Match of the Round
Maitland FC v Charlestown Azzurri
Cooks Square Park, Sunday 3pm
Charlestown Azzurri head coach Alicia Ferguson is hopeful her side can frustrate Maitland FC defensively when they go head-to-head at Cooks Square Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues will play their first league game in four weeks after their round 16 match was postponed and the following weekends included the washout round and Northern NSW Women’s State Cup.
Before the break Azzurri had found form with two draws, one win and one loss in their past four matches and Ferguson wants to see her side continue those strong performances.
But they have been unable to get past Maitland this year with a 3-0 loss in round three and a 4-0 loss in round 10, despite this Ferguson recognised they have been able to frustrate the Magpies across the park and will look to do it again.
“In the past I think we've frustrated them. We’ve been organised and we've tried to close up the gaps that they can exploit,” Ferguson said.
“It's never the most enjoyable type of play for the players, but you have to also give respect to your opposition and it's not just one person for Maitland. They’ve got so much depth in that squad
“You just have to kind of be realistic about what you have available to you and how you can get a result out of every single game, and I think that's what we've done well.”
Azzurri will be without shot stopper Danielle Bartels due to a two-match suspension and instead will be putting under-15s Premier Youth League Girls goalkeeper Abbey Maletto between the sticks.
Ferguson understood that while Maletto is eager for the challenge they will need to be tight defensively.
“Abbey has a pretty bold personality, so she's relishing the challenge. But defensively we just need to try and protect her as much as possible,” Ferguson said.
“We know the quality that Maitland has in the final third and they can hit you anywhere in those wide areas on both wings and then centrally as well.
“It's going to be a tough match, but we always know it is against them.”
Maitland enters on a high note after they claimed the Northern NSW Women’s State Cup last Sunday with a 5-0 win over Broadmeadow Magic. It was their second trophy of the season, the first coming from the HMRI Charity Shield in February when they defeated Azzurri 7-0.
But the Magpies return to the league with their first loss of the season looming over their heads going down 2-1 to New Lambton FC in round 16.
Head coach Ben Horgan has taken the loss as a reminder on where they need to approve ahead of finals and that they need to be switched on for the full 90-minutes.
“It's just a reminder that we've got to keep working in training on being sharp in all parts of the game, whether that's defending, whether that's taking your chances or whether it's the quality of chances that we create,” Horgan said.
“We're always looking to keep improving and a result like that against a good team, just reminds you that you've got to get all of those things right and as soon as your levels drop even a little bit, it can swing the game in the other team's favour.
“We want to try and be good enough that we take away the possibility of those moments going against us where we don't allow ourselves to be caught open or we don't allow ourselves to have to make desperate recovering tackles. Instead, we're well organised offensively and we're anticipating things.
“It's about trying to minimise the chance of that happening.”
Despite the previous positive results against Charlestown, Horgan is not underestimating their opponents acknowledging their improvement throughout the season.
“They've got better and better as the season's gone on and they've obviously picked up some good players along the way,” Horgan said.
“So we expect it'll be a good challenge, and the previous games are not really any guide to what'll happen this weekend.
“We just expect another good game and we'll just aim to be at our best.”
Maitland will monitor Elizabeth Clowes and Leah O’Hagen after sustaining injuries in the Northern NSW Women’s State Cup final and the round 16 clash with New Lambton respectively.
Broadmeadow Magic v Lake Macquarie City FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Friday 8pm
Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jason Konjarski believes every match between now and the end of the season is a finals clash, starting with Lake Macquarie City FC at Magic Park on Friday night.
Magic sit fifth on the table with 12 points, just behind Adamstown Rosebud JFC in fourth on goal difference. Charlestown Azzurri and Newcastle Olympic sit directly behind them on 10 points, and with five games remaining, any of those four teams can still mathematically make the finals.
Broadmeadow is the only side with five matches remaining, with Newcastle Olympic having the bye this weekend, Adamstown Rosebud JFC in round 19 and Charlestown Azzurri in round 20.
