Another incredible round of Liberty A-League action has come to a close, with plenty to dissect from across the country. Here’s some of the major talking points.
The Wanderers do it again
What an incredible week for Western Sydney Wanderers.
After going winless – and claiming only a single point – in their opening six games, the Wanderers have come away with back-to-back wins over two of the Liberty A-League’s favourites for silverware this season – Melbourne City and most recently, Western United.
The Wanderers stunned the previously undefeated United with a brilliant showing as Sarina Bolden and Amy Harrison fired home goals either side of Hannah Keane’s equaliser to come away with all three points.
Bolden’s arrival has been an inspired one for Kat Smith’s side, scoring her first goal for the club on Saturday afternoon and adding a new dimension to an attack which sorely needed a spark.
Throughout the opening few weeks, Smith was searching for her best mix in the starting lineup, using 22 players thus far this season. But recently, it seems as if she’s found the best possible mix, with Liv Price and Alexia Apostolakis also winning places in both central midfield and right-back respectively.
And could an incredible late-season run to the top four be on the cards? Dub Zone commentator Teo Pellizzeri thinks so.
“All of a sudden there is a big, big sound from the West of this town but it’s the Western Sydney Wanderers that are making their move in the A-League Women,” Pellizzeri said.
“And you know what? After beating two top teams in consecutive games, I’m going to call it now, they are absolutely in the top-four conversation to make a run in the back half of the season.
You look at the reaction at full-time and the reaction of the players, and that will be reflected in the stands as well. Those stands will only get more and more full as word gets out that the Wanderers have a winning team again.
Now, the focus turns to reigning champions Melbourne Victory in yet another home game on Wednesday evening. Can they make it three from three against not only the Victorian outfits – but three of the league’s top four?
Flannery on fire as Canberra makes it back-to-back wins
Back to back wins and suddenly Canberra United are right back in the mix for the top four.
They were ruthless going forward in their 5-1 win over Newcastle Jets, as Michelle Heyman fired home a double while Chengshu Wu, Ellie Brush and Vesna Millivojevic rounded out the scorers – which as taken them within two points of the top four.
And they were amply supplied by Nicki Flannery, who tallied two assists and was by far won of the best afield throughout the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon – reminding everyone of the quality that had her on the fringes of Matildas selection before sustaining a knee injury in camp which rules her out for the entirety of last campaign.
Heyman spoke glowingly of Flannery post-game on Dub Zone, who put in by far her best showing of the season.
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“I think she’s growing in confidence, every game that we play,” Heyman said.
“The one thing that we constantly try and tell her is to just take people on because she is super speedy down that flank. So if she can just remember to keep cool and to just do the thing that she does, it’s always going to be successful.
“I think… physical wise, she’s fantastic. I think it’s more down to the mental side of things of just trying to feel like yourself again and to think that you can do it. I’m super proud of her I’m always in the back of her head telling her how great she is.
“I’m just trying to build up that confidence and today, she played with full confidence and it was just incredible.”
Flannery also spoke post-game to reporters, saying she also felt as if she was back to herself again.
“I’m stoked – it’s a win for me personally and a win for our team,” she told reporters.
“Today is the first day I started to kind of feel like myself on the field.
Honestly, I’m just very happy to be on the field, and when you get to pass to a player and set one of your team-mates up, it’s better than a goal.
Adelaide snap goalless run
Finally, Adelaide United got back on the score-sheet.
After three straight games without a goal in the Liberty A-League, the Reds broke their long-standing wait for a ball in the back of the net when Chelsie Dawber cooly dispatched a second-half penalty in their 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar on Saturday afternoon.
While it wasn’t the win Adelaide sorely needed to leap back into the top four, it was one point gained for Adrian Stenta’s side – who were perhaps a touch fortunate to come away with a draw given the Roar’s myriad of squandered chances.
But when looking at it from a glass-half-full perspective, the draw also ended a three game losing streak which threatened to derail their season.
Dawber, specifically, was sensational, not only ending her four-game goal-scoring drought but being the focal point in everything the Reds tried to do throughout the 90.
The way results went this weekend throughout the Liberty A-League also meant the Reds stay right in the mix for the top four – remaining a point behind fourth-placed Melbourne Victory who have a game in hand.
But with the two sides set to meet in Adelaide next Saturday in an elimination final rematch, the Reds have a golden opportunity to potentially usurp the reigning champions – especially if they fall to the red-hot Western Sydney Wanderers in mid-week.
Galic stands up against Matildas midfielders in impressive Derby showing
Daniela Galic is a star in the making.
The 16-year-old continues to go from strength to strength in the heart of Melbourne City’s midfield. This season, Galic has become an integral cog in Dario Vidosic’s side, putting together a number of top quality performances against some of the Liberty A-League’s best.
And there may not have been many bigger tasks than going toe-to-toe with Matildas midfield duo Alex Chidac and Elise Kellond-Knight in Sunday’s derby against Melbourne Victory and she passed the test with flying colours.
Galic was involved in Hannah Wilkinson’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw, linking up with team-mates Kaitlyn Torpey and Rhianna Pollicina en route to the ball finding the Kiwi striker who buried her first goal of the season.
Vidosic was particularly pleased with how she and her team-mates stood up to the task, having come off a much shorter turnaround than Victory (four days compared to nine) in the lead-up.
“We said to her, ‘they’ve got Matildas in that midfield and it’s a fantastic opportunity for you’,” Vidosic told AAP.
“It was a very very, very tough, gruelling week, two games away in tough conditions.
“But to come today, in the derby, third game in a week and to perform like we did, I’m just overall very, very proud of them.”
