2022 NPLW WA Night Series Preview

The first competition of 2022 for NPLW WA clubs gets underway tonight, with last season’s Treble winners MUM FC taking on wooden spooners Subiaco AFC in the opening game of the pre-season night series competition.

This competition represents the first chance for these teams to gauge how their pre-season preparations are progressing and is often used to introduce young players to first-team football.

MUM FC

Last season’s Treble winners have endured a difficult offseason, with a number of players departing for various reasons. Ellie La Monte and Baxter Thew have moved to Tasmania and NSW respectively to play in the NPLW, Jaymee Gibbons and Poppie Hooks have gone to Perth SC, Katarina Jukic is rumoured to have gone to Fremantle FC, and their captain from last season, Katy Schubert, is looking after her new family. Add in the fact that Sadie Lawrence and Abbey Green are on Perth Glory duty, plus the club has its third coach in three seasons, and it’s hard to see the dominant team in the NPLW lifting the one trophy that has eluded them so far.

NORTHERN REDBACKS

This will be an emotional competition for last season’s league runners up, as it will be the last time they play as Northern Redbacks before starting a new chapter in their history as Perth RedStar FC. The squad is relatively unchanged from last season except for the addition of new goalkeeper Shivani Battaglia from the Perth SC U23 team. Last season’s custodian, Maya Diederichsen, has moved on to become the clubs’ goalkeeper coach. This will also be coach Carlos Vega-Mena’s second season in charge and he will be keen to bring a trophy home as the last ever Redbacks coach. Redbacks have the quality to win but need to find a more ruthless edge to their game if they are to secure the trophy.

PERTH SC

Perth’s intentions have been made very clear during the offseason as they have made some major recruiting moves, with Jaymee Gibbons and Poppie Hooks joining from MUM FC, as well as Judy Connolly and Taneesha Baker from NTC. Their new coach, Peter Rakic, knows what it takes to win in the NPLW as he was the MUM FC coach when they won the inaugural NPLW title in 2020. The Azzurri will be very keen to pick up their first major piece of silverware in the NPLW era, and with home ground advantage in the group stages, they will be very difficult to beat and go into the competition as favourites.

FREMANTLE CITY

Last season was a disappointing one for the port city side, and they will be keen to make amends this time around. New coach Garry Church has been busy recruiting during the offseason, and they are likely to welcome Perth Glory squad member Tijan McKenna, as well as possibly welcoming Kat Jukic. Ex-Perth Glory player Jamie-Lee Gale is also rumoured to be returning after taking a year off from the game. With few major departures, Fremantle looms as possible champions as they have both the skill and experience to beat any team.

FOOTBALL WEST NTC

A major revamp of the oldest NTC age group has seen players over the age of 18 now having to find new NPLW clubs. This has led to a number of players leaving NTC, with Isabella Wallhead, Tijan McKenna, Monique Prinsloo, Cameron Barreiro, Taneesha Baker and Judy Connolly all moving to new clubs. The players replacing them will be young and hungry to impress head coach Ben Anderton, but they will be hard-pressed to take on the more experienced teams and it’s highly unlikely they will be in contention for the title.

BALCATTA ETNA

With a new name and a third coach in three years, Balcatta Etna has signalled their intent to make a new start in the NPLW. Steve Atkins takes over the reins after two very successful years as the Fremantle U23 coach and a number of players from that U23 side have made the move to Balcatta with him. The club has also recruited from other sources with Georgia Cawley and Lauren Continibali making the short trip from Northern Redbacks, and Monique Prinsloo joining from the NTC. The downside to the new imports is that a few senior players from last season have now departed, so this will be a season of transition for the side. They will still have captain Gabby Dal Busco between the sticks and Kim McCartney to provide some solid defensive cover, so they will not be an easy team to beat. If they can get to the knockout stages, then who knows what can happen?

CURTIN UNIVERSITY

This looks like it’s going to be another tough season for the University side with a large number of players leaving, and with no junior set up in place, they have been forced to look elsewhere for recruitment. Coach Domenico Gangemi will be taking the team for a full season for the first time, and he will be working as hard as he can to mould the team into a cohesive unit. His number one priority will surely be to shore up the league’s leakiest defence, and it will be interesting to see how his coaching methods will play out. Playing in a group that includes Perth and Fremantle, it’s hard to see them progressing from the group stages.

SUBIACO AFC

A new season and a new coach for last year’s wooden spooners. Nassa Atekhis will be at the helm for the night series, and he will be keen to bring a winning culture to a team that has struggled so far in the top flight. There have been some movements within the squad, but they have retained the services of last season’s goalkeeper of the year, Marissa Pidgeon, and will once again be a tough team to break down. How they will go in the group stages is hard to say, but they are capable of springing a surprise result, so the other teams will need to treat them with respect or they could face dropping points.

PREDICTION

Semi-Finalists – Perth, Fremantle, Northern Redbacks, Balcatta

Final – Perth, Northern Redbacks

Winners – Perth