Round 15 of the WA NPLW was played across the whole weekend, with two games on Friday evening, a game on Saturday evening and one on Sunday afternoon.
The round started with home games for Fremantle City FC and MUM FC against the two bottom teams, Curtin University and Subiaco respectively.
Curtin was denied their first victory of the season in heartbreaking fashion as Fremantle City equalised during injury-time to make the score 2-2.
MUM FC and Subiaco played out an entertaining game at Besteam Stadium. The home team prevailed 2-0, goals from Poppie Hooks and Andrea Preiato sealing the deal. This game also saw ex-Perth Glory player Marianna Tabain make her debut for Subiaco.
A fine volley by Abbey Meakins was all that separated Perth SC from Balcatta Etna FC on Saturday, whilst on Sunday league leaders Perth RedStar continued their hugely impressive season with their 14th consecutive win, defeating Hyundai NTC 3-1 at RedStar Arena. A Kim Carroll goal via a direct free-kick proved to be the pick of the four scored.
RedStar is now 17 points clear of second-placed Fremantle and has a game in hand over them. They sit 22 points ahead of Perth SC in third spot, who have two games in hand over the leaders.
Balcatta Etna remains in 4th, just one point behind Perth SC, and they are closely followed by MUM FC and Hyundai NTC in 5th and 6th.
Subiaco and Curtin are 7th and 8th, with a seven-point gap between them.
The league is very competitive
There has been a narrative this season that the league is not as strong as in previous years, mainly due to the movement of so many players out of the competition. A number have moved over east to Tasmania, Victoria or NSW, a few have left the game and others have changed clubs. Whilst the move to eastern state competitions is relatively new, the league has always had a turnover of players. This always presents opportunities for younger players and the quality that is coming through is better than it has been for many years.
However, because of this turnover the league has been compared unfavourably with other leagues around the country. This may be valid in terms of actual players (there are no current Matildas playing in WA for example), but for actual competitiveness, it compares favourably, and there are just eight points between 2nd and 6th and three points between 3rd and 6th. Games between the teams in that part of the table have all been very tight and every team has taken points off their rivals.
Games against the two bottom teams are no longer the automatic three-pointers for the higher placed teams as per previous seasons, and on Friday evening Fremantle City needed an injury-time equaliser to salvage a point at home after going behind twice against bottom-placed Curtin University.
The exception to this is of course, league leaders Perth RedStar who have been in imperious form all season. Perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate the state of the competition and realise that there is no such thing as an easy three points, and to also recognise that the team leading it is a very good side indeed.
MUM FC posing a threat
The 2-0 win on Friday by MUM FC against Subiaco was the second win in a week for last season’s champions, and it has helped propel them firmly into the chase for a top-four spot. They welcomed Poppie Hooks back after an injury break, and she duly scored the opening goal of the game. MUM FC have also welcomed back Katie Schubert after she took time out to start her family, while Sadie Lawrence and Grace Betti from last season’s treble-winning team are also due back soon. No team relishes playing MUM FC on their synthetic turf – they have shown they are well organised defensively and very difficult to break down.
MUM FC’s next two games will be hugely significant in terms of their top 4 ambitions, as they take on Balcatta Etna at Grindleford and Hyundai NTC at Besteam Stadium. If MUM FC can take points from both of those games they will put themselves in a very strong position to claim a top 4 spot.
Abbey Meakins doesn’t do tap-ins
In the 1-0 win for Perth SC against local rivals Balcatta Etna, Abbey Meakins scored a fine volley. That strike adds to her collection of great goals, which includes the Round 3 Goal of the Week and a contender for Goal of the Week in Round 8.
Her five goals for the Azzurri have been vital in their chase for a Top 4 spot, and the ex-Perth Glory player is getting back to her best again after an ACL injury a couple of seasons ago.
Coach Peter Rakic will be hoping for more of the same when they face Balcatta Etna again in the semi-final of the State Cup.
Heartache for Curtin
To say this has been a tough season for Curtin would be an understatement. They lost their head coach in Round 4, and then 2 rounds later their interim coach was replaced by current coach Hassan Al-Ahmad.
There have been some heavy losses, including 7-0 defeats against Perth RedStar and Hyundai NTC, but Curtin are showing some signs of becoming more resilient and in Round 14 they led Subiaco up until the 70th minute, before losing 2-1.
Despite the encouraging signs of recent weeks, there would still have been very few people outside of the Curtin playing and coaching group who would have seen anything other than a win for Fremantle in the Round 15 clash at Fremantle.
However, Curtin’s players dug deep and showed tremendous team spirit to twice take the lead against the second-placed team, only for them to concede an injury-time equaliser, denying them their first win of the season.
Curtin need to regroup again though, as they next face the daunting task of trying to stop Perth RedStar in the semi-final of the State Cup.
Kim Carroll continues to impress
Many of the plaudits for Perth RedStar this season have been for their attacking prowess, having now scored 55 goals in 14 games.
Of equal importance though is their defensive record, which is the best in the league with just six goals conceded all season. The penalty against them on Sunday was the first time they had failed to keep a clean sheet since the Round 10 clash against Fremantle City.
A major reason for this record has been the outstanding form of Kim Carroll, who is demonstrating the sort of qualities in both defending and leadership that earned her over 50 Matildas caps and over 100 A-League Women appearances for Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar.
The young defenders at RedStar are being mentored by the best defender in the league, and on Sunday Carroll showed she is also a dab hand at set-pieces with a delightful free-kick to open the scoring against Hyundai NTC.
With over 100 league games for Redstar/Redbacks now under her belt, Carroll shows little sign of losing her abilities and indeed continues to improve like a fine wine.
Click here for Round 15 goal highlights
Round 15 Results
Fremantle City FC 2-2 Curtin University FC
MUM FC 2-0 Subiaco AFC
Perth SC 1-0 Balcatta Etna FC
Perth RedStar FC 3–1 Hyundai NTC Women
League Ladder
| Position | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 6 | 49 | 42 |
| 2 | Fremantle City FC | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 22 | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | Perth SC | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| 4 | Balcatta Etna FC | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 19 |
| 5 | MUM FC | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 18 |
| 6 | Hyundai NTC Women | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 17 |
| 7 | Subiaco AFC | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 37 | -25 | 9 |
| 8 | Curtin University | 13 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 52 | -40 | 2 |
