On the Mark – Round 2 Article
One Kick In: Round 1’s Massive Moments & Close Calls as Round 2 Looms Large
Written by Oliver Croft
Well footy fans… Round 1 is completed! The opening sirens have sounded, and Season 2025 is officially underway in the Hunter Central Coast AFL competition. All those long months of pre-season sweat, drills, gym sessions, game plans, and grueling fitness tests have finally hit the field. The score boards lit up, the barbeques fired, the goal padding was strapped tight, Sherrin’s pumped, water bottles filled, and the Men’s and Women’s Cup teams did not disappoint! Finally, after all the questions have been asked, the answers are starting to unfold.
The big names stood tall, the underdogs barked loud, and a few shock results had jaws on the floor. Who’s firing? Who’s flopping? And who’s already sending a message to the competition?
Strap in – because if Round 1 is anything to go by, we’re in for a wild season, right across the Hunter Central Coast.
Men’s Cup
In Round 2 we begin on the Central Coast, at the Hangar. The home of the Killarney Vale Bombers, a stage pockmarked with the wreckage of a fight in the skies between the Hawks and the Bombers in Round 1. Cardiff emerged victorious winners by 5 points, a game that subdued the red and black faithful at Adelaide Street Oval. The Bombers soar again this week though, beaten but not broken, up against the navy and white powerhouse, preferably known as the reigning premiers – Newcastle City. On a five-game winning streak, the blues heartbreakingly defeated the Warners Bay Bulldogs on foreign turf last week, by a narrow 10 points to clinch a Round 1 thriller. Both teams have come off a round of suspense-ridden 4 quarters each, and you can bet they’d do it all again, eager to come out on top. It all kicks off at Adelaide Street Oval, at 2.30pm.
Across the Coast, at Passage Road Oval, the scene is set for another dominant performance from the Bateau Bay Blues, as they face off against the Warners Bay Bulldogs in an exhilarating Round 2 clash at 3.00pm. For the Blues, it marks the eagerly awaited return of footy season at their home ground, with the Bro Bar once again buzzing and the passionate blue and yellow faithful streaming in, hoping for a resurgence after a challenging 2024 campaign. Bateau Bay struggled hard in Season 2024, finishing their season with a 110-point loss to the then ongoing Cardiff Hawks Grand Finalists in the last round, and last place wrapped up with 2 wins and 12 losses. Against the odds, last weekend, the Blues have streamed up the highway to Max McMahon and came back jubilant after an away Round 1 win over the Maitland Saints by 18 points, a near repetition of Round 15, 2024, where they beat Maitland by 19 points at home. The scenes were ecstatic as the Blues jump to first place on the ladder, the biggest win of the Men’s Cup draw in Round 1. Warners Bay have felt the sting after an early loss to Newcastle City. It was tight, until their defence line was charged down in the last minute, and the scoreboard read a 10-point defeat. A long season awaits, and both teams have work to do in Round 2.
The final fixture of the weekend sees the Cardiff Hawks back down on the Central Coast, present at the jungle, home of the Terrigal Avoca Panthers. And these two have history. Welcome back in time to August 31st , 2024, at Max McMahon Oval, Maitland. Preliminary Final. Cardiff Vs Terrigal. That game was a must see, and a gripping down to the wire clash. At the final siren, all the Panthers saw was an unfinished attempt for the Premiership Cup, whilst the Hawks partied hard, ready to meet old rivals Newcastle City in the Grand Final. And we are back here again. A preliminary rematch, with the Panthers snarling. This game will be our first look at the Terrigal Avoca Panthers after a Round 1 bye, and how ironic it is that their season starts, where it ended last year: the maroon and gold of the Cardiff Hawks. Bird vs Cat, 3.00pm, Hylton Moore Oval. Cardiff players are catching their breath after a scare in the skies from the Bombers and a 5-point win and are yet to play a home game this year. Terrigal look to back up their 2024 season from third place to premiers. You don’t want to miss this one, Hawks and Panthers fans.
Subdued from the defeat at Max McMahon Oval last week, the Maitland Saints have the bye, ready to rebuild and show the competition what their made of, preparing for a post ANZAC Day meeting with the Terrigal Avoca Panthers at home.
The Central Coast is alive with AFL excitement, as Hylton Moore Oval, Adelaide Street Oval, and Passage Road prepare to host a blockbuster weekend of footy. Local teams are primed to showcase their talent and passion in front of their home supporters; and it’s not just the men lighting up the field — the Women’s Cup will also take centre stage at all three venues, promising powerful performances and fierce footy action that will light up every oval on the Coast.
