Minor Semi-Final
Belmont Swansea United v Toronto Awaba FC
Blacksmiths Oval, Saturday 2PM
Bragging rights are on the line at Blacksmiths Oval on Saturday as Belmont Swansea host Toronto Awaba in the do-or-die minor semi-final.
Throughout the season the two sides shared blows as Belswans beat Toronto Awaba 2-0 at home in round four, while Toronto managed to hold a 1-0 win at their return home fixture in round 13.
Now with substantially more at stake, the two teams will be at full strength for an intense battle to decide who continues their finals run.
Despite dominating most of the game Belswans could not find the net last weekend and were beaten 1-0 by Kahibah. The loss took Belswans to three games without scoring, something that Belswans coach Mick Stafford is not too worried about, believing if they can continue the way they are playing, the ball will eventually drop for them.
"I’m excited to get back on track and rip in against a quality Toronto side on Saturday,” Stafford said.
"It isn't the greatest thing that we're not taking chances but I continually say that we are creating way more chances than any of our opponents. And in those three games where we haven't scored, we've also only conceded one goal and it was controversial at best.
“It's all positive from us. We're just going to keep banging down the door until it breaks and hopefully it can break early on Saturday.
"I'm not going to put any pressure on the boys up top because it'll come. I've been around football long enough to know this. If we continue to work hard as a team, stay positive and put balls in key areas eventually the ball will drop and that's what I'm expecting on Saturday."
Stafford expects a tight affair against Toronto despite finishing three places and 11 points above them, reiterating how hotly contested the 2022 season has been.
"Both times we've played [Toronto], I don't think both teams have been at full strength,” Stafford said.
“On Saturday I'm sure we'll both be at full strength, so it'll be a totally different battle. There's some great experience in their team with Pete [McPherson], Scotty [Smith] and Nick Roberts that matches our experience quite well.
“But I really think the game will be decided by the young players in both squads. They have some quality there in [Jacob] Dundas and [Jarrod] Purcell and I'm hoping our young guys like Joel [Nicholson], [Cameron] Lodge, [Ryan] Stutchbury and [Jack] Rush can stand up because I really think the younger generation is coming through.
"It's their time to shine on Saturday."
After seven years, five finals series, four grand final appearances and two championships with Belswans, Stafford will step down as head coach for Belswans, taking a well-deserved break from the coaching scene.
It will be an emotional last game at Blacksmiths for Stafford and the club and a result to continue their finals run will go a long way in ensuring the farewell is that little bit easier.
"It's good experience to be involved in all four of [Belswans grand finals in the last seven years] and probably five or six other boys in the group have all been involved in those,” Stafford said.
“It is good experience which was evidence against Kahibah our experience was on show. But at the end of the day, it comes down to a battle against a new team and they're going to be tough, they set up well and I'm really looking forward to a good football match.
"Saturday will be my last game coaching at Blacksmiths after seven years, so it's a bit of a tough one. I started there with a win, so I'm hoping to end there as a coach with a win on Saturday."
Toronto coach Jarrad Hiles reiterated that nothing splits the two sides, which was evident in their head-to-head fixtures.
"It is a massive game and I'm totally looking forward to it,” Hiles said.
“The boys are buzzing after Sunday and a few of them pulled up a little bit sore but they're keen to go. We know it's going to be a tough game. Belswans are a great team, pretty physical and got strike power across the park. We know we're in for another battle but really looking forward to it.
"I think in both games we've been evenly matched. Even when we lost 2-0, we controlled large portions of the game but we made two errors at the back end of the game and they were good enough to capitalise on them.
“Then in the return match at home, we were up for it. We ensured all that energy and hard work and we got a 1-0 win. There's nothing between us and I think it will be an even match. Both times it’s been a bit of a battle in the midfield, so we'll just try and get control of the game, control the ball and keep playing football as we do."
Set pieces have been a defining weakness for Toronto over the last couple of weeks, with all four of their most recently conceded goals coming from a dead-ball situation.
"Again we’ve just got to tidy up defending set pieces and we'll work on that [this week],” Hiles said.
“We'll mainly worry about what we can control, ensure we're right and go through our processes.
"We’ll lay down the message not to give stupid fouls and unnecessary fouls around the box. If we can stop that and don't gift any set pieces or any opportunities around the box, that'll go a long way to doing it.
