Broadmeadow Magic v Edgeworth FC
Magic Park, Saturday 3pm
Edgeworth FC coach Pete McGuinness believes his Kiwi duo will play a vital role in winning the championship against Broadmeadow Magic on Saturday.
The two established clubs will go head-to-head in the grand final at Magic Park to be crowned champions.
The Eagles struggled to kick-start their season, with no wins in the first five matches.
But they went from strength to strength with the help of the addition of New Zealand youth internationals Seth Clark and Ryan Feutz, who have taken them to their first grand final since 2020.
McGuinness said that Clark and Feutz were crucial to the Eagles’ success this weekend.
“They [Clark and Feutz] are pretty important,” McGuinness said.
“They both had great games last weekend and stood up on a big occasion. They produced something special and both goals were brilliant.
“In Ryan’s case, he is someone who really knows how to find the target. We have always created opportunities but were notorious for not scoring from them. Ryan has come in and hit the ground running.”
McGuinness said that everyone at the club was thrilled to be involved in another grand final.
“It has been a number of years since we have been up there,” McGuinness said.
“It is nice to be back in finals and in the grand final.
“The club is excited and everyone is thrilled but there is still work to do.
“It is a big prize to make it to the grand final.
“It is a big reward for a lot of the people who have worked behind the scenes to get the club going in the right direction. But a better reward will be when we win it.
“I have tried to shield everyone away from the hype but I am sure that all the Edgeworth supporters will be out there and let's hope that it is a bumper crowd.”
Edgeworth fell short to Magic in the major semi-final after they went down 2-0 but bounced back to defeat Charlestown Azzurri 3-2 in the preliminary final to advance to the grand final.
McGuinness said that the group took a lot of confidence away from their win over the Blues and hoped they could continue their momentum on Saturday.
“The win has given us a little bit more confidence in being a bit more physical and in how we approach the game,” McGuinness said.
“It gave us a good opportunity to feel what it is like to know that it is all over if you don’t win.
“It has put us in the right frame of mind to come out swinging.
“We are all upbeat and are a pretty focused group.”
But McGuinness admitted that the game plan may have to change from their last hit out against Magic, with pitch and field conditions predicted to be less than ideal.
“The conditions affected us massively the last time we went there,” McGuinness said.
“We tried to play a bit of football and the conditions with the field combined with the wind made it near impossible.”
Magic’s men have not lifted the championship trophy since 2018 but featured in the 2023 grand final where they went down 2-1 to Lambton Jaffas.
But this year the premiers hoped to settle the score and be crowned champions once again.
Broadmeadow coach Jim Cresnar looked forward to the club’s second grand final in a row in front of a home crowd.
“We are feeling good, very excited,” Cresnar said.
“The main thing is for the players to enjoy the occasion and take in the moments.
“Experience is an important part of controlling nerves. Experience is important but the youth and enthusiasm of the younger players are too.
“We are very fortunate to have both reserve grade and first grade teams in the grand final. We expect massive crowds. It is very exciting for the club.
“It is great for the club to be potentially back in the winning circle.
“Our goal is to make the match a great experience and hope that a bit of luck goes our way.”
Broadmeadow got the better of the Eagles in the major semi-final but Cresnar said that he expected the toughest match yet this weekend.
“I think that every time we play against Edgeworth we seem to struggle against them. We need to make sure that they don’t dominate,” Cresnar said.
“It will be a difficult game for us. We need to make sure that we stay in the game.
“Grand final scenarios are different.
“I think the biggest thing is that Edgeworth has been a strong team overall and has dangerous players such as Seth and Ryan who have been dominating the league and have set the benchmark. But they also have so many other players who have been very consistent and can hurt us.
“We will need to make sure that we do our job well and hope for a bit of luck.”
Everyone will be available for Magic on the weekend, which Cresnar said was a nice problem to have.
“It is a difficult task selecting the starting lineup. Everyone deserves to start with their dedication shown,” Cresnar said.
“The good thing about our squad is that we have depth. I think that may play a part in the outcome of the game with some of our experienced players coming off the bench.”
In reserve grade, Broadmeadow Magic will take on Newcastle Olympic for the championship. The match kicks off at 12pm.