Jenna McCormick is confident her Adelaide United teammates can bounce back from last week’s defeat against an in-form Perth Glory at Marden Sports Complex on Friday.
The Reds suffered a last-gasp 2-1 away loss to Western Sydney Wanderers to open the season.
Head Coach, Ivan Karlović’s, training sessions this week addressed the importance of staying focused for the entire 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
McCormick said eradicating lapses in concentration will be key to stopping a rampant Glory side who have recorded successive 4-1 victories.
“He (Karlović) was encouraging and we did a bit of video and tried to look at where we went wrong,” she said.
“And see where we can fix our mistakes and I’m pretty confident the girls recognise where we went wrong.
“A couple of little brain fades I guess towards the end which we can’t afford to do at this level.
“But he was good and we have addressed those issues on the track and hopefully do a little bit better come those final extra minutes this week.”
.@AUFCWomen's Grace Abbey attempts the @RhinoAustralia Skills Challenge! Kids, be sure to register at https://t.co/voFzHXNUzw #AUFC pic.twitter.com/pWveA9dYUp
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The 23-year-old said she was looking forward to playing at home for the first time this year in such a big match and called for fans to attend.
“It’s going to be a big one and we are all really excited about it,” she said.
“Obviously first home game, so we are hoping that we get a bit of a turnout and lots of support for the girls.”
Perth, headlined by Matildas superstar Sam Kerr, have started the campaign brightly with McCormick aware as a collective they must attempt to curtail her involvement, but also the rest of the team.
“As a team we’ll try and limit her (Kerr) as much as we can on the ball,” she said.
“But she’s obviously a big powerhouse for them and she’s been doing really well lately, so we’ll do our best to keep her quiet.
“… She’s not the main focus of their team, obviously she’s a big strength in their team.
“But they’ve got a lot of other good players and strengths across their whole team.
“So we’ll be looking at not only her but everyone.”
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McCormick will likely be entrusted to closely monitor the in-form Kerr, stating she will do everything she can to try and nullify her impact.
“She’s one of the best players in the world at the moment and really surprised she didn’t win the Player of the Year (The Best FIFA Women’s Player award),” she said.
“I’ll just be doing my best to shut her down and keep her quiet.”
McCormick also reiterated the team’s objective for the season – to make the finals series for the inaugural time in the Club’s history.
“We want to be the first Adelaide United team to make finals so that’s first and foremost what we want to do,” she continued.
“So we’ll work towards that and really be pushing each week to get that goal ticked off.
“And then once we get there we’ll look towards what’s next for us.”
Adelaide United host Perth Glory in Round 3 of the Westfield W-League 2017/18 season on Friday, 10 November at Marden Sports Complex. Kick-off is at 4.50pm ACDT.
