Season Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Women’s
It’s going to be a special season in the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Women’s competition with quality spread right across the board.
All teams have strengthened in one way or another and it is tough to pick an outright favourite. A fight looms from round one all the way through to the grand final.
Blacktown Spartans
What a year 2015 was for the Blacktown Spartans!
Arguably their best season in the women’s competition, making it only one step away from what would’ve been a dream grand final.
Coach Paul Costantini held the mantle of leading the 2015 ‘dark horses’ all the way to finals football but the Spartans have now placed themselves as serious contenders.
Any team that possess the talent of a player like Tara Pender would be dangerous in attack and that is something the Spartans have.
Former Western Sydney Wanderers stars Linda O’Neil and Alix Roberts are also there, along with Sarah Huynh.
Despite their last years team being picked at by various clubs, Costantini is again confident in the youngsters he has at the club, along with his new recruits to repeat the extraordinary feats of 2015.
Emerging Jets
Coming into the competition for the first time in 2015, the young Emerging Jets had a more than respectable opening campaign, posting some impressive results along the way.
They’ll be stronger for last years experience and even tougher prospect for all teams they face.
Only losing one game in the Preseason Cup and missing out on a finals spot to eventual winners Sydney University, they’ve already shown the vast improvements they’ve made ahead of the new campaign.
Football NSW Institute
The Champions from 2014 had a change of generation last season and found the going tough, coming in at ninth place.
This year, one of the most respected youth coaches in the state takes charge of these future stars of tomorrow and will surely leave his mark on their footballing ability.
Craig Foster will be the Institute’s most important piece to the puzzle as they are sure to impress, putting his philosophy to practice on the football pitch.
“The girls are elite and highly talented players and I thoroughly enjoy working them.
“Working with female players is enjoyable as there is a lot of question and answer which is enjoyable for a coach.”
“My role is to develop these girls to represent Australia and a way to do that is by giving them an opportunity to compete against older players.
“We have a very young team, with two 14 year-olds and a few 15 year-olds and they are progressing very quickly.
“We look to them as the new under 20 national team players.”
“The girls have a long way to go, they need to focus and keep working and not get ahead of themselves.
“It’s also pleasing to see really talented young players coming through.
Despite the young side not registering a victory in the Preseason Cup, Foster believes it helped his team and is confident with the playing group he has.
“Pre-season was very beneficial for us and it demonstrated they will be highly competitive across the competition.”
Illawarra Stingrays
Champions three years ago, it’s now been two dry seasons for the South Coast side, something they’re far from familiar with.
This year would be the perfect time to change that and with new coach Earle Canvin at the helm, he’ll look to get the team back where they belong to be.
Canvin has a great knowledge of the area his team represent being a local. He also played for the Wollongong Wolves, underlining his football knowledge.
The club has only just signed Michelle Hayman in a massive coup for the club and women’s football. Canvin is excited by the prospect of Hayman representing the Stingrays.
“Michelle Hayman has only just come back from playing all over the world and has chosen to help us and keep up her fitness in the mean time.”
With Michele Carney, one of the most prolific strikers in the history of women’s football back again to lead the team, along with young speedster Jordan Baker and the ever-reliable Erica Halloway, as well as Caitlin Cooper, this is a side that will certainly be in the mix.
“We’re a fairly new look squad with some well established players there.
“We have 11 or 12 new senior players within the team.”
Youth has always been on the agenda of the south Coast side and it continues into the new season.
“Allie Jordan is coming up from our under 17’s and will make her first grade debut on the weekend.
“We have five girls from our under 17s in the last 5 years in the senior team showing the emphasis on pushing youth through our club.
“It’s more so a making of tomorrow’s team, by developing girls by giving them opportunities to train and play with the first grade.”
“We’re very happy and the expectation is to as a club survive on the club championship and anything above that we will reassess when the time comes.”
They fell short of finals football by one point last year despite a fantastic close season, so they’ll need a better start to sneak into the Top Four.
Macarthur Rams
Every season, it is the same tagline for the Rams, favourites.
