Glory ALW Head Coach Stephen Peters feels that his charges will get an early sense of what Finals football could feel like when they take on in-form Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Friday (kick-off at 4:00pm WST, watch live and FREE on 10.com.au).
Click HERE to view his full pre-match media conference.
Click HERE to view Sarah O’Donoghue’s pre-match media conference.
The women in purple are currently on track to secure the club’s first ALW Finals appearance since 2019 as they sit in fifth spot with four games of the regular season remaining.
Adelaide, meanwhile, are flying high in third having lost just once in their last nine outings and Peters believes the Round 19 match-up could be a dress rehearsal for what potentially lies ahead.
“It’s a very good challenge for us,” he said.
“I think if you’re not mentioning it [Finals], it means you’re scared of it and we’re not scared of it.
“It’s something we’ve got to be ready for, the pressure that comes with that level of conversation.
“If you want to be playing Finals, you’ve got to be thinking about it and talking about it and just deal with the pressure that comes with it.
“I think it’s a really unique experience for us as a group.
“It’s the first time that we’ve had that scenario where it’s in our own hands, but that also means the old cliche has to come out that we’re going to take it one week at a time.
“You would say this is a Finals-style game at Coopers as a stand-alone game against a team that is in very good form.
“It’s an exciting prospect for us.”
Glory claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory when the two sides met at Sam Kerr Football Centre in late December and although the Head Coach is expecting a similarly tight tussle on Friday, he feels that both team have evolved over the course of the intervening rounds.
“I think we’ve definitely improved as a side since then,” he said, “and they have as well, so it’s going to be interesting to see how that matches up.
“They’re a possession-based team and we expect nothing different there, but the challenge is greater going to Coopers which is a ground that they’ve been very successful at.
“It’ll be a great occasion and I’m looking forward to it.
“I think most games in the league are that way [low margin] and Adelaide even more so.
“They’re not exactly a free-flowing and free-scoring side, but I think they can be.
“I just think it’s probably that teams have been playing quite tight against them because of the threats they pose.”
Peters went on to stress that a balanced mental approach is very much the order of the day as the season enters its final furlong.
“There’s a confidence [in the group],” he said, “but we’ve got to make sure that it doesn’t turn into cockiness.
“We’ve got to make sure that we concentrate on the task in hand, which is a very formidable opponent in Adelaide.
“They’re a team that we have good respect for, they’re very experienced and if we want to be playing Finals, these are the kind of games that we have to up for and ready for.”
In terms of early team news, Peters confirmed that Julia Sardo and Susan Phonsongkham will again miss out through injury, but there is a chance that Megan Wynne could make a very welcome return to action after being sidelined for 11 months by a torn ACL.
Adelaide, meanwhile, will head across the border looking for a win which would move them to within one point of leaders Melbourne City ahead of the latter’s home clash with Canberra United on Sunday.
Since losing to Glory in late December, Theo Tsiounis’ side have won seven times and on home soil, have lost just once all season.
Among their standout performers this year have been Irish import Erin Healy who has scored four goals and claimed two assists, the Taranto twins Melissa and Adriana who have both made 15 starts in midfield and 17-year-old goalkeeper Ilona Melegh who has kept four clean sheets in nine appearances.
The Reds have received the fewest yellow cards in the ALW this term (7), while Healy has taken the most amount of shots across the league (60) and 23 of those efforts have been on target.
Friday will mark the 31st overall ALW meeting between the two clubs, with Glory having enjoyed 16 wins to the Reds’ 11, but the WA side have not tasted victory in South Australia since December 2016.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2025/26 Season Round 19
Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Coopers Stadium
Friday 13 March 2026
Kick-off: 4:00pm WST
#ONEGlory
ALW Match Preview: Peters and co embracing challenge of “Finals-style game” at Coopers
