Premiership in Warners Bay's sights after five-goal rout of Broadmeadow Magic at John Street Oval: NPLW NNSW round 18

The two teams went into the round-18 match locked on 43 points with another three games each to play before finals and after taking a game off each other in two previous exchanges.

But it was virtually one-way traffic this time around with the Panthers' win never looking in doubt.

The game was only three minutes old when Tara Andrews received the ball on the left edge of the 18-yard box, touched it between two defenders then slotted past advancing Magic shot-stopper Alison Logue.

Cassidy Davis made it 2-0 in the 35^th minute seemingly out of nothing when defender Zoe Horgan found her on the edge of the box and the Newcastle Jets captain rolled the ball with pinpoint accuracy past an outstretched Logue.

Davis made it 3-0 in the 58^th when she combined with Andrews before finishing from close range.

Andrews then provided a superb pass through Magic's defence for Adriana Konjarski in the 74^th and the competition's leading scorer beat Logue one-on-one to finish from a tight angle.

Elodie Dagg completed the rout with a curling corner kick in stoppage time.

The loss was Broadmeadow's biggest since they rejoined NNSW Football's top-flight women's competition in 2020.

Magic, who were last year's premiers in a COVID-shortened season, lost midfielder Nadja Squires in the 50th minute to an ankle injury and were missing centre-back Kirstyn Antoni.

Fullback Jannali Hunter started for Broadmeadow, playing her first game since breaking her ankle on June 25.

The match was Magic's fifth in 15 days and Warners Bay's third in a week.

"The girls stuck to our plan and executed really well," Warners Bay coach Craig Atkins said.

"We spoke about trying to pinch one early and changed our style a little bit just for those first 10 or so minutes and as soon as the ball went into the net early it was nice for that to come off.

"Then the girls just settled back in to what they do best and put on a really good show. We played some really smart football, from the back to the front.

"But we're not getting too carried away. We've still got three games to go and anything can happen, so we want to make sure we're fully focused and get a nice run into the finals."

Chloe Hinde and Georgia Amess produced match doubles while Paige Kingston-Hogg and Jemma House also got on the scoresheet as Newcastle Olympic beat New Lambton 7-0 at Arthur Edden Oval on Sunday. The Eagles also conceded an own goal.

The win moved fourth-placed Olympic to 30 points and kept them within two points of third-placed Charlestown, who hurt Maitland's finals chances when they came from behind to win 2-1 at Cooks Square Park on Saturday.

It was the third game straight in which the fifth-placed Magpies (22) had led a top-four side only to lose in the dying stages.

Sophie Jones scored at the near post with a free kick in the 57th to give the hosts a 1-0 lead, but Azzurri equalised in the 78th when Indianna Asimus scored with a close-range header then fullback Ash Gavin nodded the ball into the net off a corner in the 90th.

The match was the first of three in a week for Maitland, who have a game in hand over Olympic and Azzurri and play New Lambton (0) on Wednesday night then Mid Coast (10) next Sunday.

Ellen Hughes bagged a double and Leia Puxty, Kimmy Trappett, Imanee Burke and Tayla Hammond all scored as Adamstown (17) beat Mid Coast 7-1 at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night. Tash Ruge scored late for Mid Coast.

Points: Warners Bay 46, Magic 43, Azurri 32, Olympic 30, Maitland 22, Adamstown 17, Mid Coast 10, New Lambton 0.

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