Star performer of the week: Rosie Sutton

The Perth Glory women are once again top of the Westfield W-League ladder after overcoming a determined Sydney FC, with striker Rosie Sutton scoring all three of her team’s goals.

The Perth Glory women are once again sitting on top of the Westfield W-League ladder after overcoming a determined Sydney FC outfit in sweltering heat, with replacement striker Rosie Sutton scoring all three of her team’s goals.

Queensland-born Sutton was making her starting debut for Perth in the absence of star strikers Katie Gill and Lisa De Vanna. But after coming on as a late replacement in previous games, the 22-year-old had no trouble making the step up to a leading role, glancing an 18th-minute header to open the scoring.

Both sides came out firing, with a superb effort between the posts by England international Carly Telford restricting the Sky Blues to just the one goal. And in the scorching Perth heat, the pace slowed down in the second half, opening up scoring opportunities at both ends. But it was Perth who were able to capitalise on their chances, with Sutton scoring another two goals in the final 15 minutes on a special day for the Glory women.

“I’m very happy with our performance,” she said after the game. “It was a pretty special day actually, we got to play at nib Stadium so the ground was perfect and obviously it was really hot so the conditions weren’t too favourable, but we’re used to the heat so we did pretty good actually. We’re pretty happy with the performance.”

It’s a just reward for a player who relocated to Perth from her home in Brisbane in order to pursue her dream of playing in the Westfield W-League. Rather than idolising A-League or EPL players, Sutton grew up watching and supporting the stars of the women’s game.

“I found out about the local [Perth] trials through a friend, and ended up booking a ticket. It wasn’t planned at all, but I went back home and Jamie gave me the call to come over and it just all happened.

“I’m very happy that I came over, very happy actually. It’s been a dream come true for me.”

Part of that dream has included the chance to learn from some of the biggest names in the game, like teammates Katie Gill and Lisa De Vanna.

“I’m learning so much from those players. I really respect them and you just want to better yourself being around them. It’s been really good for my development.”

A development that’s sure to continue as we see the name Rosie Sutton on many more team sheets this season and into the future.