Round 9 – Marlins meet Top 4, Heavy Air Traffic, Panthers Pounce, and Bateau Bay Re-load
Round 9 – Marlins meet Top 4, Heavy Air Traffic, Panthers Pounce, and Bateau Bay Re-load
Written by Oliver Croft
Welcome to Round 9 of the AFLHCC, where the Marlins grapple with a Top 4 contender, early-season fixtures repeat, and momentum builds in the twilight hours.
The AFL Hunter Central Coast has released an extended fixture list, with blockbusters in every round – but what’s in store for this weekend?
Men’s Cup
A massive clash awaits – one that could reveal who has the strength for September, and who might be left scrambling to sneak in. 2:00pm. Dick Burwell Oval. The Home of the Nelson Bay Marlins. The Marlins will play their first Men’s Cup home game of 2025, and they match up with 4th placed Warners Bay. The Marlins remain undefeated, but they’ve had their scares. In Round 7, they scraped through with a 7-point win, and against Killarney Vale, the margin was just 14. Will they find the extra will-power to take a win over the Bulldogs as well, or will the Bulldogs notch it up a gear, and find a win that could plunge them further up the ladder? It’s Nelson Bay’s first meeting with a Top 4 team. In yet another Bay vs Bay rivalry clash, the Nelson Bay crowd will be thronging to the sidelines for a high-stakes battle. With both teams fresh off a win, who will come out on top in Round 9?
Further afield at Maitland, the Saints face off against Bateau Bay — their Round 1 opponents, and the only team they’ve seen take a win this season. Bateau’s sole victory came against Maitland. Last week, the Saints fell short against Warners Bay by 70 points. It was a chilly afternoon on the hill, with construction of the new Maitland clubhouse well underway. Still, the club showed up and played a solid game of football, holding the Bulldogs to a tighter margin than expected. Maitland are still chasing their first win. Bateau have just one – against Maitland. Now they meet again, this time at Passage Road Oval, live on Bar TV. 7th vs 8th. Who prevails? Who holds on until the final siren, refuses to settle, and turns the cogs toward a stronger 2025? Gear up for an exciting match between two hungry sides.
In Newcastle, Killarney Vale are flying up the highway for a much-anticipated rematch with a team everyone has grappled with – and everyone has lost to. At No. 1 Sportsground, reigning premiers Newcastle City are staring down a startling stat: just one defeat since Round 9, 2024. This week, they run out against the Bombers – who soared early but lost altitude last week, though they’re far from grounded. Their last meeting was at Adelaide Street in Round 2, where City triumphed by 50 points. The Bombers are looking sharp on-field – but can they rise and bring down the premiers on enemy turf? Can City stay dominant and remain the competition’s biggest threat? The question is… how long can a team truly hold their ground? See it all at 3pm this Saturday.
Finally, Cardiff host Terrigal Avoca in a traditional 2.00pm clash at Pasterfield. The Hawks only lost to Newcastle City by 9 points last weekend, with only one point in it at 3 quarter time. Their performance was a big improvement from last weeks and they now face an equally big challenge. The Terrigal Avoca Panthers wait in 3rd position and are fresh off a 130-point flogging of Bateau Bay at home. The Hawks wait eagerly, and will prove a force to be reckoned with, with their preliminary final rivalry continuing.
Men’s Cup Footy. This weekend, it’s about who stands on top, and who gets what they need when they need it. C’mon down and support your team.
Women’s Cup
In the Women’s Cup, the Warners Bay Bulldogs come off a much-needed bye, readying themselves for a potential September surge. After securing their second win of the season – a home victory over Bateau Bay two weeks ago – they’re showing promising signs. If they can keep building momentum, they may start putting real pressure on teams that stumble under their trademark Doggie pressure. They front up at home against Terrigal Avoca, who currently sit on the finals cut-off in 4th place. Terrigal have lost three and won two, but they’ve shown that form doesn’t dictate determination — and they’re threatening to jump back into September. Can the Bulldogs capitalise on Terrigal’s inconsistency when it matters most?
Newcastle City have the bye, a week after they suffered their first loss of the 2025 season. It came in their away fixture against rivals Cardiff, with the City Blues falling short by 49 points against a ruthless Hawks outfit. The Blues kicked just 1 goal and 4 behinds.
With alternating byes and a small competition, fixtures repeat frequently – and once again, Cardiff and Killarney Vale are going head-to-head in their third Grand Final rematch of the year. Killarney Vale’s form has kept them afloat in the Top 4… just. With four wins and three losses, the Bombers could slip fast if Terrigal surges hard toward September. The premiers’ confidence was boosted last week when they cracked the ton against Singleton at home, winning by a staggering 110 points to none. But flying right alongside them, Cardiff have spared no one. Since dropping their first game of the season – to Killarney Vale – they’ve won eight in a row. Air traffic has been notified: another battle in the skies awaits.
Bateau Bay showed promising signs early, opening the season with a win. Now they have 2; defeating Terrigal Avoca in an upset statement by 11 points away last Saturday. No doubt full of adrenaline, the Bay Blues host the Roosters at home on Saturday. The Roosters are winless and desperately searching for a win. Will Bateau Bay capitalise, or will the Roosters stun the competition and take back a win? We’re all set for an exciting clash that we’re all looking forward to learning the outcome of.
The AFL Hunter Central Coast continues to deliver in 2025, with several teams excited for their matchups and their chance to build momentum. Whether you support the Hawks, City Blues, Saints, Bulldogs, Roosters, Panthers, Bombers, Marlins or Bay Blues, get behind them for another massive weekend of AFL.
