Round 6 of the National Premier League Women will see Canberra Olympic host the opening match of the weekend at O’Connor Enclosed, in a first home game back after two on the road, up against ANU WFC.
The University side will play their penultimate match in the top-flight after confirmation of the club’s withdrawal from the competition was confirmed and will be looking to go out on a positive note, despite the club’s poor start to the season, pointing towards an Olympic victory.
Amalia Edevane’s ANU side will enter the home of the reigning champions off the back of a 10-0 thrashing at the hands table-toppers Belconnen United, in a match that maintained the club’s record of failing to score in a single league match in 2025.
Olympic on the other hand, have bounced back from an unexpectedly poor start to the NPLW season by winning three matches on the bounce, however their two recent clashes against West Canberra Wanderers and Majura, have seen Frank Cachia’s side rely on long-range strikes to claim three points in two narrow victories.
Most recently it was two Olympic set pieces that got the job done, headlined by a Leah Carnegie freekick from almost half the pitch, and with ANU particularly vulnerable from corner routines in their previous match against Belconnen, there remains a significant opportunity for the treble-winners to extend their winning streak to four, with a victory.
Tuggeranong United host Canberra Croatia at Kambah an hour after the first match kicks off, in a match between two sides at opposite ends of the table.
Ian Toms’ Tuggeranong squad backed up their first win of the season with a 9-0 defeat away to Gungahlin United, in a match that may well have diluted the positivity that came with their win against ANU in Round 4.
The South-Side outfit will be aware of the impending exit of ANU from the competition, and will no doubt be looking to escape the foot of the table with a result against Croatia.
Their opponents sit in the top four on goal difference ahead of Canberra Olympic and will be full of confidence heading to the home of Tuggeranong having dispatched Majura FC 6-0 in their most recent outing at Deakin Stadium.
Croatia wrapped up the three points early in the match, scoring six within an hour to ensure a comfortable end to the match, in a flurry of goals almost entirely credited to the creativity of Bella Barac, who emerged with four assists.
The midfielder is looking her usual dangerous self this season, and with Musie Elongo’s side welcoming back goalscoring machine Brittany Palombi last week, Croatia looks set to cause a significant threat to an already leaky Tuggeranong backline.
Majura FC return home to Ainslie with a daunting match against the unstoppable Belconnen United in the third NPLW match of the weekend.
Still without the clinical Carmel Lynch Majura have struggled on the goals front, bagging just one in their last three league matches, and are coming off a humbling 6-0 defeat to Croatia at Deakin Stadium.
The league’s newest side can take positives from giving Canberra Olympic a difficult game two weeks ago, however Davide Ruberto will not have fond memories of his team’s recent cup meeting with Belconnen, where the Blue Devils dispatched them 8-0 in late April.
With every passing week Scott Conlon’s outfit looks more and more like impending league champions, despite being still early in the season, having moved six points clear of the chasing pack with a ruthless 10-0 victory over ANU in Round 5.
Seven different goalscorers that day showcased the threat of the entire Belconnen squad, who have now totaled 34 goals in just five matches to start 2025, averaging just under seven goals scored per game, a statistic that will no doubt make for bleak reading for Majura fans heading into Sunday’s clash.
The final match of the round will see early dark horses for finals football West Canberra Wanderers entertain Gungahlin United in a fascinating afternoon matchup at Melrose Synthetic.
The Wanderers have suffered two defeats on the bounce after making a superb start to the 2025 season, however Steve Rohan-Jones’ side remains third, just below their opponents Gungahlin in second.
Falling to Olympic in the previous round, particularly losing due to such an unlikely strike from long distance will have left West Canberra hungry for points to get back their season back on track, and with the prospect of leapfrogging the Gunners into second with a win, the opportunity to bounce back is there for them to take.
Gungahlin on the other hand will be desperate to cast aside competition for the top positions in the NPLW table and will be full of confidence after rebounding from a heartbreaking defeat to the league’s top side in Round 4, with an emphatic hammering of Majura FC last week.
Again, showcasing the clinical edge possessed by Marcial Munoz’s team, the away side on Sunday will be intent on giving the Wanderers a taste of their attacking talent, and surely look again to Bonnie Young, the side’s top assister and goal scorer to lead the Gunners to a crucial three points.
