Strength through adversity
Despite having their head coach, three players and two members of the coaching staff in isolation after positive COVID tests, as well as losing three of their strike force to injuries, Perth Glory put on a true display of unity and fortitude on Sunday to earn a point against Newcastle Jets. Every member of the squad that went onto the pitch seemed determined to prove a point and the boost this will give them may well prove to be a turning point in their season.
Hana Lowry likes playing in Newcastle
The last time Lowry played in Newcastle she opened her A-League Women goal scoring account with a bullet header. On Sunday Lowry showed that she can also score with her right foot, neatly finishing after a beautifully weighted pass from Danish international Mie Leth Jans. The 18-year-old midfielder has had a quiet season so far, having played in a deeper role than she is accustomed to, but Lowry showed against Newcastle that she is definitely capable of turning a game. This time Lowry played in a more advanced role, combining nicely with Sofia Sakalis and Lisa De Vanna, and her range of passing increased as she became more confident.
Hannah Brewer was a big loss
The experienced defender was unable to play due to personal reasons, and her absence meant a re-shuffle for a Jets midfield that had already lost Emily van Egmond after her loan spell finished earlier in the week. The re-jig saw Cassidy Davis move into central defence as cover for the missing Brewer, and whilst she performed well her absence from the midfield saw the home team struggle to get to grips with the Glory engine room, particularly in the first half.
Missed chances result in dropped points
For a 15 minute period after Lowry had opened the scoring for Glory, the away team enjoyed its most productive period of the game. They could easily have scored another couple of goals with De Vanna forcing a smart save from Jets keeper Claire Coelho and Tash Rigby crashing a header against the bar, while Coelho was again forced into making an excellent save from Deborah-Anne De La Harpe‘s rasping free-kick. If any of those chances had been taken then the three points would probably have been Glory’s.
Centre forwards are overrated
Perth’s starting line-up was bold, with players such as Abbey Green and De La Harpe being asked to play in unfamiliar positions, but perhaps the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Sakalis as a central attacker. Although she started the game in that position, the diminutive midfielder soon started to drop deeper and played more as a false nine, creating a number of headaches for the Jets centre backs who didn’t know whether to stay in their position or move out to mark her. Sakalis also linked up nicely with De La Harpe, De Vanna and Lowry, and these four were pivotal during Glory’s dominant period in the second half where they should really have put the game to bed. The withdrawal of Sakalis, Lowry and De Vanna seemed to upset the balance of the team, and it was after Jets spearhead Tara Andrews had left the field that the home team scored their equaliser.