Women’s Cup
The opening siren of the 2025 Women’s Cup in Round 2 will do more than signal the start of a new game — it will reopen a wound, reignite a rivalry, and set the scene for one of the most emotionally charged fixtures of the year. Saturday’s blockbuster clash between the Killarney Vale Bombers and Newcastle City is no ordinary match. It is a match that was previously drowned in history, heartbreak, and unfinished business — a Preliminary Final rematch from 2024 that echoes the history of Killarney Vale soaring into the Grand Final against the Cardiff Hawks. This clash will deliver the kind of footy theatre usually reserved for the last Saturday in September.
August 31st, 2024 – the Magpies’ nest, at Dom Small Oval. That day, two proud clubs marched onto the battlefield for a place in the Grand Final. Newcastle City had watched from third place on the ladder as the second placed Bombers swooped straight into the semi-final, one rung ahead of what City could achieve. The Bombers? A 4-year premiership campaign charging again. What unfolded was end-to-end football, brutal tackles and roaring crowds. When the final siren rang, it was the Bombers who stood tallest – by just three points. It was a victory that sent them soaring toward the big dance and left Newcastle City shattered.
Fast-forward to now, and those wounds haven’t healed. Not for City. Not for their faithful. And what better place to seek redemption than the very competition that tore it away? As they meet again on neutral ground, both sides bring more than just talent. The Bombers show consistency, beating premiership opponents Cardiff at the Hangar last week, by a fair 27 points, the premiership cup still in their cargo. The City Blues also showed their colours last week, downing the Warners Bay Bulldogs at Feighan Oval by 76 points. This isn’t just about four points. It’s about reclaiming what was lost and proving once and for all who deserves to stand on top. The Blues won’t want to see the tail of the Bombers this year. So set your alarms for 12.30pm, Adelaide Street Oval. Grab your scarves. Cover your ears. Because when Bombers take off, and City collide, it’s more than just a game – it’s a reckoning.
After weeks of waiting and watching from the sidelines, the Bateau Bay Women are finally ready to rise for the first time in 2025. The siren hasn’t sounded yet, but the message is clear: the Bay is back. In last year’s elimination week, Bateau Bay faced a brutal exit at the hands of Newcastle City, going down by a staggering 146 points. It was a loss that stung deeply, and a moment that has fuelled the fire ever since. Fresh legs, fresh hunger, and a fire that’s been building quietly during their Round 1 bye – this is a team that’s had time to prepare and plan. The tide is turning, and the Bay is rolling in.
But the best sort of footy will be required for this clash.
The Warners Bay Bulldogs are another heavy casualty of Newcastle City’s attempt for premiership glory. The Dogs barked, but the Blues walked away, scooping up the bowl of dog treats along the way, otherwise known as a 76-point win. Kicking just three behinds, the Bulldogs drool with hunger to hit the scoreboard harder, and 1.00pm at Bateau Bay Oval sees the meeting of these to glory hungry teams.
The weekend’s final showdown in the Women’s Cup lands right in the heart of the Jungle — Hylton Moore Oval home of the Terrigal Avoca Panthers: their favourite hunting ground. The last birds to venture into the Jungle were the Singleton Roosters, back in Round 1 last week. In the heart of the Jungle, the Panthers have already shown they’re not afraid to feast – and the Birds, whether soaring or struggling, Cardiff or Singleton, are their prey. It’s the Cardiff Hawks, flying down from the north ready to face off the Panthers.
If we flashback to August 31st, 2024. Max McMahon Oval. The stage was set for a Women’s Preliminary Final that would go down as one of the fiercest of the year. The Panthers and Hawks. When the final siren cut through the tension, it was the Panthers left staring at a season cut short: their dream of a Grand Final cruelly snatched away by 50 points. Meanwhile, the Hawks soared into the decider. Now, fate brings them together once again. The Panthers, hot off the press after grilling the Roosters in an 87-point deficit, return to the field with claws sharpened and memories galore. Nothing fuels a team more than the chance at redemption. The Hawks, suffering from a Grand Final hangover are still trying to find their rhythm after a Grand Final re-match went south against the Bombers. They, like their Men’s side, are yet to feel the comfort of a home ground. At 3:00pm, the whistle blows, and the script begins again. Who’s is sharper? The Beak of the Hawk, or the Claw of a Panther?
The Roosters are back home with the bye this week, reeling after a season start, they are keen to forget, with inaccurate kicking bringing up just 3 behinds for the red and white. A few training sessions in front of goal, and we should hear to Rooster’s call loud and clear across the Hunter Central Coast, prepped for Round 3 against Killarney Vale.
Round 2 is here, and with it, the storm of rivalries, returns, unpredictability, history and rematches. The stage is set for chaos, fierce clashes, and moments that will shape the narrative of 2025. The countdown is on, and the battle begins this Saturday. Get ready for a rollercoaster of action, Footy Fans!
