Coach Shane Pryce described Lambton Jaffas' come-from-behind 2-1 win over Broadmeadow at Arthur Edden Oval on Sunday as "not a bad starting point" to their National Premier Leagues Northern NSW (NPL NNSW) campaign.
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Defending premiers Lambton, Weston and Valentine all took wins from round three over the weekend in what was their first outings of the season.
In the only game played on Sunday, Magic struck the first blow when Bailey Wells scored in the 49th minute. But Lambton hit back through former long-serving Broadmeadow players Mitch Rooke (67th) then James Virgili (82nd) to secure victory.
"We were a bit rusty," Pryce said. "We had four weeks without a game, but to go down 1-0 and have that response from the players, I couldn't be prouder.
"Before the game we knew we were going to need every single sub to make a contribution and that's exactly what happened. It's not a bad starting point for not playing for so long."
Weston assistant coach Anthony Richards similarly described the Bears' first outing for 2022 as "a bit rusty" in perhaps an ominous warning for the competition after overpowering Cooks Hill 5-0 at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday.
Weston led 2-0 by half-time after centre-back Zac Sneddon headed into the net off a corner then Nathan Morris scored with a free kick. Tom Duggan made it 3-0 early in the second half before Chris Hurley and Aaron Niyonkuru completed the rout.
"You could see that our fitness levels aren't up to where they should be but we were pleased with five goals and pleased with a clean sheet," Richards said.
Phoenix were 4-1 winners over Adamstown at Adamstown Oval on Saturday.
Charlestown Azzurri beat Newcastle Olympic 3-1 at Darling Street Oval on Saturday. The score was locked 1-1 at the break after Olympic's Chan Yelchan scored to cancel out Riley Smith's opening goal. But Smith made it 2-1 in the 49th before Regan Lundy sealed the win with a goal in the 70th.
Tye Cousins and Braedyn Crowley scored in Maitland's 2-0 win over Edgeworth at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday night.
Points: Azzurri 4, Maitland 4, Weston 3, Valentine 3, Lambton 3, Olympic 3, Edgeworth 3, Lake Macquarie 1, Cooks Hill 1, Magic 0, Adamstown 0.