Qualifying Final
Lambton Jaffas v Edgeworth FC
Arthur Edden Oval, Saturday 2pm
Lambton Jaffas coach David Tanchevski said that his side will be going out to win at all costs this weekend when they welcome Edgeworth FC to Arthur Edden Oval to face off in the Qualifying Final on Saturday.
The two sides will go head-to-head in the first week of the finals series, with a chance to play Broadmeadow Magic for a spot in the grand final next week on the line.
The losing side will get a second chance and will face the winner of the Elimination Final which will be either Charlestown Azzurri or Newcastle Olympic to fight for another chance to make it into the big dance.
Jaffas were able to bounce back in the final weeks of the regular season after suffering a dip in form and results.
They will hope that they can build on that momentum this weekend and return to their top form at home.
Tanchevski said that his side's only focus this weekend is to go out and win but admitted that it will be a tough challenge against the Eagles.
“The games with Edgeworth have been very close each time,” Tanchevski said.
“There is nothing between us as there is quality across the park on both sides.
“I am expecting a very close game and potentially it going to extra time.
“It will come down to a bit of luck on the day and who turns up and performs.
“Our boy’s experience is going to be a good thing heading into these matches.
“For Edgeworth, they don’t just have one threat in attack. We know everyone in their team can be dangerous. We will be defensive as a unit.
“We want to be the first team in the grand final and will be going out to win at all costs this weekend.
“We want to beat Edgeworth and then have our redemption against Magic but we know we need to focus on this weekend first and get through the match.”
The Jaffas coach said that finals football is a different beast with head-to-head history and the venue of the game
“When it comes to finals football there aren’t really advantages,” Tanchevski said.
“I think we play better away from home. We beat Edgeworth at their home and they beat us at ours.
“It will come down to making sure your team is up for the fight. We both have enough quality to win but it will come down to who takes their chances and who shows up on the day.”
Edgeworth enters the contest full of confidence and excitement to be back playing finals football in 2024.
The Eagles’ coach Pete McGuinness said that his side was determined to get over the line this weekend but said it will be a test between two experienced and talented teams.
“The club is excited to be back in finals after a couple of years,” McGuinness said
“It is a good achievement from where we were at the start of the season to where we ended up. Finishing third was a good outcome for us.
“The boys are looking forward to it.
“We are going in with the mindset to win whatever is in front of us.
“They [Jaffas] are a very good side with a lot of experience in their team. They are pretty well structured and are sound defensively.
“I don’t think that it will be a high-scoring game.
“Hopefully it will be a hard-fought contest where Edgeworth comes out on top.
“Everyone is raring to go.”
“We have a lot of players who have been around finals football and big matches.”
One big loss for Edgeworth at the back end of the season was losing their captain Pat Wheeler, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and may never play football again.
But McGuinness said that Wheeler has still been playing a key role in the side off the field and will remain a crucial part of the squad in the finals series.
“He [Wheeler] has been at the club for a long time and played in a lot of winning teams,” McGuinness said.
“Everyone was very disappointed for him after he has had such a great football career.
“Pat has still been at every training and game, talking to the boys.
“He is a valuable person who is lending his experience and guidance to the younger boys.”
Edgeworth will hope to have all other players available, while the Jaffas will continue to be without Yuhei Sato (knee) and Bailey Newton (ankle) for the rest of the season.
Elimination Final
Charlestown Azzurri v Newcastle Olympic
Lisle Carr Oval, Saturday 5pm
It will be do or die for Charlestown Azzurri and Newcastle Olympic when they go head-to-head at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday in the Elimination Final.
The battle between the fourth [Azzurri] and fifth [Olympic] placed sides in the NPL Men’s NNSW competitions will come to a head, with no second chance for the losing side.
The winners will stay alive in the contest and progress to the Minor Semi-Final to take on the loser of Lambton Jaffas and Edgeworth FC who face off in the qualifying final this weekend.
Azzurri has returned to form leading into the finals series, as they enter the match on a four-game winning streak.
The match could be A-League veteran and captain Nigel Boogaard’s last for the Blues after announcing his retirement from the NPL at the end of the season.
But Charlestown will hope to prolong losing their central defender for as long as possible, with the hope to fight it out and make it to the big dance in September.
The Blues have not yet defeated Olympic in the competition this season after they went down 3-1 in round seven and 2-1 in round 18.
James Pascoe will hope that his side can rise to the occasion, put their best foot forward and use their home-ground advantage to get themselves over the line and stay alive for another week.
Olympic will come into the contest off the back of winning momentum, after three wins on the trot.
They will be full of confidence with both their recent momentum and their winning history against Azzurri, which will give them the belief that they can win again on Saturday.
The addition of newly retired A-League player Jason Hoffman has bolstered the side and helped them claw their way into the finals.
Hoffman, who has been known as an all-rounder in his professional career has returned to his roots in attack and has quickly gotten himself on the scoresheet with five goals in eight games.
Co-coaches Paul DeVitis and Neil Owens will hope Hoffman can crack open former Newcastle Jets teammates Boogaard and Taylor Regan in defence and get his name on the scoresheet once again.
With so much on the line for the two sides, a fiery, high-intensity contest can be expected to round out week one of the NPL Men’s NNSW finals.