FIXTURES
ROUND 6
Sunday 18 May
Canberra Olympic v ANU WFC (O’Connor Enclosed, 13:00)
Tuggeranong United v Canberra Croatia (Kambah 2, 14:00)
West Canberra Wanderers v Gungahlin United (Melrose Synthetic, 15:00)
Majura FC v Belconnen United (Ainslie Oval, 15:00)
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 6 | +28 | 15 |
| 2 | Gungahlin United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 5 | +17 | 9 |
| 3 | West Canberra | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 9 |
| 4 | Canberra Croatia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 9 |
| 5 | Canberra Olympic | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 9 |
| 6 | Majura FC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 20 | -13 | 3 |
| 7 | Tuggeranong United | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 | -28 | 3 |
| 8 | ANU WFC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 28 | -28 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
11: Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers)
7: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United)
6: Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
5: Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United)
4: Jamie BERKELEY (Canberra Croatia), Carmel LYNCH (Majura FC)
3: Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alexandra GIDIS (West Canberra Wanderers), Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Own GOALS
2: Liliana ALTAMORE (Belconnen United), Acacia ARGENTO (Tuggeranong United), Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Tia BURRIDGE (Canberra Olympic), Leah CARNEGIE (Canberra Olympic), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Sofia FURLANETTO (Majura FC), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Sofia MERKOUREAS (Canberra Croatia), Katrina PERIC (Canberra Olympic), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Michaela THORNTON (Canberra Croatia)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Angelina BABIC (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Lisa CARY (Belconnen United), Sharon CHAO (Gungahlin United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Elvein IBRAHIM (West Canberra Wanderers), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Sofia MARTINIELO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Jessica MITCHELL (Tuggeranong United), Tatum MAZIS (Canberra Olympic), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers), Eliza-Jane NORRIS (Canberra Croatia), Madeliene PERCEVAL (Gungahlin United), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Ellie RAYMOND (Canberra Croatia), Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Maddison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Maddie STEINACKER (Belconnen United), Pearl TEIN (Belconnen United), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
TOP ASSISTS
6: Isabella BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Anneke CORRY (Belconnen United)
5: Keira BOBBIN (Belconnen United), Bonnie YOUNG (Gungahlin United)
4: Alina ROBERTS (Belconnen United), Audrey WARD (West Canberra Wanderers)
3: Zoe HALPIN (West Canberra Wanderers), Perri NASH (West Canberra Wanderers),
2: Ella BROWN (Canberra Olympic), Megan CASTLE (Gungahlin United), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Tamara COCHRANE (West Canberra Wanderers), Natalie DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Stella DE MARCO (Gungahlin United), Alyssa DI-CAMPLI (Belconnen United), Chelsea HATELY (Gungahlin United), Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alex MARTENS (Belconnen United), Abigail RICHARDS (Majura FC), Darby WHITELEY (Gungahlin United)
1: Elke AITOLU (Canberra Olympic), Esperance ANDERSON (Tuggeranong United), Eliza BAKER (Majura FC), Jamie BERKLEY (Canberra Croatia), Sienna BIRNIE (Canberra Olympic), Tiana BOOTS (Canberra Croatia), Olivia BUYTEWEG (Gungahlin United), Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Rhiannon DAVIS (Canberra Olympic), Olivia HICKS (West Canberra Wanderers, Isabella HINDMARSH (Belconnen United), Alyse JENSEN (Canberra Olympic), Ariana KASHAN (Majura FC), Claire KENNEDY-SPENCER (Tuggeranong United), Tarah MANTHONGSY (Tuggeranong United), Olivia MARTINIELLO (Majura FC), Ailish MCDONAGH (Belconnen United), Amy MOORE (Gungahlin United), Demi NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Stephenie NIKIAS (West Canberra Wanderers), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United), Nikita PERRY (Canberra Olympic), Lauren PRESTON (Belconnen United), Bronte PYKE (Belconnen United), Madison SAWKINS (Belconnen United), Allegra SENTI (West Canberra Wanderers), Rachel VAN AALST (Gungahlin United),
Words: Sam Watson
