Wollongong Olympic gear up for top-of-the-table Illawarra Premier League clash

The first-placed Olympic will travel to Wetherall Park to face the Zebras in a top-of-the-table clash. It's just one of two IPL games set to go ahead in round eight, along with the Lions hosting Tarrawanna on Monday, as wet weather once again plagues the 2022 competition.

The majority of games have been postponed so far due to rain, which is set to create a scheduling headache for Football South Coast.

Despite the stop-start nature, Olympic have started the year with two league wins from three starts, and coach Matt Bailey is keen to keep building momentum on Friday.

"We've had a disrupted four or five weeks, as have every other club, so I think it's going to be about turning up on the day and making sure that we apply ourselves and get back to the things that worked really well for us over the first couple of weeks of the season," he said.

"With the quality we've got in the squad, and the experience across the group, and what I've seen the group apply since I came on board six weeks ago, I'm really pleased with where things are at. If we execute really well and effectively utilise the quality we've got across the park, we're a hard team to beat."

Read more: Steelers ready to enter the unknown in finals challenge

However, Bailey refused to underestimate the Zebras, who remain undefeated this season with one win and a draw. The Olympic mentor is also wary of his opposition's coach, Stuart Beedie.

"Stuart is someone who actually coached me when I was at the Wollongong Wolves," he said.

"He's always very organised and very structured, and gets the best out of his players, and I don't expect anything different tomorrow."

To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Sign up for breaking news emails below.