Round 11 marks the season’s halfway mark, so we thought we’d look at how each team is going so far and make our prediction for the likely champions, the four teams that will play finals and the team likely to win the wooden spoon, but first a quick recap of round 11.
The round was probably the most one-sided of the season, with all four games being decided by winning margins of three goals or more and not one of the losing teams scoring.
It kicked off on Friday evening at Home Group Stadium in Balcatta, with the home team beating Hyundai NTC 3-0. A brace from Liana Cook and a goal from Monique Prinsloo sealed the victory to temporarily move Pete Rakic’s side to second place above Perth SC. Cook has now hit three goals in her last two games following her move into midfield after the devastating loss of Monique Godding with a ruptured ACL.
On Sunday, Fremantle recorded the largest victory of the season so far winning 8-0 against Subiaco. There were braces from Abbey Green, Anna Powell, Janice Kiama and Tanika Lala as the home team ran rampant over a hapless Subiaco side to leapfrog their opponents into fifth spot, just two points behind NTC with a game in hand. Lala has now scored four goals in her last two games, and five overall, to underline her reputation as one of the best strikers in WA.
The other games saw the two bottom teams travel to the two top teams, and the result was the same in both games with the home teams winning 5-0.
Perth RedStar brushed aside MUM FC with a brace from Caitlin Doeglas and goals from Renee Leota, Jayna Ridley and Reina Kagami. Doeglas now has 13 for the season and leads the race for the Golden Boot by one goal from Kagami and Perth SC’s Ella Lincoln. She has scored in her last five games and is a huge asset for the league leaders.
Perth won comfortably against UWA with goals from Ella Lincoln (2), Anika Stajcic, Jessica Flannery and Daisy McAllister, whilst UWA had goalkeeper Morgan Springer sent off in the 37th minute. Lincoln has scored in all but three of Perth’s 11 games this season with Balcatta being the only team to have kept her goaless. Her strike partner, Stajcic, has chimed in with five goals despite not having played a full game this season.
Click here for the Round 11 goal highlights!
League Standings after NPLW WA Round 11
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points | Form | ||
| 1 | Perth RedStar FC | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 11 | +41 | 30 | WWLWW |
| 2 | Perth SC | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 12 | +25 | 25 | WLWDW |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 14 | +22 | 24 | WWWWL |
| 4 | Hyundai NTC | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 30 | -11 | 15 | LLWWL |
| 5 | Fremantle City FC | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 13 | WWDWL |
| 6 | Subiaco AFC | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 37 | -20 | 11 | LDWLL |
| 7 | MUM FC | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 42 | -30 | 4 | LDLLL |
| 8 | UWA Nedlands FC | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 45 | -34 | 4 | LLLLL |
Round 12 Fixtures
Saturday 29th Jun
Hyundai NTC vs PERTH SC – Sam Kerr Football Centre 1:00 pm
Sunday 30th Jun
FREMANTLE CITY vs PERTH REDSTAR FC – Hilton Park 1:00 pm
MUM FC vs UWA NEDLANDS FC – Besteam Stadium 3:00 pm
SUBIACO AFC vs BALCATTA ETNA FC – Rosalie Park 3:45 pm
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
13 – Caitlin Doeglas (Perth RedStar FC)
12 – Reina Kagami (Perth RedStar FC)
12 – Ella Lincoln (Perth SC)
11 – Abbey Meakins (Balcatta Etna FC)
10 – Lucy Jerram (Balcatta Etna FC)
MID-SEASON REVIEW
Perth RedStar – P10 W9 D0 L1 GD +41 Points 30
The reigning champions are in familiar territory at the top of the table, where they have been for the whole season. A flawless opening 8 games saw them eyeing another potential unbeaten season, but a defeat to Perth SC in round 9 ended those thoughts.
They have failed to score three or more goals on just one occasion, scoring 41 whilst conceding just 11. Their new signings, Doeglas, Gabby Dal Busco, Lauren Continibali, Mischa Anderson, Manami Arai and Momoko Sakairi have all slotted in seamlessly, and the return of veteran midfielder Carla Bennett from long-term injury has bolstered the depth of the squad.
The quality in the squad allows coach Carlos Vega-Mena to shuffle his pack when required, as evidenced by his triple substitution in the round 7 game against the NTC for the Regional Festival of Football trophy. With the score 1-1 at halftime, his injection of new players resulted in a 7-1 victory for RedStar.
Whilst they remain title favourites, the league leaders must continue to display the same consistency they have shown in the first half of the season, or the five-point gap they currently have will disappear.
Perth SC – P11 W8 D1 L2 GD +25 Points 25
Sitting in second place, Perth are the only team to take points off RedStar this season and did so with a display of controlled aggression and rapid counter-attacking football. In Ella Lincoln, they have the favourite for the Gold Medal for player of the season and she could end up as the Golden Boot winner as she is currently just one goal behind the current leader, Doeglas.
