The 2023 WA NPLW season has now finished and Perth RedStar have been crowned champions for the second season in a row, thus emulating the feat of MUM FC who claimed successive titles in 2020 and 2021.
Despite losing 3-2 in the last game of the season against Fremantle City, the Joondalup-based side showed remarkable consistency throughout the campaign to claim the title by seven points from Perth SC in second spot, losing just two games in the process.
Perth finished their campaign with an emphatic 5-1 win against Balcatta Etna, but they once again had an injury to add to their season-long woes in that department. Jamie Duncanson went down clutching her knee in the 58th minute and was stretchered off. The winger has already had one lengthy break due to injury this season, and everyone involved in the game is hoping that this injury is not a major one.
Fremantle finished in third spot with a thrilling win against the champions, courtesy of a fine hat trick from Perth glory player Abbey Green. They loom as a major threat in the top four competition, but they may have to do without their Perth Glory trio of Green, Tash Rigby and Sarah Cain as regulations seem to imply that ALW players can’t play in September.
The Hyundai NTC rounds out the top four following two successive wins against Curtin University in the last two games. With many of their U21 squad playing, they overcame Curtin in the last game to finish eight points clear of fifth-placed Balcatta Etna.
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Final League Standings
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar | 21 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 78 | 21 | +57 | 49 |
| 2 | Perth SC | 21 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 78 | 28 | +50 | 42 |
| 3 | Fremantle City | 21 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 40 |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 21 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 63 | 40 | +23 | 38 |
| 5 | Balcatta Etna FC | 21 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 30 |
| 6 | MUM FC | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 54 | 41 | +13 | 25 |
| 7 | Subiaco AFC | 20 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 40 | 64 | -24 | 16 |
| 8 | Curtin University | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 166 | -158 | 0 |
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
24 – Tia Stonehill (Balcatta Etna FC)
21 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
14 – Marianna Tabain (Subiaco AFC)
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SEASON REVIEW
PERTH REDSTAR
After completing a record-breaking undefeated 2022 season in which the team won all four trophies on offer, it was going to be impossible for them to surpass those achievements in 2023. To make matters even more difficult, they lost their captain Shawn Billam (retired), top scorer Larissa Walsh (moved to Calder United in Victoria) and record appearance holder Carla Bennett (season-long ACL injury) before the season had even started, and then had to cope with their new goalkeeper Zara Board leaving to go to Victoria on the eve of the pre-season Night Series final.
An opening day loss to NTC further unsettled the side, and it is probably no exaggeration to say that a loss in the second game against MUM FC could have de-railed their season altogether. They won 2-0 in that game and then held the undefeated Perth SC to a goalless draw to further steady the ship.
The emergence of Japanese imports Reina Kagami and Chiori Ikeda helped fill the gaps created by the losses of senior players and, slowly but surely, the team began to regain confidence.
The impact of Kagami can’t be understated as she has turned out to be one of the best players in the league, scoring 21 goals from midfield and assisting in a large number of the other 57 goals scored.
The defence was also a key factor in retaining the title, with just 21 goals conceded despite using four goalkeepers in the season. Kim Carroll was again in superb form as she marshalled her back four in a manner you would expect from a 50-plus capped Matilda.
As with all teams, there have been injuries and absences, but the team managed to maintain a 19-game unbeaten run by bringing in players from the 21s who fitted in seamlessly with the senior team. Katie Ritchie and Abbey Wooley were new U21 players at the beginning of the season and both played major parts in the team’s success. This ability to gel with the 1st team players is something that coach Carlos Vega-Mena has worked hard to achieve and the challenge is now there for the rest of the league to try and match them.
PERTH SC
After winning the pre-season night series against Perth RedStar confidence was high among coach Pete Rakic’s team and they opened the season with a four-game unbeaten streak scoring 16 goals and conceding none in the process.
