Round 10 saw a full set of fixtures and by its completion, we finally started to see indications of which sides are likely to make the top four. Rather interestingly only one home team won this weekend, with the other three games resulting in wins for the visitors. There was also an away win in a mid-week game on Wednesday when MUM FC beat Subiaco 3-0.
MUM FC was also in action on Friday evening when they hosted Football West NTC, but they couldn’t maintain the momentum from that midweek win and went down 2-1. The win for the visitors consolidated their position in the top four.
In the second Friday game, the form book was well and truly followed with Perth SC scoring a convincing 3-0 win away at Curtin University, which moved them to within a point of second-placed Fremantle.
Two games were played on Sunday afternoon, with the match of the round being the top of the table clash at Fremantle where the second-placed home team took on league leaders Perth RedStar FC. In a highly entertaining game, RedStar maintained their 100% record for the season, winning 3-1 to open up a ten point gap at the top of the table.
The second game saw a resurgent Balcatta Etna FC beat Subiaco 2-0. The result maintains their recent good form and keeps them just two points outside the top four.
Perth RedStar firming as title favourites
With the halfway stage of the season approaching, there appears to be no sign of Perth RedStar taking their foot off the accelerator in their bid to win the title.
The win against Fremantle on Sunday was hard-fought, but the northern suburbs side had enough know-how to close the game out, even when Fremantle threatened to share the spoils during the closing stages of the match.
RedStar has yet to play Perth SC and we won’t really know if they are the real deal until that happens, but their current form suggests they will be tough to beat.
There are still a lot of games to go and injuries could occur to key players, but right now RedStar is firmly in the driving seat for the title.
Larissa Walsh continues to score goals
Larissa Walsh, last season’s joint golden boot winner, has picked up where she left off in 2021. Walsh has scored in every game of the season so far, recording 15 goals in just nine games, and also has three assists to her name.
Her pace has always been a feature of her game, but she has been guilty in the past of not being clinical enough in front of goals. Over the last two seasons, she has worked relentlessly on finishing and the hard work is now paying dividends.
Perth SC moving through the gears
Before the game against Curtin on Friday evening, many pundits would have tipped a win for the Azzurri, so it was hardly surprising when they came away with the three points. However, the manner in which they won caught the eye.
This year, Perth SC have employed a possession-based style and they lead the league in terms of the number of passes made during a game. On Friday they completely dominated their opponents, making over 600 passes and enjoying more than 60% of possession. The only downside to their performance was their lack of finishing, as they created 13 chances but only scored three.
Their next game is against MUM FC in mid week, followed by a huge game against Fremantle next weekend, which will be a must-win for both sides if they are to entertain serious hopes of chasing down Perth RedStar.
Subiaco hitting a slump
At the beginning of the season new Subiaco coach Greg Farrell changed the way the side had previously been playing and introduced a more possession-based form of the game. This produced some encouraging results in their first four games, with a draw against last season’s league champions (MUM FC) and a win against Football West NTC.
Over the last few rounds though, teams have adopted a high press to counter Subiaco’s passing game and they have now conceded 18 goals in their last five matches, despite the heroics of goalkeeper Zara Board.
They are also struggling for goals at the other end of the pitch and this has seen them score just five goals in those five games, with four of them coming in the extraordinary 4-4 draw against Curtin University.
As a coach at Beckenham Angels and Northern Redbacks, Farrell had a reputation of not betraying his patient, possession-based principles. However, with a home game looming against a rampant RedStar, he may rethink his tactics, as his side will need something from the fixture if they are to make a serious challenge for a top four spot.
Playing football on a rugby pitch
Curtin University plays its home games on a pitch that is also used for rugby games, and whilst this is not a major problem there are some issues when it comes to viewing the game on the NPL TV feed. The black markings for the rugby tend to stand out far more than the white football markings, particularly on the side of the pitch furthest from the camera.
Click here for Round 10 goal highlights
Round 10 Results
MUM FC 1-2 Football West Hyundai NTC
Curtin University FC 0-3 Perth SC
Fremantle City FC 1-3 Perth RedStar FC
Balcatta Etna FC 2–0 Subiaco AFC
League Ladder
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 5 | 39 | 27 |
| 2 | Fremantle City | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 17 |
| 3 | Perth SC | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 16 |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 12 |
| 5 | Balcatta Etna | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 10 |
| 6 | MUM FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 8 |
| 7 | Subiaco AFC | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 31 | -23 | 5 |
| 8 | Curtin University | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 34 | -23 | 1 |
