Womens State League Round 13 Review

The match of the round well and truly lived up to its name today – as it was the only fixture to go ahead.

In Mudgee, the Western NSW Mariners and Mt Druitt Town Rangers played out a tough match, as the rest of the competition cursed the relentless wet weather.

Match of the Round

Western NSW Mariners 4-1 Mt Druitt Town Rangers. Glen Willow Stadium, 3pm.

As rain swept through the suburbs of Sydney, at times reaching torrential levels, fields started to resemble swimming pools rather than football pitches. But out west in Mudgee, the weather held for Mt Druitt and the Mariners to play out their fixture. Blue skies were a rare treat, but icy winds made it a tough away trip for Mt Druitt.

Western NSW Mariners went into this clash as firm favourites, having won five games on the trot, in the process scoring 28 goals while only conceding 4. With that kind of strike rate, all teams that make the trip west have to be at the top of their game to take away three points.

Mt Druitt, however, are no easybeats, as they showed last week against Sydney Olympic. Townies might lack flamboyance, but they make up for it with courage, commitment and team spirit.

This was illustrated today as the visitors were stretched from the very beginning, with a traveling party of just 17 players. Several players were forced to back up from reserves, with the inspirational Taryn Rockall playing a full game for both reserves and first grade.

In chilly conditions, Western NSW Mariners lived up to expectations, running away with the match. However, they were made to work for the result after the visitors held them scoreless for the first half.

With Aimee Morris dominating down the right flank and Lisa Matthews making herself useful in the midfield, the Mariners got the better of a tiring Mt Druitt side. For the visitors, Ashleigh Jones and Taryn Rockall both tried their hearts out in the midfield, while the ever reliable Brooke Conroy was on hand to set up Elise Robins with a goal to make the game 2-1.

However, the second half flurry of goals from Tegan Cox, Megan Embleton, Jane Hanrahan and Rachel Mason capped off a great team performance for Western NSW Mariners. As the form side of the competition, the Mariners now go into the final half of the season with a confident grip on top spot.

Reserves

It was a good day out all round for the Western NSW Mariners, as the reserves won their match 2-1. Wins for the reserves and firsts capped off an unblemished day for the home side, who also won their u/12s, u/14s and u/16s matches.

-By Joe Gorman