Twenty-one glorious rounds await Capital Football NPLW fans and the eight teams contesting the competition in 2021.

For the second week running, Wagga City Wanderers travelled up the highway to Canberra, this time to take on Tuggeranong United at Kambah. In Round 1, Wagga City were on the receiving end of an 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Belconnen United, while Tuggeranong lost 0-4 away to Gungahlin United. Both teams would be eyeing this fixture as an opportunity to pick up early points.

Other Round 2 games that were held this weekend included:

West Canberra vs Canberra Croatia (video currently unavailable)
Belconnen United vs Canberra United Academy
Canberra Olympic vs Gungahlin United

Match of the Round: Tuggeranong United vs Wagga City Wanderers

Tuggeranong United and Wagga City Wanderers FC season preview

In football as in life, absences can be keenly felt, but can sometimes lead to opportunities and good things. At kickoff time at Kambah 201 on a glorious Sunday afternoon, absences were apparent on both sides.

For the first time in years, there was no unmistakable raspy voice of Michael Aldred urging on his Tuggeranong charges, instead club president Stan Mitchell was on board to guide the team. As in Round 1 the home side only had two players on the bench, with Sarah Daisley unavailable due to work commitments and some injuries across both first and reserve grade, last year’s co-captain Steph Coates among them.

Wagga City lined up with a different centre back pairing compared to Round 1. Captain Suze Waia was unavailable and this meant that Ava Tuksar – one of a Wagga City trio to play recently in front of Young Matildas coaching staff – took on the captain’s armband, shifting to centre back. Tuksar was partnered by fellow sixteen year old Sophie Cary in her first top grade start for 2021. Wagga City is still adjusting to life without 2020 central midfield dynamos Madeline Harris and Miranda Walker, with Kirrilee Cameron, Bronte Buik, and Abbey Nolan-Hodges forging a new combination in that part of the field. Tess Vaccari’s long term injury allows Christina Grauer-Kompos to step into the left-wing position, a different style of player to Vaccari but on the evidence of this game, no less effective. 

The first half saw both teams feeling each other out, with few clear chances on goal and much of the game in midfield. The away side had more possession – a Grauer-Kompos shot flew wide after 20 minutes, Tuggeranong keeper Sophie Rolfe did well to dive at the feet of the onrushing Megan Castle, and then ten minutes later punched a shot from distance by Grauer-Kompos onto her own crossbar.

Tuggeranong was to enjoy a short period of sustained attacks around this time but the scoreless first stanza ended with a series of corners for Wagga City and a shot by Cameron which went straight into Rolfe’s arms.

Goals finally arrived in the second half with Wagga City enjoying the fruits of their constructed play, however both teams were dangerous on the counterattack. 

Tuggeranong started brightly in the second half but found themselves a goal down four minutes after the restart – Grauer-Kompos received a delicate chipped ball from Castle and was able to lob Rolfe at close range.

Three minutes later elusive Wagga right-winger Piper Lockley blasted a venomous shot inches past the far post – just before this Rolfe once again denied Castle with her feet after Cameron’s marvellous through ball. Tuggeranong’s Kenzie Osfield then almost immediately had a chance to level but chose to swerve to the right as she approached keeper Samantha Emms, and this allowed defender Sophie Cary to catch her.

A penalty was awarded to Wagga City ten minutes into the second half after Rolfe’s untimely challenge on Castle. Castle stepped up and converted, Rolfe guessed correctly but deflected the spot-kick into the net.

A collision just after the hour mark saw Wagga City’s Abbey Nolan-Hodges taken from the field with an ankle injury, and the subsequent break in play saw substitutions for both sides. Kimberley Morgan came on for Nolan-Hodges as Lockley moved to centre midfield for the away side, with Morgan at right-wing. Olivia Saul came on for Tuggeranong in a straight swap for Kenzie Osfield, also in central midfield.

The third goal for Wagga City arrived in the 67th minute as the ever-industrious Cameron put the ball on a plate for Castle, and she threaded the needle with precision between Rolfe and the near post.

Tuggeranong right back Zoe Terry gave the crowd a glimpse of her speed with 15 minutes to go, sprinting with the ball for the entire field length and firing her shot just wide of the Wagga City goal.

Wagga’s Cameron was rewarded for her efforts just after, capitalising as Rolfe tarried on the ball a little too long and putting her side four goals ahead.

Lockley again featured from midfield with ten minutes to go, setting up a clever Grauer-Kompos chip over a stranded Rolfe for Wagga City’s fifth and final goal. 

Another strong burst forward from right-back Terry brought the home side some joy in the final minutes as this time she made no mistake, scoring Tuggeranong United’s first goal of the season.

