This year’s Northern Inland Premier League campaign will kick off in just over a week, and Namoi United FC have proven that they are ready to rumble in 2026 as they get set to line up in the competition for the third time since reforming in 2024.
The combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree club travelled to Tamworth on Saturday to compete at the annual Johnson Cup pre-season tournament and they were just minutes away from securing a semi-final spot before a late goal in a game that they were not involved in saw them miss out by one point.
Namoi United played four matches on the day and had improved significantly by the end of it as a lot of the fitness and tactical work that had been covered at pre-season sessions began to translate out onto the park.
They went down 2-1 against Inverell in their first game, drew 2-2 with East Armidale United in their second game, drew 0-0 against Moore Creek in their third game, and then finished off the day with a 2-0 victory over Hillvue Rovers.
That left them in second place in their pool with one game to go, which saw Hillvue Rovers and East Armidale United go head-to-head.
Namoi United would have clinched second if that match ended in a draw or a Hillvue loss, but Hillvue came from 1-0 down to equalise and then find a late winner to prevail 2-1.
The Inverell team from Namoi United’s pool and the Moore Creek side from the other pool eventually qualified for the grand final, and it was Moore Creek who prevailed in a penalty shootout after it was locked at 1-1 at full-time.
Despite missing out on the finals, the Namoi United men were proud of their efforts across the day as they took the chance to test different formations and combinations.
Coach Neil Brayshaw told The Courier that he was impressed with what he saw from his side, but admitted there was still plenty to work on ahead of round one.
“It’s still cricket season so we don’t have everyone available, but it was really good to see some of the new combinations forming with a few new players joining the club this year,” Brayshaw said.
“We’re going to be down on troops because of cricket in the first couple of weeks of the season, and we’re wanting to see other players step up.
“Competition for spots is well and truly on after the Johnson Cup, I’d say.
“We improved out of sight from our first game on Saturday against Inverell. That was our first hitout for a few of the players who didn’t play in the Moore Creek trial a few weeks ago.
“We had a good start but let that game slip. We should have drawn that game, but they scored in the last minute.
“We were up 1-0 against East Armidale and got behind 2-1 but we showed fight to get it back to 2-all, and then against Moore Creek’s second side, we had a 0-0 draw. We showed some good structure in that game but we just lacked clinical finishing.
“It all came together in the last game against Hillvue Rovers. It was a good 2-0 win to end the day.
“It was 35 degrees over there and it was pretty humid. We only played 15 minutes but it took a toll on the guys.
“They got used to it though, and they finished off strong. As the day went on, I think it showed our pre-season is working.
“I was pretty impressed with the guys.”
Namoi United’s goal-scorers across the day were Nick Gorton with one against Inverell and one against East Armidale, Aden Bridge with one against East Armidale, and Kallan Marchant with two against Hillvue.
The club’s 2026 NIPL campaign will kick off on Saturday, March 14, with an Armidale away trip to challenge Norths United.
They will then play their first home game of the season in round two on March 21 when they host Tamworth FC at Narrabri High School.
This year’s competition will demand more travel out of the Namoi United players. Previous draws have given the club more home games, given their away games require more travel than Tamworth and Armidale sides, but this season’s draw sees Namoi United play 11 at home and 11 away across the 22 rounds.
Both matches against Inverell will be played in Moree.
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