Newcastle Olympic and Charlestown can cement finals positions with wins in the penultimate round of NPLW Northern NSW this weekend while Warners Bay are eyeing the premiership.
Olympic coach Paul DeVitis expected midfielder and second-highest scorer Jade McAtamney to shrug off an illness that had her in doubt for their round-20 clash with Adamstown at Darling Street Oval on Sunday but Paige Kingston-Hogg has been ruled out with a quadriceps tear.
Third-placed Olympic have 33 points to be one ahead of Charlestown (32) in fourth.
Mathematically, Maitland (28) could finish in the top four but would need to win both remaining matches, including beating high-flying competition leaders Warners Bay (49) at John Street Oval on Saturday night, and hope one of the teams above them falls over.
It appears an unlikely scenario. Maitland have not beaten the Panthers, who will not be able to be caught for the premiership with victory on Saturday, in two exchanges this year and were thumped 6-0 by Adamstown (23) last weekend.
Olympic and Azzurri also have a game in hand against each other, but DeVitis does not want to leave anything to chance.
"Every time you play, you just want to win," DeVitis said. "That's the first priority. And for us, we want to finish as high as we can, which realistically is only third.
"But that gives you a home semi-final, so the next two weeks - Adamstown then Charlestown - are very important games to try to finish in third spot. But it's going to be a very difficult game this weekend against Adamstown."
DeVitis also hopes to build some team consistency in their remaining three games.
"Every week it seems it's one player in, one player out and we haven't had our best 11 available throughout the season," he said.
"It's OK because I like to rotate my squad anyway but just the inability to have that continuity hasn't been ideal."
Azzurri play last-placed New Lambton (0) at Allen Davis Field on Saturday. The match has been moved from Alder Park.
Maitland mentor David Walker, who has told the playing group he will not coach next year due to other commitments, said the Mapgies will "need to play a hell of a lot better" to be in the contest with Warners Bay.
The Panthers are three points clear of second-placed Broadmeadow (46), who play Mid Coast (10) in Taree on Sunday, with a far superior goal difference.
Round 20:
Saturday: New Lambton v Azzurri (3.40pm), Warners Bay v Maitland (7pm).
Sunday: Olympic v Adamstown (3.40pm); Mid Coast v Magic (3.40pm).
