Impetus‘ Ben Gilby speaks exclusively to Pete Rakic who led a Perth SC side riddled by injuries to the best NPLW WA season in their history, and his exciting plans for 2024 (31/10/23).
Above: Pete Rakic, who led Perth SC to the most successful campaign in the club’s history. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Pete Rakic is a highly respected head coach in the Western Australia women’s football scene. His Perth SC side suffered a horrific run of injuries during the 2023 season, with players having to step into unfamiliar positions and a plethora of youngsters given a chance, he guided his team to the most successful campaign in their NPLW WA history.
Runners-up in the league and a place in the Top Four Cup Final despite a host of regular players being on the sidelines followed a hugely impressive start to the season when full strength which saw the team lift their first-ever silverware in coming from behind to defeat Perth RedStar on penalties in the pre-season Night Series Cup Final.
Asked about his overarching emotions on the season just finished at the Dorrien Gardens club, Rakic said: “It was a tiring one. I think as a team we collectively feel exhausted by it and I feel like that’s the best way of putting it. While I feel frustrated about the circumstances we had to endure, I’m also proud of the achievement with second place in both the league and the Top Four Cup.”
Looking back on that Cup Final success, Rakic reflected that it showed what a full-strength Azzurri side could have achieved: “We had multiple players fighting for spots in the starting 11 so having that competition each week raised the standards immensely, and there was evidence of that in the second half performance (in the Top Four Cup Final when Perth SC came from behind), it wasn’t just the desire to win, individuals had the desire to prove a point.”
He went on to say: “Some of the new faces in the team took a little longer to get comfortable but I could see progress each week, and we saw the potential in the squad after the first few rounds which stretched an unbeaten run of games to 11 including the Night Series. For me, this demonstrated how ready we were to put up a title challenge.
Perth SC’s NPLW WA campaign began with a succession of home games due to their Dorrien Gardens stadium being used as a World Cup training base, and FIFA requiring sole possession of it before and during the tournament. Whilst Rakic does not believe their front-loaded home schedule adversely impacted their season too much, he does point to more instances of the team playing on pitches where the size and condition are variable as it “always seems to dictate the flow of the game and our intentions with the ball.”
Then the injuries struck with just about every senior, regular player missing game time during the campaign. It was the stuff of nightmares for any head coach, and ultimately something that Rakic puts down to sheer bad luck.
“A lot of the injuries that were suffered this year were totally innocuous, I think it would be very different if it were repetitive soft tissue damage, then we’d have to start analysing player loads more, but this wasn’t the case. Take Abbey Meakins for example, a ball was kicked into her wrist during a training session which ended her season – it’s just something we couldn’t even avoid at that point and she became the fourth player to undergo surgery, soon to be five when Jaime Duncanson starts her long recovery from an ACL rupture on the last day of the regular season.”
Added to the injury crisis were the usual instances of player unavailability due to a combination of demands outside of football and selection for representative football. The challenges were never-ending for Rakic and naturally ended up impacting results.
“The consistency with our results circles back around to player availability and the injuries. This obviously comes back on me as a coach as well, when it came to matchday selection, I felt as though my hands were tied for a lot of it. Losing players so often meant so many reshuffles, not only with players in the first team but also our under 21’s, so not having any fresh legs coming off the bench to make an impact was a big turning point in our season.”
In hugely difficult situations, Rakic’s Perth players stepped up to the plate. Young Ella Lincoln took the captain’s armband and flourished, and countless players were forced into playing in unfamiliar positions. These are all aspects that last season’s Perth SC head coach looks back on with pride.
“The mentality to keep grinding out results and determination to win was something I couldn’t fault, it quickly became a ‘nothing to lose’ type attitude. As you mentioned, some of the players who were needed in multiple positions had to make sacrifices for the team, and it didn’t go unnoticed. It was pleasing for me to see the recognition they received from their teammates for these performances, and it will directly reflect on our season award winners.”
Finishing second in the NPLW WA in the face of a strong challenge from talent-stacked Fremantle City and Hyundai NTC sides was a fine achievement, and Rakic was full of praise for the efforts of both teams.
“They appeared to have their own struggles like we did, so consistency in their results was also another factor in the race for the Top Four. NTC having the (National) NTC Challenge mid-season is always going to be tough, it’s such a big spike in player loads and then returning back home to chase wins in rescheduled fixtures is another thing that’s difficult to manage, but overall their finish in the top four, State Cup win and the abundance of A-League Women contracts that were earned by their players goes to show a very successful season for (head coach) Ben Anderton and his young group.
“Fremantle on the other hand have always been such a powerhouse of a team and they have so much potential to be fighting for silverware. They’ve proven to be a very physical team which makes it quite hard to play against, and with a number of very influential individuals that drive their quality in big matches, it’s always something to be wary of. I think we’ll see them forever being a nuisance in the race for the Top Four, and if they continue to attract players like Abbey Green, maybe one day we’ll see them pushing for that title.”
With Perth SC continuing to achieve the wins that they needed to secure second spot, their Top Four Cup campaign, already going to be a tough one due to the injuries suddenly became even tougher due to having players called up to the State Schoolgirls squad who were playing during the same period as the season-ending NPLW Finals. Rakic admits that their Top Four campaign effectively ended up being played by a group of players who had simply run out of juice.
“It probably showed our season in a nutshell. We had our moments, and this is where any game can turn on its head, but to beat Perth RedStar (NPLW WA league champions and eventual Top Four Cup winners) you have to be on top of your game for the full 90. With such an experienced side, they capitalise so well on mistakes and they punish you for it, this was, unfortunately, our fate on the day. But it’s a huge congrats to them for winning the double in back-to-back seasons, because without RedStar, who else would we be chasing?
“I’m always happy to reach a final, but the girls deserve a better chance. I hope one day the format is changed and we aren’t seeing a finalist play three games in six days. They’ve fought for 21 games already just to be there, so they’re owed better conditions to finish their season off, not just for the possibility of winning silverware, but also for the display of quality women’s football.”
With the season over, and post-campaign reflections made, Rakic and Perth SC have parted company. Yet such is the esteem that the coach is held in, he has very quickly been given a new role as head coach of Balcatta Etna in the NPLW WA.
Reflecting on what attracted him to the position at Grindleford Reserve, Rakic told me: “It’s the prospect of coaching a club that has such a burning desire to achieve great things together, it’s always been quite clear with how they’ve presented themselves on the pitch.
“The backroom staff behind the program have also made their ambitions and intentions quite clear which have aligned with visions of my own. I’m thoroughly looking forward to another firm challenge and working with the football operations staff to help drive this team in an upwards direction.”
Balcatta have long been a club with real potential in the NPLW WA but have never quite yet managed to put together the consistent challenge for a top-four place that their team on paper could have done. Their new head coach believes that with an examination of the team’s playing style and boosting an already solid squad, that potential could finally be reached.
“While I do agree that previous squads have had huge potential and some really exciting individuals, I feel as though there’s always much more to consider, with the football that’s being played on the park being a big factor.
“Every coach has their view on how they want the game to be played, so I hope to bring a style of football to the club that asserts more control on the pitch, and in turn, I’m confident this will create a team that performs more consistently. With a strong focus on building on what’s already established, I also hope to create a very competitive environment with competition for spots in all areas of the squad, I’ve always believed that is imperative for success.”
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