This explosive start to the season confirmed Perth’s status as title favourites, especially given the quality of the squad that Rakic had assembled, with Ellie La Monte, Poppie Hooks and Monique Godding all joining a group that already contained the likes of Gemma Craine, Abbey Meakins, Alyssa Van Heurck and Judy Connolly.
Perth then ran into a red-hot NTC team in round 5 who beat them 3-1, and this heralded a run of six games with just two wins. They also started picking up injuries at an alarming rate, and by round nine they were without Hooks, Craine, La Monte and Van Heurck.
Injuries and absences would continue to be a feature of the season and they were to lose Meakins, Liana Cook, Godding and Jamie Duncanson for periods during the season. The impacts of the injuries were felt at the U21s level as well and they were forced to forfeit one game in that competition due to a lack of players.
Even with the absences they were still competitive and Ella Lincoln had a fine season to finish joint top scorer with Duncanson on 13 goals. Matilda Boehm was another player recruited by Rakic who played some great football at the back and whilst their second spot is probably viewed as a disappointment given the high hopes at the start of the season, they can look back on the campaign with more than a little satisfaction.
FREMANTLE CITY
The start of the season was not one that the Port City side would have anticipated as they lost their opening two games, with the defeat by MUM FC being the most unexpected. A four-game unbeaten streak then followed, including a hard-fought win against the previously undefeated NTC in round six, but this came to an end against Perth RedStar in round seven.
This game saw the arrival of both Tash Rigby and Abbey Green from Perth Glory and the latter proved to be one of the most dangerous players in the league.
Fremantle were a tough side to break down and in Green and Laura Waltman they had two of the most skilful dribblers in the competition. Olivia Trueman was also a threat up front, along with Jamie-Lee Gale, and whenever Fremantle played, the opposition knew that three points were going to be hard-earned against them.
The departure of Green on a long holiday put a dent in their title aspirations, as well as losing goalkeeper Dayle Schroeder for three games. Losses to the NTC, Perth RedStar and Perth SC in rounds 13, 15 and 16 effectively put paid to their hopes, and these were eventually extinguished completely by a surprise loss to Subiaco in round 19 despite fielding Rigby, Green and Sarah Cain from Perth Glory.
With a squad as strong as Fremantle’s there would likely be a sense of disappointment in Faye Chambers’s team that they didn’t improve on their 2022 position, but they have now made the top four for the fourth season in a row and remain in contention for their first trophy since the night series title they won in 2021.
HYUNDAI NTC
Ben Anderton’s team contains the brightest and best young talent in WA, and they are always an exciting team to watch with their emphasis on possession-based football. This season was no different, and they started the campaign in real style by becoming the first team to beat Perth RedStar in the NPLW era.
They followed this win up with three more on the trot, including the unbeaten Perth SC before running into a physical Fremantle City side who took three points of them in a bruising encounter in which goalkeeper Lily Bailey was forced off with a serious leg injury.
With talented midfielder Ischia Brooking and defender Ruby Cuthbert being involved in a junior Matildas camp and striker Tanika Lala travelling to Europe for trials they won only one of their next five games, which was against Curtin University. A heavy 5-1 loss against MUM FC was a low point of the campaign and they had their captain, Georgia Cassidy, sent off in that game.
The team also had to take part in the national NTC halfway through the season, and this also disrupted their campaign as it forced them to postpone games for two weeks in July.
With a team containing four new ALW signings, Cuthbert (Brisbane Roar), Cassidy, Grace Johnston and Lala (Perth Glory) it was no real surprise that they finished the campaign with a flourish and they ended up losing just one game in the final seven rounds.
Their finals campaign may well be hindered by the possible loss of the ALW players, but as a development squad, the season should already be considered a huge success because of the number of players now moving into the ALW. In addition, Cuthbert, Brooking and Jessica Skinner have all played for the junior Matildas this year and Lala has been called into a young Matildas training camp.
BALCATTA ETNA
On paper, Balcatta had one of the strongest squads in the league boasting Tia Stonehill, Sadie Lawrence, Monique Prinsloo, Kim McCartney and Gabby Dal Busco. They would be joined midway through the campaign by ex-MUM FC and Bankstown City defender Baxter Thew, so finishing outside of the top four would be disappointing for the squad.
