Match of the Round
ADAMSTOWN ROSEBUD JFC V WARNERS BAY FC
LAKE MACQUARIE REGIONAL FOOTBALL FACILITY, SUNDAY 3.40PM
Rosebud will attempt to stop Warners Bay confirming their premiership title in style when the Panthers travel to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility to take on Adamstown on Sunday.
After all but securing their place on top of the table with one extra win over second-placed Broadmeadow, Warners Bay also enjoy a vastly superior positive goal difference of 96.
Defeating Maitland 5-1 last time out in round 20, Warners Bay will be looking to add one more win to their tally of 17 this weekend.
Sitting on 116 goals for the season, Warners Bay have also scored the most goals of any team this campaign.
The Rosebuds are heading into their final game of the season on 24 points, with seven wins under their belt.
And despite their sixth-placed position on the table, Rosebud have proved fierce competitors at times throughout the season, including holding Warners Bay to a 4-4 draw in round seven.
“Always when you play Adamstown you’ve got to be in the game for 90 minutes. There’s no doubt about that,” Warners Bay coach Craig Atkins said.
“Knowing how they play it’s always very intense but we’re sort of looking forward to that because that’s what finals football is all about. It’ll be a nice test for the girls coming off a week off and I’m sure they’re up for it.”
In spite of sitting in first place, every game is a must win for Atkins and his side.
“So we’ve had a week off to refresh and now the girls are keen to get back into action,” Atkins said.
“And we obviously want to win the game and build momentum heading into the major semi the next week.”
Left with just one game of the regular season left to play the Panthers have all but wrapped up the premiership. Atkins and his side are not ready to celebrate just yet though, instead focusing their attention on this weekend’s upcoming game.
“Essentially we’re not celebrating just yet. We’ll wait until after this weekend’s game,” Atkins said.
“Got a game to win and that’s what we’re looking to do.
“Each week we’ve been talking about intensity and trying to build that up each week. It’s great to come back to a game against Adamstown and it should be a good battle on Sunday.”
No doubt Warners Bay will take confidence from their last meeting with Adamstown when the Panthers won 5-0 in round 14.
NEW LAMBTON FC V MAITLAND FC
ALDER PARK, SUNDAY 3.40PM
Despite missing out on the finals, Maitland will look to finish their season on a high note when they travel to Alder Park to take on New Lambton on Sunday.
After remaining competitive for most of the season Maitland fell late on, conceding points to top four sides Olympic, Broadmeadow, Azzurri and Warners Bay in the space of five weeks.
Following a disappointing 5-1 loss to Warners Bay in round 20, the Magpies will finish the season in fifth place regardless of this weekend’s results.
Despite missing finals this season, the Magpies have scored a respectable 67 goals so far this season and will be looking to add to the tally this weekend.
New Lambton have one last chance to secure a win to round out their season, with the Eagles sitting on zero points from 20 games played.
The Eagles have scored just eight goals, conceding 208, giving them a goal difference of -200, heading into their final game.
Despite their last-placed finish, New Lambton will use this weekend to celebrate their captain Emily Ridgeway’s 50th senior game and consolidate the skills they have worked on throughout the season.
“This weekend we are celebrating our captain’s 50th senior game which is a great testament to what our squad has worked hard to build foundations for,” New Lambton coach Mackenzie Davis said.
“The game will also be a great opportunity to assess how far we have come from round one and we will be looking to execute the moments we have been working on all season.”
In their previous two meetings this season, Maitland have come away victors with an 11-0 win in round seven and a 13-1 thrashing in round 14.
BROADMEADOW MAGIC FC V NEWCASTLE OLYMPIC FC
DARLING STREET OVAL, SUNDAY 3.40PM
Broadmeadow Magic and Newcastle Olympic will meet at Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon in what could likely be a finals preview.
Magic have secured themselves a second-placed finish this season, sitting on an impressive 49 points from 16 wins.
Broadmeadow have consistently sat within the top two on the table since round three, losing just three games and drawing one.
Jake Curley’s side will look to add to their impressive tally of 93 goals this weekend and three points from a win will see them finish on 52 points before their finals campaign begins.
For fourth-placed Olympic, a win against Magic this weekend could see them finish the season as high as third, given they win their rescheduled round 15 match against Azzurri on Thursday night.
Olympic are sitting on 34 points and a positive goal difference of 43, which could bode well for them should Azzurri lose to Mid Coast on Sunday.
With a spot in the finals campaign secured, Olympic coach Paul Devitis is looking forward to the challenge of his squad’s final game.
“It should be a really good game to end the regular season,” Devitis said.
“I’m really looking forward to it and I dare say the girls are as well.
“There is a chance that we could end up meeting Broadmeadow in an elimination game in the finals so it’s definitely something to be mindful of.”
Having played each other twice already with Broadmeadow taking the win both times, Devitis and his squad know what they are up against.
“We want to go out and hold ourselves accountable because our first two games against Magic we did play well in both but we didn’t get the win so it’s important for us to try and get three points against them,” Devitis said.
“It would give us a lot of belief moving into an elimination game the week after.”
Devitis will also be using this weekend’s game, and their rescheduled round 15 game against Azzurri, to rotate his squad and give his players plenty of minutes.
“I want to make sure I give all our players their best chance to show me how good they can be, so when it comes down to the finals, it’s a tough decision to pick a starting line-up,” Devitis said.
“I will rotate the squad and make sure everyone gets really good minutes.
“We’ll be sending the girls out there with the intention to win and I want that from them because I want them to have a winning attitude going into the finals series.”
CHARLESTOWN AZZURRI FC V MID COAST FC
LISLE CARR OVAL, SUNDAY 3.40PM
Charlestown Azzurri will look to keep hold of third-place at the conclusion of their match against Mid Coast at Lisle Carr Oval on Sunday.
A win this weekend and a win against Olympic in their rescheduled round 15 match on Thursday night will secure Azzurri third place on the table.
Sitting on 35 points Charlestown have scored an impressive 69 goals with 11 wins under their belt.
With their finals spot secured Azzurri coach Niko Papaspiropoulos is focused on gaining momentum heading into their finals campaign.
“We’re happy that we’ve secured our finals spot which is great,” Papaspiropoulos said.
“I think the important thing to take out of our final games is a little bit of momentum and setting the standard we want to take into finals football.”
Although there is a chance Olympic could jump into third place given other results go their way, Papaspiropoulos and his squad are aiming high and will not give up their spot without a fight.
“We want to win every game we play and finish as high up the ladder as possible,” Papaspiropoulos said.
“It’s about the standard we’ve set for ourselves throughout the year and the expectation is we go into every game with the intent to win.”
Mid Coast will look to secure just their fourth win of the season, and only victory against a team other than bottom of the table New Lambton, when they travel to Lisle Carr Oval.
Middies have 10 points, scoring just 13 goals all season.
In their previous two meetings, Azzurri have emerged victors with a 2-0 win in round seven and a 5-0 win in round 14.