It was Stuart Thomas who rose to the occasion last round, tipping three matches correctly and he is now slowly creeping into contention in the 2025/26 race for Roar tipping glory.
Frankly, he looks the one to beat, especially considering the predictable fadeouts that Andrew Prentice and Texi Smith will suffer in the coming weeks. Round 14 sees the Jets with another chance to claim semi-final credibility against Wellington on Friday night.
Auckland hosts the mariners on Saturday before Brisbane Roar does the same against Adelaide United in what could be a feisty affair. The prime time features Macarthur at home to Melbourne City, whilst Sunday sees the ‘sack yet another coach to take pressure off the board’ Wanderers up against a dangerous Perth unit on the road.
Australia Day ends with a beauty between the Victory and the Sky Blues. Be sure to enter your tips in the sheet below to have a say in the faltering voice of the people. Here is the way the panel sees all the action unfolding over the next four days.
Stuart Thomas
Newcastle, Auckland, Adelaide, Macarthur, Perth, Victory
Go the Jets I say and Mark Milligan is showing just what a clever fella he is. Surely they are too good for a Wellington side that beat a disappointing Sydney last time out? Auckland rarely lose two in a row and won’t when they beat the Mariners in New Zealand.
Brisbane and Adelaide looks a beauty, with the Reds buzzing after last week and likely winners. Macarthur will beat Melbourne City by three clear goals on Saturday and Western Sydney will not get the bounce back from the coach sacking they are looking for. Perth to win on the road.
The Big Blue will erupt, Sydney will implode and the steadily building Victory begin to move into finals contention before anyone had actually realised.
Andrew Prentice
Newcastle, Auckland, Brisbane, Macarthur, Perth, Sydney
The Jets are third. If they win, they will go top (and depending on other results, could stay there). The Phoenix are 8th. If they win, they could jump as high as third (and stay there as the rest of the round pans out). Yeah, go on, YOU work it out. I’m going for the Jets.
Auckland did a very un-Auckland thing and let a game slip in the last 10 minutes. They’ll have been caned for that at training this week. The Mariners were as gutsy as we know them to be last week at the end of a tumultous seven days.
We’re hoping the financial situation hasn’t meant Matty Simon has borrowed the Terrigal Surf Club boat and is rowing the team to New Zealand. It would be a good bonding experience. Auckland by the odd goal.
Former Mariner Matt Simon. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Brisbane did the unthinkable last week and scored twice in the one game. That’s only the third time this season they’ve scored more than once in a game and were the first goals they’ve scored in 2026. They must be back!
Adelaide have been on a mini-run and that’s all any team can manage this season which is why my infallible logic says they’ll lose here. And probably get kicked a bit too.
Macarthur huffed and puffed in Gosford last week without gaining the win. City left it late against Auckland. Neither team puts forward a convincing case for favouritism. Aurelio Vidmar has caught Pep-swap from his illustrious CFG colleague in England and can’t seem to decide on a settled line-up.
Is Max Caputo a starter this week or not? (Seriously, Aurelio let me know, it’s playing havoc with my fantasy team). Macarthur to win in prime time and at home.
We come to the dead cat bounce debate at Western Sydney, who parted ways with Alen Stajcic midweek. Does this mean they are a shoo-in to win with new coach Garry Van Egmond at the helm? Neutrals will be yearning for a Perth win so we can all watch “Cantona” Griffiths bamboozle at the post-match presser.
I feel like that will happen and people will realise that “Staj” wasn’t the real problem at the Wanderers. 10 goals in 13 games is the real problem.
Alen Stajcic. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Rarely has a team put in a more moribund performance than Sydney last week. Simply awful, especially considering it was touted as the big return to Allianz Stadium, and more than 13,000 turned out for the party.
Victory were denied a share of the points by VAR against Adelaide and now must roll into their other great rivalry on the back of successive losses. Sydney have a solid Oz Day Big Blue record and may be welcoming Joe Lolley back to the collective relief of the Cove and coach Talay. Even the murmur of a Lolley return might be enough to swing this one, the game of the round.
Texi Smith
Newcastle, Auckland, Brisbane, City, Western Sydney, Victory
The in-form Newcastle Jets have a chance to flex their muscles on home soil after a splendid win in Western Sydney last weekend. In their way is Wellington Phoenix, who gave Sydney FC a shock at Allianz Stadium; both of these teams are hitting form at the right time and have closed the gap on the top of the ladder.
The functional Phoenix will defend for their lives in the first half here, and the master plan is working as the score remains goalless at half time. A moment of magic from Max Burgess is enough to change the game on the hour, and when Clayton Taylor adds a second with ten to go, the game is over as a contest and the Jets’ assault on the premiership gains further momentum.
This is a tall order for the visitors, but a glorious opportunity for the home team to get back to winning ways. Given the way Mariners had to ride a storm last weekend and Auckland were only pipped at the death, normal service will resume at Mount Smart today, Logan Rogerson breaking his duck with two goals before half time, and Auckland running away with it at the end.
Both Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United are coming off the back of a much-needed win in difficult games, but Henry Hore and Justin Vidic have the Roar in a two-goal lead after only fifteen minutes.
Without their talisman Jay O’Shea though, they go astray in the second half and Adelaide pull back to level the scores, but a late solo effort from Chris Long gives the home team a well-deserved victory to keep the dream alive.
Great tine to play Melbourne City right now, as they are blowing hot and cold, and Macarthur FC will be looking to get back to winning ways after a tricky run of games. They were much better in Gosford last weekend, and tonight their midfield maestros Antony Caceres and Luke Brattan will roll back the years in a vintage display of precision passing and exciting ideas.
Andrew Nabbout’s goal on the half hour is against the run of play, Macarthur equalise through Mitch Duke not long after half time as they turn the screw, and the game is on a knife edge as the Bulls throw everything at their illustrious visitors. It’s left to Ryan Teague to smash home a totally undeserved winner for City in the dying stages.l
Andrew Nabbout of Melbourne City. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Two teams in a bit of a mess meet at CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Wanderers fans staying away in a pitiful showing from the home support – it’s no surprise given the low-quality fare being served up on the field from this vastly talented group of Western Sydney Wanderers players.
Perth Glory see their opportunity to get back on track, and take the game to the beleaguered home team, the scores level at the break despite Perth having the lion’s share of possession.
Hiroshi Ibusuki’s introduction changes everything as the Wanderers go on the attack, and they finally get their reward when Kosta Barbarouses finds Brandon Borrello unmarked in the area to fire home for the only goal of the game.
Sydney FC were undone by their own stupidity at home to the Phoenix on Sunday, while Victory were a whisker away from a famous win in Adelaide.
This has home win written all over it, Clarismario Santos in devastating form for Victory, and with Juan Mata pulling the strings, as he should have done at Wanderers, Sydney’s attempts to stem the flow as they did in their last visit to Melbourne are finally broken. Reno Piscopo slides home at the far post before Keegan Jelacic finishes the job in a one-sided match.
| Round 14 | Stuart | Andrew | Texi | Crowd | |
| NEW v WEL | NEW | NEW | NEW | ? | |
| AUK v CCM | AUK | AUK | AUK | ? | |
| BRI v ADL | ADL | BRI | BRI | ? | |
| MAC v MCY | MAC | MAC | MCY | ? | |
| WSW v PER | PER | PER | WSW | ? | |
| MVC v SYD | MVC | SYD | MVC | ? | |
| Last week | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 27 | 33 | 34 |
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