to be taken lightly. If they can't improve their ability to perform in one-off matches then they're in trouble.