Kincumber v Killarney
Two teams in the battle for a top-four finish will headline the round 17 WPL match of the Round as Kincumber looks to keep their spot above Killarney on the table as these two sides currently boast one win each over one another heading into the final meeting of 2024.
Featuring in the match of the round fixture for the second consecutive week, last week for Kincumber was all about getting back to winning ways as John Jiggins and his side were sitting in second last with only three wins and eleven points in 10 games.
Fast forward a week and the Roos’ are now sitting clear in third place as they were able to secure two victories over Kanwal last Thursday and Sunday to turn their season around. Thursday night’s contest ended 4-1 and another dominant display on Sunday saw Kincumber walk away from Wadalba Sports Complex 3-1 victors.
Pocket-rocket striker Helaina Wellington registered a brace to her name in both of those fixtures as she ushered her team to victory and will look to do the same again this weekend.
“I think the last two games have shown me how resilient we are as a team and that the girls believe in not only what I bring as a coach but the processes with which we are working towards,” voiced Jiggins.
Kincumber are also coming off a momentous draw with defending WPL premiers East Gosford in their rescheduled round 11 mid-week fixture. After conceding 75 minutes in, Kincumber showed their perseverance to find a late equaliser to be just the third team to take points from the Rams this season.
Another mid-week fixture means another short turn around for Jiggins and his side as he commented on how the squad is dealing with the busy schedule and what morale is like within the team.
“The run of games has been ridiculous. I’m lucky in the regards that I can rotate players as they can play multiple positions and man managing players who are carrying niggling injuries has been very important. Morale is super high, and this comes down to the leadership group who drive the team!”
Kincumber enter this weekend in season-best form and will be highly motivated and confident they can claim another victory over this side and avenge their last encounter which saw them fall 3-1 away from home.
Looking forward to their final meeting of the season, Jiggins had high praise for the black and white outfit. “Killarney are possibly the most improved team in the competition! We need to be at our best to get the win and hope that we have good luck on our side.”
“To win this weekend we need to be clinical in front of goals but to continue believing in the process that has been evident especially lately. If we do this we can and will win the game,” stated Jiggins.
Also coming off a busy schedule of games, Killarney has had the toughest week of opponents by far as the Terriers have had to face defending premiers East Gosford twice as well as the reigning league champions Terrigal.
Their initial meeting with the Rams was one to forget for Jai Menser’s side who was defeated 7-0. However, Killarney picked themselves up and went to battle with the Rams again just three days later in a much closer contest which saw the Rams prevail 3-2.
Killarney also played a rescheduled round 11 mid-week fixture this week as they once again fell short to league leader Terrigal 2-0 for the second time this season.
“I think with any big cluster of fixtures, we have definitely had our fair share of injuries and players returning from their recovery programs. Seems to be a revolving door at times, dealing with and managing squad rotation in that time, and l think that has only made us stronger as a club and as a playing squad,” spoke assistant coach Kyle Banfield.
“Opportunities have presented themselves and players have stepped up in absences to make their mark and stake a claim to influence our journey to where we want to be. Coming off the back of three really challenging fixtures, we really had to dig deep and channel belief and positive affirmation which garnered us a couple of really competitive results against some of the Central Coast elite.”
Menser’s other assistant Lachie Mackett also voiced his thoughts on the competition as a whole and if anything has surprised him this season. “I wouldn’t say surprised, but I have been impressed by our younger players who have stepped up.”
“They have developed so quickly providing us with the depth to push through the tough schedule and continue to improve as a squad each week. We knew it would be a tough competition and every game from here is massive for everyone so the girls will definitely be up for the challenge.”
Now winless in their last four fixtures and outside the top four, Killarney will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways come Sunday when they travel to Frost Reserve for the first time this season.
“I think Kincumber will probably tell you that they weren’t at their best when they came to Edsacc for our Round 10 fixture, our girls really rocked up on the day and fought hard and got their just rewards,” reflected Banfield.
“Make no mistake though, Kincumber are turning a lot of heads this season and are always a fierce opponent. They have a lot of speed, a lot of quality scattered throughout the squad and pitch, but more importantly, they seem to have a ton of belief within their system and in their entire playing squad and coaching staff.”
Killarney will enter this extremely important clash with confidence knowing they picked up victory against the Roos in their last meeting, but the Terriers have recorded victory only once on the road this season and they will be adamant about turning that around come Sunday.
Mackett believes if their side can perform to their potential they will prove why they deserve to be in the finals come the end of the season. “If the girls come out with the same energy we’ve seen in some of their better games this season I have no doubt they are more than capable of picking up some very important points.”
“They’ve been eager to learn from recent performances and will most definitely be out there to show why they are in finals contention this weekend.”
Match Official – John Shaw
All Round 17 Fixtures –
