NPLW WA Gold Medal and Golden Boot winner Larissa (Larry) Walsh will move to Victoria and join reigning NPLW Victoria Champions Calder United for the 2023 season.
Last year, Walsh had an unprecedented season of success with Perth RedStar FC. She netted 21 goals and became the only player in NPLW WA’s short history to score in the Night Series Final, State Cup Final and Grand Final in the same season.
With nothing left to prove in her home state, Walsh was looking for a new challenge and spoke about how the Calder United move came to fruition.
View this post on Instagram
“I had spoken to Calder around mid-season regarding an opportunity to go over there, but I think after RedStar had won the league title it felt right to take on the new challenge and try out the Victorian NPLW league. I am not getting any younger so an opportunity like this probably won’t come up again. I feel my game has been improving each season and it was time to go outside my comfort zone.”
This move may surprise some as Walsh has been at the same club (Northern Redbacks/Perth RedStar) since arriving from Albany in 2012. In that time, she has amassed over 250 first-team games, but the 29-year-old has no concerns about moving to a new club at a relatively late stage in her career.
“The move to another club doesn’t bother me too much, and (whilst) the decision was hard it was not (too) hard. I wanted to tick a few boxes before making my final decision both in football and outside of football.”
Walsh was able to draw on valuable advice from RedStar head coach Carlos Vega Mena, who has played professionally in Chile, Switzerland, Indonesia and Australia. She knew the time was right to go when Vega Mena said she should accept the offer.
“I spoke with Carlos straight away about the offer. He has been in this situation before as a player and he comes with a wealth of knowledge. When he said I should take it, it made my decision a bit easier to make. That and chatting with Mark Torcaso, (Calder United Head of Football and Western United A-League Women coach) and hearing the plans for next season made me more excited.”
Vega Mena spoke in glowing terms about Walsh and hopes the move will earn her an A-League Women contract.
“It has been an absolute pleasure coaching Larry, she is one of those players who brings something special to the pitch. She works hard at every training session and is always keen to improve.
“Larry’s hard work and ability to bring my playing style to the pitch has been rewarded with her receiving several Football West awards over the last two years, and now this offer to play NPLW over east in 2023.
“It’s a shame that we will lose her but I’ve encouraged her, and fully support her in taking up this opportunity. I hope to see her playing A-League soon and wish her all the best in her endeavours. She will always have a home here at Perth RedStar.”
Walsh’s decision to move is likely to be seen by some in the WA football community as evidence of a talent drain to the eastern states, due to a perceived lack of opportunities at Perth Glory. However, Walsh has a more pragmatic view on the reasons behind her decision.
“My main reason for leaving would be for myself. I was presented with an opportunity to play in a league where no one knows me, and it challenges me to prove myself. People need to realise that relocating for sporting commitments is common. You see it in Europe and in the USA and when people are presented with an opportunity to further their sporting career they don’t often say no.
“I wouldn’t say lack of opportunity at Glory drove me to move. I had always tried to view each season as an opportunity to prove to Glory that I should be there. However, no matter how well you play not every coach will see you as part of their game plan. That’s football, it can be brutal.
“Instead, I was fortunate enough that Mark saw my potential and can see me fitting into Calder’s game plan. With that and the pathway they have developed with Western United, I couldn’t say no to this opportunity.
“There are also two other A-League clubs in Melbourne, whilst in WA we only have one club so there is more exposure over there. I couldn’t turn down that type of opportunity, and even if nothing comes from it at least I can say I tried.”
By moving from Perth RedStar to Calder United, Walsh has swapped one all-conquering team for another. Last year, RedStar completed the Night Series / State Cup / League Title / Grand Final clean sweep and were unbeaten in the process, whilst Calder United won all three trophies in 2022.
The manner of RedStar’s success has been seen by a few in WA as proof that the league is weak, a claim that Walsh emphatically denied as she highlighted what she felt were the reasons behind last season’s success.
“I don’t think people realise how harsh it is to say the league is weak. It wasn’t just RedStar working hard, but every team week in and week out put in the effort to train and try to improve. To see these comments from people stating ‘the league is weak’ is just a kick in the face to all players of the league.
“I think the reason RedStar dominated so much was that we managed to find an even balance of young, up-and-coming players and experienced ones. Every player (except for myself and the younger ones) has experienced top-tier football, whether that is in Australia or overseas, and it goes to show that knowledge of the game is crucial, not just skills.
“Our squad has also been nearly unchanged for a number of seasons and everyone was determined not to finish the season as we did in 2021 (the club missed out on the league title and did not make the Grand Final). When you begin to play together for so long you learn how the others play.
“That is also what attracted me to Calder, who are similar to Redbacks by being a female-only club and have players who have been there for numerous years. Last year they managed to take all three trophies for the season. Do people say that they only won because the Victorian league is weak? No, it is because they recruited the right players to follow the clubs’ philosophy.”
Click here for a statement about Larissa Walsh’s departure from Perth RedStar FC.
