You know a season is rapidly approaching when the Football West NPLW Night Series comes around, and on Saturday evening the 2023 competition kicks off.
The format will be the same as in previous years, with the eight NPLW teams split into two groups of four; the top two from each group advance to the knockout stage, with the winners of each game facing off in the grand final.
Since the start of the NPLW WA era in 2020, there have been three different winners, with Fremantle City being the inaugural champions in 2020, Balcatta Etna in 2021, and Northern Redbacks in 2022.
As this is a pre-season competition it’s hard to draw too many conclusions about the prospects for the various teams for 2023, but it still serves as a useful guide to where each team is at as they prepare for the new season.
Perth RedStar
Last season’s league champions have yet to play in a Night Series, as the merger between Northern Redbacks and ECU Joondalup to form RedStar didn’t officially take place until after the 2022 Night Series, so this is their first chance to add the Night Series trophy to their cabinet.
There have been significant changes in personnel from last season with captain Shawn Billam retiring to take up the role of assistant coach to Carlos Vega Mena, golden boot winner Larissa Walsh moving to Calder United in the Victorian NPLW, and club appearance record-holder Carla Bennett out for the season after rupturing her ACL in a recent friendly game. In addition, goalkeeper Shivani Battaglia left in late August to play college football in America.
Vega Mena had this to say about the changes brought about by the loss of these players and how pre-season has gone so far:
“The players have been working hard in the pre-season with a focus on strength conditioning and teamwork. I have been impressed with their commitment, it’s always a pleasure to see them putting in 100% in preparation for the upcoming competition.
“We have some new additions to the NPLW squad and I am keen to see these players in action on the pitch. I am also very privileged to have Shawn Billam on board as my Assistant Coach and Jess Wheatman joining us as the U21 Coach. I look forward to working with them both throughout the 2023 season.”
Vega-Mena is known for his one-game-at-a-time mentality, and this was reflected in his comments about the Night Series:
“We will be approaching the Night Series competition with the same mindset as last season, one game at a time. We will be aiming to be competitive and plan to challenge each team for the 3 points.”
Perth SC
Last season’s league runner-up and State Cup finalists have been busy in the off-season and have recruited strongly: Poppie Hooks (MUM FC) and Ellie La Monte (2022 Launceston United fairest and best) are both well-known by coach Peter Rakic from his days as head coach at title-winning MUM FC in 2020, whilst Monique Gooding has moved from Balcatta Etna. Perth will also welcome back Gemma Craine after being without her services last season.
On the minus side of the ledger, they will be without ex-Perth Glory striker Caitlin Doeglas who has moved to the eastern states, ex-captain Zoee Spadano who is playing futsal in Italy, and Nadia Harvey.
Perth came the closest of all the teams in the NPLW to beating Perth RedStar in 2022 drawing two of their three league games against the champions. Rakic will also be looking to end a poor run of results he had against NTC and identified them and RedStar as the teams to beat if he is going to guide his side to finals success.
He had this to say about his hopes and expectations for the Night Series:
“An appearance in the final would be a perfect way to start our campaign, it maximises our playing time and builds momentum into the first league game. Group stages are always tough though, everyone is still finding their feet and trying new things, and you never really know which team will come out firing first.”
Fremantle City
Third-placed Fremantle had a disappointing season in 2022 as they failed to seriously challenge for any of the trophies.
Head coach Garry Church left at the end of the campaign and he’s been replaced by Faye Chambers who has previously been the U15’s NTC Coach and coach of the WA U16’s State team. Chambers is the only female head coach in the league.
This will be the fourth coach for Fremantle in the NPLW era but with many of last season’s team still on board, Chambers will have the advantage of being able to draw on the experience of a team that has finished in the top 4 every year. She has also recruited players she’s previously worked with at the NTC and there is every likelihood that the port city team will be in the mix for the trophy.
Hyundai NTC
The fourth-placed team from last season will be a major threat for the Night Series as they have bolstered their already talented squad with the addition of precocious young talent Ischia Brooking and her Junior Matildas teammate, the elegant defender Ruby Cuthbert, who have both moved up from the NTC U15 squad.
The runner-up in last season’s Golden Boot, Tanika Lala, and Junior Matilda Georgia Cassidy will be back, and with coach Ben Anderton at the helm for the 4th season they can rightly be regarded as serious cup contenders.
The only significant change that could potentially impact the team is the loss of strength and conditioning coach Callum McCaskie who has moved to the USA to take up a position with MLS team Columbus Crew.
