Avoca v Terrigal
Two teams in similar situations for the season ahead will headline round 3 of the 2024 MPL season as Avoca and Terrigal with their new head coaches will both look for their second win of the year.
Avoca are just one of two teams who have got on the park more than once to start the season after the wet weather had made for an extremely disruptive opening few weeks.
In their first fixture of 2024, Avoca travelled to Hamlyn Terrace to face the daring test of Woongarrah who have improved their squad dramatically and are one of the title contenders for the year ahead.
However, a brave Avoca side withstood Woongarrah’s early pressure and worked themselves into the contest, and from there, they didn’t look like losing as the Sharks went on to make a statement with a 6-0 win.
In their round 2 fixture, Avoca hosted Woy Woy as Paul Oval stood the test of the wet weather. After conceding first, Joel Cangy’s side managed to fight back and put themselves 2-1 up. However, a red card and some dubious decision ultimately saw Avoca come up short in a 3-2 loss.
Cangy commented on how his team has recovered from their opening two fixtures. “They’ve bounced back well. We’ve had some mixed results, but overall, we’re happy with how we’ve progressed and what we’ve learnt. That’s the most important thing.”
Cangy took the reins of Avoca this season, stating he has had plenty of help behind the scenes which had made the transition into head coach a smooth one. “It’s been great, although I don’t know how I would’ve been able to manage it all without the help of our incredible coaching staff.
“We’re all aligned on a vision, together with the squad. The coaching staff and I work very closely together to ensure we’re heading in the right direction at all times. Having this in place has made the transition a lot easier, also very enjoyable!”
Cangy also voiced, “Our ambitions wouldn’t differ from anyone else in the league. We’re here to do more than just compete and want to establish our own style of play in the process.”
Now with their attention turned to last year’s Grand Finalists, Avoca will enter the match without Ryan Martz who received a red card in his last game. However, one of the more notable signings in the off-season was Stuart Adam’s return to Avoca who will play a vital part in Avoca’s success in 2024.
Adams, a former two-time MPL player of the year, will be up against his old club Terrigal and that itself could provide the home side an advantage as he knows a lot about what the opposition and their players have to offer.
As for Cangy, he is anticipating an action-packed game come Sunday. “Terrigal is always a huge game for the Sharkies. No doubt it’ll be a fast-paced game from the whistle.”
When questioned about what his team will need to do this weekend to walk away with all three points, Cangy kept it simple. “Put the ball in the old onion bag and keep it out of ours.”
As for Terrigal, they have also welcomed a new head coach for the 2024 season as Ryan Pearce leads the O’lads in a player-coach role.
Pearce, who has been a consistent starter for Terrigal since their return to MPL and has enjoyed winning two grand finals for the outfit in orange in recent years, faces the difficult challenge of coaching whilst also trying to play.
“The transition to head coach has been an enjoyable challenge. At times it’s difficult to cater for all of the boys as well as my own playing needs, but I’m finding a way,” voiced Pearce.
Terrigal not only saw their coach depart at the end of last year, but captain Jai McNamara, Mark Partridge, and Ben Flakus all left the O’lads for Central Coast United.
Despite the club now having their third coach in three years, Terrigal has made the last three First Grade Grand Finals and looks to be another challenger for finals this year after getting their season off to a win over Woy Woy.
Pearce spoke on his goals and ambitions for his first year in charge and also gave his perception of the competition overall in 2024.
“As a group, we have a few goals, but I’d say the main one is to make the top four in each team come season end.”
“I’m anticipating an extremely tough competition as a whole. I believe that any team can win on their day.”
After finding themselves 3-0 up in their opening fixture of the year, complacency snuck into the Terrigal side who ended up walking away with a narrow 3-2 victory. Terrigal failed to beat Avoca on both occasions last season, so they must be at their best for the entirety of the match if they want to make it two wins from two in 2024.
“Avoca are going to be a very competitive team this year with a number of new additions to their team. I expect them to play at a very high tempo and they can score goals from anywhere as seen in the Woongarrah highlights.”
Pearce also added, “We need to match them with work ethic, remain organised and resilient in defence and take our chances when they come if we want to pick up all three points.”
Match Official – Trent Dickeson
All Round 3 Fixtures –
