The 2023 Capital Football NPLW season was a cracker, with the 4-3 grand final score-line (Canberra Olympic narrowly defeating Belconnen United) indicative of the quality and excitement on offer. Little were we to know that controversy was brewing the week after the end of the season, with Capital Football pulling the pin on the Canberra United Academy after eight seasons.
It’s always interesting to compare season reviews (this is Beyond 90’s fifth); the most recent – the 2022 campaign – can be found here.
Honours
Premiers: Canberra Olympic
Grand Final winners: Canberra Olympic (Runners-up Belconnen United)
Federation Cup winners: Belconnen United (Runners-up Gungahlin United)
Charity Shield winners: Canberra Croatia (Runners-up Canberra Olympic)
Golden Boot: Brittany Palombi (Canberra Croatia)
Capital Football Player of the Year: Brittany Palombi
Final ladder:
Key season features
- if the 2022 season established a clear ‘big 3’, Gungahlin United’s 2023 performance poses a good argument for a ‘big 4’… but let’s check back in at the end of 2024 to confirm!
- a significant points gap between fourth and fifth place on the ladder, and then another between fifth and the bottom three teams.
- biggest score blowout: 10-0 (Belconnen United vs West Canberra Wanderers). 2022 comparison: 16-0.
- score blowouts reveal the gap between the top and bottom teams in the competition. A lower comparative blow-out can be an indication that the league is getting more competitive and therefore more appealing to spectators.
- as in 2022, the bottom side took points off at least one of the top four teams. This can be another indication of the competitiveness of the competition.
- the number of current A-League Women players who chose to play Capital Football NPLW in 2023: 4 (Chloe Lincoln, Michelle Heyman, Holly Murray, Sofia Christopherson). This is double the number of 2022, thanks to the Academy opening its door to Canberra United players Murray and Christopherson.
- the number of locally-developed 2022 Capital Football NPLW players who chose to play in the 2023 NSW NPLW competition: 4 (Tayla Hampson, Tara Cannon, Daisy Canavan, Meg Roden) – the same number as 2022.
Beyond 90’s 2023 Team of the Year
(This team of the year has no association with the Capital Football Team of the Year, which is voted upon by coaches).
Eligibility: minimum of 11 appearances from 21 games
Talking points:
- US College-based keeper Emily Kelly joined Gungahlin United and knocked our socks off with a series of fine performances in 2023. She holds off incumbent Janet King from Canberra Olympic for keeper of the year.
- left-back was a joy to choose from, with Olympic captain (and incumbent) Victoria Jamieson enjoying another fine season and vying with some exciting new starters for their clubs Lisa Cary (Belconnen United) and Zoe Sobczak (Canberra Croatia). All three excel in both the attacking and defensive aspects of their games, with Cary shining a little brighter with her attacking effectiveness during the season in our opinion.
- five centre-backs came to mind for the two Team of the Year slots, with the talent of ANU’s Ailish McDonagh earning her a Team of the Year bench position but in our view not supplanting incumbents Elke Aitolu (Canberra Olympic) and Rhiannon Fensom (Canberra Croatia) in the starting eleven. The other two in the frame are Blue Devils Lauren Preston – who was a model of consistency – and Sophia Doumos, who lost a few games to injury and also spent some time wide.
- Gunners captain Maddie Perceval shifted to the right side of defence and was clearly delighted with the attacking opportunities this allowed. Perceval takes our vote for right-back of the year.
- one of the good things about selecting Teams of the Year is that there are no right answers. While the NPLW coaches opted stylistically more for players involved in midfield build-up, Beyond 90’s imagination was fired by a determined holding midfielder (Blue Devils captain Talia Backhouse) flanked by two speedy attacking threats who tend to start their runs from midfield positions, and who both starred on the scoring lists for their clubs: West Canberra Wanderer Alyse Jensen, and Gunner Darby Whiteley. We also acknowledge the talents of build-through midfielders Nicole Jalocha (Canberra Olympic) and Nat De Marco (Gungahlin United) with places on our Team of the Year bench.
- The two wide attackers pick themselves due to their scoring prowess and influence: Brittany Palombi, and up-and-comer Hattie Cram in her first year in Belconnen United blue.
- that ‘no wrong answers’ comment above can equally apply when looking at the striker position. Do we opt for a highly effective target ala Bessie Riethmuller (Blue Devils) or Roxie Swart (ANU)? Or do we instead choose someone like Olympic’s Maddy Whittall who plays a little deeper and whose return to football after five years was marked by her energy in the final third, bringing her team-mates into the game and creating opportunities for them? We’ve gone with Whittall this time around; it was good to see her back in the competition (as well as announced for the 2023 Canberra United squad!). Special mention goes to newly recruited striker Charli Mitchell (Canberra Croatia) for her deeds in 2023 prior to her injury; we can’t wait to how she progresses in 2024.
