After fifteen intense rounds of the Umbro Women’s Premier League competition, we head into the first round of the finals series with four teams remaining in the competition and one set to be knocked out this Sunday.
The premiers Georges River Thistle will go head-to-head against Revesby Workers Maroon with the winner progressing straight to UWPL Grand Final on the 27th of August, while East Bankstown will play in a knock-out final against Revesby Workers White with the winner taking on the loser of other final in the UWPL Major Final next weekend.
Knock-out Final: East Bankstown vs Revesby Workers White, 13th August 2:30pm @ Crest Sporting Complex Field 2
Previous Meeting: Revesby Workers White 0-1 East Bankstown – Rd 13, 2023
East Bankstown come into the finals with strong form in their finals matches of the regular season as they take on Revesby Workers White who are the underdogs of the finals series and have their sight’s set on making a grand final appearance in 2023.
When these two sides met in Round 13 East Bankstown were victorious 1-0 as their defence couldn’t be broken down by the Revesby Workers White team. East Bankstown look to have the upper hand coming into this match as these side have met three times this season with East Bankstown winning two of three games.
3rd placed East Bankstown come off a bye in Round 15 as they will be feeling refreshed and ready to play their most important fixture of the season so far. East Bankstown are undefeated in their last three matches and will be looking to use their positive momentum to get themselves over the line this weekend.
East Bankstown have the second fewest goals conceded this season which has included six clean sheets in their 13 games this season, two of which have come against Revesby Workers White.
East Bankstown have not scored as many goals as the top teams in the competition as they look to win games through their resilience in defence. However, in attack, East Bankstown’s danger woman Tara Edmiston who finished the season on seven goals will look to be the player to break open Revesby Workers White defence.
4th placed Revesby Workers White have had an up and down which had seen them lead the competition after three rounds before winning one game out of their last ten and falling back to fourth place. However, they will be happy to have qualified for the final’s series and with a wealth of experience on their side they will be looking to create an upset in 2023.
Although conceding the most goals this season, Revesby White’s captain and goalkeeper Louise Cousins has been a standout for her side this season, if they are to win this game, here presence and leadership between the sticks will be important.
Revesby Workers White have only found the back of the net 14 times this season, however, Karen Bennett has found the back of the net for half of their goals this season and will look to be their main outlet in attack this weekend.
In a match where we will see one side knocked out of the UWPL finals series for 2023, plenty of fight will be on display for both teams as they look to continue their charge through to the Major Final next weekend.
Semi-Final: Georges River Thistle vs Revesby Workers Maroon, 13th August 2:30pm @ Crest Sporting Complex Field 1
Previous Meeting: Revesby Workers Maroon 2-1 Georges River Thistle – Rd 12, 2023
Georges River Thistle who are the UWPL premiers of 2023 and the reigning champions from 2022 will be eager to retain their champions status this season as they take on Revesby Workers Maroon who will be eager to win this match with the winner automatically progressing the Grand Final two weeks from now.
The last time these two sides met was in Round 12 this season where Revesby Workers won the last of their three meetings this season. These two sides look to be very evenly matched based on previous results with both sides winning a game each and the other meeting ending in a draw.
1st placed Georges River Thistle have had a successful season which has seen them win 10 out of their 13 games to finish on top of the ladder with the best goal difference and the least goals conceded in their 2023 UWPL campaign.
Georges River Thistle’s strong defence has only seen them concede more than one goal in three matches this season. However, Georges River Thistle have not won a game this season when conceding 2 or more goals in a game which will mean defence will be key for them this weekend if they are to win the game.
Thistle have also scored the second most goals this season with 40 goals scored as a team. Thistle has multiple players in their team who know how to find the back of the net with five players who have scored five or more goals this season which highlights their quality all over the pitch. Thistle’s number 9, Candice Prain has found her goalscoring form towards the end of the season with five goals scored in her last five matches, expect her to try and leader her side to another important victory.
2nd placed Revesby Workers Maroon are the form side of the competition heading into the UWPL finals series in 2023 having not lost a game since Round 2 this season where they were suffered a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Georges River Thistle.
Revesby Worker’s Maroon looked to have 1st placed wrapped up when they defeated Georges River Thistle 2-1 in Round 12 of the season, however, they drew 1-1 with East Bankstown in Round 14 of the season which cost them the UWPL premiers title in 2023. They will be eager to use this as added fuel as they look to defeat Georges River Thistle this weekend and confirm a Grand Final spot this weekend.
Revesby Workers Maroon were the best attacking side in 2023 with 48 goals scored in the competition. Mya Donnelly and Marianna Konidaris have been lethal upfront for their side with both scoring 10 or more goals this season. Olivia Lambkin has also been a standout for her team as she looks to be their key player in midfield and if all three players perform this weekend they could go along way to winning the game this Sunday.
With the top two sides of the competition going head-to-head this weekend in a fixture which has a track record of being an intense affair, expect this match to be a blockbuster as both sides look to book a grand final spot this Sunday.
