Lambton Jaffas' Kale Bradbery grateful for chance at NPL double

The premiers host Broadmeadow at Edden Oval in the major semi-final with Bradbery still leading the front line following a stunning appeal win on Wednesday night.

Bradbery, Lambton's goalscorer and man of the match in last year's grand final victory over Maitland, was set to miss the play-offs because of a five-game ban for match official abuse.

The 29-year-old striker, who leads the club with 16 goals this year, was given a straight red card in the final-round win over Olympic, but Jaffas challenged what he was reported to have said to referee Callan Stammer.

With the help of Stammer's testimony, which backed Jaffas' stance that Bradbery's comments did not breach the threshold of offensive language, he was cleared.

"I'm very relieved," Bradbery said.

"You play football for finals and to be missing the whole finals, it would have been pretty devastating, but I'm glad I got it overturned.

"I was always very confident, but I was pretty shocked when the ref came in and said what he said. I was very thankful to him because without him saying that, I don't know whether I would have got off."

He was also thankful to Jaffas for their support and wanted to repay them on Saturday.

"We went back to the pub after the game and I told them pretty much straight away that I wanted to appeal, and they were, 'no worries, we'll back you, it's fine'. They were very good about it," he said. "Now that I've been cleared, it's just head down and focus on winning another grand final, and hopefully doing the double.

"I've never won a double ... I've only won one premiership [at Jaffas in 2021] and that was the year of COVID, so we didn't get to play finals."

Bradbery has won grand finals at Jaffas (2022, 2014), but also one with Broadmeadow (2018), and he rates Magic's squad this year as Lambton's major obstacle to another championship.

"They are very young and energetic, and I think they will be our biggest test in the finals this year," he said.

"They do play some good football and have some good young players, so it will be tough. It's kind of the old dogs versus the young dogs, so it will be good."

Skipper Jeremy Wilson (ankle) remains an injury concern for Magic. Coach John Bennis said the defender will have a fitness test on Saturday. Jaffas have Josh Piddington (suspended) and Sakeel Balfour Brown (overseas) out.

The winners on Saturday progress to the decider on September 9, while the losers play the victors of Sunday's sudden-death minor semi between Charlestown and Weston next week.

Charlestown host the Bears at Lisle Carr Oval after going down to Magic 4-2 last week. Jethro Elkington (suspended) is sidelined for Charlestown, but Weston came through their 2-0 win over Maitland unscathed.