Report by Tommy Doleman

Fremantle defeated NTC in the 2020 Night Series final

Two sides with different form lines meet on Saturday afternoon when Fremantle City and Hyundai NTC travel  to Geraldton for the Regional Festival of Football.

Both teams are in the Top Four mix going into Round Eight of the NPL WA - Women’s competition, with NTC currently third and winning their past three games in a four-match unbeaten run.

City are fifth, but winless in three after an encouraging start to the season which saw them defeat defending champions Murdoch University Melville FC in Round One. Despite the difficult run of results of late, they are only two points off second place MUM FC and one point behind this weekend’s opponents.

Fremantle defender Steffi Nadilo said: “We’ve had some challenging results in the past couple of weeks and it was frustrating not to get the win (against Balcatta last weekend), but there was plenty of positives to draw from it, particularly in the first half.

“We’re lucky at Freo that we have a tight-knit group with high morale. Leading into the weekend, we’re all excited to get up to Geraldton, to focus on our strengths, be positive and keep fighting until the end.

“One of the exciting things about the league this year is there’s no team that’s been dominant. The Redbacks are obviously unbeaten, but no scoreline is certain in any game.

“It’s exciting for us and for the league because it means you have to fight to win every game. There’s still a long way to go this season, so we’ll take whatever happens in our stride and continue to push for results throughout the year.”

Fremantle won the first piece of silverware in the NPLW era with a Night Series win over NTC in 2020 and the club went on to play in the Top Four Cup final.

On that occasion, they were defeated on penalties by the Redbacks at Dorrien Gardens, and Nadilo says the team are once again relishing the chance to play in a marquee fixture on Saturday.

“It’s exciting for me, for the team and generally for women’s football in WA to showcase the calibre of players we have in this league to the regions,” she said.

“It’s a big thing to have the opportunity to play in these games because we are still a young team. Having that experience to play in a good atmosphere with hopefully a bigger crowd is something we can use to develop our maturity and experience in terms of playing on this stage.

“It’s going to be a tight game this weekend. NTC are always impressive and it’s never an easy game, but we need to focus on our strengths . We’re not afraid to get physical, either, and use that to our advantage.”

Hyundai NTC are making their second trip to the Regional Festival of Football after being edged out 2-1 by Perth SC in last year’s Albany fixture.

After missing out on a finals berth in 2020, the youngsters have given themselves a good platform to build from in 2021 with just one defeat in their opening six league games. It’s a case of continuing their good start, according to striker Ella Lincoln.

“It’s a great opportunity to get away with the girls and spend a couple of nights together as a team. It will be something a little bit different and exciting, so hopefully there’s a good crowd in Geraldton for the game,” Lincoln said.

“It’s going to be a tough game and there’s no exceptions we can make against Fremantle this weekend. We’ve been playing well, but we need to continue to do what we’ve been doing against them, because we know they’re an electrifying team on their day.

“We’re confident we’ll come across well on the weekend if we keep doing the same things. The girls are in good form at the moment and we’ve started to find our way together in recent weeks. The fitness and intensity have also increased and that confidence is a big one for us too.”

Elsewhere, Perth SC host Murdoch University Melville in a battle between two top four sides. It’s the second game of a doubleheader at Dorrien Gardens, which follows the men’s fixture with ECU Joondalup, Perth are out to to extend a three-game winning run while MUM FC aim to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat to Northern Redbacks.

League leaders Redbacks will be looking to preserve their unbeaten status when they travel to Balcatta on Sunday afternoon.

The remaining game on Sunday pits the bottom two sides as Subiaco and Curtin University look for their first wins of the season at Rosalie Park.

Fixtures

Saturday (5pm)

Hyundai NTC v Fremantle City
Perth SC v Murdoch University Melville

Sunday (3pm)

Balcatta v Northern Redbacks 
Subiaco v Curtin University