Grand Final Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 2
It all comes down to this. We’ve finally reached Grand Final day in the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s 2, and we’re left with the runaway Premiers Marconi Stallions up against the young chargers Sutherland Shire.
Will the quality of Marconi stand up and be counted on the day? Or can Sutherland pull off an almighty upset and finish the season as champions?
Marconi Stallions FC v Sutherland Shire FA, 4.30pm Sunday 6th of September at Valentine Sports Park Field 2
Sutherland were pushed all the way by Southern Branch in their preliminary final last weekend, and they’ll need to dig deep again if they are a chance of upsetting the Premiers here.
Sutherland produced some of their trademark football in the win over Southern Branch, cutting swathes through the opposition defence on several occasions. They were unable to make the most of those good periods though, only finding the back of the net once from open play. Their ruthlessness in front of goal will need to improve this weekend as Marconi won’t offer them very much in terms of chances.
The Shire side will also be worried about the way they faded towards the back end of the match. While this was just as much a result of Southern Branch upping their intensity, Sutherland went away from their game throughout this period as they resorted to long balls out of defence as a way of easing the pressure. Composure will be supremely important against the Stallions, and Sutherland will need to withstand it by sticking to what has made them successful all season. If they needlessly give possession back to Marconi they will be in for a torrid afternoon.
Where Sutherland will be pleased with the weekend’s performance is that they overcame Southern Branch with relatively little influence from Rochelle Borromeo. She was marked well by Amanda Carney and Samantha Cornell at the weekend, and found it difficult to stamp her authority on the match. Instead, the likes of Raegan Deeley and Verity Quartermain stepped up in the final third and provided threats right across the front line for the defence to deal with. Genevieve Nisbet in particular had an outstanding game at right full back – in both defence and attack – and she’ll need to produce a repeat performance here to shut down the Marconi forwards.
Sutherland are not one of the competitions more physical sides, and Marconi has everything at their disposal to overpower them this weekend. The ball does the work for Sutherland, and there will be scope for the Stallions to bully them off the ball and prevent them from stringing passes together. It’s hard to see the likes of Borromeo and Deeley getting much past Renee Tomkins, and Alesha Clifford will make life very difficult for Sutherland’s midfield to find any space.
The fit again Chloe Logarzo and her creative partner Caitlin Jarvie will again be the spark for Marconi in attack. Jarvie drifts all across the front line in the style of a classic ‘number 10’, always looking to pick holes in the opposition defence, while Logarzo will be in position to finish off any chances that come her way.
Marconi looked to press high against Southern Branch in their semi-final victory, a tactic which they may adopt here to force errors from the young Sutherland side. Earlier in the season Sutherland had a tendency to overcomplicate things when shifting the ball around their backline, and while they have largely removed that from their game now, the potential for mistakes still remains – especially against a side like the Stallions.
If there is one weakness in the premiers’ game, it is that they too find themselves short at the back on occasion. With their full backs pushed up in attack there will be space to exploit in behind, and as Southern Branch showed two weeks ago there are chances to be had for a well drilled outfit.
For Sutherland to pull off the upset they will need to hold the game level for as long as possible. Marconi are excellent front runners and are used to being in total control of games this season, so if Sutherland can frustrate them for long periods there is every chance the Stallions will push too hard and open the game up. That’s a big if though, as Marconi has proven time and time again this season that this is their competition.
This weekend they can remove all doubt.
Reserve Grade:
Inter Lions SC v Marconi Stallions FC, 2pm Sunday 6th of September at Valentine Sports Park Field 2
Inter Lions caused a huge upset in the first week of the finals series when they defeated runaway premiers Marconi 4-1 in one of the results of the season. They’ll be hard pressed to repeat the score line here, but a repeat of the result isn’t out of the question.
Marconi had a tough time putting away a spirited Sydney Olympic side last weekend, and a return to their premiership form is required here if they are to overcome the Lions.
The Major Semi Final between these two was a feisty encounter as well with a number of cards handed out to each side, so there’s no love lost between these two rivals.
By Eamonn Warner, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Women’s 2 Reporter
