Belconnen United v Canberra FC | Grand Final | Saturday, 3pm @ Deakin Stadium
Belconnen United will be looking to secure their seventh league title under Antoni Jagarinec when they play Canberra FC in the NPLW Grand Final at Deakin Stadium on Saturday.
The match will be Jagarinec’s final one in charge of the Blue Devils, who will be extra motivated to send their legendary coach out on a high.
For the third year in a row, Belconnen strolled through the regular season undefeated, overcoming every challenge thrown at them with relative ease.
They ended with a goal difference of plus-103, having conceded just twice all year while scoring 105 of their own.
Led by captain Lauren Keir, the Blue Devils’ back four was close to flawless all season, while goalkeeper Sally James has arguably been the recruit of the year, having come over from the Canberra United Academy at the start of 2019.
Their midfield and forward line are equally impressive, boasting names like Caitlin Munoz, Michaela Day and Nicole Jalocha, as well as young gun Keira Bobbin, who only made her first grade debut midway through the season.
Opposing coaches Antoni Jagarinec and Nik Brozinic ahead of the Grand Final. Credit: Tom Falco
They are strong all across the park, but their Grand Final opponents don’t have too many weaknesses either.
Canberra FC impressed in their 4-1 win over the Academy last week, rebounding strongly from their qualifying final loss against Belconnen.
Rachael Goldstein looked sharp, scoring two early goals to break the game open, while captain Grace Gill was as solid as ever and netted a cracking free-kick just prior to half-time.
They will face a totally different prospect on Saturday though, and will need to find a way to score against a Belconnen side that hasn’t trailed at any point throughout the season.
If Canberra FC can grab the early lead, Belconnen will be put in a position they haven’t been in all year, and could potentially struggle with the pressure of having to come from behind.
It’s a match up of two powerhouse teams, and while Belconnen will start as favourites, Canberra FC are the one side in the competition that can beat them.
The last two Grand Finals between them have been instant classics, and the mutual supporters will be hoping for another enthralling contest on Saturday.
