NPL NNSW 2024 preview: Battle for survival back to spice up men's league

The fight for playing talent - and the dollars spent - has increased in pre-season as clubs battle for glory, or survival.

Still, the premiership contenders and the final hopefuls look familiar, as do the clubs likely to finish at the bottom who are now bracing for the relegation scrap. The wooden spooners go down, while second last enter play-offs with second, third and fourth in the second tier.

Lake Macquarie, New Lambton and Adamstown have new coaches and recruits but they still look destined to feature in the relegation pressure-cooker.

Cooks Hill, Valentine, Olympic and Edgeworth look a cut above the bottom three and will be striving to break into the top five, where Weston, Maitland, Charlestown, Broadmeadow and dual trophy winners Lambton Jaffas sat last year.

If anything, Jaffas, Broadmeadow and Charlestown have strengthened in 2024 and could easily fight out the premiership again, after just two points separated them last year. However, Maitland and Weston threatened as well in 2023 and they could again.

Regardless, it looks a safe bet that all battles - for premiership, top-five finals spots and avoiding the relegation zone - will come down to the wire and provide great theatre.

Coach: David Tanchevski

2023: 1^st (46 pts, grand final winners)

INS: James Oates (Manly), Matthew Buettner (Sydney Olympic), Matt Cahill (North West Sydney), Tom Waller (year off), Sean Pratt (Maitland), Oscar Crakanthorp (Jets Youth), Cale Graham (Magic).

OUTS: Matt Hoole (Maitland), Josh Piddington, Charlie Kelly (New Lambton), Dylan Newbold (Charlestown), Sakeel Balfour Brown (Valentine), Kaleb Cox, Michael Finlayson.

KEY: Start better. Jaffas won the title double last year with the deepest squad in the competition and they return with what looks like an even better one, with the addition of Sydney NPL talent in Oates, Buettner and Cahill. Lambton made a raft of changes under Tanchevski last season and they took a while to click before surging to silverware with an unbeaten second half of the campaign. Still, they won the league by only a point, and the grand final with a stoppage-time goal. They should be the benchmark again, but they can't afford to give their rivals another head-start.

TIP: 1st

Coach: Jim Cresnar

2023: 2^nd (45 pts, grand finalists)

INS: Alex Rose (Hamilton Wanderers, NZ), Nick Kacev (Jets Youth), Tom Beecham (US college), Lewis Alvarez (Mariners youth), Luke Cochrane (Central Coast Utd), Tom Parkes (Valentine).

OUTS: Keanu Moore, Xander Woweries (Edgeworth), Jacob Harris (retired), Cale Graham (Jaffas).

KEY: Backing up. The youthful Magic line-up pushed Jaffas all the way last year and lit up the competition with their fast, skilful play. Moore and Woweries were surprise losses late in this pre-season for new coach Cresnar but his squad is still impressive, especially with the addition of former US youth international Rose in attack and the return of Beecham at the back. Keeping was an issue for Magic at times last year, so all eyes will be on Alvarez. If they improve there and build on last year across the park, then watch out.

TIP: 2nd

Coach: James Pascoe

2023: 3^rd (44 pts)

INS: Cameron Joice, Kieran Hayes (US college), Jack Gallagher, Quinton Phillips-Tapsell, Josh Lyons (Central Coast Utd), Lachlan Hilton (Sydney Olympic), Jarryd Sutherland (Edgeworth), Dylan Newbold (Jaffas) and Ty Cousins (Maitland).

OUTS: Jacob Melling, Ryan Frame, Matt Johnson (Central Coast league), Nate Archbold (year off), Regan Lundy, Cal Bower (Maitland), Miguel Angel Fernandez Herrera.

KEY: More goals. Azzurri were run down in the shadows of the post in the premiership race last year before losing to Magic in the preliminary final. Depth was always a concern for Charlestown and it proved their downfall in the end, but they should improve in that area this season. Much will hinge on the impact of their new attackers after the team scored just 35 goals in the 2023 regular season. If they fire, with stars Taylor Regan and Nigel Boogaard still leading the defence, Azzurri are capable of anything.

TIP: 3rd

Coach: Kew Jaliens

2023: 5th (39 pts)

INS: Blake and Dominic Archbold (Jets), Tom Duggan (Valentine), Chris Hatfield (Marconi), Angelo Calfo (Flower City Union, USA), Jye Bailey (Valentine).

