Logarzo in mix as Western chase A-League Women triumph

April 29, 2023 04:07 PM AEST | By AAPNEWS
 Logarzo in mix as Western chase A-League Women triumph
Image source: AAPNEWS

After a season of defying expectations, A-League Women newcomers Western United are confident they can stun powerhouse Sydney FC in their first grand final.

United will attempt to become the second expansion team, after Melbourne City in 2015-16, to claim silverware in their inaugural season in the clash at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.

The newcomers, who finished second in the regular season, beat Sydney 1-0 in their semi-final, earning a week off to freshen up before the rematch.

"We all went into this season with a good attitude but not really expecting a whole lot from ourselves and not knowing what to expect with new players coming in and whatnot," captain Jaclyn Sawicki told AAP.

"We've gone above and beyond our expectations and we've worked really hard.

"This is why we play this beautiful game; it's these big games and we're really excited."

There is no hiding away from the Australian Professional Leagues' decision to sell the grand final to Sydney, which means United had to travel despite technically earning hosting rights by beating the Sky Blues in the semi-final.

"It will be a little bit sweeter (to win despite that) and knowing that we were one point away from the premiership in our first season," Sawicki said.

"We really want to come away with something at the end of this."

United have named Chloe Logarzo to return from a lingering foot injury that's sidelined her for three-and-a-half months, with the former Sky Blues star given every opportunity to prove her fitness, while Sydney are at full strength.

Coach Mark Torcaso said if Logarzo got through Saturday's training session and could play 20-30 minutes off the bench, she would be picked.

"Well I definitely can't start, that's one thing," Logarzo, who is desperate to build fitness ahead of the Women's World Cup, told reporters on Saturday.

"So definitely be coming off the bench.

"But yeah, it's going to be one of those decisions. If I'm coming off a bench, how long am I going to play? What's the impact that I can bring? They're all the conversations I'm going to have to have tonight. 

"Obviously, I haven't played a game since January, so how much of an impact can I make coming on? Can I play any more than 15 minutes?"

Regardless of whether Logarzo provides headaches, Sydney will be wary of a United outfit that physically bullied them last time around.

"We knew they'd be aggressive, we just probably weren't aggressive enough back," Sydney coach Ante Juric said.

"We need to show people that even though we're skilful and attacking, we need to protect and stand up for ourselves."

Sydney bounced back from that defeat with a hard-fought win over Melbourne Victory.

Juric hoped a more match-hardened lead-in could deliver a second championship from Sydney's sixth consecutive grand final. 

"Not having a bye has definitely helped us," he said.

"In the past years, it's hurt us, so I'm a lot happier to have had that game last week."


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (“Kalkine Media, we or us”), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary.
The content published on Kalkine Media also includes feeds sourced from third-party providers. Kalkine does not assert any ownership rights over the content provided by these third-party sources. The inclusion of such feeds on the Website is for informational purposes only. Kalkine does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content obtained from third-party feeds. Furthermore, Kalkine Media shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content obtained from third-party feeds, nor for any damages or losses arising from the use of such content.
Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyrighted to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have made reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.
This disclaimer is subject to change without notice. Users are advised to review this disclaimer periodically for any updates or modifications.


AU_advertise

Advertise your brand on Kalkine Media

Sponsored Articles


Investing Ideas

Previous Next
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.