The weekend after the Easter break saw Round 2 of the 2023 ACT NPL (Capital Football) take place, and already there is just one team with a perfect win record.

McKellar Park is out of action until the end of the month, so Belconnen United played a ‘home’ game at Woden Park against fellow contenders Canberra Olympic. 

Other games included:
Tuggeranong United vs ANU
Gungahlin United vs West Canberra Wanderers
Canberra United Academy vs Canberra Croatia 

For an alternate review of the round, check out Jeremy Magan’s article for Capital Football.

Match of the Round: Belconnen United vs Canberra Olympic (Bar TV)

There was a lovely pre-game moment when both teams formed an archway to welcome newly minted 200 gamer Michaela Thornton to the field.

Thornton is a Canberra football icon and one of only two players who was at Belconnen for the entirety of their run to ten consecutive Grand Finals (the other, Katie Woodman, took the field as a Belconnen substitute). It was fitting that the now-Olympic midfielder played this milestone game against the club where she made her name. Coach Nicole Begg presented Thornton with a keepsake in a heart-warming start to proceedings.

The question was always going to be how Olympic would back up after their epic midweek two hour Federation Cup victory over Canberra Croatia. Belconnen had weathered a similar burden in their corresponding Federation Cup game the week before, but it cannot be denied that Olympic’s schedule of successive games against Canberra Croatia before coming up against the Blue Devils was always going to test them.   

Overnight rain would not have helped tired Olympic legs either, nor would the news that Nicole Begg’s impact off the bench will be curtailed for some time with a foot complaint. Regardless, they took the field determined to play a physical game against their younger opponents. The next most experienced Blue Devil on the field after captain Talia Backhouse was winger Keira Bobbin, which tells its own story.

Onlookers gasped when an early wind-assisted punt kick from Olympic keeper Janet King – who has always been blessed with kicking range – made it into the Belconnen penalty box on the first bounce. Centre-backs Sophia Doumos and Lauren Preston deserve praise for how they handled the aerial menace, as well as threats closer to the ground.

This was a closely fought game of midfield battles and few convincing chances on goal. A quickly taken free kick by Thornton nearly surprised keeper Ellie Summers from range. Olympic team-mate Tia Burridge turned her defender inside out moments later but Summers was able to tip the shot over the bar.

A nasty fall in the 23rd minute saw Olympic attacker Arusha Chew helped gingerly from the field and thence to hospital with a shoulder injury. We wish Chew well as she recovers from what may be a fracture. 

Belconnen midfielder Izzy Hindmarsh tested King on a couple of occasions in the first half but the saves were comfortable. It would be Bessie Riethmuller who tipped the game the Blue Devils’ way after a wonderful pass from Bobbin found the striker perched on the six-yard box just before half-time. Taking a touch, Riethmuller tucked the ball into the bottom corner – one of her few opportunities in the match. Riethmuller currently tops the goal-scoring chart with four goals after her first-round hat trick.   

The second half saw the resumption of the battle. Olympic’s highly regarded dead ball specialists Thornton and Elke Aitolu continued to be frustrated with their shots on goal.

Hindmarsh and the mobile Pearl Tein, both playing either side of Backhouse, were impressive and unphased against the experienced Olympic midfield (at various times Nicole Jalocha, Olivia Gurney, Tia Burridge and Thornton). In their second year together on the right flank, Stefi Lejins and Keira Bobbin are also showing clear evidence of developing a good understanding. 

Begg’s early season thinking on Beyond 90 repeat Team of the Year wingback Vanessa Ryan is interesting. With her ability to play in any position on either flank, Ryan appears to be deliberately held on the bench as a “game changer”. Her stretched effort to toe a through ball at Summers within the Blue Devils’ box nearly bore fruit six minutes after the break.

Captain Victoria Jamieson found Summers’ crossbar with twenty minutes remaining, and a Thornton set piece was fired low into the wall thereafter. Olympic pressed hard for a late equaliser and this was no better represented than by lively substitute Alexia Cerne who, on this showing, will be seeing more match minutes in future outings.

It was not to be Olympic’s day, however, with Belconnen hanging on to claim their first league win over their opponents since the Canberra Olympic squad reset in early 2022.

>>> Full match time-line and team line-ups can be found here <<< 

Olympic will be looking for the 2023 ACT NPL season to be one of consolidation, however there are lingering questions about goal scoring in the wake of Ashleigh Sykes being unavailable. 2018 Golden Boot Maddy Whittall is an exciting addition to the squad but appears to be excelling in an advanced midfield role, rather than as a striker.

Chew’s shoulder injury asks more questions about a replacement attacking focal point. With talent in the form of Gurney, Ryan, Whittall, Jalocha and Thornton on board, it falls on coach Begg to put the puzzle pieces together. It will be fascinating to see what her solution is.

Blue Devils coach Scott Conlon must be pleased by how his young charges have started the season. The ongoing availability of Backhouse and Bobbin will be key to their 2023 ACT NPL success. While both players are capable of the remarkable, they were able to win this game against top-notch opposition without either of them reaching those heights. The Blue Devils have room to grow, especially as their younger contributors grow more confident and combinations with new arrivals solidify.   

Final score:

Belconnen United 1 (Bessie Riethmuller 20′)
Canberra Olympic 0

Around The Grounds:

Tuggeranong United 0-1 ANU (Roxie Swart)
Gungahlin United (Darby Whitely) 1-0 West Canberra Wanderers
Canberra United Academy 0-3 Canberra Croatia (Brittany Palombi 2, Charli Mitchell)

Federation Cup quarter-final:
Canberra Croatia (Sienna Birnie) 1-2 Canberra Olympic (Olivia Gurney, Nicole Begg)

2023 ACT NPL Ladder:

Club	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Points	Form	Next
	Belconnen United FC	2	2	0	0	6	1	5	6	WW
	Canberra Croatia FC	2	1	0	1	4	2	2	3	LW
	Canberra Olympic FC	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3	WL
	Tuggeranong United FC	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	3	WL
	Canberra United Academy	2	1	0	1	3	4	-1	3	WL
	ANUW FC	2	1	0	1	2	3	-1	3	LW
	Gungahlin United FC	2	1	0	1	2	5	-3	3	LW
	West Canberra Wanderers FC	2	0	0	2	1	3	-2	0	LL

Next Round:

Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.