Glory ALW Head Coach Stephen Peters has called upon his players to back themselves to make the Finals ahead of Saturday’s vital away clash with Newcastle Jets (kick-off at 2pm WST, watch live and FREE on 10.com.au).
Click HERE to watch Stephen’s full pre-match media conference.
Click HERE to watch Grace Johnston’s pre-match media conference.
Following last weekend’s hard-fought home win over Canberra, the women in purple now sit just two points outside the top six with five games remaining, four of which will take place after the two-week AFC Asian Cup break.
And Peters sees no reason why his side can’t push on and secure what would be the club’s first ALW Finals appearance since 2019.
“Everyone talks about our away form,” he said, “but if you take out the run of four defeats in a row, three of which were away from home, our away form has actually been pretty decent.
“The games have been tight, so we’re confident we can go there and get our second away win of the season.
“This particular game, if we can get the three points, will set us up nicely for that mini-series [four games after the Asian Cup break] and we really need to start believing that we can make the top six and when we do, we can tackle teams, there’s no reason why we can’t.”
With the hosts requiring a win to keep their own Finals hopes flickering, Peters is aware of the challenge ahead, but is quietly confident that Glory can replicate the win they secured over the Jets at Sam Kerr Football Centre back in early January.
“Morale-wise, we’re feeling pretty good,” he said, “but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.
“It’s just one win that keeps us in the pack and Newcastle is a very important fixture for us.
“I think it’s a banana skin game… and we just have to be ready for that.
“In saying that, they’re only three points off us, so it’s very easy for me to turn around to the players and remind them that Newcastle’s on 17 points and we’re on 20 points.
“We’re not going Hollywood, that’s for sure.
“I think they [Newcastle] are a very good team and if you look at some of the games they’ve won this season, they’ve been very good in those games.
“They’ve got some great strike weapons; [Charlotte] Lancaster and Sophie Hoban have been very good for them, Melina Ayres is obviously someone that has a lot of experience in the league and Kelli Brown we know very well.
“We definitely can’t take them lightly, but I think we have to have confidence that what we’re doing at the moment is keeping us in games, keeping the games close and laying the platform for us to go and get three points.
“We’ve got to stick to the process and what works for us, travel well, look after our bodies, go there with confidence and play and not go into our shell.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re up for it physically and mentally and then I think we’ll be ok.”
The Head Coach went on to discuss goalkeeper Teresa Morrissey who this week followed teammate Tijan McKenna by taking out an ALW Player of the Month Award.
“I actually mentioned to the group today that there have been three Player of the Month Awards this season,” he said, “and we’ve won two of them, which is pretty special, especially given that we’ve only been in the top six for a couple of weeks during the season.
“It showcases how important our players’ contributions are to the team.
“Teresa has been amazing for us, not just between the sticks, but in the dressing room, the gym, off the field.
“When people are injured and doing top-up sessions, she runs with them.
“She’s just first-class in every sense.
“I’ve know this for a little while and I’m a little bit surprised that it took her until she was 25 to make her debut in the league.
“She’s obviously had some interesting things in the past that have stopped her from making her debut earlier and I’m just really proud that she’s stuck to it and is getting the accolades for it.
“It’s no surprise to me that this is what she’s producing.”
Saturday’s opponents currently sit one place and three points below Glory having gone four games without a win.
Stephen Hoyle’s side made a strong start to the campaign, picking up ten points from their opening five games, but then lost five of their next six, with one of those defeats coming against Glory at Sam Kerr Football Centre in Round 11.
Experienced forward Ayres is their top scorer this term with five, while former Glory player Brown has bagged four and Lauren Allan and Lancaster have claimed three apiece.
Other players to look out for include commanding Matildas defender Natasha Prior, livewire attacker India Breier and hometown favourite Cass Davis.
Glory will be seeking a first win in the Hunter Valley since January 2020 in what will be the 30th overall meeting between the two sides.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2025/26 Season Round 18
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory
No.2 Sportsground
Saturday 20 February 2026
Kick-off: 2pm WST
#ONEGlory
ALW Match Preview: Peters urges squad to believe in Finals dream ahead of Jets trip