This year is no different and how can a team with the likes of Renee Rollason and Leena Khamis be considered anything else?
For the past two seasons, the Rams have finished Premiers and failed at the Grand Final, first going down to the Institute and last year to Uni in a 9 goal thriller.
It’ll be hard to look beyond them as the favourites looking at the quality they posses and the history the team has.
Norm Boardman is back for a second straight year with the Rams and will hope to go one step further this season and win the Grand Final.
Marconi Stallions
It didn’t take one of the states most successful teams long to move back into the top flight as they swept all before them in the NPL 2 last year.
Stephen Neligan has taken the reigns at the Stallions and the former Rams and Spartans coach reminded us of the history of his club.
“With the history Marconi has in Australian football it’s obviously a positive to have them back competiting in the toptier of women’s football.
“Marconi has a proud history of producing players that have gone on to play for the Matilda’s or in the Westfield W-League, something we will look to continue.
The Stallions mentor is quietly confident with the squad he has assembled.
“We are happy to have retained the bulk of our squad from last season’s successful NPL 2 side.
“We also added a fair number of W-League players that will help our talented youngsters this year.”
The Stallions retained the experienced Jodie Bain, Alesha Clifford and Renee Tomkins, while adding Heidi Makrillos, Rhianna Pollicina, Sam Spackman, Lisa Farrington and the returning Helen Petinos.
Neligan is also confident that the many talented youngsters at the club will be making the first graders sweat for their positions.
“16-year-old Ashlee Harrison, 17-year-old Ashlie Crofts have been standouts in preseason and two of many to watch out for.”
The young Stallions coach had some wise words to say in terms of his side’s potential this season.
“Every club has aspirations of winning trophies each year and we are no different.
“We will be aiming to make our mark on this competition and finish as high up on the table as possible.
“With the quality we have within our squad we believe that anything is possible.”
In what will be a tight competition, Neligan believes that the Rams and Uni will be amongst the favourites to take the title, although ‘it is too early to tell’.
Are the Stallions 2016 ‘dark horses’?
Manly United
For years Manly played fantastic football but wasn’t rewarded with finals football or any silverware.
Last season, Gwynne Berry moved in to continue the fantastic work the club had already done and helped the team qualify for the finals.
Some unfortunate errors saw Manly get knocked out at the first hurdle in last years finals in extra time but they made that next step and Berry will be confident his young side can continue to improve and impress.
Remy Siemsen got a sniff of first grade action last season but the teenager will be one to watch across the whole competition this year, her speed, strength and goal scoring ability is amongst the best in the league, even the more experienced.
“She’s just turned 16, will be a top player but I don’t want to put her under too much pressure.
“She’ll get a lot of game time this year.”
Louise Neville and Chloe O’Brien are there again, along with the experienced Kristie Crawford and Jessie Wharepouri.
“We’ve got a very, very young squad, but very good in saying that with an average age of just 19.
“There are three or four 16 year-olds in the team so we’ve changed the player profile at club to technically driven with very technical players.
“It is a 2-5 year plan with this team and to be continually strong.
“We will be decent but maybe be inexperienced compared to other sides but again, we’re a development club and we’re in good shape from top to bottom.
Ruby Jackson, Ally Green, Lucy Mackie are all Manly girls who have come back to the club following stints at the Institute as well Kobie Ferguson who joins from the Jets.
“We want to put them in a senior environment and let them develop, they’re still babies in bigger scheme of things.”
Berry also has his favourites and can’t really look passed one team.
“Sydney Uni look like the favourites, Koalas good as well, the North Shore Mariners too, but all the pressure is on them.”
North Shore Mariners
The Mariners always tend to start strong but slowly burn out and fall away around the mid point of the season.
Spencer Prior has been brought in to change things around in 2016 and with all his footballing experience, the Mariners could be in for a more successful season.
“There has been a transition period with a restructure within the club, to help it become more professional both on and off the pitch.
“We’ve got ourselves right where we want to be leading into the new season.”
The safe hands of Erin Herd will be there again, silky midfielder Ariella Cabezas as well, talented youngster Natasha Prior and the experienced Kate Hensman who joins from the Macarthur Rams.
