The mercury never rose higher than four degrees on Sunday afternoon and the cold was so extreme Tigers reserve grader Nicola Simmons was shipped to Orange Hospital suffering hypothermia – where she remained for testing at time of publication on Tuesday – midway through the second half of the curtain-raiser.

The remainder of that game was called off with APIA leading 8-2, but the top grade still went ahead and the Mariners reverted to a high-percentage, simple brand of football to try and negate the slush, ultimately prevailing 3-0.

The win leaves the side sitting ninth with seven games remaining and while the minor premiership looks all but impossible the Mariners are still a chance of featuring in the Championship Series, although that would still require several more upset wins and a few other results falling their way too.

“It was a great win, they’re coming [third] and I think they might have written us off a bit, but we just handled the conditions a lot better,” Mariners skipper Teegan Courtney explained.

“It’s not always pretty when you have play long and through the channel, the middle of the field was chopped up and pretty slushy, but we got the result which is great for us. We hadn’t beaten that side in a couple of years.

“The Sydney teams aren't used to that kind of weather and they play on artificial (surfaces) a lot too, the conditions played into our hands a bit.

“There was a few upset results on the weekend and we’ve got a tough run but we’re hoping we can really compete (for a finals spot).”

Tough is probably an understatement in terms of the Mariners’ run home, all but one of Western’s last seven games are against teams sitting above them on the ladder, although Courtney’s troops have the benefit of playing six of those games at home.

That run starts with a massive derby of sorts against the second-placed Central Coast Mariners this weekend, at Mudgee’s Glen Willow Sporting Complex.

Courtney scored one of her side’s goals last weekend, while former Newcastle Jets ace Jasmin Courtenay and 14-year-old phenom Anna Hunt found the back of the net too.

The Mariners skipper heaped praise on the latter and her under-15 teammate Ella-Rose Hawes, who also came into the top grade on the weekend.

“They’re both 14, and they were amazing on the weekend, they played really well. Anna scored another goal, she’s got two in first grade now,” Courtney enthused, also highlighting Porsha McPhillamy and goalkeeper Jess Daymond as standouts.

She explained McPhillamy’s job keeping APIA’s goal-scoring phenom Ashleigh Palombi – who’s scored 14 goals from 13 games – quiet was a huge factor in the Mariners’ win, while Daymond was a wall in goal, keeping out not one but two Tigers penalties.

“Saving one penalty in a game is massive but Jess stopped two, she was incredible,” Courtney said.

“Poorsha just marked [Palombi] out of the game really, she was definitely a stand-out.”