KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL: Craig Sugden and Mohammod Aber. Photo: Steve Gosch
ORANGE Waratahs will use Tuesday night’s come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Deaf Football Australia as the perfect springboard for Australia Day Football Cup success leading into tomorrow’s final.
Waratahs are all but guaranteed to meet the Deaf Football Australia side in the final, with the Aussies needing to be beaten by seven goals last night against Lithgow Workies in the cup’s final round robin games at Waratahs sportsground.
Barring a catastrophic collapse from the national side last night, Waratahs will again have a chance to test their Western Premier League credentials against the best deaf football players in the country come today’s final at Waratahs.
And it’s a challenge Waratahs goalkeeper Adam Brakenridge is looking forward to.
As they’ve done in each of the Australia Day Football Cup matches so far, the Orange-based club started slowly to trail the Australian outfit 1-0 early.
But, thanks to a winner from Craig Sugden and a brace from Ryan Sinclair, Waratahs hit back to win the round robin match by two goals.
Brakenridge said his side was determined to win.
Naturally, any competitive football side is.
But with the season being early, the Waratahs players are using the time on the pitch in January as the ideal way to warm up for the 2013 WPL season.
“It’s just about getting out there and gelling on the field again,” Brakenridge said.
“We’ve been a bit rusty to start off with. It’s been good to blow the cobwebs out, I suppose you could say.
“We’ve been getting stronger each game so we should be better again on Saturday than we were the other night.”
Tomorrow’s final will begin at 4pm, with the third place play-off commencing beforehand at 2pm.
Both games are at Waratahs sportsground.