This weekend, West Adelaide’s Nicole Tilley plays her two hundredth SA WNPL match. Now in her sixth year with the current league leaders, Tilley has scored eight goals with several of them being absolute screamers. She has once again been one of the stand-out players in the competition, however Tilley revealed that she was a relative latecomer to the game.
“I spent most of my childhood playing netball and tennis and I only started playing soccer when I was about 12. That same year I made the state team and again the year after which took me to Brisbane and Melbourne. Then I joined WNPL club Para Hills Knights and was involved in the NTC program which eventually turned into SASI. In 2011, I was invited to trial at the AIS for the U17 Australian team and in 2012 I was a train-on player at Adelaide United. Then I began playing WNPL football and had a short stint training with Adelaide United again in 2017. Currently, I am vice-captain at West Adelaide Soccer Club and have been playing there since 2016.”
Although this season is going very well for West, Tilley has experienced some difficult days with the club, ones which have left their mark on her.
“I think for me personally, I found it pretty hard to keep bouncing back after losing every big game West Adelaide had ever played in. We have played in cup finals, finals and grand finals but have always just fallen short. It’s a hard pill to swallow being second best. As disheartening as it is, it was important for me to remember how far we had come as a team and to trust that we were heading in the right direction. Before you know it though, it’s West Adelaide pre-season time and the hard work continues all over again.”
With Tilley now in her fifth year at the club, she is perfectly placed to give some insight into how good things are behind the scenes.
“I honestly could not love the vibe at West Adelaide any more if I tried. The girls are a lot of fun, but also hardworking and super, super talented.”
“Our whole coaching staff this year has been incredible, head coach Tracey Jenkins in particular has a wealth of knowledge and experience and it’s been fantastic getting to work so closely with her. Our Reserves group, coached by Kirsty Taylor and Christina Papageorgiou, are also extremely talented this year and it’s exciting to be able to unite as one big squad.”
Tilley has been playing in this competition for a decade and she reflected on how it has developed. “The standard of football in the SA NPLW has improved immensely since I began playing back in 2011.
“In general, women’s football in SA has become a lot more popular, and more and more people are beginning to notice the improvements of the standard. It’s quickly becoming a sport where girls feel like they can play because there are direct pathways for them to develop and grow. I’ve also begun to notice that young girls are coming out to watch our games and it’s just so rewarding to have a positive influence on the future generation.”
Tilley has been in outstanding form this season for West Adelaide. She describes herself as “being speedy, strong, likes to dribble and has plenty of confidence with long-range passes and shots.”
This confidence with long-range shots has led to her scoring some world-class goals for West Adelaide this season, with free-kicks from tight angles outside the box prompting the immortal line “Nicole Tilley … she doesn’t score tap-ins”. For the West Adelaide star, it’s all down to mental preparation and channeling the emotions of the game.
“Ironically, I have not really scored that many free-kicks in my life. One thing I have learned though is that scoring free kicks is 99% mental. My long-range one against Salisbury Inter was driven by anger and frustration but the one against NTC was sort of just like ‘well you did it last week, so just do it again’ and it worked!
“Actually, about twenty minutes before I scored that goal I had said to my teammate Georgia Macri in the change room that ‘I will never score a goal like last week again in my life’.
“In terms of working on it, I have always been critical of my technique and sometimes I’ll stay back after training and take a couple of hits but nah, nothing too crazy really.”
It has been extremely enjoyable watching West Adelaide this season. They are a team that play a high-quality and pacey passing game. Tilley recognises that this is something the team has worked hard on.
“I am so proud of the girls and the style of football we are playing this year. It isn’t easy to do but when it pulls off, it is beautiful to play and watch.
“We have been playing such a great brand of football, and even though we can sometimes find ourselves in wobbly patches during games, overall there isn’t a whole heap to fault. Personally, I have been pretty happy with my own form, my calves have given me a little bit of grief this year but apart from that I have been playing 90 minutes and just loving every minute out there spent with the team.”
The SA WNPL is developing into a fascinating tussle at the top between West Adelaide and Salisbury Inter. Adelaide City are now pushing strongly as well, while Metro United and SA NTC are still in the mix. Nicole believes the rest of the season is going to be a thrilling battle.
“Big games are what it is all about, it’s what we play for! It’s always a big game when we play Inter. I have also found NTC to be pretty impressive this year. They are young but very technical and play the same style as us. Other teams like Salisbury and Metro have different styles and it can be hard to adjust to but is usually a tight game. City had a relatively slow start to their season but have found some recent form.”
With Nicole and her team playing extremely well this season, it is clear that she has not given up on the dream of playing W-League football.
“Playing W-League football is of course a dream of mine and has been for quite a while now. I have some tweaks to make to help sharpen up my game and I’m working closely with our head coach Tracey Jenkins to improve in any way I can. As a 25-year-old, I think I have matured a lot as a player and I think I’m ready. All I can do is to continue to work hard this season and keep my fingers crossed that the opportunity arises.”
