On Sunday, Perth RedStar will take on Perth SC in the Hyundai State Cup Final, with both teams hoping to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
For RedStar this will be their first finals appearance for the new club in any competition, whilst for Perth SC this will be the second final their women’s team has appeared in, following their defeat in last season’s Top 4 cup final.
RedStar has had a comfortable passage to the final, with a 5-0 win against State League opponents UWA, a 12-0 win in the quarter-final against another State league side, Armadale, and then a 4-0 victory in the semi-final against NPLW side Curtin University.
Perth, by comparison, had a tougher route with games against NPLW sides in the three games they played to reach the final. They beat Subiaco 12-1 in a one-sided affair, before disposing of Fremantle City 4-1 in the quarter-finals. They were then within seconds of going out at the semi-final stage before equalising with a last-minute penalty against Balcatta, forcing a penalty shoot-out which they won.
The sides currently sit 1st and 3rd in the league, with the unbeaten Perth RedStar 19 points clear of Perth SC. They have played each other just once in the league this season, with RedStar winning 1-0 away from home. Perth has yet to beat RedStar in a regular league game over the three seasons of the NPLW, but has won games against them in the Top 4 cup and night series.
There is no doubt that RedStar is the form team of the competition, with a 100% record in the league, having scored 55 goals and conceded just 6 goals in 14 games. Perth has the second-best defensive record in the league with eight goals against, and the fourth-best attack in the league with twenty goals, but have struggled in the last four games with just one win and one goal whilst conceding three goals.
However, the one-off nature of a cup final means the form book gets thrown out of the window and past performance is often no guide, so teams who are considered underdogs can often cause an upset. Perth SC may well have had the wobbles in the last few games, but they have shown during the season that they are capable of going toe to toe with RedStar, having pushed them very hard during the 1-0 loss earlier in the season. Perth RedStar will be wary of their opponents, but their form and attacking power mean they will start the game as favourites and Perth SC will have to be at their very best if they are to pull off the win.
Key Players
The Perth RedStar strike duo of Larissa Walsh and Sarah Carroll have scored 28 goals between them and they will need to be nullified by the Perth SC defence if the Azzurri are to have any chance of winning on Sunday. Alyssa van Heurck and her fellow defenders will have their hands full to stop either of these two from scoring and will need to be on their toes for the full 90 minutes.
For Perth, their key players will be Abbey Meakins, captain Zoee Spadano and striker Jaime Duncanson. Meakins has shown she has the ability to win a game from free kicks and is also a dab hand when it comes to scoring long-range goals. Spadano is also capable of turning a game, whilst Duncanson is having another good season in front of goal and has six goals to her name this season. The RedStar midfield of Shawn Billam, Jacinta Coleman and Carla Bennett will need to be at the top of their games to prevent this trio from exerting any significant influence.
Coaches
Carlos Vega Mena is in his second season as head coach at Perth RedStar (previously Northern Redbacks) and came agonisingly close to lifting the league trophy last season, losing 2-1 in the last game of the campaign when a draw would have been enough to be crowned champions. This has seemingly spurred him on in his pursuit of titles and he has brought together a team of experienced campaigners playing at the top of their game, along with a group of exciting youngsters who are benefitting from his relaxed coaching style and the encouragement from the senior players on the pitch.
Peter Rakic is in his first season with Perth but has already made a mark by introducing a more possession-based style to the team. He has also commenced a major rebuild of the team with a number of new players coming in from NTC and other NPLW clubs. He has integrated these new players well and with a proven track record of winning whilst he was head coach at MUM FC he will be a worthy foe to Vega Mena on Sunday.
Prediction
The game is likely to be tight, and it will be down to who can hold their nerve which is where the experience within the RedStar team may well prove to be a deciding factor. With five players in the RedStar squad having over 200 games at the senior level they should be able to remain calm and level-headed in the heat of the battle.
RedStar to win 2-1
