Townsville Bulletin

Fury ready to stage Olympic upset

- TRENT SLATTER

THE Northern Fury know they’ll have to find another gear when they host NPL heavyweigh­ts Brisbane Olympic at Ayr’s Internatio­nal Park tonight.

Confidence is high in the Fury camp after they thumped the Roar Youth side 5- 1 in Brisbane last weekend with a near- perfect display across the park.

Coach Paul Roncato will retain the same starting 11 this weekend, except for Joseph Simons coming into goal in place of Ryan Murphy.

The Fury were also hoping to have Jonathon Bagley back on deck before he injured his hamstring during the week, but Roncato was confident his side could shock Olympic in their final home game of the season.

“We know we’ve got a massive task against Olympic, but I’ve got full faith in the guys we’ve got playing. We know we can do the job,” Roncato said.

“We played very well against the Roar, but we’ve got to step it up again. We know it’s going to be a very physical game and we’re up for a big challenge.

“After last week, we feel if we can bring that performanc­e into this game but be a little bit more physical then we can get the three points and cause a massive upset.”

The Fury claimed a 1- 1 draw with Olympic when they last met in Brisbane back in May, defending with 10 men for the last 15 minutes as they held on for their well- deserved point.

It’s been a rollercoas­ter season for the Fury, winning four of their first six games before falling out of finals contention, but Roncato said that draw with Olympic was proof of the squad’s ability.

“I think that game gave us the belief in what we can do because they’re a big heavyweigh­t side and we know we can match them,” Roncato said.

“Considerin­g the amount of players that we’ve had in and out season, it would be fantastic for the club to finish our last home game with a win against Olympic.”

 ?? DETERMINED: Northern Fury goalkeeper Joseph Simons. Picture: WESLEY MONTS ??
DETERMINED: Northern Fury goalkeeper Joseph Simons. Picture: WESLEY MONTS

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