Henslee Up For 'Grand Final'
Words: Staff Writers
Image: Brisbane Strikers FC
Brisbane Strikers defender Greig Henslee believes his team can turn the title race by inflicting a first home defeat on Moreton Bay United on Saturday night.
Three points would see the second-placed Strikers leapfrog Jets into top spot but they will need to become the first team of the season to leave Wolter Park with victory.
While Strikers aren’t buying into the fixture being ‘must-win’ with more than six rounds remaining, their veteran at the back is prepared for a potentially decisive battle.
“I’m going to treat this game like it’s a Grand Final,” Henslee said.
“It’s certainly one that we can’t lose and I think on these sorts of occasions the team that wants it the most wins.
“The team that’s willing to go that extra mile, run that extra yard to make that extra tackle, win that extra header – I think the little things in the big games make all the difference.”
Though Jets are on a run of seven straight home wins and hold a game in hand over Strikers, Henslee believes the pressure on the opposition to make their opportunity count.
“You have to give full credit to Moreton Bay. They’ve had very few slip-ups and they deserve to be at the top,” he said.
“But I think the beauty of that is, they’ve been at the top for so long that I think really the pressure is on them.
“They’ve led that table for so long but if we win on Saturday all of a sudden the tides have changed.”
Wolter Park has become a notoriously awkward environment for away teams but Henslee is hopeful his side’s quality will win out.
“We all know what the pitch is like there - it’s small, it’s bumpy and maybe the football purists might not enjoy it as much as previous games,” the former Sunshine Coast man said.
“But I think it’s important that we go in with the right mindset and that we go, first and foremost, to win our individual battles and just to run that extra mile for one another.
“I think if we can do that, then our football ability and our individual class we have all over the pitch will come through and we’ll come through victorious.”
This article originally appeared on the official Brisbane Strikers website.
PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland Round 17
Moreton Bay United FC v Brisbane Strikers FC
Saturday, 11 July
Wolter Park
Kick-off - 6:00PM
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