With the news that Capital Football is working towards the commencement of senior competitions in 2020 on the weekend of July 18th, Beyond 90 is – with some excitement – resuming Season 2020 previews. This edition features the Wagga City Wanderers.
Previously published previews for season 2020:
Belconnen United
Tuggeranong United
Monaro Panthers
Canberra Olympic
Team news from coach Sam Gray
NPLW1 Coaching team for season 2020:
Sam Gray – 1st Grade and Head Coach
Rob Tuksar – Reserve Grade Coach
Gary Lyons – Assistant Coach
NPLW1 squad – players gained:
Miranda Walker – Australian Defence Force
Amanda Armstrong – Newcastle
Niki Krajacic – Canberra Olympic
Olivia Moore – Canberra Olympic
Ainsley Files – Hanwood FC
Tia Lyons, Ava Tuksar, Hannah Stevens, Tess Vaccari, Maddie Emms, Samantha Emms, Megan Castle, Abby Wood – all promoted from Under 17’s
NPLW1 squad – players lost:
Rachel Hardwicke
Christina Grauer-Kompos
Jenny Woodbury
Fiona Ryan
Brooke Gayler
Aims for the 2020 NPLW1 season ?
As a young club Wagga City Wanderers is obviously keen to continue to develop and our aim for this season has to be to finish in the top half of the table and see how much progress we can make from there. As a club we believe that improving on the previous season’s performances is a huge indicator of the progress being made and we are fortunate to have a very skilful, strong attacking side for 2020.
We see this as a great opportunity for the club to take a step forward in solidifying our player base with the youth ranks at the club being very strong.
Player profile: Suze Waia, captain
How many seasons have you played NPLW1 with your current club ?
This will be my second.
Likely onfield position ?
Central defence, or midfield.
What’s got you excited about the season ?
The season ahead gives me the opportunity to run onto the field as captain of my local club, I take a great deal of pride in that. The opportunity to work with our new squad is exciting for me as a person but more so as a player.
Who is a rising star in your team that fans should watch out for ?
Tess Vaccari, who plays as a wide attacker and is very skilful. Tess is a huge threat on the field and has shown great maturity over the past 12 months and her confidence as a person and a player has grown hugely through training with the senior squad and the trial matches pre-coronavirus.
Are there any match-ups you are particularly looking forward to? (This could be a specific opposition player, and/or another club)
I’d say that the game against Canberra Croatia is one to look forward to as they are a team that I rate very highly and hopefully the challenge they present for us as a squad will allow us to rise to their level and match them.
Anything else you’d like to add ?
In our second year in the WNPL we are looking forward to the challenge of playing against the Canberra teams who have historically been strong in the competition. It’s our intention to continue the hard work that we have shown in training on the field and hopefully push for the top half of the table this year to continue the development of women’s football.
I’m excited to see our new recruits fitting into the team, especially Miranda Walker and Amanda Armstrong as they have been very strong in training and I’m keen to see what they can bring to the team on match day. I’m very keen to see all of our youth policy is now paying off with the inclusion of the successful Under 17s players such as Ava Tuksar, Sammy Emms, Tia Lyons, Piper Lockley, Megan Castle, Ranya Khato, Tess Vaccari, Hannah Stevens and Abby Wood. They have all shown great maturity in pre-season.
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