Moss Vale Magic return home this weekend in a must win match.
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With just nine matches left in the Waratah Youth League season, the Magic will need to win most of the remaining games to make the playoffs.
Moss Vale will take on the Blacktown Storm on Saturday night.
While they sit below the Magic on the division two ladder, Magic coach Kevin Campbell said it would not be an easy game.
The Storm is known to have plenty of tall, athletic and fast players.
Campbell said his side should be a “big chance” to win against Blacktown but they couldn’t take a win for granted.
“We’ve got to make it happen,” he said.
“The run towards the finals starts this week. Getting a win at home is the key. It’s hard to win on the road in this league.”
Looking ahead to the finals, Campbell said the Magic needed to win seven of the last nine matches to be a chance of playing finals.
Seven wins would give Moss Vale a 50 per cent win/loss record which he hoped would be enough to get them through to the top six.
Moss Vale will welcome back captain Isaac Martin from suspension for Saturday’s match and it is possible Brad Frost may be back following a knee injury.
Frost played a few minutes in the Magic’s last match and Campbell will be hoping he can manage more game time this weekend.
“We’ve got to make it happen.”
-Kevin Campbell
In the absence of Martin over the past few weeks, Campbell said the team had stepped against tough opposition and needed to maintain that same intensity against Blacktown.
“The start’s the thing. We need to turn up and be focused. Every team can beat anyone on the night.”
The Magic will also be hoping for another big performance from Carter Reeves, who remains one of the leading scorers in the league.
The match will start from 5pm on Saturday and Campbell said a decent crowd was expected.
Moss Vale currently sits in 14th spot on the ladder, two places ahead of Blacktwon in 16th.
This weekend’s match will be the first of four home games before the end of the season.
Moss Vale will also face Illawarra Hawks Red, Hawkesbury Jets and league leaders Shoalhaven Tigers in the other home games.