Womens Super League Grand Final Preview

Months of preparation, training and team moral building has come down to 90 minutes of kicking a ball around a football field.
Previewing what we can expect to see at Jensen Park on Sunday afternoon is Women?s Super League writer, Pete Nowakowski who has been in plenty of finals during his time as a footballer and knows well about the enormous range of emotions flying through the heads of every player who takes the field of play.
Eastern UNSW Lions v Southern Branch ? Jensen Park, 4pm kick off
The 2012 season has been filled with many ups and downs for both sides however it has been their mental strength and high team spirit which has separated these two teams from the rest of the competition.
Eastern UNSW Lions have dominated this season in front of goal having scored 60 goals with most of the goals coming from golden boot hopeful, Ayse Adalis. Their direct style of play might have won over a number of fans during the year but it has been the leadership from the safest hands in the competition, Amanda Watson which has helped the start of almost every attacking play.
The ?home? team for this game will have change their style slightly though to suit the extra wide field that is Jensen Park. The overlapping runs from right back Maxine Richard and left back Zoe Richard will be vital for UNSW?s quick counter attacking ability.
If Eastern UNSW Lions are to win this Grand Final, it will be the perfect end to a perfect season for technical director Sally Paterson?s squad. One tactic though the Lions will need to work on is their mental strength in the opening twenty minutes of the game. If they can work hard and keep a clean sheet, expect UNSW to go on and really fight hard for a goal in the second half.
Southern Branch have only gotten stronger and stronger as the year went on having completed the regular season with a goal difference of +24. Much of the credit needs to go to the striking partnership of Ange Graham and Maddie Jo Costanzo. The relationship between the two centre forwards has become somewhat psychic with the girls knowing exactly where the other will be at any given time.
The week off might have given the girls from UNSW Lions a chance to held some wounded bodies, but for Southern Branch, the momentum of a 1-0 win over Northern Tigers in the Preliminary Final has only boosted the confidence of the girls in blue who are more determined to beat the Lions more than ever before.
It will be Southern Branch?s ability to play a pretty passing game and counter attack in numbers will cause plenty of headaches to the UNSW defensive unit. Whatever the formation or system the coaching staff decide to play, it is still unsure if prolific striker Ange Graham will be able to play any part of the game after and injury kept her out of last weekend?s fixture.
The two teams have met three times this season with Eastern UNSW Lions edging out in front of the stats having scored seven goals over Southern Branch?s five goals. One thing is for sure, neither side likes a 1-0 scoreline so we can expect goals and plenty of entertainment come Sunday afternoon.
Previous meetings:
Round 8 ? Eastern UNSW Lions 3 ? 1 Southern Branch
Round 17 ? Southern Branch 2-1 Eastern UNSW Lions
Major Semi Final ? Eastern UNSW Lions 3 ? 2 Southern Branch
Full list of fixtures for SUNDAY
Grade 12: Northern Tigers v Eastern UNSW Lions ? 9am kick off
Grade 14: Southern Branch v Parramatta Lady Hawks ? 10:20am kick off
Grade 16: Southern Branch v Northern Tigers ? 11:45am kick off
Reserve Grade: Parramatta Lady Hawks v Eastern UNSW Lions ? 1:30pm kick off
First Grade: Eastern UNSW Lions v Southern Branch ? 4pm kick off
WSL GRAND FINAL DVDS
Each Grand Final match will be recorded and can be purchased by click here for the form or by filling out the form that will be attached to the official math program that will be present at the venue.
-By Peter Nowakowski