It’s the start of the new NPL Capital Football competition and fans of the league are tingling. Normally the off-season is relatively quiet, with minimal movement of players between clubs. This time around a flurry of talent has converged upon Nicole Begg’s programme at Canberra Olympic, and as announcements came thick and fast there was a recruitment ripple effect caused by other clubs looking to backfill (or promote into) their squads. (See Jeremy Magan’s excellent season preview for further detail.)
Such was the impact on Belconnen United – a team who enjoyed a decade of success until recent seasons – that for the first time in years, many pundits don’t have them listed in their projected top two … giving the Blue Devils plenty of ammunition to prove any naysayers wrong.
Canberra United Academy was the only team to defeat the champions last season so it was with excitement that Beyond 90 headed to Deakin Stadium for their Round 1 clash against Canberra Croatia. The home side had a penchant for starting seasons slowly under previous coach Nik Brozinic but a strong performance against West Canberra Wanderers in the Charity Shield suggested otherwise under new coach Zoran Glavinic.
With the Gungahlin United vs West Canberra Wanderers match postponed, other Round 1 games held on the weekend included:
Tuggeranong United vs Belconnen United
Wagga City Wanderers vs Canberra Olympic
Match of the Round: Canberra Croatia vs Canberra United Academy
While the iconic Grace Gill was not on the match card for Canberra Croatia, she took part in the warm-up. We were to learn later that Gill has intentions of pulling on the boots for another season.
An otherwise largely recognisable CCFC team took the field with something new across each of its lines. Keeper Nat Vasta was back after two years away, while ex-Canberra United player Bec Kiting and the returning Isabella Tammaro slotted into the backline. Dianne Wilson also returned to the midfield after a hiatus, and Sienna Birnie, who impressed in the Charity Shield game, joined the attack.
Canberra United Academy also retains much that is familiar, yet four NPL debutants adorned the bench. With the loss of attacking weapons Sasha Grove and Anna Hunt to NPL NSW, and a brief that’s about player development, coach Sarah West faces a different challenge compared to others in the competition.
The game showcased Academy’s willingness and ability to play a pass-and-move game no matter the circumstances, with an energy that befits their youth and a composure that belies it. It also highlighted CCFC’s ability to carry out a game plan, take their chances in a professional manner and get the job done.
With youth comes learning. For Academy, the occasional wrong turn or decision in the first half was pounced upon by the home team, who took a four-goal lead into the break. Just six minutes into the game, CCFC captain Brittany Palombi lined up her lethal left foot outside the Academy box after a right-to-left passing move, firing beyond keeper Eliza Evans for the first goal.
Six minutes later, an unfortunate attempted clearance by Academy fullback Eliza-Jane Norris resulted in an own goal for CCFC’s second.
Just after the 20 minute mark, Academy’s latest Junior Matilda Nikita Perry tarried a moment too long in midfield as 200 gamer Alice Churchill dispossessed her and fed the ball through to Bella Barac, who made no mistake placing the ball into the bottom right corner.
Seeing Evans off her line, Wilson chipped her magnificently just after half an hour for a fourth. While Evans got a hand to the ball, she could not prevent it from crossing the goal line.
Throughout all this, Academy maintained their ballplaying sensibilities. Their best chances came at the end of the half, as captain Sofia Christopherson stole the ball from Kiting and dashed towards Vasta in the CCFC box, but her left foot shot couldn’t elude the keeper. Vasta’s shot-stopping feet were called into action once again as the first half closed, denying Tayla Hampson’s effort from the left.
Palombi’s magnificent switch ball from a left midfield position to Birnie’s right wing put paid to any thought of an early second-half response by the Academy, as Birnie rounded Evans thirty seconds into the half for a fifth CCFC goal.
Academy never stopped trying and was rewarded with the goal of the game in the 52nd minute. Playing out from a goal kick, the defence chained passes to right midfield, switching to the left as the passing move continued. The ball ended up with left winger Hampson in the CCFC box, and while Vasta was able to get behind the shot, Christopherson put the rebound away for a 5-1 scoreline.
