Broadmeadow head into Sunday's NPL men's preliminary final against Lambton Jaffas without defender Jake Harris but with a boost for their 2023 campaign after the signing of Riley Smith.
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Harris, who missed the qualifying final win over Jaffas but returned for the 4-1 major semi-final loss to Maitland last Sunday, is travelling overseas for work and will miss the grand final qualifier at Magic Park. On the plus side, midfielder Keanu Moore, who was sent off late against Jaffas, is back from suspension.
In another positive for the club, Broadmeadow secured the sought-after signature of young striker Riley Smith on Tuesday.
Smith was Charlestown's top scorer with eight goals this year, after finishing second best in the league with 13 in 11 games last season. He came to Azzurri under coach Graham Law, who is set to be replaced by former Jaffas boss James Pascoe.
Magic coach Damian Zane was thrilled to get Smith following the loss of top-scorer Jacob Dowse mid-season to an A-League scholarship deal with Perth Glory.
"I think he's perfect for us," Zane said. "It's about the fit, and having talked to him, he's going to fit really well."
Zane was focused on keeping his young squad together for next season and said "we don't need much" in recruitment. He hoped Tom Beecham and Sam Donnellan would return from US college to feature again.
He said confidence was still high in his side despite Sunday's loss, where they missed a penalty for a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes.
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