With 37 goals so far, they have the second most potent attack in the league and are second in the goals-against category conceding just 12. Baxter Thew’s recovery from injury has bolstered their defensive stocks, and her partnership with Kim McCartney is one of the strongest centre-back pairings in the league.
Coach Danielle Holtham (nee Brogan) has made some astute recruiting choices and the squad is bristling with young talent including ALW players Georgia Cassidy, Grace Johnson, Anika Stajcic, Lily Bailey and Tijan McKenna (currently injured). The recent departure of Perth Glory men’s coach, Alen Stajcic, has thrown a cloud over the future of his daughter Anika, and she may well follow her father and depart Perth soon.
The big unknown for Perth will be how long they can keep their ALW players before they return for pre-season ALW training, whilst goalkeeper Lily Bailey may soon leave for America to play college football. If they can keep these players until August and beat RedStar in round 15 they could overhaul the leaders. They can’t afford to drop any more points though, and will need others to take points off RedStar if they are to win their first-ever NPLW league title.
Balcatta Etna – P10 W8 D0 L2 GD +22 Points 24
Balcatta are currently in a rich vein of form having gone undefeated in their last four games and beating second-placed Perth in round 10. They have a game in hand on the Azzurri, who they trail by just one point.
Their goals for tally of 36 is one less than Perth’s and they have conceded just 14 all season. Abbey Meakins is having a stellar season from midfield with 11 goals so far, whilst teammate Lucy Jerram is one behind with 10.
This attacking threat is further complimented by Tia Stonehill who has only featured in one game so far, so there is more to come from Pete Rakic’s side in that department. Alyssa van Heurck continues to show she is one of the best defenders in the league, whilst Becky Bennett has been as solid as ever in goal.
Both of their defeats have come against their immediate rivals for the title and they have never really looked in danger of dropping points against anyone else, so they will be confident they can take the title race right down to the wire.
They have a lot of pace in the final third with Stonehill, Jerram and Monique Prinsloo and this prevents teams from playing a high line against them. This stretches the pitch and allows Meakins to exploit the gaps, but the recent loss of Monique Godding with an ACL is a big blow. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on the team, although there was a glimpse of a new and gritty defensive approach in the victory against Perth in round 10.
If Balcatta are to claim their first-ever league title in the NPLW era and first senior league title since 2010 they must beat Perth RedStar in rounds 13 and 20 and avoid defeat against Perth SC in round 17. They can also ill afford any dropped points against the rest of the league and will want Meakins and van Heurck to avoid injury.
Hyundai NTC – P11 W5 D0 L6 GD -11 Points 15
The youngsters from the NTC won their first three games of the campaign, then went four games winless, before picking up two more wins, but have now lost their last two.
This inconsistency is not unexpected for such a young team, but what will be concerning for coach Ben Anderton is the manner of the losses and how his side is conceding goals. Heavy defeats against the top teams seem to have dented the team’s confidence, with a 7-1 loss against RedStar illustrating how the team can go into its shell when put under heavy pressure. This was not a one-off, as the second-half performance during the 2-0 defeat against Fremantle saw the team struggling to maintain possession and offering little in the way of any attacking threat. The recent return of Brisbane Roar’s Ruby Cuthbert will hopefully improve the sides defensive discipline.
The team has scored just 19 goals whilst conceding 30 and they are now only two points ahead of fifth-placed Fremantle who have a game in hand. NTC’s style of play has always been to play out from the back and almost pass teams to death, but a combination of injuries and a lack of confidence has seen them unable to execute this game plan as successfully as in previous seasons.
They are still in the race for a top-four spot, but the momentum of the early season has stalled and they will have to dig deep to regain it. Games against Subiaco and Fremantle are now must-wins, whilst maximum points must be taken from MUM and UWA if they are to play finals football at the end of the season.
Fremantle City – P10 W4 D1 L5 GD +7 Points 13
Fremantle City are one of only three clubs that have played finals football in every season of the NPLW era, along with Perth RedStar and Perth SC. A dismal start to the campaign meant they had just one win in the opening six rounds, including a loss to UWA in round six, and were in 7th spot when they played MUM FC in round 7. At that point it seemed highly unlikely they would make the top four and they have had to play catch-up football ever since.
There was also turmoil in the squad with Andrea Preiato, Kayla McCulloch, Nina Boorman and Penelope Clayton all leaving early in the season, and they were followed by last season’s NPLW Gold Medal winner, Laura Waltman, who departed after round three.
On the plus side, coach Faye Chambers has welcomed Perth Glory players Abbey Green, Clara Hoarau and Tanika Lala to the squad, plus ex-NTC player Anna Powell.