Despite not playing a league match since mid-June, Konjarski was proud of his side's run to the Northern NSW Women's State Cup final. His focus now turns to breaking into the top four.
“We needed to get minutes in our legs, and it was good to see that we could beat the teams we haven’t yet this year,” Konjarski said.
“We really want to make that top four, that was our goal heading into the year and with the three teams around us every game for us now is going to be a final.”
A notable addition to Broadmeadow’s squad at the Northern NSW Women’s State Cup was the return of 2023 golden boot Adriana Konjarski.
J.Konjarski is hopeful the addition of Adriana will lighten the load for the other goal scorers and the backline believing once the squad clicks with the new addition, they will soar.
“Getting Adriana back in the mix obviously should help us going into the finals, just having that number nine up top and figurehead should help us going into the back end of the year, whether she comes off the bench or whether she starts,” Konjarski said.
“Hopefully she can grab a few goals and lighten the load off some of these other players that have been picking up the load for us, whether it's Wimberley [Wright] or the backline having to do extra work. Hopefully we can get a bit more going forward and take a bit more pressure off the back line who I think have been massive for us recently.
“The amount of work Meg [Janikowski] has been doing recently and Anya [Lowe], honestly just our whole backline really it would be good to take a bit of pressure off them because they've been exceptional.
“I think once it all clicks the sky will be the limit for our front four. I’m just super excited to see how it all works and excited that every game now is just going to be a grand final for us.
“I’m ready to see how the girls handle it.”
Broadmeadow will monitor Wimberley Wright (foot) and Lillie Young (hamstring).
Lake Macquarie City will enter the match on the back of consecutive wins over Newcastle Olympic and Adamstown, having snapped a three-game winless streak.
Before that stretch, Lakes produced a dominant 5-1 victory over Broadmeadow Magic and will be looking to carry their recent momentum into Friday night's clash.
The Roosters sit third on 21 points but can no longer finish in the top two, with a maximum of 33 points available and the competition's top two already on 34 points.
They are yet to lock in third, with fourth-placed Adamstown and fifth-placed Magic still capable of overtaking them if Lakes drop points and they finish the season strongly.
With the finals series approaching, securing third place and building momentum into the post-season will be a major focus for the Roosters.
The Roosters will be without head coach Gabrielle Blanch for a third and final match but will welcome Jorja Brown back into the squad after serving a two-match suspension.
New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Alder Park, Saturday 4.30pm
Adamstown Rosebud JFC will look to strengthen their hold on a top-four spot when they travel to Alder Park on Saturday afternoon to take on New Lambton FC.
The Buds sit fourth on 12 points after three wins, three draws and eight losses. Although they are level on points with Broadmeadow Magic, Adamstown remains ahead after Magic served the bye last round.
Charlestown Azzurri and Newcastle Olympic are just two points behind on 10, making the race for the final finals spot increasingly tight and every result crucial.
A win this weekend could open up a valuable three-point buffer over Magic, pending other results. But Adamstown are still searching for their first win over the Golden Eagles this season.
The Buds fell 3-1 in round three and 4-2 in round 10, but recent form will give them confidence. They claimed a 4-2 win over Olympic in round 13 before defeating Magic 3-0 in round 15 and will look to carry that momentum into Saturday's clash.
New Lambton also enter the match in outstanding form after becoming the first team this season to defeat Maitland FC, ending the league leaders' 12-game unbeaten run with a 2-1 victory in round 16.
The win kept the Golden Eagles second on goal difference and level on points with Maitland, although the Magpies still have a game in hand as New Lambton are yet to serve the bye.
The Golden Eagles have won six straight matches and have not dropped points since the end of April. During that streak they have scored 21 goals while conceding just seven.
Against an Adamstown side that has shown plenty of resilience, New Lambton will need another disciplined defensive performance to continue their run.
With Adamstown chasing a finals berth and New Lambton keeping the pressure on in the premiership race, Saturday's clash promises plenty of intensity.
Bye - Newcastle Olympic