The Greater Bank Community round, a debut game at No.2 Sportsground in 2019, and crunch-time in the Westfield W-League.
The girls welcome Perth Glory to Newcastle for a match on Saturday afternoon that shapes as crucial in the context of the Jets season.
W-LEAGUE: Five talking points
After dropping three points against Adelaide on New Years Eve and defeat against Sydney last Friday, the gap between the Jets and the finals is widening.
Stopping that from increasing further would be an all-too valuable win on Saturday, but it won’t be an easy task.
Sam Kerr leads a Perth Glory side which is currently flying, sitting on sixteen points in second place on the ladder.
They could go as high as first or as low as sixth depending on the result this weekend, but will be hoping for one similar to last Thursday – a 1-0 win over Canberra.
Team news
It’s been injury after injury for the Jets this season in the Westfield W-League, and things have only got worse this week.
Emily van Egmond is now out for the remainder of the season, after injuring her ankle in a run-of-the-mill training session in the lead-up to Saturday.
She joins Katie Stengel and Taylor Smith on the long-term injury list, but it does mean that youth will get a shot this weekend.
Tessa Tamplin has been promoted to the squad for Saturday’s clash with Perth and is a chance of seeing minutes in what would be her first Westfield W-League appearance.
One player who will return from injury is Cortnee Vine, who withdrew late last weekend with a calf complaint. Just how long she’ll play though, remains to be seen.
From the coach
“It’s a tough one, Emily’s injury. Not unusual, just a nothing, standard roll your ankle, and she did a good job of it,” Deans said.
“She won’t play again this season, so it’s disappointing for her and the Club, she’s the captain and has done a good job. It’s a big loss, but her main focus is now getting the best treatment she can and getting ready for the World Cup.
“To be fair to the players, they’ve been really good at coping with losing a player. First it was Tara [Andrews], then Taylor [Smith] and Katie [Stengel] in the same game as it turned out.
“It is what it is, but it gives us a good chance to bring some young girls in, put their hands up and show us what they’re capable of.
“You obviously have to respect the ability of the opposition, and we know that individuals like Sam [Kerr] in that team have special talent. We’re aware of what she’s good at, and we’ll talk about ways to prevent her being good in the game.”