Slowly but surely they have got their season back on track and are now undefeated in the last four games, including a draw with Perth SC in round 8. This turnaround in form means they are now only two points behind fourth-placed NTC with a game in hand and are playing with swagger and confidence which suggests they are back on track for another year of finals football.
Not all is plain sailing though as it would appear Lala will be moving overseas to play in Sweden very soon, whilst American college football is beckoning for others in the squad. There is also the uncertainty over when or if Green and Hoarau will return to Glory, so they must gain as many points as possible while their full squad is available. This will maintain the pressure on NTC and increase the gap between themselves and Subiaco.
Subiaco AFC P11 W3 D2 L6 GD -20 Points 11
At the start of the season, there was a sense that Subiaco might be able to capitalise on Fremantle and NTC’s loss of senior players to claim a top-four spot. Unfortunately, the team has been unable to string a series of consistent performances together and, as a result, find themselves behind those two teams.
Coach Greg Farrell’s expectations of his group this season mean that the two draws against MUM FC and UWA Nedlands have been viewed as points dropped, whilst the win against NTC was considered the standard now expected. The problem this season has been that the squad has yet to bridge the gap to the next tier of teams and they have been heavily beaten when they play them, with a prime example being the 8-0 loss to Fremantle last time out.
Part of the reason for being beaten so heavily is that they continue to have issues with injuries to goalkeepers and have already used three different keepers this campaign. This leads to a lack of continuity and creates confusion and doubt in the defensive third. They also lack a cutting edge in the final third, and their tally of 17 goals is nowhere near enough to mount a serious tilt at a top-four spot.
Despite these shortcomings, they are still in the frame for finals football and are just four points behind NTC. The performances of Marianna Tabain, Cassandra Harvey and Tanya Campos have shown they have quality in their squad, although questions remain about their depth which will be seriously tested in the second half of the season with injuries and absences requiring them to bring in more inexperienced players.
With Fremantle now building a head of steam, it may be that a top-four spot will remain out of reach, but if they can put in good performances against NTC and pick up maximum points in games against MUM and UWA then they are likely to have their highest finish in the NPLW era.
MUM FC – P11 W1 D1 L9 GD -30 Points 4
In 2021 MUM FC completed the treble and crowned NPLW league champions for the second successive season, but 3 years later they are in a relegation dogfight. This fall from grace has also seen them employ 3 different coaches during that time, with Steve Atkins the latest to try and right the ship.
The season didn’t get off to a great start and they lost their first four games before getting a vital win against fellow strugglers UWA Nedlands. Four more successive losses followed before they gained another precious point with a draw against Subiaco in round 10, which lifted them to 7th spot ahead of UWA on goal difference, so its importance can’t be overemphasised.
Atkins has instilled a strong work ethic and team spirit with this young squad and they have shown plenty of fight even when suffering heavy defeats. They are well-organised and difficult to break down, denying opponents time and space. They have also recently added ex-Perth Glory players Ellis Glanfield and Tia Eastman whose experience and quality will be hugely important in the second half of the season. The goals of Taylor Reid have also been significant and her pace and direct play have been a valuable outlet when the team has been under pressure. Captain Tiahna Botha has been another influential player, but rumours are swirling that she will be leaving to play futsal in Europe and her loss will be significant if that happens.
The fight to avoid the relegation spot and a possible playoff spot is between MUM and UWA, so the games between these two will be vital in determining who that will be. The experience and quality of Eastman and Glanfield may be enough to tip the balance in their favour.
UWA Nedlands P11 W1 D1 L9 GD -34 Points 4
The newcomers to the NPLW have had a tough debut season, but have stayed competitive in the majority of their games. As with MUM, they are set up to be difficult to break down and hit teams on the counterattack.
They earned their first NPLW point in round two with a 2-2 draw against Subiaco and then recorded their historic maiden NPLW victory in round 6 with a gritty 3-2 win on the road against Fremantle.
The loss against MUM FC in round 5 was a blow, as it means they now have to beat their fellow strugglers in round 12 and will probably need to repeat the result in round 19 if they are to avoid the wooden spoon.
They also need to tighten up defensively as they have conceded four or more goals on five occasions, and goal difference may be a critical factor in deciding the end-of-season positions.
Coach Lawrence Lewis has been unable to add new players to his squad so he will rely on the supply chain from his U21s and the large number of junior players at the club if he suffers any significant injuries. The lack of NPLW experience in his squad may prove to be telling in the second half of the season, but the squad can feel proud of what they have already achieved. If they find themselves in a relegation playoff, their experience of playing a full season of NPLW should be too much for any side that may challenge them from the Hyundai Women’s League.
PREDICTION
Champions – Perth RedStar.
Top 4 – Perth RedStar, Balcatta, Perth SC, Fremantle.
Relegation Spot – UWA Nedlands.
