The Newcastle Jets are looking to be in top form this weekend for a vital clash when the side meets Adelaide in a rematch of the opening round of Season 2 of the Westfield W-League.
The Newcastle Jets are looking to be in top form this weekend for a vital clash when the side meets Adelaide in a rematch of the opening round of Season 2 of the Westfield W-League.
The last time these two squads met resulted in a 0-0 draw at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Seeking their first home points, Head Coach Wayne O-Sullivan has examined the opposition and is confident the Jets are well placed to secure a win at home in what would be a vital boost for the second half of the season.
“We have reached the half way mark of the season and have now had the opportunity to see all the teams involved in the Westfield W-League either up close or on video review,” he said.
“The objective of the next five rounds will be the same as the first five, we will aim to play quality football and win as many games as possible and we believe with the exception of the Sydney game we have achieved this.”
“We simply need to learn from some of our mistakes made to turn good performance into good results,” O-Sullivan concluded.
With a number of players now past their HSC commitments, Head Coach Wayne O-Sullivan has selected the squad who are at a near full strength, missing just the three team members on International Duty at the AFC Under 16s Women-s Championships – Tara Andrews, Hannah Brewer and Maddy Searl.
Carlie Ikonomou is one of five Jets who studied their HSC this year, culminating in exams over recent weeks with Ikonomou-s last exam Extension History, taking place tomorrow ahead of the Round 6 match.
Relieved to be completing her studies and now able to focus on football, Ikonomou is looking forward to returning to a full training schedule and the prospect of reuniting on the field with her fellow teammates.
“I-m really relieved, it was getting difficult juggling both school and football even though the coach (O-Sullivan) was really supportive.”
“I-m looking forward to getting back into training and it-s the same for the other girls after missing a couple of sessions we can get back into the team dynamic,” said Ikonomou.
Although the Jets are yet to make their mark in Season 2, O-Sullivan is pleased with the progress that his young side has made, many of them only making their Westfield W-League debut this year.
“We as a team have had to do some very quick learning and there have been some pretty harsh lessons within the first 5 rounds, however on the whole we have been very happy with the progress of such a young team and very proud of how quickly they have adapted to the best competition in the country,” O-Sullivan concluded.
The Jets will take on Adelaide United on Saturday 7th November at 4pm at Wanderers Oval with a player autograph session to follow the match.
