The equation is simple for the Newcastle Jets women: if they beat Melbourne City in Coffs Harbour on Friday night they secure their first finals appearance since the inaugural W-League season.
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The Jets finished in the top four when the W-League began in 2008-09 but have not made finals since.
They came close last season, needing just one win from their last three outings but could not deliver.
This year they are showing no signs of crumbling and sent a strong message to the rest of the league with a 3-1 win over competition leaders Sydney on Saturday.
Jets coach Craig Deans said Newcastle were “being more effective”.
“Nearly every player in Sydney’s team has played for the Matildas and they have a couple of internationals in there too,” Deans said.
“We had nine girls from Newcastle in the match-day squad, that for me is really good, putting our own girls up against the best girls in Australia every week and doing well. From that point of view it’s really good.”
Defending champions Melbourne City are fourth on the W-League ladder with 17 points, two ahead of the Jets.
A win for Newcastle at Coffs International Stadium on Friday will secure them fourth place.
“This time last year we had a similar scenario and we didn’t cope with it; I think the pressure got to them,” Deans said. “But the game before [against Brisbane] was a pressure game, because if we didn’t win that one we were pretty much done.
“The Sydney game was the same scenario and we got the job done. We’ve just got to do it one more time.”
City won 1-0 when they hosted Newcastle in round one.
“We’ve improved a lot from the first game and players have a better understanding of each other and of what I want,” Deans said.
United States import Arin Gilliland scored all three Jets goals against Sydney.
In the A-League, the Jets lost 2-0 to Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday. They are one point adrift of the top six heading into their clash with Melbourne City in Coffs Harbour on Friday night.