“We want to be a team that wants to play out from the back and not just be lumping it long and trying to get on the end of it. So that message won't change, they've been great all year.
“Mick Stafford does a great job with his players and he's done well all year. I know they'll be hurting from last weekend's game as they did everything but score."
Major Semi-Final
New Lambton FC v Kahibah FC
Adamstown Oval, Saturday 2pm
An underdog victory for Kahibah is most certainly on the cards at Adamstown Oval on Saturday, having unfinished business with New Lambton.
Kahibah were the only side to take points off New Lambton twice this season. They drew 2-2 twice and led 2-1 for a significant amount of time before conceding late goals.
Kahibah enter this game off the back of an inspirational 1-0 victory over Belmont Swansea United, showcasing the defensive prowess Kahibah possesses, which could go a long way against a team like New Lambton.
"The boys are excited. I'm excited. It's great being one game off a grand final and getting to play the premiers and we've got nothing to lose, so we're looking forward to it,” Kahibah coach Mat Moncrieff said.
"We lead both of their games 2-1 throughout the season and [New Lambton] should be more worried about us than we are with them at the moment.
“We'll just come up with a game plan that we're going to carry out throughout the game and hopefully it's enough to get over the top of them. The boys last week proved they can play proper finals football, so we go again this weekend to see if we can get a really good result."
Moncrieff is confident heading into the game despite playing the premiers and shows he has categorical knowledge of the type of football the Eagles play, which could be a reason why the Rams have been New Lambton’s bogey team this season.
"It’s a completely different animal playing against New Lambton and especially playing at Adamstown Oval. We'll be able to trial more things this week than we did last week and we know if we have to defend, we can do it for long periods,” Moncrieff said.
“It's just a matter of getting right into the game early and making them work for everything they get. We need to play a similar game to what we did a few weeks back [against New Lambton] when we played with 10 men there for a while, lead 2-1 but got beat at the end.
"[New Lambton] like to play with the ball a lot and most of them are ball players, so I don't think any one of them struck a bigger problem than the rest of them. Obviously Riley Taylor scores goals when he gets chances, so that'll be one of the things we talk about but across the park, they're very good on the ball and if you let them do what they do good, you'll get hurt by them.
“Hopefully the boys come out with the same attitude this week, nullify all their strengths, play a bit of football and get on top of them in that department."
Jaidyn Kianou returns for Kahibah into the midfield this weekend from suspension, creating a full-strength side to throw at the premiers.
The two draws serve New Lambton a healthy dish of motivation heading into the major semi-final.
New Lambton coach Tom Davies said he was eager to finally get on top of Kahibah this weekend and secure their spot in the grand final.
"The boys are really excited. The weekend off was good to regroup and support reserve grade on the weekend,” Davies said.
“Very much looking forward to two good sessions this week and our first final this weekend. We're pumped and excited to get another game in after a week off. But also excitement across the whole club with Old Boys’ day on Sunday.
"[The two draws against Kahibah] are a bit of motivation for us but also for Kahibah. It's a matter of us being smarter than in both those games. It’s making sure we're on top of the game from the start and making sure we focus for 90 minutes.
“We'll talk about how we can set up a little bit better and manage the game better against Kahibah. It is a bit of motivation for the boys to get a result and to really show the dominance throughout the season and hopefully prove it this weekend against Kahibah."
While Kahibah’s two results against New Lambton were considered an extraordinary feat, it is no coincidence and Davies knows that any lack of concentration has the potential to prove catastrophic.
"They've got a couple of good players, key players across the park that we'll mention and making sure we win that midfield battle which is crucial in any final,” Davies said.
“No matter what opposition you play, it's making sure that you're up for that fight and making sure you're being competitive. In any final, [you have to] take your chances. We saw on the weekend Belswans had bucket loads of opportunities to score and it wasn't their day where they couldn't hit the back of the net and sometimes it's a matter of, you'll only have a couple of chances, or you might have lots of chances.
“Kahibah presented a competitive challenge for all teams this year, so it's a matter of us being aware of the strengths and some of the weaknesses we can exploit for this weekend."
Jackson O’Sullivan returns for New Lambton, while Dom Smith and Dylan Bozinovski remain sidelined.