Warriors keen to be best on ground
GIVEN North Geelong’s recent history there, it seems appropriate a match that could decide its season will be held at JL Murphy Reserve.
From tasting both the delight and anguish of the NPL1 playoff, to heartbreaking FFA Cup knockouts and league defeats, tonight’s clash with Port Melbourne at the ground has a fitting element of decisiveness.
Realistically, this round could greatly impact North Geelong’s survival hopes in NPL1. With Melbourne Knights and Bulleen facing off, Saint Albans away to South Melbourne and Kingston City visiting Hume this weekend, a win could bolster the Warriors’ bid for safety.
Anything less could mean the best-case scenario is yet another playoff, of which North is currently eight points adrift with nine games remaining.
Coach Micky Colina is well aware, but believes the location will not bolster or impinge.
“Overall it’s been a bad ground for us, but history is there to be changed. Nobody’s brought it up at training this week, so I can say it isn’t playing on anyone’s mind,” he said.
“We were able to get the result we wanted last time out there, and naturally you’d like to think you’ll hang on to that.
“I’ve had those moments as a player too, thinking about the ground during the week, but that’s not the case this week.”
Despite the stakes, following last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Bulleen, Colina considers the atmosphere in the dressing room at Elcho Park a positive one.
“The mood is positive, considering results and things that haven’t really gone our way recently. The boys are buoyant and wanting to come away with a good result,” he said.
“We lost last week against Bulleen, but it was probably one of the best games we’d put on in a while.”
With Darren Lewis sus- pended, Colina will have to tinker with his defensive line against the slumping Sharks, winless in their past five.
Matt Townley and Ivan Grgic will occupy the two central positions and despite Nicholas Jurcic’s encouraging transition to right back during the Bulleen loss, Nathan Long looks likely to get the nod.