Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Albert Perez/Football Queensland

Moreton Bay United foundation player Matt Capelo says the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Premiers won’t rest on their laurels in their first foray onto the national stage this weekend.

Jets will face Northern New South Wales outfit Edgeworth Eagles in an Elimination Final this Saturday night at QSAC, with success in the end-of-season Finals Series guaranteeing a place in next year’s Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32.

Capelo was one of only two Jets players in last weekend’s PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Grand Final team that also played in the club’s first ever competitive match against Palm Beach SC in 2013 - the other being captain Royce Brownlie.

He said his journey with Jets over three seasons - which has seen him notch 63 appearances and 9 goals - made this year's achievement of winning both the Premiership and Championship titles in PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland extra special.

“To see the club grow from the start it was a definitely a special moment for me and Royce especially,” Capelo explained.

“It was unbelievable to see how different the club is now in terms of how we were rated back then as an underdog team in a big league to being the favourites in most of the games we played.”

However, Capelo was quick to state that despite their best season to date, the team weren’t about to relax ahead of their first competitive appearance against interstate opposition.

“We’re not going to back off now that we’ve achieved something. We’re going to keep trying to do better and keep trying to reach that next level,” he asserted strongly.

“For us being on the national stage is something the boys are motivated about and we’ve got that mentality that we have nothing to lose.”

“We haven’t really looked at Edgeworth much this year but we will see what we can do. We have heard they are a quality side and we won’t take them lightly.”

“We’re going to take the Finals one game at a time and hopefully we can surprise a few people in this competition and cause some upsets later on.”

He said one factor in the Jets favour this weekend will be the surface at QSAC, which, due to the low amount of traffic compared to their Wolter Park home ground, is expected to be in pristine condition.

“Playing on a better surface, and one that we really haven’t had all year to be honest, is really going to help our game”

“Our team has been all about moving the ball around and keeping possession and when Wolter Park was in the state it was for half the year it made it really difficult for us”

“The moment we step onto what seems to be a carpet it will add an extra level to our game and give us an advantage,” he concluded.

Match Details:

PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Under 23 All-Stars vs Brisbane Roar FC
Saturday, 19 September
Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre (QSAC), Brisbane
Kick-off at 4:30PM

PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues Elimination Final
Moreton Bay United FC v Edgeworth Eagles FC
Saturday, 19 September 2015
QSAC, Brisbane
Kick-off at 7:30PM

Gates Open at 3:30PM

Admission: $10 Adults, $5 Concesssion, Under 5's FREE, FFA Registered Players Under 16 FREE

Both matches will be LIVE streamed at www.nplqld.com.au