South Melbourne attacker Andy Brennan says his team remain focused on their own game plan despite losing one of their stars ahead of their Australia Cup Semi Final clash with Macarthur FC.
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South Melbourne will play their first Semi Final in the Australia Cup since 2017 on Saturday against 2022 Winners Macarthur FC.
Hellas' run started with a 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in the Round of 32 with now former talisman Harry Sawyer scoring the winner.
The match was high stakes for South, who had faced Oakleigh Cannons in the Dockerty Cup Final, lifting the trophy, only a few days before.
Brennan said that building momentum from these important close-together games has been key to the team’s positive results.
“It’s been a lot of games that we felt have been finals, which has helped build that momentum,” he said.
“Usually when you have one big one-off game that comes out of nowhere, it can build a lot of pressure around the performance and playing well.
“But when you have big game after big game, and you’re performing well, and you’re doing your jobs, it makes it feel like there’s less pressure.
“Even going into this weekend, it’s just another big game that we’ve got.”
South have been one of the teams to beat in Victoria this year, claiming the Dockerty Cup as well as the NPL Men's Victoria Premiership while Championship runner's up on the NPL Men's Victoria Grand Final.
While successful this year, the team have had to play a lot of football, including extra time in their last two Australia Cup outings against Olympic FC and Hume City.
However, Brennan said effective squad rotation has ensured the team remains fresh.
“We’re comfortable going longer and longer [into games],” he said.
“Physically, when you’re putting more minutes through your body, it’s going to take a toll, but Esteban [Quintas] has done a really good job in terms of rotating the squad throughout the year.
“The pressure has been shared amongst the group well, which has really helped.”
Macarthur FC will be South Melbourne’s second A-Leagues test since their historic victory over Wellington Phoenix.
While the Bulls boast an array of talent, especially in attack, with former Ligue 1 striker Valere Germain in great form, Brennan said South are more focused on what they will bring to the game.
“I know a few of their players are real quality, and I think that’s what separates the two leagues [A-League Men’s and NPL Men’s],” Brennan said.
“There are players that just have that quality that you probably won’t find a lot in the NPL.
“I think there’s more pressure on them [Macarthur] because they should have the expectation of making the Final where we just have to arrive and perform at our best.
“We try to focus on ourselves or at least what Esteban sets up to do.
“Like you saw against Wellington, we sat really well and defended and I think we defend with a passion.
“People often criticise that kind of approach but I think when you’re in these competitions and you’re fighting on these fronts, sometimes it's a style that you have to fall back to.”
South Melbourne will be without one of their stars, with striker Harry Sawyer completing his deadline-day move to Macarthur earlier this week.
Sawyer has been integral to the side in 2024, finishing as the club’s top goalscorer and scoring in two out of three Cup matches.
He was also dominant in the air having won more aerial duels than any other player in the competition to this point.
South Melbourne will not have to worry about marking Sawyer this weekend as he is cup-tied, but Brennan said his absence will require the team to adjust how they play.
“For Harry, I think it’s incredible. He absolutely deserves a chance to play in the A-League and I think he can do really well if he is utilised in the right way,” Brennan said.
“For us it does leave a bit of a hole in terms of he was a big focal point of how we play, but I think the way we’re going to have to adjust is we’re going to have play a little bit differently.
“When you do that, it often opens up new avenues of playing, which I think we’re capable of doing.
“Nahuel [Bonada] is more than capable of playing number nine and playing through him or if it’s myself at number nine, you’ve got a bit of a different dynamic.”
According to Brennan, with the target forward watching on from afar, a part of Sawyer will be cheering on his former team against his new one.
“I think, to be honest, there’s a part of Harry that really would have liked to have stayed with South and finished the Cup run regardless of whether we’re playing against Macarthur or not,” Brennan said.
“He’s put so much into this year for South Melbourne, and he’s a big part of the reason we did so well in so many competitions.
“I think there’s a part of him that would want to see us do well.”
Match Details
South Melbourne FC v Macarthur FC
Kick-off: 6:00pm AEST
Lakeside Stadium
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