OUTS: Yuta Konagaya (Greece), Alessandro Ouwerkerk.

KEY: Being ruthless. The Bears looked premiership contenders last season before falling into the finals to end a nine-year drought. They shape as strong hopes to make the top five again despite the loss of Konagaya, who was a standout. Duggan, Blake Archbold, who made seven A-League appearances for the Jets, and former Marconi winger Hatfield give Weston firepower up front, while Calfo takes over from Ouwerkerk at the back. Dropped points against lower-ranked sides cost the Bears last season and they will need to find their killer instinct this year to go further.

TIP: 4th

Coach: Michael Bolch

2023: 4th (40 pts)

INS: Regan Lundy, Cal Bower (Charlestown), Zach Thomas (St Albans), Jordan Jackson (Caroline Springs, Victoria), Charlie Pollard (Jets academy), Matt Hoole (Jaffas), Harry Maynard (Mayfield).

OUTS: Rhys Cooper (Olympic), Sean Pratt (Jaffas), Will McFarlane, Tom Davies, Jacob Bailey (not playing), Tyrell Paulson (Valentine), Flynn Goodman (Edgeworth), Adam Blunden (Belswans), Ty Cousins (Charlestown).

KEY: Fit forwards. The Magpies have lost more than they've gained but they still have the best strike pairing in the league in Braedyn Crowley and Jimmy Thompson, and perhaps a better backline with the likes of Thomas, Jackson, Bower and Hoole coming in. The 2022 premiers showed how lethal they are with Crowley and Thompson fit and firing last year, when they went on a 10-game winning streak. But it was also clear either side of the run, when the pair struggled with injuries, how much they need them.

TIP: 5^th

Coach: Peter McGuinness

2023: 6th (35 pts)

INS: Seth Clark (San Diego State), Theodor Skarp (Sweden), Flynn Goodman (Maitland), Chris Fayers (Valentine), Keanu Moore, Xander Woweries (Magic), Josh Dwyer (Newcastle Croatia), Aaron Oppedisano (Peninsula Power), Tyler Beric, Blake Robinson, Riley Van Haren (Jets academy).

OUT: Josh Rose (retired), Jacob Pepper (Olympic), Nick and Tom Curran, Tyson Jackson, Sascha Montefiore (not playing), Dylan Holz (Central Coast league), Jarryd Sutherland (Charlestown), Shayne Van As (New Lambton), Kevin Dagnet.

KEY: Gelling fast. The once-dominant Eagles hope a massive turnover of players will put them back in the finals after two disappointing years. The loss of Rose, who had been enormous for Edgeworth since 2018, Pepper and other regular starters will hurt, but McGuinness appears to have recruited well. Playmaker Clark, a Kiwi under-23 international, looks the key man for Edgeworth and how he links with a host of other new faces will be crucial.

TIP: 6th

Coaches: Neil Owens and Paul DeVitis

2023: 7^th (33 pts)

INS: Jacob Pepper (Edgeworth), Rhys Cooper (Maitland), Louis Townsend (New Lambton), Lachlan West (Jets Youth).

OUTS: Jared Muller (overseas), Wil Southcombe (Jets Youth), Grant Michaels, Hamza Moosvi.

KEY: Better at both ends. Olympic went from finalists in 2022 to missing the top five last year, and they begin this season with a new coaching team and a similar roster. Pepper is the major addition but the loss of top striker Muller will be felt. Olympic focused on youth development under Joel Griffiths in recent years and they have built a young, mobile squad who move the ball well. Last year though they conceded the most goals of the top eight and scored the equal least. If Owens and DeVitis can find genuine goalscorers, and tighten things up at the back, they could push again for the play-offs.

TIP: 7th

Coach: Adam Hughes

2023: 9^th (25 pts)

INS: Nick Cowburn (Gold Coast), Sakeel Balfour Brown (Jaffas), Tyrell Paulson (Maitland), Nicolas King (Vanuatu), Mohammad Hossein Ellahi (FC Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), Jordan Gu, Kai Herd (Jets academy).

OUTS: Tom Parkes (Magic), Jye Bailey, Tom Duggan (Weston), Charlie Daniels (overseas), Chris Fayers (Edgeworth), Rodrigo Mesquita, Tyrone Mulder.

