Terrigal v Umina
A well-rested Umina side will be determined to keep their season-best form alive as the reigning champs look to put an end to Terrigal’s unbeaten season when they meet at Duffys Oval for round 16 of the 2023 season.
Although their opponents may be in their season-best form, Terrigal’s best form has lasted the entire year so far as the O’lasses remain the only unbeaten side so far in the 2023 WPL competition.
Terrigal boasts a three-point lead at the top of the ladder with 10 wins, 2 draws and 32 points to their name. With second-place East Gosford enjoying their last bye of 2023 this round, Terrigal have a great opportunity to extend their lead to six points as we enter the business end of the season.
Despite having the chance to finish the year unbeaten, coach Gab Blanch stated this is unspoken by the squad. “In all honesty, it’s not really referred to by the playing group. I guess I am a bit surprised by that, it’s a pretty positive achievement for the team.”
“Admittedly at times I do refer to it, I think it’s important to remind the players that we need to be aware of the target this puts on our back. What our players do so well is just focus on who we play on Sunday, and ensure we make the most of our preparation as we approach game day.”
Although it would be tough to tell by their performances, Terrigal has not had the best luck with injuries throughout the season, but Gab is thankful her squad continues to step up when relied on.
“We could be better placed, but it’s probably just a given at this stage of the competition. I know other Clubs are far worse off, so I don’t want to create excuses. We are lucky enough to have squad depth, and we have players who can operate in multiple roles.”
“This has been the shining light through some tough times, and I am proud of our squad for the resilience shown, and the trust they have in us when changes are communicated,” spoke Gab.
Gab also touched on what she anticipates from Umina this weekend and what her side must do to claim all three points in front of a home crowd. “I expect Umina will show up wanting a war. It’s how they play, and at times I guess that works for them. The focus is our game, our style, and making the most of opportunities created.”
“Recent weeks have produced a huge increase in our final third opportunities created, so for me, it’s a good time to be coming up against a team that will no doubt test us.”
“If we take our consistency of gameplay into this game, I am confident we’ll get the result we deserve. We know what we do well, and we know what Umina will bring. A fair referee will go a long way to this fixture playing out the way it should.”
Coming off their last bye of the year, Umina will be looking for a similar run home of results like last year where they finished their year over nine games unbeaten, claiming the title of WPL League Champions and Premiers.
It did take the E-Gals some time to adjust this year after losing some very valuable key players from their squad but Steve Donaldson’s squad on their day can match it with the competition’s best and that showed the last time these two teams faced off.
On that day, these two sides split the points in a 1-1 draw which was only the second time this year the O’lasses dropped points, something this Terrigal side hasn’t done since that fixture.
That was four games ago, but the league leaders Terrigal have not conceded a single goal since as they have won four straight. However, Umina have also been enjoying quite the hot streak, winning three straight games, and scoring a total of 14 goals whilst only conceding one so you can expect another close battle between these two sides come Sunday.
“The weekend off was great for the team as we had our annual squad gathering night so the morale is high,” spoke Steve.
Steve also talked about his team’s goals and how they have changed throughout the season. “Our goals have definitely changed since the start. Always hopeful of putting out our best, but with the quality of players we lost it has been harder to adjust.”
“Especially when you take into account the disputable suspension of mine, let alone the length of. I feel the other teams have got ahead of us from the amount of training I missed at a crucial part of the year.”
Although finishing in the top two is unlucky for the defending champs, a win this weekend will go a long way for their ambitions of taking out the 2023 finals series for the third straight season.
“Win or lose Sunday I’m hoping we are competitive against a great Terrigal side. We’ve changed things up and are looking towards making the finals where we will hopefully play our best football.”
When asked what he anticipates from Terrigal, Steve had high praise for the current league leaders. “I expect a high press from Terrigal. They’re the best pressing team in the comp, so hopefully the way we’ve changed our game can counteract that.”
Match Official – Jeffrey Smith
All Round 16 Fixtures –
