Warriors aiming high

Club keen on top draw for FFA Cup

OLYMPIA Warriors coach Kenny Weston is relishing the prospect of coming up against an A-League club before today’s FFA Cup round of 32 draw.

The Warriors qualified for the round of 32 for the first time by taking out the Lakoseljac Cup earlier this month, defeating the Glenorchy Knights 4-2 in the final.

Six A-League clubs will play each other in the initial round, leaving the remaining four to take on opposition outside the top flight.

Weston said drawing an ALeague team would be big for the club, and the sport in Tasmania.

“From a personal point of view, the potential to draw an A-League club would be so exciting for the whole of Tasmania really,” he said.

“It would be an amazing opportunity for players of Olympia to come up against potentially international footballers.

“If not, an NPL team so that we can assess where our playing group is against some of the best teams from around the country.”

The Warriors are the third Tasmanian FFA Cup representative in four years, with South Hobart falling at the first hurdle twice in a row before the Devonport Strikers claimed the state’s first win in the competition last year.

The Strikers upset NSW side Lambton Jaffas at home, before going down to the Victorian NPL giants Bentleigh Greens in another home match in the round of 16.

While the majority of players will be either at work or school when the draw takes place, Weston said a group would be gathering at the home of Olympia president George Mamacas.

Weston is hoping for a home game, and believes his team is capable of following in Devonport’s footsteps and making it to the round of 16.

“I’ve been around football for long enough to know that there’s always opportunities to get upsets, that just happens in football and especially in cup competitions,” he said.

Round of 32 matches will be held over three weeks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting in the last week of July. Today’s draw is at 3pm, and can be seen live on Fox Sports News and streamed on foxsports.com.au and theffacup.com.au.