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to retain these players they’ll be important for us.”
“We’ve also lost some players but I’m comfortable with the ones we’ve retained as we have the ones that desire to work hard to transition into the W-League.”
The Mariners have brought in some experience through notable players such as Chloe Logarzo, Hannah Brewer, Catherine Brown Julia De Angelis who all have W-League experience.
Prior hasn’t set any particular targets for his team but is more interested in the football his girls play and the improvements they make.
“No expectations for us, we won’t set any but I think we have ourselves some good depth right through the first grade 23, through to the 17’s, 15’s and 13’s.
“There are no long term targets, just to develop, prepare and transition into W-League.
Prior’s experience in women’s football has given him an insight into the game and he is impressed with the way it is developing in New South Wales.
“Having come out of the girls national team environment and seeing the strength of the competition I can see it will be very tough.
“At the Mariners we want a fully integrated pathway and relationship with the Central coast mariners.
“Our aim is to develop players within and give them that pathway within and exposure to the W-League.”
The Mariners could be this seasons ‘dark horse’ along with the Marconi Stallions.
North West Sydney Koalas
With some key players moving on from last seasons squad, the Koalas have recruited well to replace them, bringing in the likes of Siahn Bozanic, Tara Andrews and Rachel Doyle who comes back after some time spent overseas and with the Spartans.
Add to that the experienced heads of Natalie Tobin, Hannah Beard and Caitlin Campbell, a former New Zealand international, you have a fantastic side.
As well as the previously mentioned names, some youngster to look out for are Erin Pridmore, Nat Penman, Morgan Roberts and talented goalkeeper Chloe Avgostou.
Stephen Peters has stepped into the Koalas hot seat for the 2016 season and after waiting for his chance and gaining experience, the young coach takes his first step as head coach at the states highest level.
“I coached the youth teams at the Koalas and was assistant at the Spartans last year.
“I’m really excited about the season ahead.”
Peters knows what the Koalas expectations are and where the team would like to be.
“We want to push for a top four spot, everyone wants top play finals.
“We’re always a team pushing for finals and one that wants to be playing in the big matches.”
He highlighted the culture at the club and the way the Koalas like to do things by moulding through their own talent.
“The main thing about us is that we have a large amount of players who have come through the clubs youth system, we want to blend the typical Koalas culture with the new signings and become a formidable side.”
In what he says is going to be a tough season, where it is tough to pick a winner, Peters has his slight favourites.
“Sydney Uni or Macarthur Rams who you can’t right off and are always strong with a great coach in Norm, as well as Illawarra who will want to put last year right.”
But without a doubt, the Koalas will be there, or there abouts at the close end of the season as they so dearly try to find themselves back in the finals places after missing out last year in what was a disappointing campaign for them.
Sydney University
Heather Garriock is back at the helm with Uni and will look to lead them to glory for the second straight year.
Playing some fantastic, free-flowing attacking football led them to the championship last year as they somewhat flew under the radar.
This season, Uni come in as one of the favourites and already asserted their intentions by taking out the Preseason Cup in style, demoralising the Koala’s 5-2.
Garriock understands that her team may have a target on their backs now and there is no playing down the quality her team has.
“We won’t be underdogs this year, we just want to play good football and win everything.
“I’m a winner and all the girls are hungry to win everything.”
The young coach underlined the keys to their success last year and their eye-catching football.
“We spend a long time on the training park and there is a philosophy, a vision on how we want to play and the girls have certainly adjusted to that.
“They want to play for the Sydney Uni badge.”
Despite their successful 2015, Uni haven’t wasted any time in strengthening their championship squad, bringing in the likes of Hannah Bacon, Lorena Bugden and Demi Koulizakis (who unfortunately suffered a horrific injury on Sunday) from the Institute, Liz O’Reilly arrives from the Spartans, Emma Stanbury from Manly United and Georgia Yeoman-Dale from Macarthur.
“I’m happy with our signings, we’ve added some really good youngsters to our roster and we will be strong.”
-By Nikola Pozder
