Newcastle Olympic expect Tom O'Connor, Jed Hornery and Louis Townsend to miss the rest of the season as they brace for a likely finals campaign. Login or signup to continue reading O'Connor hurt his knee against Adamstown in a 2-0 win on Saturday and joins Hornery (knee) and Townsend (hamstring) on the sidelines. Coach Paul DeVitis said all three were unlikely to play again this season in a test of his squad's depth.
Jason Hoffman came off late on Saturday with a minor calf issue. If Valentine beat Broadmeadow on Wednesday, fifth-placed Olympic may need to beat Lake Macquarie on Sunday to guarantee a finals spot. Kane Treble is back from holidays for the game but DeVitis hopes to rest Luke Rutledge, Archie Finn and Jye Rodway, who face suspension if booked again.
** Edgeworth will be without skipper Pat Wheeler for the rest of the year after confirmation of an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which will require a knee reconstruction. ** Jaffas have locked in former A-League players Ben Kennedy and Nikolai Topor-Stanley, and this year's key recruits - Jimmy Oates, Matt Buettner and Matt Cahill - for another season. ** Northern NSW Football are looking to midweek matches, potentially on synthetic pitches at their Speers Point headquarters, as the contingency plan to play the final round of the men's NPL set down on Sunday.
The region is expected to cop decent rain on Wednesday, then showers are forecast for the rest of the week, putting the round in doubt. Matches midweek leading into finals are less than ideal but at least the top-five sides may have the luxury of not needing to win. If Magic beat Valentine on Wednesday night, the finalists will be locked in.
Their finishing spots will also be safe, given the goal differences between teams who could finish level on points. If Valentine win and keep the premiership and fight for fifth spot alive, then some final-round matches become crucial. On Sunday at 2.
30pm, Maitland host Edgeworth, New Lambton welcome Broadmeadow, Olympic are at home against Lakes, Weston travel to Cooks Hill, Valentine play Charlestown at CB Complex and Jaffas are away to Adamstown..