In the final chances of the game, Emms first pulled off a great save from Kass Guglielmin following a through ball from Claire Falls, and then shortly thereafter got a hand to Melinda Reavell’s looping shot, spectacularly deflecting it wide of goal.

The 5-1 scoreline is indicative of the multiple attacking threats from Wagga City in this game, some constructed, some on the break. Tuggeranong United never stopped trying, and this was personified both by Rolfe and Terry, who is forging a most promising partnership with Guglielmin on Tuggeranong’s right edge. 

Tuggeranong coach (and club president) Stan Mitchell explained that the club is speaking to prospective coaches and that it was unlikely he would be taking the NPLW coaching reigns long term.

“The first half today I thought was very even, end-to-end, and we spoke at half-time that Wagga would come out to hit us and they did … before we knew it we were three down. The pleasing part from our perspective was that the girls never gave up, they kept fighting, and really, it was errors that cost us today, and that’s something we can go away and work on.”

Wagga City coach Sam Gray remarked that “It was a good game, played well; the second half was a step forward for us. We set up in the first half to try and press them a bit higher than we normally do and it seemed to work. The combinations in the second half are what changed the game. We talked at half time about not allowing Tuggeranong the extra time when they are playing out … I think that’s what turned the game, to be honest with you. Plus it’s a different game once you score a goal, your players relax and it becomes a bit easier for them.

“We work quite hard on ‘Can we keep the ball, can we make the opponent work?’. If we make the opponent work, the opponent gets tired, [which] gives us more opportunities to move forward, and honestly looking at the game, I think that’s what happened. I think we tired them out, they got frustrated … and some of our finishes were pretty good finishes, Christina’s goal at the end was brilliant.

“I also altered the way that the midfield operate [for this game], so we had [our] 10 playing as a 7 this week, that gave us an extra attacking option as well… when I got here and saw the length of the grass I knew I had to alter the way that we were going to play.

“There’s a good feeling amongst the girls and they’re all there for the right reasons.”

On the changeover from his solid midfield pairing last season (Madeline Harris and Miranda Walker): “Kirrilee has played NPL in Sydney for Macarthur Rams, she’s a Cootamundra girl … I spoke to her at length about getting involved. She loved the vibe amongst the girls.

“Bronte Buik has played NSW Country for numerous seasons, she was a last-minute addition but a very good inclusion for us. And then Abbey Nolan-Hodges – she rolled her ankle today but is OK – she’s one of the most committed players I’ve seen, she does a six-hour round trip for training, twice a week. A Canberra game is closer to her from Forbes than it is to play at home.”

Final score:

Tuggeranong United 1 (Terry 87′)

Wagga City 5 (Grauer-Kompos 48′ 80′, Castle 56′ 67′, Cameron 75′)

Teams:

Tuggeranong United – Coach: Stan Mitchell

Sophie Rolfe, Zoe Terry, Ashley-Lee Condon, Lara Mustaine, Katelyn Hewen, Jacqui Freeman, Kass Guglielmin, Rhiannon Daisley, Kenzie Osfield, Zoe Williams, Melinda Reavell  

Subs: Claire Falls (70′ => Williams), Olivia Saul (64′ => Osfield), Jessica Abbott, Eliza Fergusson

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Wagga City Wanderers – Coach: Sam Gray

Samantha Emms, Brandy Nicholson, Sophie Cary, Ava Tuksar (c), Hannah Stevens, Bronte Buik, Abbey Nolan-Hodges, Kirrilee Cameron, Piper Lockley-Hinschen, Megan Castle, Christina Grauer-Kompos

Subs: Kimberley Morgan (64′ => Nolan-Hodges), Amanda Armstrong, Ashley Holder, Abby Wood

Yellow/Red cards: Nil

Around The Grounds:

West Canberra 0 – 5 Canberra Croatia
Belconnen United 7 – 1 Canberra United Academy
Canberra Olympic 1 – 3 Gungahlin United

…and Federation Cup Round 2:
Canberra Croatia 5 – 2 Canberra United Academy (played Wednesday 14 April)

Ladder:

Next week:

Canberra Olympic vs Belconnen United, O’Connor Enclosed, Saturday 24 April, 10:30am
Canberra United Academy vs West Canberra, Hawker Enclosed, Saturday 24 April, 4:20pm
Tuggeranong United vs Canberra Croatia, Kambah 201, Sunday 25 April, 3:15pm
Wagga City vs Gungahlin United, Rawlings Park, Sunday 25 April, 3:15pm 

…and Federation Cup Round 2:
Belconnen United vs ANU, McKellar Park, Tues 20 April, 6:30pm
Canberra Olympic vs Gungahlin United, AIS Grass Field 2, Wednesday 21 April, 6:00pm
West Canberra vs Tuggeranong United, Melrose Synthetic, Wednesday 21 April, 7:00pm

Follow all our ACT NPLW coverage here.