Report by Tommy Doleman

Subiaco have been unable to clinch a win yet despite some bright moments. Photo by Rob Lizzi

Round 16 of the NPLWA – Women’s competition kicks off on Friday night with Subiaco travelling to Fremantle City.

The game follows a catch-up double-header in midweek which saw the top two strengthen their grip on the table.

Leaders Murdoch University Melville defeated Perth SC 2-0 thanks to goals from Ellie La Monte and Marianna Tabain.

And Northern Redbacks matched the defending champions’ result when defeating Fremantle by the same scoreline. Goals either side of half-time from Larissa Walsh and Sarah Carroll ensured Redbacks remain two points behind MUM FC with a game in hand.

On Sunday, MUM FC face a Hyundai NTC side desperate for three points to keep their finals hopes alive.

Redbacks travel to Dorrien Gardens to play Perth whom they have an excellent record against, having won every NPLW meeting between the sides since the start of last season.

The two midweek results were good for Balcatta’s Top Four Cup hopes. They sit fifth, just a point outside the finals places, heading into their match on Sunday against Curtin University.

It is a different story for Subiaco, who are still chasing their first win of the NPL era as they visit Fremantle City at Wauhop Park.

Iain Jolly’s side have been competitive in 2021 but are finding three points to be elusive, despite coming close on a couple of occasions throughout the year. The determination to achieve that milestone this season is something which is still driving the players, according to skipper Jen Walsh.

“It’s been frustrating. We were within seconds of getting that first win at Curtin and probably thought we were there, but they scored in the last minute and that was a devastating blow for the team,” Walsh said.

“But we have to stay motivated because the performances overall have been more promising, even if it’s still a tough battle because we’ve been a lot closer to it.

“We’ve had some tough defeats at home, but in almost every game we’ve had that fighting attitude and you’ll watch a number of games and see we never really give up.

“If we keep working hard, it will come. We deserve it because we’ve been working really hard on and off the pitch. We definitely want to get that monkey off the back and also give the girls that reward and something to take into next season.”

Walsh has been with Subiaco since 2015 having formerly played in Canberra’s Women’s Premier League with Woden Valley, where she helped the club become champions for the first time in 2010.

She has also had success in the west having won the Golden Boot for the Women’s State League Division One as part of a title winning season in 2019.

The team sport dynamic is something which has appealed to Walsh when it comes to football and she’s relishing being involved at an exciting time for the women’s game.

“I always played with my brother in the boys’ teams when I was young, then I got involved with tennis for a while and didn’t get back into football until I was 15,” she added.

“After that, I just enjoyed and loved the culture of being part of a team, the friendships you make and fighting for something together.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to celebrate too many wins but it’s a very strong community down at Subiaco. The club have hosted a couple of watch parties (for the Matildas at the Olympics), so it’s been great to see people come down to support the female game, which can only motivate the younger girls who aspire to reaching that level.

“It’s important for them because we’ve had girls age 15 and 16 in our team playing against girls who have played for Glory. It’s got to be exciting and a great experience for the younger girls to face the likes of Kat Jukic and Gemma Craine to give them a tangible view of where they could end up.”

This will be Subiaco's third match against Fremantle this season, including a 2-1 loss in Round Two in which Dylan Davidson was on target for Subi.

Walsh is hoping the team can channel some of the good things they did that night to cause an upset this weekend.

“We think we can get a result against any side and we’ve got the ability to do that. Anyone who has watched our games will be able to see that too,” she said.

“We’ll go in with some optimism that we should be feeling pretty fresh and they may be a little tired after their catch-up game, which is a tough turnaround on recovery for them. But we’ll have to take our chances because we know they’re a strong skilful team and hopefully the rain stays away and we don’t get washed out!”

Fixtures (3pm unless stated)

Friday
Fremantle City v Subiaco (7.30pm)

Sunday
Balcatta v Curtin University
Hyundai NTC v Murdoch University Melville
Perth SC v Northern Redbacks