Impetus’ Genevieve Henry and Ryan Miller-Woods report on four clubs’ media conferences ahead of Round 15 (2/2/24).
Canberra United
By Ryan Miller-Woods
Canberra heads into the match against Melbourne City off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Wellington Phoenix that they will have seen as a missed opportunity. To have not got a result from it, given that Adelaide United (who going into that last round were behind Canberra on the ladder) leapfrogged them, will be a huge disappointment. Canberra United’s Nicki Flannery and Head Coach Njegosh Popovich spoke to the media ahead of Sunday’s match.
Furthermore, they are 10 points behind sixth (though with a game in hand) and even though they definitely have the goals in them to get results, with one of the best attacks in the league, it will still be a hill to climb to make the finals. If any team can make up the deficit, it’s Canberra.
When asked about Canberra’s finals chances and the match against City, Flannery said, “there’s still 27 points up for grabs and we haven’t lost belief at all in each other. I think our hard work hasn’t paid off just yet, so we’re hoping that’s going to happen. Last game against Melbourne City, to give them full credit, they completely played us out of the game, so there’s a little bit of revenge on the line and we have more to offer, so I’m really excited for this weekend.”
In many ways given how Canberra has played this season, week in and week out, it is seriously hard to believe that a team that has scored the second most goals so far this season and has the equal joint leading goalscorers in their squad, that they are currently on the bottom of the A-League Women’s ladder.
When asked how certain results haven’t gone Canberra’s way so far this season, Flannery said, “I think that’s why it’s so painful how we’re losing games in the last thirty seconds or an unfair goal or anything like that but I think it’s good that we haven’t lost hope and we keep approaching each game as if we forget about the last result and we focus on the next one.”
Something that in a way goes in the favour of Canberra this weekend is that their opponents for this round in City have had a couple of hiccups as of late which proves that no matter the circumstances or the stature of a club, any team can beat any team in this league. However, City has scored the most goals of any team so far this season and most importantly are on top of the A-League Women’s ladder by six points to Western United and Sydney FC.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming against City, Popovich said, “They have been challenged by teams that are in the lower part of the competition, so for us it’s an opportunity rather than a negative. We should look at it that way and I think that’s the message that’s been sent out all week to the players, that this is an opportunity to prove yourselves.”
Central Coast Mariners
By Ryan Miller-Woods
The media heard from Central Coast Mariners’ Annabel Martin and Head Coach Emily Husband ahead of their upcoming match against Western United on Saturday.
Central Coast last round got their revenge over Newcastle Jets from the opening round of the season with a 2-0 win, with goals from Wurigumula and Paige Hayward in what was a highly competitive and entertaining F3 Derby which moved the Mariners up into fifth position on the A-League Women’s ladder.
When asked how the team is feeling from that match and coming away with the F3 Trophy, Martin said, “yeah, it’s a pretty good win. (A) great three points first and foremost and then to get the trophy, a nice bit of silverware, our first as a team, which is really great.”
Martin was then asked whether the match last round was a tough match, which she said, “every game is a tough match I think in this league, especially this year it’s quite even as we’ve seen in the ladder you can drop from third to seventh in a matter of one week. (It’s) always a bit of a grudge match against our rivals especially after Round One, that 1-nil defeat, I think it was really important for us to get back out there and get those three points back.”
When asked to sum up the performance and the result against Newcastle, Husband said, “it was great first and foremost to get the three points on such a special occasion as well. Obviously, going down 1-nil in the first leg (in Round One) which arguably may not have been deserved. I thought both sides played decent football at times, I think both sides had the opportunities (and) it was good to see us being clinical and take home another trophy.”
Sunday’s match also saw Kyah Simon’s highly anticipated return in her first competitive match in 480 days.
When asked about her thoughts on seeing Simon back on the pitch, Husband said, “it’s been a really long journey for her, so I’m really pleased for her as an individual. It’s been a long time coming but for us she’s been in and a part of the group for so long now. She’s offered us so much in training and off the pitch as well, so it was just good for her to finally get that reward of getting back out on the pitch.”
The Mariners will be heading to Tasmania up against an in-form Western United, currently second on the A-League Women’s ladder, who have turned their season around under head coach Kat Smith since her appointment in December. Smith’s style of coaching got them playing some great football which sets the precedent for what should be an exciting match this weekend.
When asked how she views Western United, Martin said, “they’re a really solid side, they’re sitting second up the top of the ladder. It’s a really big game going to Tassie (Tasmania).”
When asked what dangers she sees Central Coast’s upcoming opponents Western United possessing leading into Sunday’s match, Husband said, “they’ve hit a run of form recently and they’ve got two good players up top in (Hannah) Keane and (Chloe) Logarzo, they’re both on fire at the moment. They (Western United) try and get the ball down and play some good football at times, so we’ve got to be on top of our game.”
