The 2022 Capital Football NPLW season was an intriguing affair even before Round 1, due to some big offseason moves. The M&M Podcast season review episode is also recommended as a recap of the campaign.
Honours
Premiers: Canberra Croatia
Grand Final winners: Canberra Olympic (Runners up Belconnen United)
Federation Cup winners: Canberra Olympic (Runners up Belconnen United)
Charity Shield winners: Canberra Croatia (Runners up West Canberra Wanderers)
Final ladder:
Key season features
- after years of a clear top two, we have a clear top three
- Canberra Olympic gave the competition a significant shake-up with their recruitment drive coming into the season
- in the race for fourth spot, West Canberra Wanderers excelled in the first half of the season, only to watch over their shoulder at Gungahlin United chasing them all the way home
- there were fewer blow-out scores compared to previous seasons, the gap between top and bottom is narrowing
- both bottom two teams took points off top four teams
- the number of current A-League Women players who chose to play Capital Football NPLW in 2022: 2 (Chloe Lincoln and Michelle Heyman)
- the number of locally-developed 2021 Capital Football NPLW players who chose to play in this year’s NSW NPLW competition: 4 (Sasha Grove, Alex McKenzie, Mia McGovern, Lexi Forner)
Beyond 90’s 2022 Team of the Year
(This team of the year has no association with the Capital Football Team of the Year, which is voted upon by coaches).
Eligibility: minimum of 11 appearances from 21 games
- Coach of the season was a difficult selection, with Canberra Olympic’s Nicole Begg and Canberra Croatia’s Zoran Glavinic having significant claims. Scott Conlon prevails after perhaps having the biggest hurdle to overcome of the three and reaching two finals.
- There are admittedly three wide players in the forward line, but we agree with the Canberra NPL coaches that all three select themselves. Canberra Olympic’s Nicole Jalocha and Olivia Gurney, Canberra Croatia’s Bella Barac, and Belconnen United’s Olivia Bomford also enjoyed fine seasons for their clubs, at times playing a level above others on the field.
- Our two centre-backs were also a difficult selection to make, but the combination of Rhiannon Fensom’s sheer defensive quality with Elke Aitolu’s anticipation, range, and intelligent distribution makes for a sound pairing. There were also exceptional seasons by Belconnen United’s Sophia Doumos and Gungahlin United’s Maddie Perceval in this role, not to mention West Canberra’s Daisy Canavan, Olympic’s Ali Cook, Canberra United Academy’s Nadia Zakman, and Karen Clarke, who gave Belconnen United a noticeable lift when she returned to the fold mid-season.
- Congratulations to our fantastic cohort of goalkeepers. Tuggeranong’s Samantha Emms and West Canberra’s Ally Hinson narrowly miss selection, but there was class and courage displayed by all keepers in 2022. We’re lucky to have you.
- Vanessa Ryan was used in both midfield and defence this season, but often matched up wide in defence against attacking threats during big games. Ryan pips both Olympic’s Renee Junna and Gungahlin’s Stefi Lejins for the right-back role.
- Bec Kiting had a fine season at left-back for Canberra Croatia but in our opinion, it would have been difficult for anyone to top Olympic captain Victoria Jamieson.
Team-by-team thoughts:
Canberra Croatia (1st, last year 1st)
A five-point buffer and the highest goal tally in the league saw Canberra Croatia complete a premiership three-peat in 2022. It was a near thing however, that came down to one moment from 15-year-old 90th-minute substitute Maddie Sawkins late in their Round 18 game against runners-up Canberra Olympic. Sawkins’ chipped goal turned a draw into a win for CCFC, and that together with a Round 20 loss by Olympic against Gungahlin United ensured the honours once again went to the team in red and white, adding to their Charity Shield trophy.
It was a fine achievement by the largely stable, established squad but also for new coach Zoran Glavinic. Glavinic adroitly navigated the team through sometimes rocky seas of injuries and overseas absences, all the while managing the injection of an often youthful group of substitutes.
While the importance of the ever-reliable Grace Gill, Jennie Bisset and competition golden boot Brittany Palombi cannot be overstated, there were key contributions this year from centre-back Rhiannon Fensom (quite often anchoring a back three) and versatile new addition Sienna Birnie, who played much of the season at right wing but also looked at home in central midfield when the team needed her. All five feature in Beyond 90’s team of the year.
Canberra Olympic (2nd), last year (5th)
Nicole Begg’s Canberra Olympic turned the competition on its head during the last off-season with a series of recruitment coups, and the club will be well pleased with taking out the Federation Cup and the Grand Final. Undoubtedly the squad with the greatest depth, those on the bench each game would be starters for just about any other team in the league. Only three starting players remained from 2021: Ashleigh Sykes, Victoria Jamieson and Ali Cook.
