Tax troubles and two agonising defeats have added to the Glory’s misery this week, as both the men and women’s teams have been left languishing second last on their respective ladders.
After a month on the road and one point gained from nine, David Zdrilic will aim for a first win of the season at HBF Park on Saturday while Stephen Peters looks for his second at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Sunday.
With a host of winnable games on the horizon, here are the talking points going into the final few fixtures of 2024.
Does Tomi Mrcela come straight in?
The 34-year-old centre back is a handy addition to the Glory’s defensive stocks with the departure of Jacob Muir and the relatively poor form of both Lachlan Barr and Luis Canga.
After leaving Western Sydney in 2023, the defender has had stints in Uzbekistan and the Croatian second tier but hasn’t played since the end of May.
Lack of game time hasn’t stopped David Zdrilic in his selection choices before. It’s a risk, but it might be worth it to shake up a defence which hasn’t played with confidence at all this season.
Combining the physical prowess of Canga and the aerial dominance of Mrcela could make one hell of a partnership, a potential game changer in the weeks ahead.
The Jets have struggled to find goals; of all the times to build confidence in the backline and in the returning Mrcela, this game is the one to do it in.
What’s the gameplan?
Figuring out how the Glory want to play right now is like walking around with drunk goggles; it’s hard to see what is going on.
The high press hasn’t been up to standard, possession cannot be maintained and, on the counterattack, there didn’t appear to be any good ideas on how to get at the Victory’s defence.
The defensive shape has been all over the shop at times and the forward structure hasn’t been much better.
In the last two games, the side has seen way less of the ball and played on the break. Against Adelaide, it turned out ok. Against a better side in Victory, they didn’t do any damage.
At home, facing a side similar to our level, I would expect us to be the dominant side in possession but with how the last few weeks have panned out, that may not be the case.
Even if Newcastle have more control of the ball, the Glory must improve in transition. Two shots for the whole game won’t be tolerated again, not in front of fans who have waited a long time to see them again and have put up with some poor displays this season.
Predicted lineup
Blair – Taggart
Faisal – Pennington – O’Neill – Ngo
Warland – Mrcela – Canga – Risdon
Sail
And for the women…
Can Fiona Worts be stopped?
A 92nd minute long shot denied the Glory of a point at home in their first competitive fixture at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
The Victory didn’t even need their leading goal scorer Emily Gielnik to win on the road, managing to get the job done despite Casey Dumont’s penalty heroics in her milestone game.
On Sunday, the Glory won’t have the same luxury when Adelaide and in the in-form Fiona Worts make the trek across the Nullarbor to close out Round 6 of the ALW.
Her movement in the box is exceptional and will trouble the Glory defenders, who also have to worry about closing down shots from outside the box, which has been a large source of the goals conceded thus far.
If Worts’ influence can be limited, the Glory have a good chance of getting a result. Emily Condon is the only other Adelaide player to have scored this season, highlighting just how important Worts is to her team.
If the defence can stand tall, the attack must lift for a win to be possible. They mustered one shot on target against a stringent Victory and will have to do more against an even stronger Reds backline on Sunday.
