Match of the Round
Newcastle Olympic v Charlestown Azzurri
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Charlestown Azzurri coach Heath Whyte said that three points over Newcastle Olympic would secure his side a spot in the finals when they go head-to-head this Sunday.
The Blues will travel to Darling Street Oval to face Olympic in a second v third place battle with the two sides desperate to finish the season as high on the table as possible.
Azzurri sits third on the table with 33 points, four points behind their opponents and five behind Maitland in first position.
They will be eager to close their gap and stay in touch with the top two sides
Neither team has the bragging rights yet this season as Azzurri were victors in round five after a 2-0 win before Olympic levelled the playing field with a 3-0 win in round 12.
Heath said that three points this weekend are crucial for his side to cement their position in the top five but is confident his side can get the job done.
“We are feeling really good. We are playing well and confidently,” Whyte said.
“We want to finish the season strong and are ready for Sunday.
“We are one piece at the moment so the aim is to go 2-1 up.
“Three points this weekend will secure a finals position for us.
But the Blues coach knows that it will be no easy feat to knock over Olympic away from home.
“Olympic play a certain style of football which they execute well.
“We enjoy playing Olympic.
“A few individual errors have cost us the win in recent games but we know that mistakes happen. We just have to keep going with a positive mindset and trust in our training and football philosophy, then the results will come."
In a big blow for the Blues, versatile player Lori Depczynski has been ruled out for the rest of the season after she suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the round 17 match against Broadmeadow Magic. Jessie Gentle is also likely to be sidelined this weekend after she suffered a knee injury playing rugby league.
The last time these two sides went head-to-head was in the Women’s State Cup final, where Olympic snatched the win from the Blues on penalties.
Atkins said he expects another tough battle on the weekend as he suspects Azzurri might have a score to settle against them on Sunday.
“We are looking forward to the weekend. We know that it is going to be another tough and tight contest,” Atkins said.
“Azzurri might be out to settle the score after the State Cup loss.
“I think the girls that played in the State Cup final will have a bit of added confidence heading into the match but also Azzurri will also be feeling good after such a big win on the weekend.
“But we are always up for the challenge.
“This is going to be a big game as it is coming down to the last few games of the season which are important for both teams.
“It is crucial for both teams in the race for the premiership but also to be in the top two which is really important as well.
“We will go out there to put our best foot forward.
“Both teams will be looking for no less than three points.”
Olympic sits second on the table, one point behind league leaders Maitland FC.
Atkins admits that they let the win slip away from them in their 2-2 draw with the Magpies last weekend but said they have been working hard in training this week to put on a stellar performance on Sunday.
“It wasn’t our best performance on Saturday but we are still in a really positive frame of mind,” Atkins said.
“We have to work on the things that didn’t work for us last weekend. There were a number of things that we didn’t do.
“Obviously, we will do a bit of work to be a bit more aggressive in the final third as we got ourselves into good areas but couldn’t get the right outcome.
“In these games, you have to be clinical. It will very likely come down to one goal which is the difference.
“We know that they can score goals and have plenty of goal scorers not just up the top of the park. We will be mindful of that.
“It is about individually knowing what we need to do and then coming together as a team and delivering as a group.
“I am confident that our girls can adapt to that and plan to get the job done.”
Adamstown Rosebud JFC v New Lambton FC
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Saturday 7pm
Adamstown Rosebud coach Martin Slade said that his side will not be naive when they go head-to-head with New Lambton FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Saturday night.
The Rosebud side enters the clash full of confidence after a 1-0 win over Broadmeadow Magic last weekend.
Adamstown has beaten New Lambton on their last two occasions in the competition, but Slade expects this weekend’s battle between fifth and sixth to be a tough battle for his side.
“Beating Magic at Magic Park on Friday night is a great achievement for our group,” Slade said.
“The players have had the performance building for a while. To keep a clean sheet and secure the win was a massive bonus for us.
“It is great to have the monkey off the back and beat a top-four side but you have to be a team that is consistent.
“New Lambton is going to present another big challenge. They are scoring plenty of goals.
“We have a target to finish fifth. But we aren’t naive, we know that they won’t to lose all three games against us.”
New Lambton is eager to keep their finals dream alive and knows that they will be a more challenging opponent with the addition of their A-League players.
“They [New Lambton] are underpinned by some of the most experienced players in the competition,” Slade said.
“They will want to go and turn around things from the previous results.
“New Lambton still have some skin in the game with finals and the quality of players that can do that. Now that they have a full-strength squad, they are a different beast.”
Rosebud has lost one of their key starting players, with Sophie Cook off to play College Football in the United States for Saint Peter’s University.
New Lambton’s hopes for finals are slowly fading away with the side fifth on the table, five points outside the top four sides.
They still have two catch-up matches to play and will need to pick up points in all of their remaining matches for the season starting on Saturday.
Aaron Stedman will hope that their recent run of form and pick up a win to help them hunt down a finals spot.
Maitland FC v Mid Coast FC
Cooks Square Park, Saturday 2pm
Maitland FC will be eager to stay at the top of the table when they welcome Mid Coast FC to Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies enter the clash off the back of two hard-fought draws against Newcastle Olympic (2-0) and Charlestown Azzurri (2-2) to maintain at the top of the table.
They are one point ahead of Olympic and will hope to extend their lead at the top with a win at home on Saturday.
Keelan Hamilton’s side will not just hope for three points but also to increase their goal difference as the premiership race tightens up.
In good news for Maitland, their goalkeeper Annabella Thornton will be back between the posts this weekend after she was suspended for one match for denying a goal-scoring opportunity against Olympic.
But Mid Coast will be without one of their key midfielders Ceara Walker for a lengthy period after she was served a six-match suspension for match official abuse in the game against New Lambton.
The side has continued to struggle this season with one win and 14 losses which sees them sit at the bottom of the table, three points behind Warners Bay in seventh position.
Mid Coast will hope that they can continue to improve and finish the season on a high.
Warners Bay FC v Broadmeadow Magic
John Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Two sides will be desperate to bounce back when Warners Bay FC welcome Broadmeadow Magic to John Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers suffered the biggest loss of any side in the competition this season going down 21-0 to Charlestown Azzurri last weekend.
They then went down 9-0 to New Lambton in their round 16 rescheduled match on Wednesday night.
Warners Bay remain seventh on the table but are 15 points behind the next team ahead of them, Adamstown Rosebud.
Ryan Swinkels will hope that his side can try to turn things around and end the season on a positive note.
Magic have also struggled to maintain their form after four games without a loss and have slipped down from the top of the table into fourth position.
They are now eight points behind first-placed Maitland FC and three points behind Azzurri who sit in third position.
In a further loss to Magic, Mercedes McNabb played her last game in the red and yellow for the season as she has made the move over to the United States to play College Football for North Carolina.
Coach Nima Nikfarjam will hope that this side can turn their momentum around and cement their position in the top four and finals football.