Much credit goes to Begg and her coaching team for the level of cohesion achieved despite all the changes in the playing group. Unlike last year, the always impressive Sykes had plenty of attacking support from the likes of Nicole Jalocha, the two Olivias (Fogarty and Gurney) and Michaela Thornton making driving runs from midfield.
Perhaps the greatest improvement from the previous season rests with the defensive group. The 2021 Canberra Olympic team could concede as many as they scored, but this year theirs was the most frugal defence, and this is reflected in a number of their defenders earning Beyond 90 team of the year selection.
Belconnen United (3rd, last year 2nd)
Belconnen were the team most affected by Canberra Olympic’s off-season recruitment campaign. It was an open question at the start of the season as to how the Blue Devils would fare off the back of a decade as an NPL powerhouse. Fans needn’t have worried, as new coach Scott Conlon’s quiet determination made the most from the available mix of youth and experience. Captain Talia Backhouse rose to the challenge of inspiring her team and was named NPLW Player of the Year. Speedy winger Keira Bobbin was also a constant threat to her opponents and joins Backhouse in the Beyond 90 team of the season (both bagged plenty of goals), as does young revelatory centre-back Sophia Doumos.
The arrival from Gungahlin United of Stefi Lejins was important, as was the nurturing of young guns such as Doumos, Reilly Yuen, Sofia Palywoda, Tatum Mazis, Lauren Preston, Jayla Murphy and Pearl Tein (Tein’s talents were recognised with selection for the latest Junior Matildas training camp). Guiding the group of youngsters around were Backhouse, Leah Carnegie, Olivia Bomford, Karen Clarke, Katie Woodman and Amy Spence (late in the season).
The Blue Devils beat Canberra Croatia to the punch by contesting two of the trophies on offer (the Federation Cup and the Grand Final), but were runners-up to Canberra Olympic on both occasions. By finishing 16 points ahead of fourth-placed West Canberra and just three points behind Olympic, the Blue Devils are legitimately part of an NPL ‘big three’.
West Canberra Wanderers (4th, last year 6th)
Fans of the red and black got an early look at their team during their Charity Shield loss to Canberra Croatia, and even back then the possibilities were evident.
At the end of the first full round, coach Rey Castro’s team found themselves in second place with five narrow wins from seven outings. It could scarcely have been a better start to the season for the club that had lost two Beyond 90 team of the year players during the off-season in keeper Janet King (Canberra Olympic) and midfielder Alex McKenzie (to the NSW competition). However, West Canberra gained Canberra Croatia keeper Ally Hinson and Uni of Canberra’s Ginger Oliver, plus the Academy trio of Daisy Canavan, Steph Nikias and Sophia Medina.
Strong performances from midfielder Tara Cannon, speedy winger Hattie Cram, dead ball specialist Ginger Oliver, captain Sarah Whitfield, central defender Mel O’Callaghan, Hinson, and Canavan (who shifted from attack to wide defence to central defence, looking more assured each time) gave the group a solid footing in most of their contests. Retaining this strong core will be important for their 2023 prospects, although it has since been revealed that both Canavan and Cannon are off to play with Illawarra Stingrays next season.
After only picking up six points from the second full round, it was an anxious run into finals and the team was looking over its shoulder at fast-finishing Gungahlin United. The Wanderers held their nerve but bowed out in the first elimination final against Belconnen United.
Gungahlin United (5th, last year 3rd)
The 2022 Gunners squad was very recognisable from the last few years, with gains in the form of Cassia McGlashan (Belconnen United), Piper Lockley (Wagga City) and Sharon Chao (Canberra Croatia). However, the losses of Elke Aitolu (Canberra Olympic) and Stefi Lejins (Belconnen United) seemed to weigh heavily in the first half of the season under coach Pat Mills. Always a close-knit group with a characteristic short passing game, Aitolu and Lejins had been key to that style.
Even by the end of the second round when coach Andrew Woodman had taken over and Michelle Heyman was starting to string together appearances (she played eight times), fifth-placed Gungahlin trailed West Canberra Wanderers by nine points and seemed to be locked in a battle with Canberra United Academy for 5th/6th place.
Regaining its mojo the more the season wore on, the Gunners stormed home with a series of wins (including over Canberra Olympic in Round 20) and found themselves needing to defeat Canberra Croatia in the final round to have a top four chance. Unfortunately, neither Heyman nor the De Marco sisters were available for the game, and this combined with an efficient Canberra Croatia performance saw the Gunners finish in fifth place.
