The Australia Cup 2024 Round of 16 gets underway with a double header on Sunday afternoon.
An all A-Leagues clash between Newcastle Jets and Macarthur FC starts off the day before Victorian premiers South Melbourne host Queensland's Olympic FC.
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Newcastle Jets FC v Macarthur FC
Date: 25 August 2024
Time: 3:00 pm AEST
Venue: Maitland Regional Sportsground
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The Jets earned their place in the Round of 16 with victories over Western United in the Playoffs, and NPL Men’s NSW premiers Rockdale Ilinden in the Round of 32.
Newcastle edged past Ilinden with a 2-1 scoreline, taking just three shots, the second-fewest of all teams (Darwin Hearts FC took two) and the least of any winning side in the Round of 32.
Two of those shots belonged to former NPL NSW Men’s youngster Justin Vidic who bagged a first-half brace to secure the Jets' name in the pot.
Newcastle have already gone further in the Cup than they did in 2023 and will equal their best-ever performance with a win against Macarthur.
Macarthur survived a second-half scare to get past NPL Men’s ACT outfit O’Connor Knights 2-1 in the Round of 32.
They went behind in the 57th minute, but a quick leveller from Jake Hollman and Luke Brattan’s debut goal got them over the line.
The Bulls restricted the Knights to just 282 passes; only Oakleigh Cannons (126) and South Melbourne (278) played less, with both sides also progressing to the Round of 16.
Fans will be buoyed by Brattan’s first goal as the former Sydney FC midfielder looks to build a partnership with Jake Hollman in the heart of the engine room while Marin Jakolis also had his first competitive outing, starting on the left side of the attack.
This is the only all-A-Leagues clash in the Round of 16 and the prospect of extra time looms as these teams could not be separated in the A-League Men 2023/24 campaign, sharing the points on both occasions with two score draws.
South Melbourne FC v Olympic FC
Date: 25 August 2024
Time: 5:30 pm (AEST)
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
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South Melbourne added to their long history as they sensationally upset Wellington Phoenix 1-0 in the Round of 32.
An early goal to Harrison Sawyer proved enough for the team as they kept their A-Leagues opposition at bay for the remainder of the fixture.
Hellas sewed up the NPL Men’s Victoria Premiership earlier this month, finishing six points clear of Avondale and providing the perfect opportunity to host their Round of 16 match this Sunday in the week off as they await their NPL Semi Final opponent the following weekend.
With the Dockerty Cup also in the trophy cabinet, South Melbourne are confident of making a run in the Australia Cup with lofty ambitions of becoming the first Member Federation club to lift the trophy in the modern era.
Olympic also produced a nail-biting victory, edging out NPL Men’s NSW powerhouses APIA Leichhardt 1-0 after extra time.
Linden Farr broke the deadlock for the hosts six minutes into extra time, before APIA went down to ten-men.
Olympic ended a three-game winless run in the NPL Men’s Queensland with a 3-1 win over Brisbane City to finish their regular season.
Their Round of 32 win over APIA Leichhardt was a pulsating match up, featuring by far the most tackles of any game (91), the second-most shots (38) and the joint-most saves (12)
By contrast, South Melbourne’s Cupset against Wellington Phoenix featured the second-least tackles (27), joint-least shots (14) and the least saves (2), setting up an intriguing match up.
