Maitland FC midfielder Sophie Nenadovic enjoys the underdog status her side has as they enter the NPL Women’s NNSW grand final on Saturday.
Maitland missed out on the premiership title by one point after Charlestown Azzurri scored in the 89th minute in the final game of the regular season.
But the Magpies have already made history by qualifying for the grand final for the first time and will now look to go a step further and be crowned champions against reigning champions Charlestown.
For Nenadovic, a grand final win for Maitland is something she’s been hopeful of since her return to Newcastle in 2024.
“I've played in the Sydney League previously, so to come back to Newcastle and see how the league has grown so much and is a lot stronger is great. Since joining Maitland, it's been an amazing club and I felt so welcomed there,” Nenadovic said.
“To win it with them and for myself, it'll be pretty cool.
“I think the one thing I love most about Maitland is the club culture and the girls that we have there. Everyone gets along so well and we're just like one big family.
“I mean, to have our reserves in the grand final as well speaks volumes of the club. I hope we can win it in both grades.
“It's really exciting for the club. I think since their inception, they've been pretty successful in their women's program.
“Every year since their inception, they've gone from strength to strength and built on the previous season. So, I’m really excited for this weekend, and I hope we can get the job done because the club deserves it.”
Azzurri got the better of Maitland in three out of their five meetings this season in tightly contested matches and Nenadovic expected another close game this weekend. But she expects her side to use their recently gained fitness to their advantage.
“I think the underdog status is nice, but it's always a tough battle with Azzurri. They're probably a bit more physical than us and have the height advantage. But that's not necessarily going to win you the game.
“It's been a pretty close battle every time we've played them, but I think if we play our football, we'll be fine.
“We like to make it hard for ourselves. The Azzurri game, I cramped a bit, which I haven't cramped all year, so I don't know where that came from. But I stuck out the whole 120 minutes last weekend, just gone and felt fine.
“So, I think fitness-wise, the squad's in pretty good shape. Obviously, it would have been nice to go straight into that grand final, but I don't think it's always a bad thing to have that extra game leading in and not having that break, have a bit of momentum.”
For Charlestown Azzurri, there is an extra fire in the belly to get the job done and lift the champions trophy back-to-back.
The club have already won the Charity Shield in February, the Women’s League Cup in May, were crowned joint leaders of the Women’s State Cup in July and the premiership in August.
Azzurri forward Madi Gallegos is hopeful her side can write history and become the first NPLW NNSW team to secure five trophies in one year.
“We're excited. It's my first grand final but I know it's back-to-back for Charlestown overall,” Gallegos said.
“I am feeling a little bit nervous only because I think I'm so excited and just happy to be there.
“I'm always nervous right until the whistle goes, and then it's just mindset's on, and then it just becomes about playing football.
“But as a group, we know that we deserve to be there. We're looking forward to it.
“Writing history, that's what we want to do. Four out of five, I think that's an incredible achievement. It's something that hasn't happened before.
“If we can get that fifth one, that's just icing on the cake for us.”
Charlestown have suffered a range of injuries this year, including a season-ending injury to captain Jayna Fraser.
Fraser sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), torn medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL), patella displacement and severe bone bruising in her right knee after making a tackle in the Women’s State Cup final.
For Gallegos, a win this weekend would be for their captain.
“Losing Jayna really, really hurt us,” Gallegos said.
“She's such an incredible player, but she's more of an incredible human. She's such a leader. Not having her on the field hurt us.
“But we've had players that have come in and brought it together and said, Let's do it for Jayna.
“If anything, she definitely deserves this win.”
Gallegos and Nenadovic will take the field for Azzurri and Maitland in the fight for the championship title at Darling Street Oval at 2pm on Saturday.
Find all the match day information HERE.
