GRAND FINAL
WARNERS BAY FC V NEWCASTLE OLYMPIC
NO.2 SPORTSGROUND, SUNDAY 5PM
Warners Bay coach Craig Atkins says his side will be wary of a dangerous Newcastle Olympic when they meet in the inaugural NPL Women’s NNSW grand final on Sunday.
Northern NSW Football’s top tier women’s competition transitioned to National Premier Leagues status this season, with the first decider to be played as a double header alongside the NPL Men’s NNSW grand final at No.2 Sportsground.
The grand final is a repeat of the last top tier women’s decider when Olympic downed Warners Bay 3-2 in the Women’s Premier League grand final in 2020, with no finals played last season.
The Panthers head into the game fresh following a week off after they defeated Broadmeadow Magic in the major semi-final 6-1 in week one of the finals.
Despite the week off Warners Bay stuck to their training schedule in preparation for the grand final.
“Obviously to freshen up at this point of the season is always a bit of a bonus,” Atkins said.
“Sometimes there’s some niggles or a little bit of fatigue in the legs and that sort of thing. We still held a session on Sunday morning in the heat which was a nice hit out for the girls so they’re feeling good and hopefully refreshed.”
Having dominated the competition and remaining top of the table from round 11 onwards, Warners Bay are the firm favourites.
But Atkins insisted grand finals were a completely different ball game and would not take his side’s preparation lightly despite their success throughout the season.
“We’ve had a look at the way Olympic play and we’ve had a couple of tight games against them this year, so we know it’s going to be a tough grand final which is the way you want it to be,” Atkins said.
“We’ve got to focus on what we do best. Our preparations are going well and I’m sure the girls will be buzzing come Sunday.”
Having lost to Olympic in their last grand final, Atkins was confident the squad he has built this season can get the job done.
“There’s some players still there from the 2020 grand final and then obviously we’ve got some new players that have come in as well but you don’t forget those grand final losses,” Atkins said.
“It’s a different focus at this point in time and we’re very happy with the squad we have and the girls are keen to deliver on grand final day.”
Olympic’s season has been less smooth sailing than their competition but a squad built on grit, determination and heart has seen them prevail and book a spot in the grand final.
Following two successful seasons in the league, results this year were less consistent as Newcastle’s squad were plagued with injuries and absences.
Olympic will be missing the injured Alesha Clifford (ankle), Zoe Burnley (ACL), Natalie Wiseman (thumb) and Jade McAtamney (overseas) this weekend.
Olympic captain Laura Hall also dislocated her right thumb in their thrilling 3-1 win over Broadmeadow Magic in the preliminary final.
Despite the up-and-down season endured by his squad, Olympic coach Paul Devitis said morale was high and the excitement was palpable.
“The morale of the squad is incredibly high at the moment,” Devitis said.
“Everyone’s so excited to be playing in the grand final again. A lot of the girls played in the last grand final [in 2020] and then there’s a few girls that haven’t played in one, so they’re obviously delighted that we’re in it so overall there’s a lot of excitement.”
As well as securing the win in the 2020 grand final, Olympic also got a win over Warners Bay in round 10 of this season. Devitis was not underestimating Warners Bay’s power though, knowing just how tough the game will be.
“We obviously understand that Warners Bay have been the top team all year and deserve to go into the game as favourites,” Devitis said.
Despite the underdog status, Devitis said his team would thrive on the challenge as they did in the minor semi-final against Charlestown Azzurri and preliminary final against Broadmeadow Magic.
“We like going in as the underdogs which is what we’ve done the last couple of games and I think that’s helped us to lift,” Devitis said.
“Mentally now the challenge is for the girls to prepare the absolute best they can. The general consensus is that we’re really confident and that we can go out there and get the job done.”
As opposed to their competition, Olympic were not afforded a week off, having to fight for their place in the grand final over two weeks of finals. Devitis insisted that had been a good thing for his squad.
“I think it’s definitely given us momentum coming from two really hard back-to-back wins but from Warners Bay’s perspective, they’ve had a week off so it’s always a tricky one,” Devitis said.
“For us, I think it’s been great coming off two wins.”