Maddie Perceval led the team magnificently, having her best NPLW season to date in our eyes.
Canberra United Academy (6th), last year (4th)
Beyond 90 witnessed Canberra United Academy first-hand in five different games this season. To an outsider, the team can be viewed at times as enigmatic with matchday selections that appeared to constantly shift. It’s likely, however, that this perception is unfair for a number of reasons. First, the nature of an Academy setup is that players will ‘graduate’ between age groups and then out of the Academy altogether at age 18, so continuity between seasons for a playing squad is difficult. Add to that a player development brief that encourages rotation and experimentation, and you have more player movement than you may otherwise see in other squads.
Throw injury and illness into the equation and you have a team that at times looked capable of pushing any of the top sides, while at others looking vulnerable to even the bottom side of the competition, granting them their only win of 2022.
The talent in the 2022 squad was undeniable but it was rare for them to all appear together. Canberra United keeper Chloe Lincoln only just met the minimum game requirement for the Beyond 90 team of the year but showed in those appearances why she is an A-League player. Nadia Zakman impressed in central defence but missed games due to injury, as presumably did initial captain and attacking flyer Sofia Christopherson, who spent the middle part of the season bouncing around in Reserve Grade. Powerful instinctive attacker Bessie Riethmuller didn’t take the field in First Grade until Round 9. Midfielders Isabella Hindmarsh, Jaya Bowman (both of whom topped the scoring with four goals apiece) and Latisha Babic all showed the ability to break games open. One valuable constant and an old head on young shoulders was Tayla Hampson, who stood in as captain for some games.
Only twice did the above group of talents all play in the same game, and that was in the last two rounds of the season.
Always difficult to play on their home synthetic surface, the team may not have played to their potential in a consistent manner, but flashes of that potential together with their mobility and press always made for interesting viewing.
Tuggeranong United (7th, last year 8th)
The addition of the Emms family – Samantha in goal and Jade in midfield – helped flesh out the Tuggeranong United squad, which also benefited from the return of the experienced Samantha Wood. United has struggled some years with depth but coach Paulo Romero – in his first full year with the squad – remarked pre-season that competition for spots this year was strong.
Greater fitness levels, fewer injuries and relatively consistent lineups all helped Tuggeranong United to one place higher on the ladder compared to 2021, and the statistics clearly show improvement. Noting that the 2021 season only contested 17 games, we see that the team in yellow and green more than doubled their goal tally, doubled their wins, and conceded 14 fewer goals during the 21 games played this year. Work is still to be done, but this team is moving in the right direction.
The highlight of the season was a draw against Canberra Croatia, while they also recorded draws against fourth-placed West Canberra Wanderers and fifth-placed Gungahlin United during the year.
Strong performers this season included Emms in goals, Lauren Hall in her debut season for Tuggeranong (also the top scorer for her team with six goals), Zoe Terry at right back, Sarah Daisley in midfield and captain Lara Mustaine in the heart of the defence.
Wagga City Wanderers (8th, last year 7th)
Conceding 29 goals during the opening two rounds (on the way to over 100 goals allowed for the season) wasn’t the start that Wagga City Wanderers would have planned for, and this may have had a role in the NPLW’s longest-serving coach at the time, Sam Gray, stepping away and handing the reins to Rob Tuksar.
Two of their brightest talents – Piper Lockley and Samantha Emms – had joined opposition teams over the break, and the amount of squad turnover from 2021 was significant. Yet putting aside that most difficult of starts, one notable characteristic of the team from the Riverina was a will to compete until the final whistle throughout the season.
Their sole win was a 2-1 away triumph against Canberra United Academy on the Hawker synthetic surface, no mean feat for any team. Contrast the last two rounds – a narrow 2-1 loss against a Belconnen United on a hot streak, and a 1-1 draw away to Tuggeranong United – to the first two rounds, and you get a sense that the team was more than finding its way by the end of the campaign.
The side remains a young one and although many members of their well-regarded under 17’s team supplemented the squad, captain and leading scorer Megan Castle took a lot of responsibility for knitting the team together. Recruiting capable experienced players remains a priority.
With stability being key to their continued development, coach Tuksar will be looking to form a core group for next year by retaining Castle’s experience, as well as the bright promise shown by the likes of Sophie Cary, second top-scorer Tamara Cochrane, Daisy Tuksar and Bree Lyons. A special mention goes to keeper Ebony Warner-Chilton for her courage in the role.
Thanks for an entertaining 2022 season, here’s to 2023!
