NPL: Lambton Jaffas skipper Ben Kennedy keen to grab premiership

But at least this year, Kennedy and his team have their destiny in their hands as they look to seal a first title double.

With Kennedy, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Pat Bond, Josh Piddington and Sakeel Balfour Brown missing last week, Jaffas scrambled to a 3-2 win over Cooks Hill. Other results went their way, lifting them to top spot on 43 points (+ 20 goals), but with Broadmeadow (42, + 30), Charlestown (41, + 11) and Maitland (40, + 38) within reach. Weston (39, + 21) are assured of finals and can climb the ladder with a win away over Cooks Hill.

Jaffas face Newcastle Olympic at Edden Oval, while Maitland travel to Adamstown, Broadmeadow host Valentine and Charlestown are away to Edgeworth, all from 2.30pm.

The contenders all face tests but seventh-placed Olympic loom as perhaps the biggest challenge. They will be full of confidence after ending Maitland's 10-match unbeaten run 2-1 last week. Olympic also defeated Jaffas 3-2 first time around and will want to send departing coach Joel Griffiths out on a high.

Kennedy, who returns this week along with Topor-Stanley and Piddington, said "it will be a tough game".

"They've got some good players over there and first round they beat us quite comfortably, even though in the end it was only 3-2," the former Jets and Mariners keeper said.

"Standings-wise, ours is maybe the hardest out of anyone's, but on the day, if you don't turn up and perform, any side can beat any side.

"We're not really worried about what any other sides are doing, we'll just worry about ourselves."

This time last year, Jaffas needed to beat Maitland and have Lake Macquarie upset Broadmeadow to win the premiership. Lambton lost 3-1 and Magic prevailed 3-0, leaving Jaffas third. They bounced back to down the Magpies 1-0 in the grand final.

Sunday shapes as an even more dramatic finish as the Jaffas look to extend a six-game winning streak to claim the title.

"We can drop to fourth, so there's plenty at stake, even without the premiership," Kennedy said.

"For everyone in the top five, it's all there to play for and it should make for an exciting weekend.

"Last year going into it, results had to go our way for us to win it. This time around it's in our hands. Last year winning the grand final was still a pretty massive thing, and everyone wants to win them.

"It would have been nice to have the premiership, but this year it would be nice to have that and hopefully push on and add a grand final to it."

Lake Macquarie (four points) host New Lambton (nine) in the other last-round game. Lakes lost 2-1 to Valentine midweek, ensuring they will finish last.

Jaffas won their first premiership in 2021 but that came after the season was cut two rounds short because of the COVID pandemic.

"Obviously anyone who plays, plays to win trophies," Kennedy said.

"We had the COVID-shortened year, it was only the one game [against Maitland], but we'd obviously love to win it. As a team, that's what we want to do."

Lambton have gone on a nine-game unbeaten run to rise from the fringes of the top five to the top.

Kennedy said the squad's added depth this year under returning coach David Tanchevski had gone a long way towards their late-season success.

"With so many changes, and you look at the players that ended up leaving - the Virgilis, Mitch Rooke, Tom Waller, Andrew Pawiak - they are all experienced campaigners," he said.

"There's been quite a few new boys this year and a lot more youth, so it was always going to take a bit of time to gel.

"I think we knew that and we were just trying to get as many points as possible in the early stages knowing we'd gel sooner rather than later, and hopefully figure it all out at the right time of the year.

"But I think if you said six or seven weeks ago, we'd in this position, you probably wouldn't have thought that. But now we are ... and as a squad we were always confident, and we've stuck to it."

Charlestown face a battered and bruised Edgeworth side backing up from Wednesday night's Australia Cup 4-0 loss to Western United.

Azzurri, though, have their own concerns, with Matt Johnson and Jethro Elkington suspended. Rene Ferguson, Harry and Jackson Frendo and Taylor Regan are also one booking away from a ban, while Nigel Boogaard and Ryan Frame remain sidelined with injury.

Maitland have key trio Braedyn Crowley, James Thompson and Alex Read among five players just one booking away from a suspension, while Weston have Connor Evans and Joey O'Connor in the same boat.

Magic have top scorer Riley Smith back from suspension but he, Cale Graham and keeper Cesar Serpa are one card from a ban. Jaffas have Charlie Kelly and Dylan Newbold in that category.

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