Jesic chasing Cup glory

Marconi Stallions striker Marko Jesic is confident the historic club is on the cusp of a new era of success starting with victory in this Sunday’s TAFE NSW Waratah Cup final.

The match against local rivals Sydney United 58 at Lily Homes Stadium will be the first top flight final for Marconi since 2012 and comes after the club fought their way back after relegation in 2015.

The Stallions have been desperate for silverware since returning to the NPL NSW Men’s competition and boast a team stacked with talent and big game experience.

Former A-League striker Jesic is one of those players hoping to help Marconi return to the glory days of yesteryear.

The 29-year-old signed for the Bossley Park based club at its lowest point in 2016 after they were relegated from the NPL NSW Men’s competition for the first time.

While it hasn’t been a straightforward journey, the Marconi junior believes qualifying for the Waratah Cup is proof the Stallions are on the right path.

“A club of Marconi’s history deserves to be at the top of the game so when I was approached to join them after they were relegated I took it on as a challenge to help get them back to the level I think this club deserves to be at.,” he said.

“Since we’ve been back in the top tier, results have been up and down but by making this final goes to show we have what it takes to be successful.

“Winning this game is really important to the players because it is proof of what the club and this playing group is capable of.

It is the camaraderie among the current squad which Jesic said has played a major role in their cup run.

Marconi were hardly tested on their way to Sunday’s final scoring an incredible 19 goals in only six games.

While Jesic’s prolific form in front of goal has been a big part of the Stallions free scoring ways, he says it wouldn’t have happened without the selfless play of those around him.

“The best thing about our team this year is that it’s just a good group of lads who all put in for each other both on the training paddock and in matches,” he said.

“There isn’t much in the way of egos and everybody just wants to help each other succeed.

“In saying that we are all fighting for our position in the team each week which means you can’t let your standards slip. We are always pushing each other to perform to our best.”

Coming up against rivals Sydney United 58 in the final will bring a bit of extra spice to the final according to Jesic.

Marconi has had the upper hand against United so far this season defeating them 5-0 in April before holding on for a 0-0 draw, despite being reduced to 10 men for most of the match, in their most recent clash only a fortnight ago.

It is because of these recent contests that Jesic is confident his team will have the mental edge against their opponents.

“I think first and foremost the fact two legendary NSL clubs are facing off in the final means more than anything either team has done this past season,” he said.

“But looking at what we’ve done this year I think for sure they would be worried coming up against us because we’ve proven we know how to score against them and how to stop their attack.

“They are yet to score a goal against us this year and even when we had less players on the field they couldn’t break our defence down.

“While publicly they will probably say they aren’t thinking too much about their 5-0 loss against us I’m confident it will be something they’ll be planning around and talking about in the locker room. I can’t see why it wouldn’t be in their head.”

Jesic said Marconi’s formula for victory for the final will be very simple.

“It all comes down to winning the individual battles on the day,” he said.

“If we can all do our job on the day and beat our opposite player then I know we have the quality to be lifting the trophy.

“It will be a massive day for Marconi and hopefully we can get the job done and deliver more silverware to this great club.”

2019 TAFE NSW Waratah Cup Final

Sunday 14th July

Lily Homes Stadium – 2:30pm kick-off

Marconi Stallions v Sydney United 58

Click here to pre-purchase tickets

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