State League Womens Season Preview 2017
After a long and arduous pre-season the State League Women’s is ready to kick off in 2017 with round 1 matches set this Sunday.
The teams return for 2017 looking to build on season 2016 and with a significant turnover of players for some clubs it promises to be both an unpredictable and exciting season for all teams involved.
This year will feature 7 teams competing in the State League Women’s as each week a team will be given a bye which may prove decisive as the season goes on in regards to injures and team rotation.
Due to the bad weather which has plagued Sydney over the last few weeks, many teams have not been able to test out squads within trial matches which may prove interesting especially within the first few rounds as teams feel there way into the season.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers the 2016 Premiers, will be looking to go one better this year and avenge their grand final loss to the SD Raiders. APIA Leichhardt Tigers have been fortunate to retain the entire squad from last year as key attacking trio Christy Ferrerya, Dana Buttigieg and Filiz Urkanci have all returned along with instrumental midfielder Carla Canini and goalkeeper of the year Courtney Halpin.
Head coach Matteo Maiorana has also added extra depth to the squad by adding 6 new players including Kylie Manias and Rachelle Wang from St George FC and Becky Watts and Gill Raymond from the Canberra Premier League.
Matteo Maiorana believes the extra competiveness and depth of the squad ensures APIA Leichhardt Tigers will again be one of the teams to beat in 2017, but is also aware of the tough year ahead as they look to defend their title with the rest of the league looking to make ground on the premiers.
UNSW FC is another club in 2017, which will be looking to go one step further than their 3rd place and finals appearance in 2016.
UNSW FC head coach Renato Jelen will be looking for his squad to push for higher honours and run the defending premiers APIA Leichhardt Tigers all the way.
SD Raiders FC enter the 2017 season in a confident mood as the majority of the Grand Final winning team remains intact.
One major loss is goalkeeper Karrinda Moodley who has moved interstate but the club is confident it can continue to move forward and build on the strong foundations, which were laid in 2016. Former Matildas and W-League star Catherine Cannuli leads the same coaching staff in season 2017 with a strong emphasise on developing and giving the youth within the club first grade experience this year.
The lack of pre-season games especially over the last few weeks has not been ideal preparation but the expectations of the club are again to be competing at the business end of the season.
Western NSW Mariners welcome new head coach Jason Payne for the 2017 season as the club looks to rebuild from what has been a high turnover from last season’s squad. Only 5 players remain from last year’s squad but the Western NSW Mariners have welcomed new signings Jasmine Courtenay and Lauren Stein.
Jasmine Courtenay in particular, brings a wealth of experience from her time at the Newcastle Jets in the W-league and North Shore Mariners and Sydney University in the PS4 NPL NSW Women’s competition.
Expectations are measured at the club, as the moulding of a new squad will take time. The Western NSW Mariners ability to sign quality players such as Jasmine Courtenay show the ambition of the club though and they will again prove more than competitive within season 2017.
St George FC will be looking to build on their disappointing 2016 season which saw finish in the bottom half of the competition ladder.
Coach Carlo Tini again can rely on veterans Lauren Gardner who is entering her 15th season with the club and Jess Carosi who is in her 13th season with the club to again help the younger members of the squad.
The promotion of talent within the club has again been prevalent within the offseason as Simon Lucas and Brendan Browner have both joined the senior coaching ranks.
Parramatta FC and MT Druitt Rangers FC will both be looking to forget the 2016 season as both clubs only recorded 4 wins between them. Parramatta FC only recorded a solitary point last year and will look for vast improvement this year. Mt Druitt Rangers FC were not much better as 4 wins from the season had them scrapping down the bottom of the league with Parramatta FC.
The season promises a huge amount of excitement and hopefully good football as all the clubs look to improve on their 2016 showing.
Some clubs will be looking to repeat successes while others will be just looking to be more competitive within such a tight league.
It will be intriguing to see whether APIA Leichhardt Tigers can back up their premiership win from last year and possibly complete the double this year, or will it be a surprise packet such as St George FC whose youthful approach may bring positive results in 2017.
The 2017 season is shaping as an even more competitive State League Women’s than previous seasons and it should provide plenty of stories and headlines throughout the year.
To view the first round of fixtures click here.
-By State League Women’s reporter Sebastian Kalos
