by Ben Gilby (31/12/25)
Above: Perth Glory head coach Stephen Peters talking to the media. Image: Perth Glory.
Whilst there was great pride in the performance at Melbourne City last weekend, Perth Glory head coach and attacker Bronte Trew are lasering in on converting more chances into goals ahead of Saturday’s home game with Newcastle Jets.
Reflecting on the trip to AAMI Park, Peters said: “I thought it was a great performance tactically, physically, and mentally. I think we fell short technically. I think we did some really good things, we just didn’t execute at key moments, and they did, and it changed the game significantly.
“I thought our reaction after the first (Melbourne City) goal was decent, and our reaction after half-time was decent. I thought that game was a really good marker for us. A missed opportunity for points, definitely, but the performance in isolation was really good…We’ve got to bring these things that we feel good about from that game into Newcastle now.”
Perth have an excellent home record since making the Sam Kerr Football Centre their patch. Trew praised the atmosphere created by having “the fans on top of us” – so they are confident about continuing that run, albeit against a Jets side who have looked dangerous so far this season.
“Whilst we respect Newcastle and what they’ve achieved this season, which I think has been great, this game for us is about us being consistent and making sure we put some pride in our performance,” Peters identified.
The Glory boss was full of praise for the New South Wales side, and knows his team are in for a physical battle on the weekend.
“(Newcastle are) Tough, direct, uncompromising. They’ve got some good quality in their final third, like Indy Breier is good at whipping crosses in. She’s a real find for them. Melina Ayres needs no introduction, Kelly Brown we know very well. Josie Allan is quite a handful, Sophie Hoban is a very good player in my opinion, so they’re a good team, they are a transitional team and they’ve taken some good scalps already this season.”
In terms of team selection for the game, there is generally positive news on the injury front, starting with Georgia Cassidy who pulled up in the second half against Melbourne City.”
“Her muscles tightened up, and there’s a lack of conditioning there from the time she was out (injured going into the season), so it’s about making sure she has match practice under her belt,” Peters explained.
“She really tried to stay on the pitch, but the size of the pitch, and the amount of defensive work she had to do, she felt pretty tired. The positives were that (Izzy) Dalton got through 80 minutes and (Emma) Tovar got through 90 minutes…
“Nat Tathem is almost back to full training which is quite remarkable, and Megan Wynne is not far behind, so we’re looking good in that regard.”
On the other side of the ledger, the injuries suffered by Naomi Chinnama and Ella Abdul Massih look like being longer term.
“Naomi’s dotting every i and crossing every t, so I would expect her to be back in a very safe and timely fashion,” the Perth Glory head coach said.
“Abdul Massih has just got a complication with a bit of scar tissue around along the ligament that she got repaired, so she’s seeing a couple of different specialists; podiatrists etc to try and get it pain free. She’s struggling with it, and I really feel for her because she has done everything right, but it’s just one of those things.
In terms of how he thinks his side are shaping up as the league approaches its half-way point, Peters is largely happy – but wants his attackers to be more clinical in 2026.
“I think we’re probably a win short, maybe four points short from where we could have been. I think we’ve only really had two bad performances – Canberra and Melbourne Victory, so I feel we’re really well placed to make the top six, we’re in that area, we just need to be more clinical in front of goal and defending our goal. The competition’s so tight you have to put back-to-back results together, and then you are in a good space…
“When it’s going your way, you have to take your chances. The teams that do that well will be in the top six.”
Bronte Trew: Trusting in the plan
Perth Glory attacker Bronte Trew had mixed emotions about her sides’ 3-1 defeat at Melbourne City – she was delighted to get her first goal of the season, but frustrated that the Western Australians didn’t get something out of the game.
“They (City) are a good side, and in the first 20 minutes, I myself had a couple of chances that it would have been a different game if we had took those chances…they took their chances and we didn’t. It was good performing like that against a top team, and we can take a lot from that going forward…”
“It was probably the best game of football we’ve played all season despite the loss…it was a good stepping stone going forward, and if we play like that against other teams, we’ll be able to get points.”
Trew’s goal early in the second half gave Perth a chance of getting back into the game – and it came as the result of a fantastic move involving two locally produced Young Matildas.
“Getting that goal meant a lot for me. It was a good team goal, it was a good representation of the way we play – from Georgia Cassidy doing that through ball to Grace (Johnston) and getting it to back post – it just sums up the way we play together as a team. Me personally getting that goal, it opens up a lot of confidence for me and hopefully now I can get a lot more goals.”
Trew is confident that if she and her team can convert a greater percentage of chances when they come – starting with Saturday’s game with the Jets, good times are ahead for the Glory.
For the former Western Sydney Wanderers player, it’s all about trusting in the process – she believes in head coach Stephen Peters and knows that the feeling is mutual.
“At the start of the season I was coming off the bench, but he did have a plan for me, and I did trust that, and he did start me when he thought I was ready, and it’s important as he does trust in my ability for the team as well.”
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