Defence. That is the key word on Albion Park midfielder Brendan Fordham's mind heading into Sunday's showdown with the Sharks.
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The White Eagles haven't lost an Illawarra Premier League game since mid-August, gaining a reputation for their attacking prowess.
However, Fordham believes it will be Park's ability to halt goals that shapes as the key in the must-win preliminary final at Balls Paddock. The winner will book a ticket to grand final day against Wollongong United.
"We're not going to shy away from it, our defence hasn't been the best [this year]," Fordham said.
"But if we're leaking this many goals and still winning games, we're obviously good going forward. The boys up front have the freedom to do what they want. Every week I tell them 'you are attackers, your job is to score the goals. If you miss it, don't worry. All you've got to do is get in your position to score the goal and take your chances'.
"We are very good going forward, but at the same time, especially this time of year against quality times, we've got to be careful about how we go defensively."
This year has been a rollercoaster for the White Eagles. After coach Jason Davkovski's sudden departure ahead of the season, Goran Trajceski took over the reins while Chris Peros stepped in as team manager.
Park then had a sluggish start to the IPL, dropping three of out their first four games. However, since that last 1-0 defeat to Port Kembla on August 16, the side has remained undefeated.
The White Eagles advanced to the finals with a 1-1 draw in the last round with Bulli. Since, Park have survived two sudden-death semi-finals against Tarrawanna and Bulli.
So what has been the key to Park's turnaround? Fordham believes it's a combination of a hard work and team work.
"We work hard at training and we've got a good mix of youth boys who really want to work hard, and we've got a couple of experienced players who have played in these big games before," he said. "We're working for each other and we're throwing caution to the wind. At the end of the day, we're just enjoying ourselves. We're all playing with a smile and it's starting to show.
"If it wasn't for those two boys [Trajceski and Peros] stepping up, I don't know where we would have ended up. We're doing it for them as well because they've put a lot of belief in us and they kept showing up through this tough time. It would be good if we can give them something back this year as well."
And while Park's confidence is sky high, Fordham remains wary of Woonona.
"Seven or eight weeks ago, we didn't think we would be playing this time of year. The vibe is good around the club and we will be ready to go on Sunday," he said.
"But Woonona are a quality outfit. We had a 1-all draw with them a couple of weeks ago, but I think we were pretty lucky to get a result out of that game. We know where their strengths are and we've got to nullify that.
"But we'll go into the weekend full of confidence and hopefully we can get the result."