Canberra Croatia claimed a third League Championship in succession with a superb display to see off a battling and gallant West Canberra Wanderers securing the silverware under the lights at Deakin Stadium with half-a-dozen goals.
If there were any questions being asked of the defending title holders after a blip that saw them drop points against Tuggeranong United and Belconnen United they were well and truly answered in emphatic fashion as the Wanderers were swept away by unrelenting tide of attacking red shirts.
The return of the effervescent Jennifer Bissett was key for the visitors, playing at their home ground, the vibrancy and quality of her play providing the missing link between the solidity of the back four and the attacking prowess of the trio tasked with running the Wanderers up front.
It was Bissett that opened the scoring on the night, pouncing on a loose ball into the penalty area and ramming a low drive through a cluster of players and past the helpless Ally Hinson in the West Canberra goal.
That was in the seventh minute and Croatia underlined their intentions five minutes later, adding a second from a corner. Rhiannon Fensom’s downward header lacked direction but deflected off the unfortunate Tara Cannon to flash past Hinson for the second of the evening.
Fensom connected much better with her second header from a corner in the 32nd minute, thumping home a bullet from six-yards out for her third goal of the campaign. And, by the time that Isabella Barac tapped in from close range after Hinson had superbly denied Brittany Palombi, the ribbons were already on the trophy.
The Wanderers had plenty of players who could hold their head high, Daisy Canavan simply magnificent in the centre of defence and Hinson producing two astounding saves in the second half in a sequence that ended with Palombi netting, only for the offside flag to deny her a goal.
Grace Gill wasn’t to be left out though. The captain executing a sublime chip over Hinson from range to add the fifth goal and capping the evening with a header from inside the six-yard box. A fitting end to the night, a night when Croatia rediscovered their goalscoring mojo and turned on the style to claim the title.
Monday 5 September
West Canberra Wanderers v Canberra Croatia 6 (Bissett 7’, Cannon 12’ (og), Fensom 32’, Barac 44’, Gill 67’, 88’)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Canberra Croatia (c) | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | +78 | 51 |
| 2 | Canberra Olympic | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | +60 | 46 |
| 3 | Belconnen United | 20 | 14 | 1 | 5 | +42 | 43 |
| 4 | West Canberra Wanderers | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | -17 | 30 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 27 |
| 6 | Canberra United Academy | 20 | 5 | 3 | 12 | -16 | 18 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 20 | 2 | 4 | 14 | -51 | 10 |
| 8 | Wagga City Wanderers | 20 | 1 | 1 | 18 | -89 | 4 |
