Weston, Broadmeadow and Maitland were the big winners on a super Sunday of three top-seven NPL men's matches in round 14.
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All three games were 1-1 passing the hour mark, but it was Broadmeadow who prevailed 3-1 over Olympic, while Maitland beat Charlestown and Weston downed Edgeworth 2-1.
Weston joined Charlestown on 28 points but moved ahead of them by one goal at the top of the table, although Azzurri have a game in hand. They play Valentine in a catch-up match next Saturday.
Broadmeadow kept third spot, rising to 27 points, while Maitland jumped three positions to fourth. They sit on 24 points alongside Edgeworth, Lambton Jaffas and OIympic but with a far better goal difference.
At Magic Park, Broadmeadow came back from 1-0 down to win their second derby clash of the season.
Riley Smith (53rd minute) scored from the spot after a handball call, James Cresnar (67th) hit a strike from the top of the area in off the post and Sam Donnellan (76th) slotted the clincher from an acute angle. Magic lost Xander Woweries to a second booking in the 81st minute but hung on.
Olympic had led with the last kick of the first half, when Lachlan Griffiths finished his one-on-one chance.
At Lisle Carr Oval, a 58th minute Ty Cousins penalty and Lachlan Webb's strike in the 74th completed Maitland's comeback.
Charlestown led in the third minute of first-half stoppage time with a Nigel Boogaard free kick. The Azzurri skipper curled in the long-range shot before Maitland had set their wall, sparking protests from the Magpies. However, they hit back to convert the equaliser after a foul from Jackson Frendo on Sean Pratt. Webb then smashed home the volleyed winner after knocking the ball up to himself.
At Jack McLaughlan Oval, Weston's Connor Heydon was rewarded for his persistence with a 65th-minute winner. Heydon chased down a deflected pass before scoring with his second shot.
Cooper Buswell put Weston up in the eighth minute with a shot after slick work from Aaron Niyonkuru. The Eagles were level in the 15th minute via a Dylan Holz header off a second ball in off a corner.
Also on Sunday, bottom side Lake Macquarie scored their first win of 2023, downing Adamstown 4-1 at home.
Shukurani Sunzu opened the scoring in the 32nd minute for Lakes before a double from Nick Emanuel made it 3-0 at the break. Murray Peart scored for Rosebud in the 63rd minute. Veteran Jason Cowburn capped the win with a free kick into the top corner in the 87th.
On Saturday, Valentine (18 points) came back from a goal down to beat Cooks Hill (13) 3-2 at Hunter Sports Centre.
Tom Duggan, who chipped the keeper for Valentine's fifth-minute opener, scored the 89th-minute winner off a ball from Nicholas Martinelli. A strike from Martinelli in the 52nd minute made it 2-all after Cooks Hill had scored in the 32nd (own goal) and 50th (Matt Berrigan).
On Friday night, Jaffas defeated New Lambton 5-0.
Kale Bradbery scored twice in the second half after Charlie Kelly gave the visitors a 1-0 halftime lead. A Sakeel Balfour Brown strike and an own goal completed the rout.
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