Glory ALM Interim Head Coach Adam Griffiths has confirmed that the playing group has turned its focus inwards in the build-up to Friday’s Round 4 showdown with Central Coast Mariners at HBF Park (kick-off at 6:45pm, tickets available HERE).
The men in purple will be searching for a first win of the season from a game which forms the second part of a double-header also featuring Glory Women taking on Brisbane Roar at 4pm.
And Griffiths feels the introspection will help drive his charges’ quest for three points.
“It’s been positive week and we’ve focused on us, working hard on all the things we can improve and continue to develop,” he said.
“The boys are responding really well and there’s a lot of focus in the group.
“We want to achieve some good things for Perth Glory… and improving on some of the areas where we’ve been weak.
“The boys are enjoying training and we’re looking to grow and take this opportunity.
“They [Central Coast] are a strong team, like every team in the A-League.
“They’re well-organised, but we’ve mainly been focusing on how we improve and get better as a team so we can perform to our best.”
Glory will be out to bounce back from last Friday’s 2-0 reverse at the hands of Melbourne Victory and Griffiths believes there were positives to take out of that performance against the navy-and-whites.
“I think we were better with the ball,” he said, “but we need to be more decisive in that final third, taking our actions because that changes games.
“When we take those moments, all of a sudden the team grows in confidence, the crowd gets behind you and you start to build as a team.
“And then on the other end, we need to to tighten up at the back.”
In terms of team news, Griffiths confirmed that forward Tom Lawrence unfortunately sustained a concussion during the first half of his Glory debut last week and will therefore miss the Mariners game as he completes the mandatory safety protocols.
Trent Ostler is also a doubt due to an ankle injury, while the likes of Sam Sutton (knee), Mark Birighitti (knee) and Jaiden Kucharski (groin) are expected to return after the international break.
Midfield duo Luke Amos and Nicholas Pennington are not likely to feature on Friday either as they continue to recover from injury.
Friday will mark the 29th meeting between the two clubs in WA, with Glory having secured 13 wins to the Mariners’ seven.
The most recent of those victories for the hosts came in November 2023 courtesy of second-half goals from Stefan Colakovski and Adam Taggart.
This season, the Mariners have registered an even split of one win, one defeat and one draw, edging out the Jets in a dramatic F3 derby before going down 2-0 to Sydney FC and then sharing the spoils with Wellington Phoenix at Polytec Stadium last time out.
Warren Moon has replaced Mark Jackson at the helm following the latter’s move to Thai club Buriram United and he has a number of familiar faces at his disposal, including Socceroos goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, former Glory duo Storm Roux and Abdul Faisal and English forward Ryan Edmonson.
Match Preview
Isuzu UTE A-League 2025/26 Season Round 4
Perth Glory v Central Coast Mariners
HBF Park
Friday 7 November 2025
Kick-off: 6:45pm WST
#ONEGlory