For Ethan Alagich, Finals football isn\u2019t about reputation. It isn\u2019t about history. And it certainly isn\u2019t about fear.<\/p>\n
As the Reds prepare to face Auckland FC in Saturday night\u2019s Semi Final First Leg, the message from one of the club\u2019s emerging leaders is clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t fear anyone,\u201d Alagich said. \u201cI think we\u2019re one of the best football playing teams in the league. With the season we\u2019ve had, we\u2019ve shown how good we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
That belief has been built across a campaign defined by resilience, growth and consistency.<\/p>\n
After securing second place and earning a week off, the Reds arrive in Auckland refreshed and focused, ready to take on one of the competition\u2019s most physical sides in a high-stakes Finals environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a good freshen up for the boys,\u201d Alagich said. \u201cNow we know who we\u2019re playing, we\u2019re ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Auckland thought present a unique challenge. Strong, direct and relentless across the pitch, they\u2019ve proven throughout the season that they are more than capable of turning games into battles.<\/p>\n
Alagich knows exactly what\u2019s coming. \u201cThey\u2019re a strong team, and they\u2019ll use that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ll bring fight, intensity and physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for United, that doesn\u2019t change the approach.<\/p>\n
If anything, it sharpens it. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be ready for the fight,\u201d Alagich said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll give it back, whatever they give us.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a mentality that reflects a growing maturity within this young Reds squad.<\/p>\n
Because while United\u2019s identity has been built around playing football, Alagich understands that Finals often demand something more.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you\u2019re not going to win games by playing pretty football,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes it comes down to how bad you want to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
That edge will be crucial in Auckland, where the home side\u2019s crowd and momentum can quickly swing matches.<\/p>\n
But Alagich believes managing those moments \u2013 rather than avoiding them \u2013 will be key.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019ll be periods where they put us under pressure,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about being smart, managing those moments and getting through them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlights: Last time out when we faced Auckland at Coopers Stadium<\/p>\n
Despite never beating Auckland in the three previous meetings, the belief inside the Reds\u2019 camp remains unwavering.<\/p>\n
Past results, Alagich says, have come down to small moments \u2013 lapses that have ultimately proved costly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve been unlucky at times,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve also switched off in key moments, and that\u2019s cost us. If we fix that, I\u2019ve got no doubt we can go there and get the result.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Alagich, the focus is simple. No distractions. No fear. No hesitation.<\/p>\n
And as the Reds step into another Finals campaign, one thing is certain. They won\u2019t be taking a step back. They\u2019ll be stepping straight into the fight. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Ethan Alagich, Finals football isn\u2019t about reputation. It isn\u2019t about history. And it certainly isn\u2019t about fear.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[341,395,957,958,376],"class_list":{"0":"post-5026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-adelaide","8":"tag-a-league","9":"tag-adelaide","10":"tag-adelaide-united","11":"tag-featured","12":"tag-press-conference"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}