In every sporting competition, whatever the flavour, there’s always a myriad of storylines to follow. This year’s NSW NPLW season is no different, with threads weaving together throughout the year to create a patchwork of tales once again.
The consistently consistent side who hasn’t strayed from its course; the unlikely qualifier in flying form; the team of youngsters guided by the wizened veteran; the motley crew thrown together from afar; the split competition, the win-or-go-home, the glory just hours away. Everywhere you look, there’s players and teams writing their own history one moment or one match at a time.
With the Big Dance rapidly approaching, Beyond90 is here to give you the long and the short of this year’s NSW NPLW grand finalists.
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY
“What is adequacy? Adequacy is no standard at all,” Sir Winston Churchill once said of Britain’s pre-WWII defences. In truth, adequacy is what one makes of it; whatever one finds acceptable or satisfactory. Under Alex Epakis’ guidance however, Sydney University have never stooped to the acceptable or adequate, constantly striving for perfection in one most competitive football leagues in the country.
Quietly earmarked for coaching opportunities further up the Australian football pyramid – either in the W-League or potentially even at national team level – Epakis has got his side running like a well-oiled machine this year. For so long the competition’s yardstick, 2020 has been no different: having gone through the abridged season undefeated, the Students made short work of the knockout stage, comfortably brushing aside their semi-final opponents Northern Tigers in a 4-0 whitewash last Sunday.
Built around a simple 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation, Epakis’ playing style is among the easiest on the eye of any team at NPLW level. A solid double-pivot midfield of Clare Wheeler and new Canberra signing Bianca Galić steers the side around the park, distributing to all four points of the compass in an effort to pull opponents from side to side and find space between lines. Runs down the flank from the likes of Annabel Martin, Julie-Ann Russell, and Teigan Collister serve as both attacking opportunities and methods of tiring opposition wingbacks, forcing them to turn-and-burn and negating their attacking potential in order to lessen the defensive requirements of Uni’s own defenders. Russell, Demi Koulizakis, and more recently Michelle Heyman add bite to the Uni attack, punishing teams’ mistakes whenever they arise and finishing chances on goal at an alarming rate.
| Coach: | Alex Epakis |
| Captain: | Clare Wheeler |
| Top Scorer: | Julie-Ann Russell (6) |
| 2020 Record: | First – 9W 2D 0L (+27 GD) |
| Last 5 Matches: | WWWWW |
| 3 Key Players: | Tori Tumeth: Long-time readers of Beyond90 – especially our own Eric Subijano’s musings – will be completely unsurprised to see Tumeth listed here as a key member of Uni’s title challenge. Talented beyond her years and yet somehow still to make her W-League debut, Tumeth has played for both under-age national teams and has earned a reputation as one of the best young defenders in Australia. Her defensive partnership with Clare Hunt saw Uni finish the season having conceded only three goals, seven fewer than the closest rival in Manly, and will be key in shutting out their grand final opponents once again.
Clare Wheeler: Of all the midfield pivots in NPLW NSW this season, none have matured as rapidly or as much as Clare Wheeler. Already considered a leader among her peers, the newly-signed Sydney midfielder has combined with Tumeth and Hunt to form an almost impenetrable defensive bloc, capable of turning away attacking raids like Czech hedgehogs on the beach. Ranted and raved about – and even tipped for Matildas honours – on The Far Post podcast this season, Wheeler has developed into one of the best organising midfielders in the league, combining incredible work ethic with an innate ability to read opposing attacks as they develop in one neat, constantly-underestimated parcel. Kendall Fletcher: By far the most-experienced member of Uni’s playing squad, Fletcher’s move up the pitch into a more creative #10 position has given the American midfielder a new lease on life this season. Sitting amongst a whip-quick forward line, and not afraid to drop deeper to collect possession from her defenders, Fletcher’s output this season has marked her out as one of the competition’s premier players, both in terms of attacking threat and distribution throughout the centre third. Lethal from distance and gifted with Doctor Manhattan-like vision, Fletcher will be a key to Uni’s success against a compact Manly defence. |
| The More You Know… | Having won both the Premiership and Championship in 2014 and 2019, victory for Sydney University in tomorrow’s grand final will see the team secure its third domestic double, matching the NPL-era records of men’s sides South Hobart and Perth, and becoming the first women’s team to do so. |
MANLY UNITED
Cobbled together from the remains of 2019’s unsuccessful season and a number of teams across both the NSW and Northern NSW competitions, Manly United have turned from a ragtag bunch into one of the most fluid attacking teams in the league.
Pushed on by a will to repeat their upset win over a star-studded Macarthur side in 2017, Manly’s comeback against Sydney Olympic last week typified a side built around grit and persistance. And as if the side needed any more motivation, coach Chris Williams announced in late September that he’d be stepping away from the game, having been involved with the club’s senior team since 2012, meaning a win this weekend would be a final feather in his already decorated cap.
Williams’ side has centred itself around two pairs of players: Ally Green and Cassidy Davis in defence, and Tara Andrews and Remy Siemsen in attack. Linking the two has been a mobile, fearless midfield, with Claudia Cholakian and Libby Copus-Brown tackling like terriers and distributing passes like postal workers at Christmas.
The side will however be sweating on the fitness of second-leading scorer Siemsen, who was substituted near the hour mark in the semi final after suffering a hamstring injury, though reports have her better than a 50/50 chance to line-up for her side on Sunday.
| Coach: | Chris Williams |
| Captain: | Chloe O’Brien |
| Top Scorer: | Tara Andrews (12) |
| 2020 Record: | Third – 7W 2D 2L (+19 GD) |
| Last 5 Matches: | WWWWW |
| 3 Key Players: | Ally Green: The experienced fulcrum at the centre of Manly’s defence, Green has again shown the quality that continues to see her clocking up season after season with W-League side Sydney. More often seen on the right side of defence when in Sky Blue, Green’s nous has come in handy more than once this year – especially against faster opponents, where her ability to read the play and get a tackle in edgewise has rattled more than a few cages. Which Sydney Uni striker she lines up against on Sunday remains to be seen, but Green’s leadership and strength at the back will be key for Manly’s championship chances.
Libby Copus-Brown: Described as Manly’s “assist queen” earlier this week, central midfielder Copus-Brown will be crucial to Manly’s hopes of victory, as she looks to maintain the side’s tempo and direction, as well as covering her defensive colleagues on the counter. Having already scored a ridiculous long-range bomb at W-League level, Copus-Brown will be looking to add her name to the scoresheet – in either the goals or assists column – as well as cutting off Uni’s opportunities as they no doubt flood towards her. Tara Andrews: An incredibly experienced operator with more than 50 goals across a handful of years in NPLW, Andrews has developed into as key a provider of goals for her side as she is a finisher. Dangerous from close range, in the air, and from distance, Andrews will draw defensive attention away from her teammates, allowing Manly to spread possession through the attacking third and potentially find overlaps across their front four. |
| The More You Know… | Since 2014, Manly United have only been involved in a single NPLW finals match decided by more than one goal – the 2016 preliminary final, which the side lost 3-1 to NW Sydney Koalas, thanks in part to two goals from Tara Andrews. |
NPL NSW Women’s 2020 Grand Final
Sydney University vs Manly United
4:00pm, Sunday 11 October
Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood
Available to stream at NPL.tv