Murdoch University Melville
The dominant team in the first two seasons of the NPLW went trophyless last season for the first time since the start of the competition and they were never really in a position to seriously challenge for any silverware.
MUMFC have a new coach for 2023, and David Biancuzzo becomes the fourth coach at the club. He was the assistant coach for the U21’s last season, and is ably supported by GK coach and ex-Matilda Tracey Wheeler, as well as technical director Mark Jones.
Biancuzzo recognises that 2022 was difficult for MUM, but is hoping that by retaining the majority of the squad from last season his young side will have learned valuable lessons from the experience.
Stacey Cavill and Danielle Brown have moved across from Curtin University whilst Sophie Meaden from the NTC joins her sister Charlotte. They will also draw heavily on the experience of Katie Sabatini (née Schubert) to guide the young players.
He had this to say about what he hopes to gain from the Night Series:
“I hope to get a better understanding of individual players, their strengths and weaknesses in what will be 3 very difficult games. The message to the playing group is that we will use the next 3 weeks to play players in different positions on the pitch and to implement certain aspects of our playing style. We have also added to the squad several younger players from our JNPL and 21’s to see how they adapt to senior football.”
Balcatta Etna FC
The Night Series is a competition that Balcatta Etna thrives in, having made two out of the three finals in the NPLW era, winning in 2021 and finishing runners-up in 2022.
The Night Series final was the highlight of the season for them though, as they finished the season in 6th position.
Tim Cash has stepped back into the role of head coach following the departure of Steve Atkins, and he is assisted by former Indian Premier League player Yash Pratap.
Balcatta has secured the services of 2021 NPLW Gold Medal winner Tia Stonehill following her absence in season 2022 due to a serious back injury sustained in last season’s Night Series, and she will be a huge asset to the side. They also welcome back Kimberely McCartney following her season-long ACL injury in 2022, while Monique Gooding has left to play for Perth SC.
Cash spoke about the player movement and what he hopes to gain from the competition:
“We have a few new players through recruitment and promotion from the 21s who will be seen in the Night Series. Player and tactical development [are our aims] and to go as far as we can. We love the tournament and always strive to do our best.”
Subiaco AFC
The biggest improvers in 2022 will be looking to maintain their upward trajectory during this years competition.
Coach Greg Farrell continues to rebuild his squad and has recruited from a number of teams in the off-season, as well as building firm foundations for the future in the under-18 and under-21 age groups.
With players moving in from Perth RedStar, Balcatta, FW NTC, MUM, and Kelmscott Roos there will be a lot of new faces playing for Subiaco in the Night Series, but they have lost a couple of important players from last season ,with Chelsie Winchcombe moving to Sydney for work reasons and Young Matildas goal keeper Zara Board moving to Perth RedStar.
Off the field, Steve Atkins has joined the club as an assistant to Farrell and he will also be taking over the running of the U21s.
Farrell was pleased with the way pre-season preparations had been going and was keen to emphasise that the Night Series was a part of the pre-season:
“The Night Series is a pre-season tournament, a great guide to see how we are going and where we can improve, but is still only pre-season. We’ll use it to get more time in players’ legs with the aim to be ready for round 1.”
Curtin University
Last season’s wooden spooners seem to be facing another very difficult season if their pre-season is anything to go by.
Following the announcement of a new coach in late December, they then started advertising for new players. However, by early February another new coach in Harry Smith appears to have taken over the reins, and there have been yet more adverts looking for new players.
Smith was candid about all of this in his response to questions from Beyond90.
“Pre-season has been tricky for Curtin as we’re undergoing a full revamp heading into this season. Plenty of player movements, with an entirely new squad, new coaches, and a new identity.
“We’ve worked hard to assemble a squad for the Night Series comp but have yet to train together, so our toughest opposition will probably be Balcatta in our opening game.
“You might say we’ll face tougher teams later in the comp but at least we will have had the chance to train together by then.
“A successful Night Series for us is simply valuable minutes on the pitch ahead of the season as we are more than aware we are very late to the party this season.”
2023 NPLW WA Night Series
Group A
Balcatta Etna
Perth RedStar
Curtin University
Football West NTC
Group B
Fremantle City
Murdoch University Melville
Perth SC
Subiaco AFC
Group Stage – 18-19 February, 25-26 February, 4-5 March
Semi-Finals – 11-12 March
Night Series Final – Sunday 19 March
