The opening weekend of the WNPL season is always highly anticipated, and this one did not disappoint. With five of the seven teams in the competition changing head coach in the off-season, neutral and fans alike were watching the action with an added layer of interest.
The season kicked off at Wanderers Park, with West Canberra celebrating their ten years in the competition by hosting Grand Final runners-up Belconnen United on Thursday night. The Blue Devils were expected to dominate last season’s wooden spoonists and started the game on the front foot.
Ten minutes into the action however, the Blue Devils were unfortunate to lose Alyse Jensen, the former Wanderer having to make way after an ankle injury. The new entrant, Reilly Yuen, immediately had an impact and ended the night with a brace. Her first goal came six minutes before the break, following a good press by Alina Roberts. Belconnen had tried time and time again to put the ball past Amy Wiggan, but the former Tuggeranong shot stopper was in superb form.
The visitors’ second foot came ten minutes after the break and rewarded another great press, this time by Hattie Cram. The other former Wanderer in the sky-blue outfit netted with a nice curler from outside the box that snuck between Wiggan and her near post.
The home team’s responses were too few and far between to threaten the Federation Cup title holders. Yuen put an end to any hope five minutes past the hour mark, using her speed to distance the defenders following a long through ball from her captain Lauren Preston, before calmly finishing from point blank range.
The game of the weekend arguably took centre stage at Hawker Football Centre on Sunday, the rain forcing Gungahlin United to host Canberra Olympic on the synthetic pitch. The exciting game on paper hold all its promises on the pitch.
Both teams started with high intensity, with the Gunners first happy to contain Olympic’s attacks while trying to punish in transition. The reigning champions would be the one to break the deadlock, on the one rare occasion they found space in the defence.
A Nicole Jalocha ball through saw last year’s revelation Maddison Cachia speed towards the box, before nudging the ball under Matilde Laurel-Tighe with her right foot. Gungahlin’s new goalkeeper had a role to play minutes later, when she deflected a Bessie Riethmuller shot from distance, keeping her team in the game at the break.
Back from the locker room, Olympic kept the pressure up. The reward came fifteen minutes later, when a prolongated press by captain Victoria Jamieson led to a ball floating in the Gunners defence, only for Jalocha to smash it in the back of the net, leaving no chance to Tighe.
Cachia’s troops kept the intensity to protect their lead, only breaking with virtually the last kick of the game. A Gunners’ free kick travelled through the field, Natalie De Marco controlled the ball for Ginger Oliver, and the forward picked the bottom right corner for a short-lived hope. The final whistle happened only seconds later.
Tuggeranong United and Canberra Croatia closed the action where it started, at Wanderers Park. The 3pm kick-off saw the third game of the season ending with three goals again, all the way of the visitors.
Zoran Glavinic was as busy as the other title contenders this off-season, with five players in the starting line-up donning the red and white chequered jersey for the first time in WNPL.
The Deakin side had the perfect start, with Arusha Chew’s first goal in her colours five minutes in. At the end of a lovely collective movement, Isabella Barac offered the perfect opportunity for the former Olympic forward to find the bottom right of the net.
Newly signed Tuggeranong goalkeeper Emily Pearce was kept busy, denying the repeated assaults of Chew, Barac, Brittany Palombi, and the rest for most of the game. Although the home team was confined to their own half for the first 45 minutes, the deficit had not changed at the break.
The second half followed the same scenario. It took another selfless effort from Barac for Canberra Croatia to finally break down the Tuggies’ defence just past the hour mark. The striker inherited the ball in the six-yard box, calmly offering it to her captain Palombi behind her. The multiple Golden Boot winner had found the crossbar earlier in the game, and this time did not miss the chance to open her tally in 2024.
She even doubled it, earning a penalty in injury time that she converted herself, to close the game. Glavinic’s squad, with the addition of youngsters Nadia Zakman and Ella Palframan, in view on Sunday, seem ready for a title fight that promises to be nail-biting again this season.
RESULTS
ROUND 1
Thursday 4 April
West Canberra Wanderers 0 Belconnen United 3 (Yuen 39’, 66’, Cram 56’)
Sunday 7 April
Gungahlin United 1 (Oliver 90+1’) Canberra Olympic 2 (Cachia 26’, Jalocha 64’)
Tuggeranong United 0 Canberra Croatia 3 (Chew 6’, Palombi 62’, 90+1’ (p))
TABLE
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
| 1 | Belconnen United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 2 | Canberra Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| 3 | Canberra Olympic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | ANU WFC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Gungahlin United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 6 | Tuggeranong United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| 7 | West Canberra Wanderers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
2: Brittany PALOMBI (Canberra Croatia), Reilly YUEN (Belconnen United)
1: Madison CACHIA (Canberra Olympic), Arusha CHEW (Canberra Croatia), Hattie CRAM (Belconnen United), Nicole JALOCHA (Canberra Olympic), Ginger OLIVER (Gungahlin United)
Words: Jeremy Magan
