Article: Nathanael Merchant
Photo: Michael Daniel Photography

Gungahlin United captain Jack Green admits that somewhere along the way this season, his side lost their essence but he is adamant that they have rediscovered themselves just in time for the 2020 NPL1 Grand Final.

United has had a rollercoaster of a year, starting off well with 10 points from a possible 12 before their season took a turn for the worse, as the club endured a five match winless streak.

Despite their inconsistent form, Green believes his side are poised to return to the United brand of football.

"Last year's Grand Final win was a massive accomplishment for the club, so making back-to-back Grand Finals is a big achievement for our club," Green said. “We lost our essence after the first couple of games. Over the last couple of weeks, we have really worked hard to get back to our brand of football and the essence of why we play for the club, which we bought into last year. 

"Last season, we were underdogs and we had nothing to lose and now this season we have everything to lose. I think we hung onto that thought and we became inconsistent. 

"I believe after last weekend's result, we have our essence back."

The last time United faced Canberra Croatia turned into a disastrous result, as the defending champions conceded four goals inside the opening 35 minutes. Green said the side didn't shy away from that result and instead used it as a wake-up call.

"A thing that Marcial [Munoz] is big on is the way we play, regardless of a win or a loss," Green said. "After the Deakin loss, the playing group had a discussion and we assessed where we might be going wrong and how we could fix things.

"That result was definitely a wake-up call."

If United are to upset the highly-fancied Canberra Croatia side, Green said the side must return to the United style of football.

“We want to carry on with what we did last year," he said. "We want high pressing off the ball, playing an attacking branded style of football with quick movements and possession-based. They were the keys to our season last year. 

“That's what we lost during the middle of the year an what we reverted back to against Cooma last weekend. 

“The training in the last two weeks have been unlike anything we have had this year, in terms of intensity and quality. It definitely feels like we have got our essence back."