Round 2 Finals Series Preview – League One Men’s
One week of finals action down, three to come in the League One Men’s competition as we reach the pointy end.
This weekend, our first grand final spot will be sealed as Central Coast Mariners host St George City. While Western Sydney Wanderers and Northern Tigers fight for their survival, Saturday afternoon.
Central Coast Mariners FC v St George City
Premiers Central Coast Mariners return to the pitch when they host St George City in the Major Semi Final early Sunday afternoon.
Despite not taking to the pitch last weekend, there is still plenty to talk about in the Mariners camp leading into this one. Departing from the club is coach Andrew Christiansen who has been replaced by Luke Wilkshire.
Let’s touch on the first part of that statement first because it certainly won’t be the last time you hear Christiansen’s name as he is one of the best young coaches in the state. After all, it’s one thing to win a premiership, it’s a whole other thing to defend it and everyone including the coaching staff deserve credit for the achievement.
Back on the field, look out for Sasha Kuzevski and Lachlan Bayliss who have both stepped up as leaders of this young squad. Although being an academy squad, there is no shortage of talent across the board.
It’s not an easy task for the Mariners though as they haven’t beaten their opponents in their previous six meetings.
Speaking of… St George City earned the right to play the Mariners by defeating the other A-league academy last weekend.
With the goal of promotion achieved during the regular season, it was noticeable at Penshurst Park last weekend that Mirko Jurilj and his side had a weight off their shoulders as they defeated Western Sydney Wanderers.
However in saying that, you would suggest they will have done a fair bit of shooting practice in the lead up to this one after wasting a fair few chances in the second half.
If we were to highlight two players to look out for after that one. It would be Tarik Ercan in defensive midfield and Nathan Roberts who always looked a threat going forward, scoring the eventual winner ten minutes into the second half.
With a good head-to-head record against the Mariners, you can be sure City will be up for this one with a grand final place on the line. Join the voice of Central Coast Football Pete Prior for the call in this Sunday lunchtime kick off.
Major Semi Final
Sunday 21 August, 12:30pm, Pluim Park
Central Coast Mariners FC v St George City
20’s: Central Coast Mariners FC v Northern Tigers, 3pm
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Northern Tigers FC
No second chances now, Western Sydney Wanderers host Northern Tigers in the Minor Semi Final, Saturday afternoon.
It’s another clash which sees an A-league academy taking on a side who they don’t have a good record against.
The Wanderers come into the clash having lost the preliminary semi final last weekend against St George City.
After losing a fair chunk of their regular squad either to injury or the A-league pre-season camp, the young Wanderers were brave up against a much more experienced opposition. That loss brought to an end a five-game winning stretch which saw them finish the season positively.
In terms of who too look out for in this Wanderers side, George Antonis and Connor Rose will play key roles if they are to get a victory in this one. The situation still remains, two wins will get them to a grand final, can they do it? Tune in Saturday afternoon to find out.
It’s probably a little early to call Northern Tigers finals specialists but they will come into this one with plenty of confidence after a surprise victory last weekend.
Yes, not many gave the Tigers a chance in their elimination semi against local rivals NWS Spirit particularly after going a goal down. Yet here we are previewing them in the second weekend of the finals.
Coming out from the break hot, the Tigers scored twice in the opening ten minutes through Kai Denton and Shervin Adeli while their defense withstood some significant pressure as their hosts threw everything at them. So, shout out to captain Jamie Lobb, keeper Tomi Liiband, Travis Oughtred, Rhys Williams, and Bailey Rule for that.
The Tigers have only ever lost twice to the Wanderers since 2016, so could we see yet another upset in this one?
Join Eric Subijano on the call for the afternoon kick off who will provide your fair share of puns and NPL Women’s references, Saturday afternoon.
Minor Semi Final
Saturday 20 August, 3pm, Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Northern Tigers FC
20’s: Western Sydney Wanderers FC v NWS Spirit FC, 5:30pm
