Glory ALM Head Coach Adam Griffiths is backing his side to rekindle their Finals hopes by getting the better of Central Coast Mariners in Saturday’s Round 23 showdown at polytec Stadium (kick-off at 2pm, watch live and FREE on 10.com.au).
Click HERE to watch his full pre-match media conference.
The men in purple will travel east following an encouraging 1-1 draw against defending Champions Melbourne City which left them five points outside the top six with four games of the regular season left to play.
And Griffiths feels that, refreshed and revitalised by the international break, they are capable of securing a first win in Gosford since October 2022 which would catapult them into serious Finals contention.
“The boys are very much up for this challenge that we have,” he said, “and I feel that they are coming off the back of the Melbourne City game with some confidence.
“I definitely believe that we are [capable of being part of the Finals conversation].
“We just have to get the three points against Central Coast which will be a challenge, but something we’re going to address.
“We’ll approach it with the similar kind of energy that we finished the Melbourne City game.
“That’s high intensity and trying to get some more goalscoring creation moments.
“We’ve been really trying to focus upon the things that were positive in the Melbourne City game, of which they were a lot.
“We’re trying to make sure that boys want to attack in numbers and the last few training sessions have been really positive.”
The Mariners, however, have serious Finals ambitions of their own and Griffiths is keenly aware of the threat Warren Moon’s side will pose.
“Central Coast Mariners are a strong team, they’re doing well and they’re a difficult team to play against,” he said.
“They’re a team that is difficult to break down and beat.
“Nearly every team that they’ve come up against has found that, so it’ll be tough, especially away from home, but we’re confident.”
The Head Coach went on to stress that he feels the playing group are generally travelling well and recognise exactly what is required this weekend.
“We need consistency and to have players available on a consistent basis,” he said.
“We’re starting to get a little bit more consistent with players playing more regularly and then it’s about trying to find the right balance with this group.
“With key players that have been out through injury or sold, it’s made it more difficult during a critical period [of the season], but this group now, I think they have enough minutes under their belts and they’re fully focused.”
In terms of early team news, forward Tom Lawrence’s foot injury will again rule him out, but midfielder Gio De Abreu is set to be available having spent last week on international duty with Australia U-20s.
As for the Mariners, they currently sit one point and one place outside the top six having lost just one of their last nine games.
Evergreen skipper Andrew Redmayne leads the league for saves made (101) while keeping five clean sheets and Brad Tapp, Lucas Mauragis and former Glory man Storm Roux have also all been key figures at the back.
In the front third, winger Miguel Di Pizio has caught the eye with three goals and four assists, Sebit Ngor has scored four times in just five starts and 20-year-old prospect Bailey Brandtman has found the net on three occasions, with one of those efforts coming against Glory back in Round 4.
Central Coast’s home wins this term have come against Newcastle Jets, Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers, while on the road, they have downed Glory, Adelaide, Brisbane and Macarthur.
Saturday will mark the 60th overall ALM meeting between the two sides, with the Mariners having secured 26 wins to Glory’s 20.
Glory’s last eight visits to Gosford have yielded three wins, three draws and two defeats.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2025/26 Season Round 23
Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory
polytec Stadium
Saturday 4 April 2026
Kick-off: 2pm WST
#ONEGlory
ALM Match Preview: Griff backs confident Glory to rekindle Finals hopes
