Football NSW take commanding lead in NAIDOC Cup competition

The 2024 NAIDOC Cup competitions kicked off in perfect conditions on Thursday as Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility hosted a thrilling day’s events on Awabakal country.

With teams competing across the U14 and U16 age groups, the U14 girls had the honour of staging the opening match.

Football NSW’s Tikka Jeffery opened the scoring in the 29th minute before Isabella Langridge doubled the lead. Northern NSW were able to put up a strong showing and kept up with their opposition, before two late goals from Khloe Houghton (73′) and Maddison Houghton (79′) made it a convincing 4-0 victory.

It was an intense battle between NNSWF and Football NSW in the U14s boys’ competition, with both teams gaining a point in a 3-3 draw.

Football NSW’s Adam Mohana opened the scoring for the day in the third minute before a goal from NNSWF’s Will Hannah three minutes before the break sent the teams into half-time locked at 1-1.

Tyler Hawkett put the away side back in front in the 66th minute however two late goals for NNSWF flipped the game on its head with only minutes remaining. However a late through ball fell to the feet of Jake Wynne who rounded the keeper and finished into the empty net to save the game with the very last kick of the game.

Football NSW continued its dominance in the girls’ tournament taking down NNSWF U16s girls 2-1. Bonnie Joan Young opened the scoring for in the 16th minute before a last-minute strike from the home side’s Kalani Ryan sent the sides into the break locked at 1-1. Young added to her tally in the 61st minute with Football NSW able to hold off a strong-finishing NNSWF to take the three points.

The day’s final match proved to be a fierce contest, where Football NSW ultimately proved too strong for their opponents. Marli Wright put the away team in front in the very first minute, successfully converting a penalty. The Football NSW contingent did not slow down there, with Ashton Hawkett scoring only eight minutes later, before a 16th minute goal to Kaiden Bouldery brought the Northerners back to 2-1.

Football NSW raised their levels in the second half with Benjamin Duroux netting an impressive hat-trick and Tiago William Torres finishing the job with a 78th minute strike as to walk away with a 6-1 victory.

Following the day’s first round of matches, Football NSW sit in a dominant position on 10 points, with NNSWF picking up their sole point from the U14 Boys. Day three matches kick off at 9am and see each team play each other once more – watch all matches live (or on replay) on BarTV.

The official medal ceremony and cup presentation will be held at 3.45pm which will also feature the announcement of the players of the tournament.

2024 NAIDOC Cup Day Two Results 

U14 Girls

Northern NSW 0
Football NSW 4 (Tikka Jeffery, Isabella Langridge, Khloe Houghton, Maddison Houghton)

U14 Boys

Northern NSW 3 (Will Hannah, Lachlan Blayden, Levi van Haren)
Football NSW 3 (Adam Mohana, Tyler Hawkett, Jake Wynne)

U16 Girls

Northern NSW 1 (Kalani Ryan)
Football NSW 2 (Bonnie Joan Young x2)

U16 Boys

Northern NSW 1 (Kaiden Bouldery)
Football NSW 6 (Marli Wright, Ashton Hawkett, Benjamin Duroux x3, Tiago William Torres)

The 2024 NAIDOC Cup is supported by the NSW government through the $10 million NSW Football Legacy Program.