In the heat of Sydney, after a long bus ride on an unfamiliar pitch, Western NSW Mariners forward Adam Scimone said his side was never in the hunt for points in their 7-0 loss to Gladesville Ryde Magic on Saturday.
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Michael Gaitatzis kicked four for the Magic as Scimone said the side just “couldn’t cope with the conditions”.
“They destroyed us, it was 3-0 at half time and they kept coming after the half and nothing we did changed it,” he said.
“It was pretty disappointing.
“It was a bad day for the club missing a few players including Ryan Campbell, and although it was a bad day we’ve got to look forward.”
The loss stings more with both the under 18s and the under 20s also going down on the synthetic turf, which Mariners players rarely get a chance to run out on.
However, he said it was a one-off set of circumstances that led to the off-day, not a systematic problem with the side.
The Mariners have a double-header this weekend with a make-up game, playing Bankstown in Lithgow on Saturday and Dunbar FC in Orange on Sunday.
“We must win one of these games,” Scimone said.
Bankstown have struggled since the transfer window, having lost key players and subsequently three of their past five games, and Scimone sees them as the more likely scalp to claim.
Meanwhile, Dubar have done three games on the trot and are pushing for finals.
Scimone said the loss of Campbell had been noticeable, with the young speedster scoring twice in four games before injuring his knee last month.
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 7 (Michael Gaitatzis 4, Chris Gaitatzis, Tomaras, Ioannides) def WESTERN NSW MARINERS 0.