- “Hey Beyond 90”, we hear you say, “Olympic claimed the double yet only have two starters in your team of the year!” In fairness, the two on the bench bring them to four. There’s also the theory that in a team with great depth, it’s perhaps more difficult to stand out… but less difficult to win titles.
- Our attacking bench player is Gunner Ginger Oliver, who impressed with her goal-scoring and dead-ball ability once again this year, just holding off Blue Devil Keira Bobbin.
- Gunners coach Andrew Woodman takes Coach of the season having guided his charges into the top four as well as the Federation Cup final. 2023 capped off a fine 18-month stint at the club, with Woodman announcing he is moving on.
Team-by-team thoughts
Canberra Olympic (1st, last year 2nd)
With a season under their belts, the promise of the 2022 squad overhaul came to fruition in 2023 with the team taking the Premiership and Championship double. The loss of Ashleigh Sykes and her goal-scoring abilities begged the question of where the goals were going to come from, the answer being “everywhere, plus Maddy Whittall”, with Whittall’s contribution noted above. While all four top-four teams scored between 50 and 60 goals, Olympic yielded the lowest number of the bunch, but just as in 2022, they also conceded the fewest goals (a miserly ten).
Kat Peric played out a full season at right back and this was invaluable as it gave coach Nicole Begg options around the usage of multi-Beyond 90 Team of the Year player Vanessa Ryan, either as a game-changer or an attacking wide midfielder. And just when it looked mid-season as if things were starting to look a little stale in the attacking third, Begg freshened up this part of their game by bringing 14-year-old Madison Cachia into the team to excellent effect, and the team never looked back. Even after losing the qualifying final to Belconnen United, the team felt they had every chance of bouncing back to take the title, and that’s how it played out.
Belconnen United (2nd, last year 3rd)
Finishing one place higher than 2022 and jostling with Canberra Olympic all year on the ladder, coach Scott Conlon and his team’s progression and achievements since the start of 2022’s forced squad rejuvenation look even more impressive late in 2023. Those achievements resulted in Federation Cup honours in 2023, but there is much else to be proud of with this young group. This sentiment alongside Conlon’s evident disappointment after the Grand Final shows the growth of ambition of this group i.e. that unlike in 2022, the team was there to win rather than just being satisfied with being there.
The arrival of winger Hattie Cram (West Canberra Wanderers), midfielder Izzy Hindmarsh (CUA), striker Bessie Riethmuller (CUA) and defender Lisa Cary (Wagga City) added depth to the squad, with Cary and Lauren Preston solidifying the back four behind captain Talia Backhouse. They were to concede just 14 goals this season, while the team scored the most goals in the league.
Canberra Croatia (3rd, last year 1st)
In somewhat of a rebuilding year for Canberra Croatia, the club will be satisfied with their 2023 and excited about what lies ahead. It was never going to be easy to overcome the loss of players with the pedigree of Grace Gill, Jennie Bisset, Alice Churchill, and Krista Hagen. In new arrivals Zoe Sobczak, Brandy Nicholson, and Charli Mitchell, the future is looking bright, and it helped that vice-captain Rhiannon Fenson stepped up to assist with leadership responsibilities.
2023 trophies were limited to the Charity Shield, with captain Brittany Palombi taking out the competition Golden Boot and Player of the Year awards from Capital Football. Even though Nicholson and Sobczak shone in defence for their new team, the team as a whole perhaps conceded more goals than they would have liked, and they suffered from a short uncharacteristic mid-season form dip. As in 2022, there was a lot of youth on their bench, and they do not appear to have the depth beyond their starting eleven of the teams above them.
Chloe Lincoln’s guest appearances in goal were welcome and is likely to be the model for A-League women players whose commitments now run into the NPL seasons.
We are intrigued about what lies ahead in 2024 for Canberra Croatia.
Gungahlin United (4th, last year 5th)
Andrew Woodman’s farewell notes above tell the 2023 story – a good one, including an appearance in the Federation Cup Final – but from the points he notes several key ones were impactful. First, the introduction of an extra training night a week undoubtedly helped the team’s overall consistency and their ability to compete over 90 minutes.
Secondly, Woodman notes the statistic of a whopping 27 less goals conceded in 2023. This came despite the team often playing with three at the back. While Perceval’s contribution has been noted above, Ayla Robertson owning the centre-back role was important, as was the midfield contribution to defence.
Finally, the addition of inaugural visa players Kelly and Michelle Wienecke provided real starch and quality to the 2023 Gunners campaign. The gain of Ginger Oliver from the West Canberra Wanderers, and Darby Whitely’s increased confidence in taking on defenders, was also beneficial.
The fact that Woodman didn’t feel the need to mention Michelle Heyman is also telling. As a guest player, the team has learnt this year not to rely on her to make finals but to embrace her impact when she is there, and that mindset has made a world of difference.
Canberra United Academy (5th, last year 6th)
If coach Matty Moore’s impassioned reasoning for retaining the Canberra United Academy wasn’t enough to save it, then perhaps captain Maia Cameron joining her many fellow graduates at Canberra United post-season shows how effective the programme can be.
