Round 8 – Tuesday Night Thrillers, Grand Final Grudges, and Ladder-Climbing Chaos on the AFLHCC
Round 8 – Tuesday Night Thrillers,
Grand Final Grudges, and
Ladder-Climbing Chaos on the AFLHCC
Written by Oliver Croft
You’ve heard of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Footy — but how about Tuesday Night Footy?
That was exactly the situation for AFL Hunter Central Coast, who found themselves with a backlog of Cup games to make up. Rather than wait until July 12, the league booked Tuggerah Sports Complex on the Central Coast, where the Round 3 makeup match between Newcastle City and Terrigal Avoca was played under lights – in a chilly 10°C evening showdown.
Newcastle City once again showed why they’re the reigning premiers, adding another win to their unbeaten run. They’ve now dropped just one game since around Round 8, 2024.
Terrigal Avoca, however, weren’t going down without a fight. With the persistence of a seasoned fisherman, they reeled the margin back to just 4 points in the final quarter – but ultimately couldn’t pull off the comeback.
Footy returns this weekend with some of the biggest AFLHCC clashes of the season, setting the stage for a blockbuster Saturday afternoon.
Men’s Cup
And it doesn’t get much bigger than this. 3:00pm. Cameron Park. Cardiff vs Newcastle City: the Grand Final rematch from the Men’s Cup in 2024; where tempers flared and the scoreline blew out to a 44-point premiership victory for the Newcastle City Blues – with a red card even shown to a Cardiff player. With a healthy rivalry, these two teams don’t just play. They attack with eagerness to win the game of football that can determine who stands on top as a better side. Cardiff sit 6th on the ladder; just two rungs off the bottom with four losses to their name and two wins. They are desperately searching for win to keep their season alive in 2025; whereas Newcastle City nearly have top spot secured with their biggest threat Terrigal Avoca being tamed on Tuesday night. Buckle up footy fans, be there for one of the most hotly contested games of 2025.
Further afield at Maitland, the Maitland Saints line up against a riveting Warners Bay side. Warners Bay sit fourth on the ladder and are showing promising signs of becoming a team to beat come finals time. The Doggies are firing on all four cylinders at the Kennel as they face a winless Saints outfit. Despite narrowing margins and flashes of great footy, it hasn’t quite paid off for Maitland, who are still searching for their first win. For Warners Bay, this clash is all about climbing higher into the Top 4 – with hopes of cracking the top two and earning a valuable second chance in the finals. Their season could pivot on this game.
On the Central Coast, Killarney Vale are up and running in 2025, showing brilliant signs of finals football that could definitely carry them all the way. They are looking great on the field and will look to sink their teeth into the Nelson Bay Marlins. Since being moved up into the 1st grade, they’ve gone on to beat Bateau Bay and Grand Finalists Cardiff. They come up against the 5th place Bombers who are eager to make another finals return. Will the Bombers upset the Marlins at their home of the hangar? Or will the Marlins persevere once again and come home with the points? Are they the biggest threat to reigning premiers?
Bateau Bay, with just the one win under their belt, are searching desperately to keep themselves in the competition and prove that they’ve turned the corner in 2025 after 2024. However, Terrigal, fresh off the Tuesday night loss against Newcastle City, spare nothing as they sit 3rd on the table and wish to take back the second position they have held for rounds before. There’s nothing like Central Coast vs Central Coast.
Men’s Cup Footy showcases another pivotal turning point for the competition that could see teams lose or cement spots in finals positions. Every team has something to lose, and every team has something to gain. This weekend, it’s about who stands on top, and who gets what they need when they need it.
Women’s Cup
In the Women’s Cup, the Warners Bay Bulldogs have a much-needed bye to prepare for a potential September surge. After securing their second win of the season — a victory over Bateau Bay on home soil the weekend before last — they’re showing promising signs. If they keep building momentum, they could start putting real pressure on teams that stumble under their trademark Doggie pressure.
Fixtures are nearly reciprocated across the Women’s Cup with Terrigal and Bateau Bay are also going head-to-head. Terrigal sit fourth on the ladder and are looking to strengthen their hold on a Top 4 spot. They’ve stumbled against big teams like Cardiff, but now they’re aiming to stamp their dominance and prove they belong in the finals – because if they slip, the snarling Bulldogs might just snatch that spot. Wouldn’t that be the upset of the season? Big cat taken by little dog.
Bateau Bay showed promising signs early, opening the season with a win. But since then, they’ve dropped three in a row and are eager to break the losing streak.
Killarney Vale hosts the Roosters at home on Saturday. The Roosters are winless and desperately searching for a win. The last time these two sides met was in Round 3, where the Singleton Roosters went down 166 points to 0 in an absolute demolition from the Bombers, which saw their percentage go right up and hold a spot in the top 4 for a little longer. However, the Bombers form has cracked throughout the year, and they have an even ledger of three wins and three losses they’ll be looking to fix up very soon. Will the reigning premiers go back-to-back this year?
Finally, in an early fixture at 1:00pm at Cameron Park, the Cardiff Hawks and the Newcastle City Blues go head-to-head before their Men do. It may not be a Grand Final rematch, but it will be filled with the same sort of rivalry and a match that nobody wants to miss. At the Hawks nest, the Cardiff Hawks are absolutely soaring in 2025 with one early loss under their belt. It’s the challenger for top spot. Newcastle City have held firmly onto top spot of the ladder for many rounds, and if Cardiff take this win off them, they will well and truly sit on top of the Women’s Cup Ladder. Who takes their fifth win of the season? Will it be Cardiff or Newcastle City? By 3:00pm Saturday, we’ll have all the answers for this enthralling line up of fixtures.
The AFL Hunter Central Coast continues to deliver in 2025, with several teams either well and truly on their way — or still finding their feet. We’re lucky and excited to see what each and every team brings to the competition this season. Will new premiers be crowned, or will the reigning champs go back-to-back? These are the questions that don’t always have answers in June — but come September, we’ll know them all.
Three months into the season, and we’re loving every bit of it!
