Lambton Jaffas eye NPL premiership after comeback win over Cooks Hill

Jaffas went top on 43 points with Saturday's win at Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field, now two points ahead of Charlestown (41), who play their penultimate round match against fourth-placed Broadmeadow (39) on Tuesday night at Lisle Carr Oval.

Adding another twist to the four-way premiership battle was Olympic's comeback 2-1 win over Maitland on Saturday at Cooks Square Park, which left the Magpies on 40 points but still in the race given their superior goal difference.

"It's funny how things work out, we could still be playing for the premiership next weekend," Jaffas coach David Tanchevski said. "But we could still also finish fourth."

Jaffas were without defenders Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Josh Piddington and Pat Bond, keeper Ben Kennedy and attacker Sakeel Balfour Brown, but top scorer Kale Bradbery changed his plans to play. Bradbery, who was to attend Ben Kantarovski's wedding along with Kennedy and Topor-Stanley, gave Jaffas the lead in the seventh minute with a volleyed chip off a long ball.

Brock Beveridge lobbed keeper Liam Michels to equalise in the 11^th. An own goal from Matt Hoole (42nd) put the hosts ahead but a header from Nathan Verity (47th) at a corner and a solo effort from Bailey Newton (51st) put Jaffas back in front.

At Maitland, goals from Nathan Toby (71^st and 80^th minutes) gave eighth-placed Olympic (33) victory after the Magpies led in the 31^st through Will McFarlane's touch off Braedyn Crowley's free kick.

Weston (39) thumped New Lambton 4-0 away with a hat-trick from Yuta Konagaya to secure a top-five spot. Tenth-placed Adamstown ended Edgeworth's finals hopes with a 1-1 draw at Jack McLaughlan Oval, leaving the Eagles on 35 points.

Dino Fajkovic put Rosebud up in the 44th minute with a brilliant free kick over the Eagles wall. Mason King levelled with a back-post header in the 80th, despite calls from Adamstown for a foul on keeper Nick Hartnett.

The Lakes-Valentine game on Sunday was washed out.

Tanchevski believed his changes at halftime proved the difference against Cooks Hill on Saturday.

He brought on Kaleb Cox and Cody Nancarrow at the break and shuffled his line-up.

"We rolled the dice a bit and put Riley [McNaughton] to centre-back, where he's never played. It was a bit of a risk, but I knew I had to get [Reece] Papas in the centre of the park, just to get some calmness on the ball," he said.

"They were playing so direct, and we started playing the same way.

"Having Kale there was good and we knew we had to outscore our opponents because having three centre-backs and BK out isn't easy, and the young keeper has been with us for only four or five games.

"It was tricky but I think what changed the game was I moved Papas from centre-back into the midfield and he really took control of the game.

"And I moved Bailey from 10 to the nine and put Benny Hay into the 10, and brought Cody Nancarrow on out wide, took off Jagger [Wholert] and put [Sam] Webb to left-back to be more attacking.

"The changes worked really well I thought."

Next Sunday, Jaffas host Olympic, Maitland welcome Adamstown, Charlestown travel to Edgeworth, Broadmeadow are at home against Valentine and Weston are on the road to Cooks Hill.

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