Woongarrah v Southern & Ettalong
Looking to overcome last week’s devastating 7-0 loss, League Champions Woongarrah will look to pick themselves up and earn a rematch with the Wombats but must get past the daring task of Southern & Ettalong who look to book their place in the Grand Final and take home the crown of Premiers for the first time since the 90s’.
The two most prolific goal-scoring teams of 2024 are set to battle in the penultimate game of the MPL season, with the winner meeting Berkeley Vale in next week’s Grand Final.
For Woongarrah, last week’s Major Semi Final was a night to forget as the League Champions looked to continue their historic season and record their third win over Berkeley Vale in 2024, ensuring them a week off and a place in the Grand Final.
However, the Wombats had another idea in mind, outclassing the Wildcats for the entire match and recording the biggest win of the MPL season. But despite such a beating, Luke Rogers insists that his side is sticking together and are ready to prove that against Southern.
“Morale is great. Not much went right for us over the course of the game and it probably didn’t help that Berkeley had their best performance.”
“We were all disappointed with our performance on Sunday night but if we were ever going to have a bad game in the final series it’s best to be the one just gone.”
Finishing in first place gave Rogers and his men the luxury of having two chances at making the Grand Final compared to the opposition who can’t afford any slip-ups in performances during the Finals Series.
Woongarrah’s only other major defeat of the season came in their opening match when they welcomed Avoca to their home ground and were ambushed by the Sharks who recorded a staggering 6-0 win.
It just so happened to be that Southern were their next opponent after that defeat as the Wildcats were able to turn that result around and share the points with Southern in a 3-3 draw but would have felt they let that result slip after leading 3-0 during that contest.
Woongarrah will be after a similar bounce back this weekend in a do-or-die meeting with the Lions as Rogers anticipates another tight affair come kick-off on Saturday night.
“The last two times we’ve played Southern it’s been a close encounter and I’m sure after their big win against Kanwal their confidence will be high. They have an experienced side, and Matt will have them well prepared.”
Rogers also stated, “If we are to win on Saturday night, then we are going to have to perform better than we did the last two times we played Southern.”
For Southern, last week’s Minor Semi Final win over Kanwal meant so much more to the players than just a chance at a grand final match. That victory made up for their recent years of Finals misery and underperforming when it comes to the big stage.
Despite going down 1-0 inside the opening 10 minutes, Southern bounced back to lead 3-1 at halftime against the Bulls and showed their quality and desire by holding out Kanwal for the second period to record a 4-1 win.
However, the job is far from done for this Southern side who must defeat a team they are yet to beat this season, but confidence should be high within the Lions camp who are coming off one of their best performances of the season against an extremely stern opposition.
Matt Page reflected on last week’s result, “I’m proud of the boys for overcoming that early setback last week.”
“It takes mental fortitude to win games in finals and last week showed that we are up for the fight. We will need to demonstrate that again this weekend if we are any hope of moving on to the GF.”
In his first year as head coach for Southern, Page continues to build on the legacy and foundations set before him by Dale Eggleton as he mentions being here at the end of the season was always the desire for him and the club.
“The goal is always to win. Win enough games to play finals, win semi-finals and give yourself an opportunity to win the big prize.”
“We are a proud club who haven’t managed to go the whole way for a while now. The fact that we are one of only three teams left with an opportunity to do so means a lot and the lads are eager to get stuck into what is a tough task ahead of us.”
Without reading too much into the opposition’s result last weekend, Page knows the quality they possesses but is adamant that despite the looming challenge that lies ahead, his side are ready for whatever they bring come kick-off.
“Woongarrah are a formidable side both on paper and on the grass. Their lineup is filled with quality players and Luke seems to have them very well organised. We are yet to beat them this year, so it’s a big challenge in front of us, but it’s a challenge we are looking forward to.”
When questioned about what his side will need to do to ensure victory, Page voiced, “After being the most consistent side all year, I know Woongarrah will be looking to hit back after the result against Berkeley Vale and we are expecting them to be at their best.”
“We are going to have to be on our toes defensively all over the park, concentrating for the entire match. When we have the ball, we need to try and implement our game. We have some dangerous guys ourselves and will need to get them into the match early.”
Match Official – Miles Allen-Scott
All Final Fixtures –
