Glory Head Coach Stephen Peters believes Sunday’s opponents Newcastle Jets will provide a very different challenge to that posed by Melbourne City in last weekend’s season-opener.
Click HERE to view Stephen’s full pre-match media conference
Click HERE to watch the A-Leagues match preview clip
Kelli Brown and Miku Sunaga both marked their club debuts with goals as the women in purple took a 2-0 lead in that clash with the reigning Premiers, before ultimately succumbing to a 5-2 defeat.
But while keen to learn the lessons from Round One, Peters is expecting the Jets to ask his charges a new set of questions having seen them secure a 2-2 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers in their opening fixture.
“I think Newcastle are an interesting team,” he said.
“They’re very robust and very direct.
“I know the manager [Ryan Campbell] pretty well and he’s a very jovial character who’ll have them fit and primed for it, for sure.
“I think he’s looking to get more bodies forward in order to cause some unrest and confusion for the opposition and if you watch their game on the weekend, it did cause Wanderers some problems and we’re going to have to be aware of that.
“It’s a completely different task to the Melbourne City task.
“If we’re brave enough, I think there’ll be opportunities for us definitely on the counter-attack and in the spaces they leave vacant.”
When questioned further about the nature of the City game, the Head Coach gave a candid assessment of the performance.
“We had 55 very good minutes and 35 not-so-good minutes,” he said.
“However, given that it was our first hit-out against A-League opposition, I thought there were some really good positives for us.
“I don’t think anyone would have expected us to be 2-0 up at any stage of the game, so to be there was good.
“But in terms of the fallout from the rest of the game, there’s a lot to dissect and learn from.
“When there was an opportunity for us to sit in a low block and absorb pressure, I think that’s probably where we failed ourselves and something we need to improve on.”
Sunday’s game forms part of an ALW/ALM double-header at HBF Park, with the Women getting underway at 3:00pm before the Men take on Melbourne City at 5:45pm and Peters is really looking forward to a bumper day of football.
“I think it’s super-exciting for us,” he said.
“Double-headers are a great opportunity for the club to represent itself as a whole and we’re looking forward to that.
“The pitch is in good condition, so we’re looking forward to playing on that and hopefully seeing a good crowd out there.”
In terms of early team news, Glory did not sustain any further injuries during the City defeat, but Sunday’s game may still come too soon for co-captain Onyinyechi Zogg to make her debut, while Izzy Foletta, Bella Wallhead and Megan Wynne are also yet to return to full fitness and Susan Phonsongkham remains a long-term absentee.
As for the Jets, they lost a sizeable amount of firepower in the off-season as Sarina Bolden and Melina Ayres, who bagged 17 goals between them last season, both departed.
But they still have plenty of quality in their ranks, including vastly-experienced midfielder Cass Davis, Swiss defender Lorena Baumann and versatile forward Libby Copus-Brown who scored four goals and added two assists last term.
Of the 26 previous meetings between the two sides, Glory have won 11 to the Jets’ six and have not lost to the New South Wales side since March 2021.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2024/25 Season Round 2
Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets
HBF Park
Sunday 10 November 2024
Kick-off: 3:00pm WST
#ONEGlory