KEY: Building a fortress: The Hughes-led Phoenix pushed all the way for finals in 2022 before narrowly missing out, but they never got going last season. Forced to play at Hunter Sports Centre, Glendale, because of delays to work on their new pitch at Croudace Bay, Valentine showed only glimpses of their best. Now settled in at home and with midfield general Cowburn back to headline some quality additions, they could again challenge for top five.

TIP: 8th

Coach: Chris Zoricich

2023: 8^th (32 pts)

INS: Cody Nancarrow, Hayden Farley (Jaffas), Joey Licata (Adamstown), Kai Bradley (New Lambton), Tomasz Kowalski, Charlie Buffon (Lakes).

OUTS: Tap Goora (Lakes), Sam Marr (West Wallsend).

KEY: Repeat the dose. Zoricich had claims for coach of the year honours in 2023 after coming into a club gutted by departures and improving on their debut NPL season without making major signings. The new group took time gel but they claimed several big scalps late to climb a position higher than 2022 and finish just seven points from the finals. With a similar squad, Cooks Hill will be trying to build from that, but they face rivals who look to have strengthened their lists.

TIP: 9th

Coach: Shane Pryce

2023: 11th (12 pts)

INS: Josh Piddington, Charlie Kelly (Jaffas), Shayne Van As (Edgeworth), Reinhard Lloyd, Hugh Browne (Jets academy).

OUTS: Kai Bradley (Cooks Hill), Louis Townsend (Olympic), Dylan and Alex Bozinovski.

KEY: Defence. Title-winning coach Pryce takes on the challenge of trying to lift New Lambton out of the relegation zone in their second season. With no threat of relegation, the Golden Eagles had a tough initiation to the NPL under incumbent coach Tom Davies and with most of their squad from the second tier. Pryce has now brought in experience at the back, with keeper Van As and veteran defender Piddington, and it's needed after New Lambton let in 61 goals last year. Those additions may be the difference in a likely battle with Lakes and Adamstown to avoid the bottom two.

TIP: 10th

Coach: Daniel Dawkins

2023: 10th (19 pts)

INS: Taiju Watanabe (Atlétic Sant Just, Spain), Koji Murai (Gold Coast), Aiden Halpin, Kye Fauchon (New Lambton), Alex Grant (Wallsend), Stuart Plant, Elijah Harrison (year off), Orlando De Vries.

OUTS: Ollie Davies (overseas), Nick Hartnett (Canberra), Joey Licata (Cooks Hill), James Lowe.

KEY: Impact of imports. Adamstown have finished in the bottom three every season since 2016 while trying to build talent through their youth programs. With relegation back, Rosebud and new coach Dawkins have boosted their squad with Japanese visa players Watanabe and Murai. Watanabe will play as a holding midfielder and Murai will be a wide attacker. The experienced imports will be welcomed additions to a Rosebud line-up who have caused upsets over the years with their youth and enthusiasm but have struggled for consistency.

TIP: 11th

Coach: Peter Preston

2023: 12^th (4 points)

INS: Jordan and Cobe Preston, Cade Thomson (Central Coast Utd), Callum Richards (Jets Youth), Jerome Abrahams (Magic), Baden Rees, Jacob and Marcus Field (Coffs Tigers), Tap Goora (Cooks Hill). OUTS: Nicholas Emanuel (not playing), Tomasz Kowalski, Charlie Buffon (Cooks Hill), Riley Tydd, Jason Cowburn, Brock Oakley, Chad Kubica, Josh Maguire.

KEY: Fresh faces. New coach Preston has brought young talent from up and down the coast to help Lakes avoid relegation, and their fortunes will no doubt rest on how those recruits measure up. An improvement seems likely, but the club is coming from a long, long way back after last year, when they averaged more than four goals a game conceded.

TIP: 12^th

Friday

Broadmeadow v Adamstown at Magic Park, 8pm

Saturday

Maitland v Valentine at Maitland Sportsground, 2.30pm

Edgeworth v Weston at Jack McLaughlan Oval, 2.30pm

Cooks Hill v Newcastle Olympic at No.2 Sportsground, 5pm

Lake Macquarie v Lambton Jaffas at Macquarie Field, 7pm

Sunday

Charlestown v New Lambton FC at Lisle Carr Oval, 2.30pm