Not only was it a historical moment for the team, but an emotional one for the team, club and their fans who have supported them throughout the 10 seasons.

It hasn’t been a consistent season from the Jets losing in unexpected circumstances in matches to Adelaide United and Melbourne City.

The game against Melbourne City showed the flaws in the Jets defence when they are without Tash Prior and Nikola Orgill.

However, the side has also pulled off unexpected wins to Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar and Canberra United, which showed how good their team is when they are on the mark.

By the end of the season, Newcastle finished with 26 goals, the same amount of goals as Sydney FC, which is a new team record.

Their two matches against Sydney this season has seen Newcastle not concede and score four goals in 2-0 and 2-2 results.

The team hasn’t played finals football in nine years, which could harm the team if they aren’t prepared for what the finals series will bring.

Even if the result doesn’t go their way, it will still a big moment for the team when they step out onto the field Saturday and play with everything they have.

Key Players

Katie Stengel (Forward)

A known goal scorer, she scored 10 goals in 12 games for Newcastle and is the leading goal scorer for Newcastle this season. Her wealth of experience having played in pressure filled situations like the U20’s World Cup could be beneficial to the younger players in the squad who haven’t played in finals.

Emily van Egmond (Midfielder)

Only 15-years-old the last time Jets made the final, the Matildas vice-captain is hungry to find her first W-League Championship. She moves the ball quickly on the counter-attack to break the oppositions defence wide-open. 

Kryptonite

Their inconsistency could be their downfall, one week they will be a top team and have it together, their defence is solid and their attack is fierce but on other occasions, they’ve put their foot on the break.

The opposition side never quite knows, which team they will get when they face Newcastle, which has reflected in the goals they have conceded and unfortunately, they have conceded most goals out of any finals teams.

The defence will also need to be back to their best if they want to shut down the Sydney attack, they cannot sit too deep when defending as Sydney will punish them.

In the finals, it is win or you are out, there are no second chances so every pass, every chance and every move counts.

Where it will be won

Newcastle will need to capitalise on Sydney’s missed opportunities in front of goal. A quick counter-attack, similar to what happened in their 3-0 win against Brisbane Roar, will see Sydney’s defence caught off guard while Katie Stengel speed can be used to bring the ball down the field.

Match details

Sydney FC vs Newcastle Jets

Saturday 10 February 2018

Venue: Leichhardt Oval

Kick-off: 4:45pm (local)

TV Broadcast: Fox Sports 501 and live streamed on The World Game.