Round 2 of the NPLW WA saw Perth RedStar and Fremantle maintain their unbeaten starts to the season, MUM and the Hyundai NTC record their first wins, Subiaco lose their first game and both Balcatta and Curtin remain winless.
Set pieces bring rewards
There were 18 goals scored in the round and nearly 30% of those came from set-pieces. There were three free kicks, and two corners including an “Olimpico goal” in the Hyundai NTC vs Perth game, whilst Subiaco’s only goal in their 4-1 loss to Fremantle came via a free-kick. The wet and windy conditions in all of the games were a goalkeeper’s nightmare and may well have contributed to the goals, but the value of having a good dead ball specialist in a team can’t be overestimated.
Night Series form can be misleading
The fortunes of the two-night series finalists could not be more contrasting. Perth RedStar sit on top of the table with two wins from two, whilst their opponents in the final, Balcatta Etna, are winless and without a goal.
Balcatta Etna have missed Kimberley McCartney, who was injured during the final. There could be a case made for a week’s break between the final and the start of the season to give the two teams a little more time to recover. MUM FC have also shown that the night series is no real indicator of how a league campaign can begin as they missed out on a semi-final spot, but are sitting third on the ladder after the first two games.
Night games need floodlights
The rise in popularity of night games is illustrated by Curtin, MUM FC, Perth RedStar FC and Perth SC all opting to play the majority of their home games under lights this season. This provides a great spectacle but obviously requires decent floodlights at the grounds. Unfortunately, there has been a history of floodlights being switched off at university grounds, and it happened again during this round. The situation was resolved after a 15-minute delay, but by this time both sets of players had cooled down and were potentially at risk of injury when the game eventually restarted. With so many players leaving the WA competition to play interstate it’s disappointing that this sort of situation arises, as it gives the impression of a league that is falling short of the standards set in the rest of the country.
Stability is important
The impact of the large player movements in the league on results so far this season has been to make the games more unpredictable. Few would have thought that last season’s wooden spooners, Subiaco, could have taken a point off the triple champions MUM FC, and there were a few raised eyebrows when Perth SC lost the lead twice against Football West NTC on Friday night.
The two exceptions to this have been Perth RedStar and Fremantle City. Both squads have a core group of players in their third season at their clubs and they also have younger players who have come up through their junior ranks. It’s perhaps not surprising that both of them are unbeaten so far and are the only two teams to have a goal difference better than +1.
Fathers are winning against daughters
The first two rounds have thrown up the quirky situation of fathers coaching their daughter’s opponents. In Round 1 Perth RedStar coach Carlos Vega Mena was coaching against his daughter Natalia (who was playing for the NTC), whilst on Friday night the NTC assistant coach, Fernando Barrerio, saw his daughter Cameron turn out for Perth Soccer Club.
On both occasions, the father’s teams won which would have made for interesting conversations after the game!
Round 2 Highlights (click here)
Round 2 Results
Curtin University 1 – 6 Perth RedStar FC
Hyundai NTC 3 – 2 Perth SC
Balcatta Etna 0 – 1 MUM FC
Subiaco AFC 1 – 4 Fremantle City
