Killarney v Southern & Ettalong
Coming off their best performance of the season, Killarney will be hoping a return to Edsacc in round 9 will provide the Terriers with a win when they welcome Southern & Ettalong for the match of the round.
Last weekend saw Adam Tait’s side adventure to Hylton Moore Oval as the Terriers took on 2023 Association Cup winners and currently unbeaten WPL side East Gosford.
Killarney entered that contest against the Rams as huge underdogs, however, their gameplan was working to a tee as the score remained locked at 0-0 after the opening 45 minutes.
It was Killarney who would break the deadlock first in that fixture thanks to a terrific Haylie Eyers free kick that found the back of the net. Searching for their first points of the season, Killarney could not hold on against the competition heavyweights as they conceded two goals and the game finished 2-1.
This is the second time this season Killarney has been defeated by the narrow scoreline of 2-1, the only other time was when they last played their match of the round opponents, Southern & Ettalong.
Killarney will be looking to take as much momentum as they can from last week’s close contest into Sunday where they will be hopeful to end their losing streak and secure their first win of the season.
One of the main talking points again for Killarney this year is their goalkeeper Abbey Omayao and the masterclass performances she has been putting together for this Terriers side.
Abbey will look to be at her best again Sunday and play her part, as coach Adam Tait states it will be vital for his team to further progress on last week’s performance.
“After last week we spoke about how we still need to improve in some areas. Heading into Sunday, I anticipate another hard game this week against Southern.”
Tait also voiced. “The key for our team is to build on last week.”
Southern will look to turn their recent string of poor performances around this Sunday as the Lionesses face the only side they have recorded a win against so far in 2023.
Southern have conceded 23 goals in their last three fixtures which sees them record the worst defensive record in the league after 8 rounds.
Heading into last weekend’s fixture against Kanwal, Southern were on a five-game goalscoring drought that was ultimately broken by Sophie Trengrove. That marked their first goal since their opening-round fixture where they beat Killarney 2-1.
Knowing they have what it takes to beat their round 9 opposition, Southern will look to use this weekend to get back on track and hopefully pick up their second win of the season.
Back in round 2, it was Brooke Hardie and Hannah Davidson who found the back of the net for the Lionesses and carried them to their first win of the season. Now it will be up to them to repeat this feat along with the other quality players Southern still possesses in their WPL squad.
Although this outfit made the grand final last season, they lost a huge amount of key players from their squad as these new players are still looking to adapt to one another and play the brand the football that coach Cait Walker knows they can.
With the chance to go six points clear from the bottom of the ladder, expect to see a determined Southern look to take it to the Terriers from the first whistle.
Match Official – Nathan Boler
All Round 9 Fixtures –
