Match of the Round
Broadmeadow Magic v Adamstown Rosebud JFC
Magic Park, Sunday 4pm
Broadmeadow Magic coach Jason Konjarski says there will be no excuses ahead of their bottom-of-the-table clash against Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon.
Magic occupy seventh position with three points but will be determined to repeat their round two 4-2 win over the Buds to move off the bottom.
Everything is on the line to avoid sitting at the foot of the table and a win for either side could send them as high as fifth.
Broadmeadow have strengthened before the May transfer window, as Adamstown trio Tori Johnson, Madalyn Campbell and Georgia Minors made the move to Magic ahead of round eight.
Konjarski has also signed a Japanese goalkeeper who will arrive in Newcastle in the transfer window to help plug their defence, as Magic have conceded 42 goals, the most in the competition.
The Magic coach said that now that they had some more depth, there was no reason that they could not turn their season around.
“It’s time for the girls to step up. No more waiting around. We’ve added depth, we’ve got another international on the way and there are no excuses,” Konjarski said.
“We’ve got a squad stacked with talent. The quality is there but now it’s about turning performances into results.
“Enough of the almost games. We need wins. We need points. And that comes down to belief.
“Every single girl in that squad needs to buy into what we’re doing and go out there ready to prove it. Week in, week out. No fear, no doubts, just results.
“This is not a rebuilding phase. You only rebuild when there’s a solid foundation to go back to and let’s be real, Magic have only ever won two trophies and they came in the same season. Outside of that? Nothing. So, we’re not rebuilding. We’re building something new, something better.”
Johnson and Campbell have not had to wait for their first grade debut for Magic as their age does not affect the first grade player rosters but Minors will have to play reserve grade until the May window opens.
Adamstown coach Martin Slade said that there was no bad blood from his end but expected the trio to come out with something to prove on Sunday.
“I hope Tori, Madalyn and Georgia get what they want from football at Magic that Adamstown couldn’t give them,” Slade said.
“When they were with us, they wanted to win games.
“Coming up against them, they will be eager to make a point and could use it as some sort of fuel.
“We know what Tori is like when she is on and how devastating she can be in attack.”
The Buds finally got the monkey off their back with their first win in round seven over Lake Macquarie City FC before the bye in round eight.
Slade said there would be extra venom in their bite this weekend as they looked to get one back over Magic.
“You have to look back and actually see where you come from to see where you are now. We have to right that wrong. We want to win games,” Slade said.
“[Magic] will be using us as a reference point as they have already beaten us. Whereas we have already lost to them so we know that we can’t make it two in a row.
“It is a massive game for both teams.
“Yes it is good to turn our results around. We have won a couple of games but it doesn’t mean anything ahead of this weekend.
“I felt like we were potentially more competitive in lots of games this year but we couldn’t turn them into results. But in our recent wins, we took our chances in relatively short periods of time to put ourselves in a good position.
"The good thing has been that the two games that we have won we have had an immediate reaction from going down. Within a couple of minutes each time we have scored and then capitalised on getting the upper hand and scored again.
“The group have shown that if they go behind, they know that they can still win games. Whereas this time last year, we were the opposite, where we would concede and then drop our heads and concede again.”
Adamstown went down 2-0 to Maitland FC in the Women’s League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night and will be eager to bounce back against Broadmeadow on Sunday.
New Lambton FC v Maitland FC
Alder Park, Saturday 4pm
New Lambton FC coach Aaron Stedman believes the key to success against league leaders Maitland FC will be to hit the ground running when they go head-to-head at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Eagles have had one of their best starts to the season in recent times as they sit fourth on the table, with three wins, one draw and three defeats.
Stedman was thrilled with his side’s efforts so far but knew they had a challenge ahead of them this weekend.
“I am so pleased with the position we are in. We are sitting well clear of fifth on the table and are in touch with the league leaders,” Stedman said.
“I know going into the Maitland game we have a lot of confidence. But they are a good team and it will be a good game.
“We are working on a couple of things to make it easier for us. We know Maitland has some dangerous people up front and we have to be pretty switched on at the back. We have a system to put in place to help limit their opportunities. They have been able to score a lot of goals.
“The key for us will be to hit the ground running and if we can do that, we are really confident that we can get something out of the game.”
New Lambton have scored the most goals in the competition with 27 goals from seven games. Star striker Tara Andrews is well ahead in the golden boot race with 17 goals to her name.
A hat-trick from Marry Ntsweng secured the win for Maitland against the Golden Eagles at home the last time the sides met in round two.
But New Lambton’s form has continued to grow and they will be confident that they can take it to the Magpies.
Maitland continues to soar at the top of the table, three points ahead of the rest of the pack, and do not look like slowing down.
They will enter the contest off the back of a 2-0 win over Adamstown Rosebud JFC in the Women’s League Cup on Wednesday night.
Maitland was pushed right until the end by Lake Macquarie City FC in round eight but two late goals from Georgia Amess kept their unbeaten run alive.
The Magpies remain the only undefeated team in the league after eight rounds and will hope to continue their run with another three points on Saturday.
Newcastle Olympic v Lake Macquarie City FC
Darling Street Oval, Sunday 4pm
Lake Macquarie City FC will be determined to secure their second win of the season when they travel to Darling Street Oval to take on Newcastle Olympic on Sunday afternoon.
The Roosters have shown that they can compete with the best in the competition. But they have struggled to pick up points as they have fallen short in the final stages of games.
They sit fifth on the table with four points but trail the top four by five points.
Lakes coach Gabrielle Blanch has been pleased with her side’s performances so far but believed they had been hard done by not to come away with any points.
Lakes announced last week that A-League and Young Matildas stars Lara Gooch and Milan Hammond had signed with the club from the Newcastle Jets. Hammond will be available to play for the Roosters from round 12, while Gooch has been sidelined for the Jets with an ankle injury and is yet to confirm when she will make her debut.
Olympic were victorious with a 5-2 win the last time the two sides went head-to-head in round two.
Craig Atkins’ side has bounced back from a dip in results with back-to-back wins over New Lambton FC and Broadmeadow Magic.
They went down 3-0 to Charlestown Azzurri in the Women’s League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.
Olympic are third on the table, six points behind league leaders Maitland FC and will be confident ahead of Sunday.
Charlestown Azzurri - Bye
