Since their inception as Woden-Weston FC in 2014, West Canberra Wanderers (WCW) have been an established National Premier League Women’s (NPLW) outfit, and following their rebrand to the Wanderers in 2020, the club has come on leaps and bounds.

Starting with a 2021 Federation Cup Final appearance, before a fourth-placed league finish in 2022, West Canberra has enjoyed some positive moments of late, potentially due to the club’s work to consistently promote young players to First Grade and provide an equal budget for the men’s and women’s program, one of only a few nationally to do so.

“I’ve been here since 2020 and it’s just such a welcoming community, I really enjoy playing there,” WCW captain Demi Nikias expressed. “I feel like the coaches and the presidents have always really valued us in the women’s comp, so it’s always been nice.”

Nikias and her squad are led by Steve Rohan-Jones this season, who took over first team coaching duties after serving as president of WCW for the past 10 years, bringing a thorough understanding of the club, and its ambitions.

Overseen by the Head Coach, an increased emphasis on player input into decision-making, derived from their restructuring in 2020 to West Canberra Wanderers, has seen Rohan-Jones aspire for his players to establish an environment for which they can get behind.

“He really likes it to be collaborative which is nice,” Nikias said. “Everyone feels like we can all put our opinions [in], voice our views, anything, he really likes to take it on.

“We’ve got a lot of young players as well, and it’s nice to see that they can have a voice that he will listen to, and he really does take on feedback.”

While it’s a way of doing things that is uncommon amongst most football clubs, Nikias says the squad being afforded a voice is effective in creating a positive group environment, that will invigorate them to perform to greater heights.

“You feel so valued,” she expressed. “He’s really built up a lot of confidence in me and all the players, you can tell from the beginning of the season to now, it’s nice to see everyone come out of their shell, whether it’s on the field or off the field.”

Having bought into the WCW philosophy for her four years at the club, Nikias was tasked with the captaincy at the beginning of the season for the first time in her career, in a move she feels has transformed her game.

“I’ve never really been captain before, so it’s been a challenge in itself, but especially working with Steve, it’s been great,” she said. “He’s kind of seen how I’ve been over the years… but this year he gave me the captaincy, and in a couple of preseason games he gave me feedback and said that I took on the role well.

“I’ve got a lot to learn still but I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s made me feel like I’ve got more of a voice and drive in the team, so I’ve enjoyed it a lot.”

The season gone was not one that Wanderers fans will look back on with any fond memories, saved from relegation after finishing bottom of the NPLW, following State League winners Wagga City Wanderers’ decision not to accept a place in the top tier.

“It was a pretty tough season last year, I think on the whole our confidence as a team and individually came down a lot from the last year,” Nikias reflected. “Results didn’t go our way, sometimes that happens, so our confidence definitely suffered a bit.

While the results don’t indicate that many positives could be taken away from last year, Nikias insists that in the tough periods of matches her squad remained spirited.

“We always showed a lot of fight, we never gave up,” she said. “That’s something that’s [always] been there for however long I’ve been at West Canberra… the girls really put in, the drive, the effort, it’s always there… that’s promising, and I know we can build from that.”

The Wanderers sit in fifth place 11 rounds into 2024, nine points off a finals position, in what has been an improved campaign, while still lacking wins, under Rohan-Jones. The Head Coach has been handed a new-look squad in the NPLW, having lost several key individuals from last season, however, the addition of Amy Wiggan in goal, along with the usual goal threat of Sarah Whitfield up front, has headlined some quality team displays this campaign.

Nikias insists that the number of fresh faces has had a positive impact on the squad.

“It’s really promising at the moment,” she said. “Coming into this season we’ve got new faces, so it feels like a fresh start… especially after last season, which was a bit tough.”

“Even though we’ve had a few losses this year there is still a lot of momentum… I can see it in every training and game… the girls are still positive, that’s the good thing about our team and coaches, we’re willing to step into the next game, learn from our mistakes, but turn up to training and get ready for the next one.”

Despite recent defeats in two early fourth-placed playoffs against Canberra Croatia, the allure of a finals position remains a possibility, and while it would be welcomed by the players at WCW, Nikias says they aren’t looking too far ahead.

“Obviously the goal would be to get into the top four but we’re probably seeing it as a more game-to-game approach,” Nikias explained. “[We’ll] slowly build each game, gel as a team, connect more on and off the field.

“We’re relatively close to fourth place, if we can continue the building as a team, continue with that momentum, it’s definitely a possibility, we just have to have that same drive for training and games.”

Words: Sam Watson