Central Coast captain Taren King says critics and doubters of her side’s ability to make a run at the 2024-25 Ninja A-League Championship title have been a key source of motivation for the Mariners this season.
A fourth-placed finish earned the Mariners a place in the Finals Series for the second-consecutive season after the club’s reintroduction into the league for 2023-24.
A 2-1 win over Canberra United in the Elimination Finals set up a two-legged Semi-Final bout with Melbourne City and, following a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the Mariners are well placed to make a genuine crack at upsetting the fancied Premiers in the return leg as they look to book a place in the title decider.
LOCKED IN: Ninja A-League Semi-Final second leg fixtures confirmed
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The special guest on this week’s episode of Dub Zone, King heaped praise on Mariners head coach Emily Husband for her management of the Mariners’ squad through the club’s first two seasons back in the competition since 2009, and sent a cheeky message to those who didn’t think they could return to the Finals Series in 2024-25 – including Dub Zone pannelist and A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri.
“I think we’ve known from the get-go, this whole season, even last year, there aren’t many people that back us week in, week out,” King told Dub Zone.
“There aren’t many people that backed us to make finals. Teo, you included!”
“Guilty,” replied a smiling Pellizzeri.
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“So there are a lot of, I guess, critics of our style, our football and you know our potential as well. So I think that’s been a large majority of our general motivation across the whole season, let alone just finals.
“I said it a couple of weeks ago: people keep doubting us, but we keep proving them wrong, and we keep stepping up to the challenge.
“And I think you saw that on the weekend. It wasn’t a perfect game for us, but we didn’t go down without a fight. And we’ll be going into this week on the front foot and looking to get a win.”
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King was forced to watch the majority of the 2024-25 campaign from the sidelines as she recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury but, having returned in the last round of the regular season, has featured in three consecutive games as the Mariners’ tilt for the title picks up momentum at the perfect time.
But while King’s return has bolstered the Mariners’ squad, head coach Husband was without star midfielder Taylor Ray for the first leg of the Semi-Finals after an ankle injury suffered against Canberra the weekend prior.
Ray, who won the Mariners Medal at the club’s end-of-season awards night on Monday, has starred for the club through her first season in Gosford. The midfielder has been utilised as a central defender of late and although King’s return softens the blow of Ray’s absence, the Mariners will be hoping she can make a speedy recovery to contribute to the remainder of the Finals Series.
When asked about Ray’s fitness, King said the versatile midfielder was leaving no stone unturned in an effort to get back out on the pitch.
“Taylor Ray is a massive part of our squad, and disappointing that for both her and us, that we couldn’t get her on the field last week,” King said.
“But she’s trying her best and doing as much as she can to hopefully be right for this weekend. And yeah, we’d love to have her out there. Hopefully, she comes good.”
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VICTORY IN FOCUS: Why it’s time to put more respect on an ‘overshadowed’ team’s incredible A-Leagues feat
The Mariners travel to face Melbourne City at ctrl:cyber Pitch on Sunday afternoon, buoyed by a 2-2 draw against the Premiers in the first leg of the Semi-Finals.
Having fallen at the Semi-Final hurdle last season in a two-legged aggregate defeat to Sydney FC, overcoming City in an upset result on Sunday would seal the club’s first-ever Ninja A-League Grand Final berth.
Should they manage that historic feat, King hopes to see head coach Husband lauded for her role in the club’s rise, having highlighted Husband’s impressive attention to detail and open-door policy to her players through her two years in charge.
“I think with Em, she’s a great person in general,” King said.
“So I think her coaching stems from that, and she builds a lot of trust with the players, just based on the fact that she is a nice person, and you can go and talk to her. I’ve been in environments where you don’t feel comfortable to go and speak to the head coach at all times. So, yeah, she’s completely different like that.
“I’ve said it before in interviews, she plays the game kind of like chess. She’s got a lot of information to go out to players, and a lot of information for us to understand, comprehend and then apply.
“It can be off-putting for some players, I guess, and it was a little bit scary even for me when I first started with her.
“It’s a lot to consume, but once you wrap your head around it, you’ve seen us play lots of different formations across her two-year coaching time span, we’ve become very adaptable, and we take on a lot of knowledge that we can apply, I guess, in all different situations.
“I think she’s a great coach, and a different (coaching style) that I’ve probably not experienced before her.”
The Mariners take on Melbourne City at ctrl:cyber Pitch on Sunday, May 11 for a place in the Grand Final.
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LOCKED IN: Ninja A-League Semi-Final second leg fixtures confirmed
How to watch?
During the Ninja A-League 2025 Finals Series matches will be shown live across a mix of Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+. Please see the broadcast details below for next weekend’s Semi-Finals leg two.
For New Zealand viewers, every match of the Ninja A-League Finals Series is available live on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now.
To find out more about the A-Leagues, visit www.aleagues.com.au
VICTORY IN FOCUS: Why it’s time to put more respect on an ‘overshadowed’ team’s incredible A-Leagues feat