The crowd was treated to Jen Bisset’s class in the second stanza. Ten minutes into the half she drove into the Academy box, turned her defender and gave Evans no chance, scoring her 30th NPL Capital Football goal.
With twelve minutes to go, Bisset dribbled the ball through the heart of the Academy defence and upon approaching Evans, unselfishly laid the ball off to an unmarked Palombi for her brace.
Substitute CCFC defender Rhiannon Fensom scored CCFC’s eighth and final goal, bundling Jamie Berkeley’s corner into the net with seven minutes remaining. It was only at this stage of the match that the Academy team was starting to look a little ragged, having maintained their enthusiasm and playing style throughout.
The 8-1 final score is a clear statement of CCFC’s intent this year. Captain Palombi imparted the following thoughts to the Canberra times afterwards:
“It was a really good way to start the season,” she said.
“Last year CUA was the only team that we dropped points against. So we were a little bit nervous before the game, but we started off strong and I think just kept going.
“We are all relieved, I think, but we still know there’s definitely stuff to improve on, which is a pretty good thing to know that we still won 8-1 and there’s room for improvement.”
With respect to their new squad additions this season: “They’ve honestly just slotted right in, they’ve been great and a really good addition to the team in terms of on and off the field. All of them have been able to just fit in nicely and I think it honestly improves our team. We did lose a couple of quality players, but I think we gained just as good as we lost. So it’s all worked out pretty well for us.”
For the Academy, Nadia Zakman and Maia Cameron look the goods in defence, while forwards Perry, Christopherson and Hampson will trouble opponents in games when they can operate as a three-pronged attack rather than defending quite so much.
Final score:
Canberra Croatia 8 (Palombi 6′ 78′, Norris OG 12′, Barac 21′, Wilson 33′, Birnie 46′, Bisset 55′, Fensom 83′)
Canberra United Academy 1 (Christopherson 52′)
Teams:
Canberra Croatia – Coach: Zoran Glavinic
Nat Vasta, Isabella Tammaro, Bec Kiting, Amy McLachlan, Alice Churchill, Jenni Bisset, Dianne Wilson, Jamie Berkeley, Sienna Birnie, Bella Barac, Brittany Palombi (c)
Subs: Mia Giorgi (80′ => Wilson), Rhiannon Fensom (69′ => Tammaro), Krista Hagen (66′ => Birnie), Zoe Barling
Yellow/Red cards: Nil
Canberra United Academy – Coach: Sarah West
Eliza Evans, Nadia Zakman, Maia Cameron, Caitlin Koch, Eliza-Jane Norris, Tanya Bowman, Latisha Babic, Isabella Hindmarsh, Nikita Perry, Sofia Christopherson (c), Tayla Hampson
Subs: Riley McQueenie (81′ => Christopherson), Alyssa Di Campli (70′ => Perry), Charli Greeson, Sienna Scarano, Georgia Ritchie
Yellow/Red cards: Nil
Around The Grounds:
Wagga City Wanderers 0 – 13 Canberra Olympic
Tuggeranong United 1 – 5 Belconnen United
Ladder:
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Canberra Olympic FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 3 | Belconnen United FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Gungahlin United FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | West Canberra FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
| 7 | Canberra United Academy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
| 8 | Wagga City Wanderers FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | -13 | 0 |
Next week:
Round 2
- Belconnen United vs Gungahlin United, McKellar Park, Saturday 9 April, 3:00pm
- West Canberra vs Canberra United Academy, Melrose Synthetic, Sunday 10 April, 12:45pm
- Canberra Olympic vs Tuggeranong United, O’Connor Enclosed, Sunday 10 April, 2:30pm
- Canberra Croatia vs Wagga City, Deakin Stadium, Sunday 10 April, 2:30pm
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