Newcastle defeated Perth 6:3 in the AIHL on 16 August 2026, a result that leaves the hosts top of the table with 22 victories from 30 matches and pushes Perth further down in fourth place with 16 wins.
The visitors had come to town after a 5:10 defeat to Sydney Bears the day before, and Newcastle, fresh from a 3:6 loss to the Brav, came for a cross they never reached. By then the home side had already learned Perth's patterns, having beaten them 4:3 on 2 August, and this time they should have too much for them.
Perth's record of 13 losses from 30 games tells the story better than any single moment. They had one foot in trouble after the opening exchanges, and Newcastle ended a barren spell of their own with goals that came thick and fast.
The table goes out of the window in these games, but Newcastle's position at the top—eight points clear of second—means every win matters. Perth, meanwhile, picked up two bookings in five minutes of frustration and saw the game slip away.
What changes in the standings is not much: Newcastle remain first, Perth fourth. The gap between them is 22 points and growing. The Brav may have ended Perth's run, but Newcastle tore them to shreds.