A mid-table finish for the Academy seems to be par for the course in recent years, although the presence of Canberra United’s Holly Murray and Sofia Christopherson for a good half of the season possibly poses an argument for an even higher ladder position in 2023. Yet ladder position isn’t really what the Academy is all about, with a development remit front of mind for Moore and the Academy coaching staff.
With that remit comes a certain amount of rotation of personnel come match-day, but this was yet again an impressive group in 2023 and a sharp, mobile proposition for opponents, especially on their home synthetic track.
With youth can come inconsistency but there were more high points than low. A disappointing final round loss was offset by wins over the Blue Devils in Round 20, another over the Gunners in Round 11, and a draw and narrow loss against Canberra Croatia.
Top scorers were Tamara Cochrane (6) and Alyssa Di Campli, with the talents of Jaya Bowman, Nadia Zakman, Georgia Ritchie, Cameron, the Babic sisters (Latisha and Angelina), Alex Nealand, and Ash Carty among others to catch our eye during the year.
Hope to see you again one day, Academy, the competition will be poorer for your absence in our opinion.
ANU (6th, first NPL season)
A great addition to the NPLW competition in 2023, ANU WFC has a range of talents in their squad and when combinations of those elements are in play, magic can happen. The team was quite capable of competing on an even footing with the best teams in the competition, with tight losses to Canberra Olympic and draws against Belconnen United and Canberra Croatia illustrating this.
The centre-back pairing of Ailish McDonagh and Tiana Malnar is as good as any in the competition, with the former qualifying for both ours and Capital Football’s Team of the Year. Other players such as Roxie Swart, Sheridan McGelligott, Alex Serras, and Edith Fordyce-Croker also looked right at home in NPLW.
Coach Rob Illingworth valued squad rotation and versatility, with some players called upon to adopt different on-field roles throughout the year. Without knowing whether this was due to the demands on students outside of football, there were times when the amount of flexibility and change brought benefits and others when it could work against the team, such as in the two losses and a draw against the bottom two sides.
The team scored the lowest number of goals in the competition and this may be a focus during the off-season. Their sixth place on the ladder was due to their defensive prowess in comparison to the bottom two sides, as well as the second-highest number of draws during the season across all teams.
Tuggeranong United (7th, last year 7th)
Starting and ending their 2023 season with a win, it was at times a difficult year for the team from the Valley along the way to conceding the most goals, but the endeavour never stopped and spirits remained high. Pleasingly, the fitness levels gained in 2022 were again in evidence this year, meaning that the team was able to compete at a sustained level.
Squad losses in the off-season included 2022 top scorer Lauren Hall as well as Cara Ceruti to West Canberra Wanderers, while Alison Seeney headed north to the Gunners. Gains included ex-US College footballer Rainey Niles. The Emms sisters were to move as a group to the Blue Devils just prior to the July transfer window cutoff, with Sam and Jade having been first-grade regulars since their arrival in 2022 from Wagga City.
Beyond 90 enjoyed witnessing captain Zoe Terry’s time as a forward in Round 20, a real highlight, but Sammie Wood and Niles in midfield really kept the team ticking over this year. Tuggeranong’s four wins included a convincing 4-1 win over ANU, but perhaps their best effort was a narrow 2-1 loss to Belconnen United at McKellar Park.
Paulo Romero hands over the coaching reins to ex-Canberra United Academy coach Sarah West (also one of Vicki Linton’s assistants during her two years at Canberra United) in 2024, and we are keen to see how West shapes the NPL side.
West Canberra Wanderers (8th, last year 4th)
A tough season for the Wanderers after contesting finals in 2022, the team was behind the eight-ball from the start having lost several of their 2022 goal-scoring outlets in Hattie Cram, Tara Cannon, and Ginger Oliver. Defender Daisy Canavan also opted to play with Cannon at the Illawarra Stingrays after a fine NPL season. Notable new players included a pair returning from some time in the Football NSW competition in ex-CUA’er Alyse Jensen (Sydney University) and Josie Dubbert (APIA Leichhardt). The team was to suffer a further blow mid-season when Nikita Perry – one of the team’s strongest performers to that point – opted to transfer to Canberra Croatia.
Only two wins during the 2023 season saw the Wanderers finish last, with a memorable 4-4 home draw against Canberra Croatia a highlight, a game which showcased Jensen’s ability to almost single-handedly change the fortunes of her team.
The exit of the Canberra United Academy from the competition means that the relegation of the Wanderers is not a fait accompli, and recent trial announcements seem to indicate that they may indeed be contesting the NPLW top grade in 2024. We understand that Wagga City has been approached to join the 2024 competition under Capital Football’s promotion/relegation guidelines.
Thanks for an entertaining 2023 season (and a shoutout to Anthony Caffery Photography and Soccer Snaps By Sal for your fine work during the NPLW season), here’s to 2024!
Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.
