Raiders v White City
South Australia PlayStation4 National Premier League Round 1

When: Friday, February 13th. Kick-off 6pm
Where: Croatian Sports Centre, State Sports Park, off Main North Road, GEPPS CROSS

Teams:

Raiders: 1. Deale Chamberlain, 2. Christos Pounedis, 3. Nathan Cook, 4. Daniel Pritchard, 5. Ermias Haile, 6. Adrian Macolino, 7. Dylan Pickert, 8. Yasmin Sudic, 9. Michael DeBono, 10. Elvis Kamsoba, 11. Paul Karritevlis, 13. Scott Gannon, 14. Yamin Jamal, 15. Jackson Stephens, 16. Ryan Marveggio, 21. Mimi Saric, 23. Nathan Fleetwood

White City: 5 J. Atkinson13 L. Barr10 C. Bugeja6 J. Crescitelli2 P. Deng9 H. Fombason22 S. GluscevicGK T. Hara8 M. Keens7 N. MileusnicGK J. Negrean17 C. Noujaim11 M. Petkovic20 S. Semiz4 M. TosicGK H. Wilson25 J. Wilson3 P. Wilson18 Y. Yamaguchi16 J. Zawko

Form:

Raiders: N/A
White City: N/A

Preview:

Round 1 in the South Australia PlayStation4 National Premier League throws up a blockbuster encounter when Raiders host traditional rivals White City at the Croatian Sports Centre on Friday.

Raiders endured an inconsistent 2014 and ended 10th, 14 points off the finals pace. There have been sweeping changes made over the summer, with up to ten new players arriving.

Coach Carl Maynard says finals is the expectation.

“That is the minimum. We expect to be challenging,” he said.

“There have been plenty of changes and that has given the squad a new look. This team has quality and depth and I think it’s better than last year. I have no concerns about any positions at this stage.

“Our philosophy stays the same, which is the longer we have the ball the less chance there is for the opposition to score. At the end of the day our aim is to be solid, compact and efficient.”

Following a pair of 1-1 draws with White City last term, Maynard admits he doesn’t know much about the make-up of the Warriors 2015 squad.

The coach believes his side come into the match in good condition and is expecting a battle.

“Our pre-season started slowly, but once the squad came together we added greater consistency. We are where we should be right now.

“I don’t know too much about them this year. But it’s Round 1 against our rivals. It will be a big game and whoever can handle it and do the right things will come out.

“The players should be able to handle the heat, but it’s about being smart.”

There’s a new coach at White City, with Sergio Melta replacing Rob Saraceno on the bench. Melta, last in charge of West Torrens Birkalla in 2012, says is he looking forward to his debut.

And the new boss believes his side are ready for the season.

“It’s good to be back into it,” Melta noted.

“To be in charge of a side like White City, which has good technical players, is exciting. We have a few things to work on, but the players are doing what I ask of them.

“Pre-season has been good, the boys did well and the intensity was high. We hope that bodes well for the season ahead.”

Having finished eighth last term, the Warriors are eyeing a top six finish. Melta believes he has a strong squad at his disposal and is aiming to set the foundation for future years.

He acknowledges facing Raiders first-up is a difficult beginning.

“The squad is flexible. We have most positions covered by two players, which is healthy.

“Making the finals is our goal. Last season White City finished eighth and this season top four is where we’d like to be, but we would be happy with any finals spot. We want to build each year, make the finals and attract players.

“Carl always has a good, organised team and Raiders always a good squad. It will be tough. They have home advantage, but we are aiming to leave with three points.”

Article by Luca Cetta - @l_cetta