Sydney FC
By Genevieve Henry
With an all-important clash ahead of her with Sydney preparing to meet Perth Glory on Saturday, Tori Tumeth addressed the media with her thoughts on both the upcoming game and the previous game.
While Sydney sit in second place, equal in points with Western United, Perth are nipping at their heels in fourth, only one point behind. On their position in the table after a tough start to the season with injuries, Tumeth said, “we’re happy with where we are at the moment. We’re still building, we’re not where we want to be by the end of the season, that’s for sure, but we’re putting in some really strong performances.” Sydney will be looking to stand strong in the next few rounds, with some tough matches in store. After they face Perth, they will be pitted against league-leaders Melbourne City, and then taking on the excellent attacking force of Canberra United. While these may sound daunting, Tumeth expressed Sydney’s optimism, saying, “We’re just looking to find really good form into those couple of games.”
Addressing the high pressure of playing for such a winning side, Tumeth shared, “the girls over the past couple of years have been really successful, so we want to build on that success. We’re just looking at every game as it comes, and focusing on the next week.” The extended season may be a blessing for some sides, like Western Sydney who have been growing in their success as of late, but may come as a deadly strike to others. “I think with the extension of the season, you’ll see which teams have depth and you’ll see teams find their form in the back-end of the season.”
While Tumeth may be new to the squad, she slots right in with the core group, playing with experience and confidence. “We have a really strong spine that’s stayed together for the past few years. It’s been a really easy transition (as a newcomer) because they are so close as a team.” Tumeth has been an astonishingly good addition to the backline, enamouring fans in her first season.
Although Sydney have performed excellently in front of their own net, having conceded the least goals in the A-League Women so far, they have struggled to score more than one or two against their opponents. “I definitely think we’re due for a couple goals.” Tumeth said of her attackers, but it won’t come easy against Perth, who have only conceded four more than Sydney. The matchup between these two excellent defensive sides will likely be lacking for goals, but it could prove to be just the thing Sydney need to unlock their full attacking potential.
Wellington Phoenix
By Ryan Miller-Woods
The media heard from the Wellington Phoenix’s Hope Breslin and Tiana Jaber ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Newcastle Jets on Sunday.
Wellington got their first win and points in five games last round against Canberra United with a 2-0 victory thanks to a brace from Mariana Speckmaier. This win has potentially gotten the Phoenix’s finals aspirations back on track.
When asked whether the result was a bit of a turning point for the season and got the club back on track, Breslin said, “yeah, definitely! I feel as though a lot of teams go through a bit of a slump but I think it’s how you respond to that and just how we responded in that game gives us that motivation and drive to keep this winning streak going.”
For the Phoenix, it was a much-needed result last round, especially for their finals prospects. Should Wellington emerge victorious this next round against Newcastle, these results could not only see them back in the top six but as high as fourth come the end of the round, pending other results.
When asked her thoughts on how much the team needed the win against Canberra, Breslin said, “I think we needed it a lot. The vibes were down a little bit but we always had that sense of belief and that spirit was still there, knowing that we just needed one game to turn it around.”
Despite their overall record away from home this season which they have only won once outside of New Zealand, Wellington can have some form of confidence against their upcoming opponents this round in the Newcastle Jets, knowing the last time the two teams met Wellington beat the Jets 2-0 with goals from Speckmaier and Breslin respectively.
When asked whether beating Newcastle earlier in the season gives the team some confidence ahead of the second match between both sides, Breslin said, “definitely! I think in this league anybody can beat anybody, so you have to be on your game at all times. Having that last game will give us confidence and I think if we play the way we did last time, then we’ll be fine.”
In regards to the match against Canberra, one of the players that was important towards the final result was injury-replacement player Tiana Jaber who definitely played her part in the backline that not only prevented United from scoring against the Phoenix but denied the two leading goalscorers so far this season in the A-League Women, which are Canberra’s Vesna Milivojevic and all-time leading goalscorer in the league Michelle Heyman.
When asked about being pleased to have kept a player such as Heyman from scoring, Jaber said, “yeah! Her (Michelle Heyman) and Vesna (Milivojevic) are absolute weapons. I’m so proud of us for keeping a clean sheet and keeping them at bay. So, now we’ve just got to do that to every other striker in the league.”
The inclusion of Jaber into the Wellington squad also added to what was already quite competitive for spots among the players who can play within the defence.
When asked how she has found the competition within the team, especially at the position of centre-back, Jaber said, “it’s good. Mack (Mackenzie Barry) and Becs (Rebecca Lake) are doing absolutely awesome, they’re good, strong players. It’s tough competition but that’s a part of sport.”
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