For Perth Glory, the 2023/24 season ended on Sunday. It’s been a disappointing campaign, after they slid from the top of the table to eventually finish 10th. Young wing-back Grace Johnston has been watching on from the sidelines since suffering a season-ending syndesmosis injury in Round 17 against Central Coast Mariners, but otherwise she has had a debut season to remember.
Johnston earned an A-League Women contract after a stellar season with the Hyundai NTC, one in which she helped her side win the WA State Cup and finish in the NPLW WA Top 4. She was one of an impressive cohort of NTC players who earned contracts and scholarships for A-League clubs this season, joining fellow Young Matilda Georgia Cassidy, Lily Bailey, Tanika Lala and Mischa Anderson at Perth Glory. Ischia Brooking and Ruby Cuthbert went to Western Sydney and Brisbane Roar respectively.
We caught up with Johnston to chat about a year that has seen her experience the highs and lows of playing football at the highest level.
She joined the NTC from boys NPL football, where she played for Subiaco and had two seasons with them before being signed by Glory. Having several teammates around her helped with the transition from NPLW to the A-League.
“I think that with them (coming over) and with the older girls (at Glory) being such leaders and being able to bring the team together as one, it’s been a smooth transition over to the levels required.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the NTC coaches who all helped me in the two years I was there, and allowed me to have the opportunity to play in the NPLW.” she said.
Johnston was employed as a wide midfield player to devastating effect by the NTC, but has found herself playing more as a left wing-back in the Glory setup up. We asked her about the switch.
“I feel that in the midfield you can go anywhere realistically and you’ve got passing options, dribbling options all around the pitch, so it has been a learning curve but to grow my game and learn a new position was a good thing and it was an opportunity for me to get into the squad and get some minutes.”
Many observers felt that this season would be one of a slow burn, with minutes being gained off the bench before working her way into the starting XI. Coach Alex Epakis saw something in Johnston during pre-season and she was rewarded with a starting spot in the first game of the campaign. She has now made 14 appearances, including five starts, and we asked her how she had found the change from NPLW to A-League.
“I would just say the biggest difference is the intensity, which you’re going to find playing against higher calibre players such as Matildas. The pre-season helped that transition and you generally build up to it and then start to get games under your belt, which helps you deal with the intensity of it all. It’s quicker as well, plus they study you to work you out, but you’re going to have jumps in your careers where you have to build and adapt to the differences. And I think that’s just a part of the game.”
After a flying start to the season, Johnston and Cassidy were called up for the Young Matildas friendly games against China in December. Johnston came on as a 64th-minute substitute in a 3-1 win, and then started the second game, which they lost 3-1.
“(Being selected) was a very proud moment for me and a great experience and I couldn’t replace it with anything,” she said.
Johnston discussed the similarities and differences between playing and training with Glory, compared to being involved with a national team.
“The coaches play different styles of football and I think that’s the main difference. Another thing is that with the Young Matildas, you’re in the environment for such a short period, they need to feed you as much information as possible without overloading you, whereas at Glory you’ve got a whole pre-season and weeks on end to change and chop and whatever you want to do. But I think the overall intensity and the drive from both groups is very similar.”
She also touched on the differences in styles between the Chinese and the Young Matildas, as well as the difference in the way she was asked to play the left wing-back role.
“It’s very interesting to see how other nations play. The Chinese team we played were very quick with their feet and liked to zip it around. They pushed me, but I think we did well, especially in the first game which we won.
“It’s a slightly different formation for the Young Matildas, so I had a bit more freedom to go higher, just the way the formation was set up, but the objectives were the same, get the ball high and set up goal-scoring opportunities.”
We also spoke about Perth Glory’s season. After winning their first four games and earning 20 points from their first ten games, a run of just four points in their final 12 games saw Glory finish in 10th place.
“I think at the start of the season we were playing great football. We were confident in the way we were playing, which was a testament to the pre-season and the way the girls arrived for it, as they were fit and ready to go, which meant we didn’t need to focus on big running sessions and could focus tactically which I think was a big positive. The winless streak hasn’t affected the squad as we put on a united front when we go out to play and train and we’re still working to get wins.”
The loss in form has meant there have been changes in personnel during match days as Epakis has attempted to turn things around. This led to Johnston being left out of the match day squad at times, so we asked her how she coped with this disappointment after playing as a member of the starting XI.
“You just put the work in at training. You can’t let it affect you or your confidence because that is the biggest thing in football. If you’re not confident then you can’t play well.”
Just as Johnston had seemingly worked her way back into the starting XI, she then suffered a syndesmosis injury in Round 17 that abruptly ended her season. As is often the case with serious injuries, it arose from an innocuous challenge.
“I cut in front of someone and they clipped my back foot. My run carried me forward and I was trying to stabilise myself so I planted my foot. Our legs then became tangled and I rolled my ankle. I was in quite a bit of pain so I had a good inkling I had done something serious, and then everything runs through your head about what I could have done to avoid it, and what happens now.
“It was so disappointing because I was progressing well but it’s not the end of the world, and I don’t think it’s going to hinder my performances next season or in years to come.”
For such a young player, Johnston has shown she has the maturity to cope with the highs and lows that are part of being an A-League Women footballer. Her determination to succeed will be a driving force in her rehabilitation that will hopefully see her back in the league for season 2024-25.
