For the first time since 2003, the Edgeworth Eagles will meet Broadmeadow Magic in a PlayStation 4 NPL Northern NSW decider.
Edgeworth Eagles v Broadmeadow Magic
3pm Sunday 4th September at Magic Park
2016 Meetings:
Westfield FFA Cup (Round 4): Edgeworth Eagles 1 (4) defeated Broadmeadow Magic 1 (2) at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
Round 4: Broadmeadow Magic 1 (Bradbury 27’) drew Edgeworth Eagles 1 (Taylor 13’) at Magic Park.
Round 13: Edgeworth Eagles 2 (Taylor 83’, Moriyasu 90+1’) defeated Broadmeadow Magic 0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval.
Where they Finished: Edgeworth 1st (46pts) Broadmeadow 3rd (32pts)
Past 3 Starts (Most Recent First):
Edgeworth – Won Magpies 2-1 (h), Drew Magpies 2-2 (a), Won Rosebuds 3-1 (a)
Broadmeadow – Won Olympic 2-1 (a), Won Olympic 3-1 (h), Won Magpies 2-0 (a)
Best Result in Northern NSW Competitions:
Edgeworth Eagles: Grand Final Winners – 4 (1978, 2003, 2010, 2015)
Broadmeadow Magic: Grand Final Winners – 6 (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013)
Bottom Line
The fact the top two sides in the regular season in Edgeworth and Hamilton will not meet in the Grand Final is evidence of how tight the PlayStation® 4 NPL Northern NSW is. Once again on Sunday, this really is anyone’s match.
This season they have met on three occasions; the first Edgeworth won on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Westfield FFA Cup. In the second contest at Magic Park, it was a tight affair and once more they finished locked at one a piece. In their last battle on a heavy pitch at Jack McLaughlan Oval, Edgeworth scored two late goals – a trademark of theirs in 2016 – to win the match 2-0.
The last time Broadmeadow beat Edgeworth was at the start of Damian Zane’s coaching tenure, in fact just his third match in the top job. Magic put on a clinical display that evening to win 4-1 at Edgeworth, as Kale Bradbury scored a double, Peter Haynes grabbed one along with Dino Fajkovic and Josh Evans scored Edgeworth’s only goal that night.
But, what a difference a year and a half can make. After winning just one of his opening three matches as head coach, Zane has lost just 4 of his last 38. After an amazing 2015 season for the Eagles, they have built on from that this year and taken their game to another level. They were pushed by Hamilton Olympic all the way in the premiership race and got the job done by four points. They also achieved their goal of making the final 16 in the Westfield FFA Cup and will play the Newcastle Jets and Bentleigh Greens over the coming weeks as their season winds to a close.
The question is, how much will they have in the tank come Sunday? They really have had no time to rest throughout the whole season and the battle for the premiership would have taken a lot out of them, as the trip to Cairns would have too. But, they have responded every time and got the job done.
Over the last few weeks, the tiredness has seemed to creep in just a little, Edgeworth’s usual sharpness has not quite been there. On Grand Final Day though with the adrenaline pumping and the finish line on another massive season in sight there is no doubt the Eagles will be energised for the clash.
Key: The final 15 minutes. Edgeworth have been outstanding in that period this year and Magic need to be wary.
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