Despite the form of Golden Boot winner and recent Perth Glory signing, Stonehill, the team couldn’t string together a run of consistent results and as a consequence, they never mounted a serious challenge for the title.
The club changed coaches after round 12 when Tim Cash moved back into the role as head of female football and his assistant Yash Pratap took over. This had an immediate impact when they beat MUM FC 6-1 in round 13, and they then beat Curtin Unversity 5-1 in round 14. Any hopes of momentum were dashed though when they lost 4-1 against Perth in round 15 and 2-1 against Hyundai NTC in round 16.
The fifth-place finish is the highest in the NPLW era for Balcatta Etna, but they will be disappointed that they couldn’t make finals football.
MUM FC
With the youngest squad in the NPLW outside of the Hyundai NTC, consistency was always going to be an issue and this was borne out by some of the remarkable games they played in.
An opening day round one win against Fremantle City made everyone sit up and take notice, and with players such as Charli Wainwright and Clara Hoarau in midfield as well as Sam Mathers up front there was no doubt the side had enough quality to be highly competitive. The return of ex-Perth Glory player Kathryn Schubert to the defence and the addition of ex-Curtin goalkeeper Stacey Cavill also meant the team had some much-needed experience at the back, whilst the inclusion of Jessica Johnson was another indication of the desire by MUM FC to develop a side from its junior development ranks.
The team flirted with the top four for a few weeks and they were a team that was difficult to break down and quick on the counter, with Mathers scoring a number of spectacular goals from distance. Hyundai NTC were unable to beat them in the three games of the regular season, and they also played a remarkable 3-3 draw against Perth SC despite being 3-1 down at one point. They also took a point off Perth RedStar in a 2-2 draw when they were ahead twice. Losses to Subiaco and Balcatta took the shine off those results though and their small goal tally was ultimately a major reason for them not finishing higher in the table. Of the 54 goals they scored 28 were against Curtin, so only 26 goals were scored in their other games.
They have the State Cup Final against the Hyundai NTC to look forward to, and will no doubt be confident of an upset win given they haven’t lost to their opponents in the regular season.
SUBIACO AFC
Last season was the best-ever finish for Subiaco in the NPLW era and there were genuine hopes of building on that to make a push for a top-four spot in 2023.
The loss of Ella Mastrantonio and Lisa De Vanna before the season even started put a major dent in those prospects and their opening eight rounds saw a return of just two wins, with both of them being against Curtin.
Their season never really recovered from that start and things were made worse when they lost their goalkeeper, Ashleigh Riddle, to a shoulder injury in the 1-0 loss against Perth in round nine. This forced them to play teenager Jemma Skinner in goal for the rest of the game. She became one of four goalkeepers used by coach Greg Farrell to cover for the injured Riddle, and there is little doubt that this had a major disruptive impact on the campaign.
Goals were also an issue for them with just 40 scored in the campaign, although Marianna Tabain had an outstanding season, scoring 14 times.
There were some notable results including a 3-3 draw with Balcatta and a 2-1 win against a Fremantle City side with three Perth Glory players in the team but these were few and far between, and ultimately the side suffered by not having enough quality in the squad to provide support for Tabain.
CURTIN UNIVERSITY
The bottom team had a thoroughly miserable season with no wins and over 160 goals scored against them. They conceded double figures on seven occasions, with their heaviest defeat being a 13-0 result against Subiaco in round two.
Simply put, the players were not good enough for the league and whilst they are to be applauded for turning up week in and week out knowing they would suffer yet another heavy defeat, one wonders how many of them will be lost to the game because of this. The club also failed to field a U21 side for the season and has no junior teams in place.
With so much momentum for growing the game after the WWC, it is to be hoped that Curtin can somehow rebuild from this and make some serious efforts to learn from the season and come back with a more competitive squad for the future.
