The fourth NPLW WA season starts on Sunday and it looks to be one of the closest top four races since the competition began in 2020, with nearly all teams in the mix for a finals spot. In Part 1 of our 2023 NPLW WA Season Preview, we take a look at the top four teams from last year and assess how we think they will go for season 2023.
Perth RedStar
Coach: Carlos Vega Mena
Home Ground: RedStar Arena
Season 2022: 1st, Top 4 Champions, State Cup Winners, Night Series Winners.
Honours: League Champions (2022) Top 4 Champions (2020, 2022) State Cup Winners (2022) Night Series (2022)
The all-conquering unbeaten team from 2022 will again be one of the strongest teams in the competition, and as was seen in the Night Series Final will not give up any of its titles without a huge fight.
They have lost Shawn Billam (retired), Larissa Walsh (moved to Calder United), Shivani Battaglia (US college football) and Carla Bennett (knee injury) from last season but have retained the core of the team. RedStar have also added new players including Chiori Ikeda and Reina Kagami from Japan.
Carlos Vega Mena was pleased with the Night Series Final performance and was also happy with his younger players, who featured heavily in a 10-0 win against Curtin University.
“We have a group of very talented U21s who are able to step up when called upon. They are the future of the club and we are committed to their continued development.”
The strength of last season’s side was consistency and if RedStar repeat that this season they will again be title contenders.
Prediction: Top 4
Perth SC
Coach: Peter Rakic
Home Ground: Dorrien Gardens
Season 2022: 2nd. Runners up State Cup Final
Honours: Night Series (2023)
Perth SC came closest to RedStar last season and drew against them twice, however dropped points against NTC and MUM FC hindered their title chances.
They have recruited strongly in the pre-season with Poppie Hooks (MUM FC), Monique Gooding (Balcatta Etna) and Ellie Lamonte (Launceston United) all joining, while the Azzurri have also welcomed back Gemma Craine after a season-long injury in 2022.
Coach Peter Rakic was obviously delighted with victory in the Night Series Final but has set his sights higher for the season.
“The number one goal is consistency, and to not drop points in the manner that we did last year. If this can be achieved, I think we’ll see the benefit of that and hopefully really challenge for the league title this time.”
The injection of new players means Perth SC must be considered serious title contenders.
Prediction: Top 4
Fremantle City FC
Coach: Faye Chambers
Home Ground: Hilton Park
Season 2022: 3rd.
Honours: Night Series (2020)
The port side enters this campaign with a new coach. Faye Chambers took over from Garry Church, who has moved back to working with Football West.
Chambers is the only woman working as a head coach in the league and is the first in NPLW WA since Danielle Brogan was at Perth SC in 2021.
Fremantle had a strong Night Series campaign, finishing third overall by beating Hyundai NTC 2-0 in the 3rd/4th place playoff. They also drew 3-3 with Perth SC in the group stages and narrowly lost 2-1 to Perth RedStar in the semi-final.
With the majority of the 2022 side returning for this season, including Perth Glory skipper Tash Rigby, they will again be a major threat in 2023.
Prediction: Top 4
Hyundai NTC
Coach: Ben Anderton
Home Ground: E&D Litis
Season 2022: 4th. Runners up Top 4 Grand Final
Hyundai NTC are always an exciting team to watch as they possess the best young players in the State, including a number of Junior and Young Matildas.
Last season NTC showed they can be a threat to anyone on the day, and were rewarded for some strong end-of-season performances with a spot in the Grand Final.
This year they again appear to be capable of mounting a serious title challenge and are bolstered by the precocious talents of Junior Matildas Ischia Brooking and Ruby Cuthbert.
With regards to targets for the season, NTC is heavily focused on preparing players for possible national team identification, however Anderton was keen to emphasise the need for a team-winning mentality to be developed as well.
“Top 4 is definitely a goal of ours because we always want to instil a winning mentality going into each game, with the feeling that we can walk away with maximum points. However, this can never be at the expense of a strong performance and sticking to our playing principles.”
If they can build more consistency into their season then NTC will be a very difficult side to beat.
Prediction: Top 4
Keep an eye out for Part 2 of our 2023 NPLW WA Season Preview!
