Report by Tommy Doleman

Jay Coleman heads one of her two goals against NTC in Round One. Photo by FotoEnzo

Perth RedStar will look to record a seventh straight league win on Sunday when they travel to E&D Litis Stadium to face Hyundai NTC.

RedStar have been in outstanding form in season 2022, having scored 29 goals while conceding only three times in the process. It means Carlos Vega Mena’s side have already opened up a seven-point lead to second-place Fremantle City in the NPLWA - Women’s table.

It continues an excellent run of results for the club, who suffered only two league defeats last year. But despite a strong 2021 they finished the season without any silverware to show for it, having been pipped to the league by Murdoch University Melville.

Midfielder Jay Coleman said that has provided part of the motivation going into this year as they aim to build on March’s Night Series win.

“It’s gone really well so far. We’ve been training since January and worked on a lot of things which didn’t work so well towards the end of last season. It obviously ended on a negative note and that wasn’t what we wanted, but we’ve had a good off-season and that’s translating to our game plan and it’s been nice to see,” she said.

“Losing wasn’t an option for us (in the Night Series Final) and we knew a lot was at stake for that game and that gave us more confidence going into the season. On the other hand, you end up having a lot of pressure because you’ve already won something and now every team is out there looking to beat us. That makes every game now a hard game and we have to keep on fighting to keep on winning and getting points. 

Coleman, who scored twice in RedStar's 5-0 win over this weekend's opponents in Round One, added: “NTC are a young team who will run all day and have the ability to apply pressure and upset teams, so for us it’s about not making mistakes and controlling our game.

“We’ve been lucky to maintain our team and hopefully we can keep the good performances going through the whole season. I know myself I wasn’t 100% sure if I was going to play again this season as my partner and I had a few plans and things we want to achieve, but off the back of what happened at the end of last season I knew I couldn’t finish on that note and it definitely made me want to come back stronger with the club and win some titles this season.”

Coleman returned for a second spell at the club at the beginning of last season, having previously played in 2016.

The midfielder player spent her junior days at Otumoetai FC on New Zealand’s North Island and credited the school and college leagues as a big focus of football there. After a short period in Perth with Northern Redbacks, she then went over to London and played with one of Fulham’s teams for a couple of years.

“It was an opportunity which came about as I didn’t move to London for football, more for the experience and just happened to trial at Fulham with my partner and we ended up playing there for a couple of years,” Coleman said.

“We weren’t playing in the top, top league, but that experience of playing for a well-known club with the facilities there was amazing. I also got to watch a lot of the women’s games while I was there.

“When I went over, the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Arsenal had around 10,000 tickets which were sold for that game, but watching now the stands are completely full, so it looks like there’s more people watching women’s football and there seems to be more opportunities for players in general. Watching all the younger women and girls coming through the difference in skill level from when I was that age has changed, which comes from the exposure I guess.”

Coleman has been one of the league’s standout players since rejoining with her performances in midfield recognised by polling well in last year’s Gold Medal.

The midfielder finished fourth in the overall count and admitted it caught her off guard, but that won’t stop her from continuing to try and improve her game in conjunction with her team’s successful start to the year.

“I felt like I had a good season personally, but I didn’t realise the Gold Medal was a thing given I’d been out of the competition, so it never really came to my mind (throughout the season),” she said.

“I was definitely surprised because there’s some really good players out there in this league and I was taken aback, but obviously happy about it.

“I do like to try and command the play as much as I can and make a difference. But I’m also always thinking about the things I didn’t do well in the game and those are the things I really want to focus hard on in my next game. I know myself and understand when I do things well and not so well, and I think my decision-making is probably something I would like to still keep on improving. But I just try to go out there and play a good game."

Round Eight begins on Friday night when Curtin University host Fremantle City at Edinburgh Oval.

Curtin came from 4-2 down in the final five minutes to rescue a first point of the season at Subiaco in thrilling fashion, but they face a sterner test against a City side looking to apply some pressure on RedStar.

There’s one other fixture on Sunday afternoon as Balcatta Etna and Perth SC meet in an Italian derby at Grindleford Reserve. Etna drew 0-0 with Hyundai NTC in Wednesday’s catch-up fixture from Round Four and three points may lift them into the top four, while Perth are fresh from a week off following a Covid postponement as they try to close the gap on the pacesetters.

Murdoch University Melville’s trip to Subiaco was postponed on Thursday due to Covid.