Image: Matt Johnson
Having missed the inaugural NPLW season with a torn ACL sidelining her in 2016, defender Emma Checker joins Alamein FC and will captain the side, including their newest international recruit Amy Marron.
The 20-year-old succeeds the retiring Christine Pfeiffer as club captain and will hope to lead her side to a more successful 2017 season, having spend this year coaching the under 12’s at Ashburton United while spending time at Alamein in a supporting role.
Checker took the Victorian league by storm in 2015 with WPL outfit Ashburton United, where she displayed her versatility in both a central defensive and midfield role.
It was the latter which saw Checker capture her best form for Sinisa Cohadzic’s side, where her tenacity and bite in a defensive midfield role helped her side to a second-placed finish and a Preliminary Final to boot.
She was handed a W-League debut in 2011 by Dave Edmondson, where the then 15-year-old made six appearances in the 2011 season, and 17 appearances in total across her three year stint.
Her performance levels and potential saw her rewarded with a maiden appearance for the Matildas at age 16 in a 4-0 win over Hong Kong, in which she played the full 90 minutes.
She followed Edmondson from Adelaide to the Melbourne Victory for the 2013 W-League season, scoring on her debut and making a total of 22 appearances in her two seasons at the club, before joining Canberra United for the 2015 season.
Having made eight appearances for the club that season, Checker was withdrawn from the squad to face Perth Glory in Round 12 and it was later revealed that she’d ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament.
Canberra had the bye in last week’s W-League opening weekend, but Checker personally will hope to play a role in the latter stages of their season.
Alamein coach Sinisa Cohadzic is delighted to have the chance to link up with the talented Checker once more and is hoping her elite mentality will be a good influence on the squad looking ahead to next season.
“I am excited and delighted to have Emma return to captain and lead this club in 2017,” he said.
“I am grateful that she has shown true character and loyalty to the club and myself to return back and help us try and win a Premiership next season.
“Her professionalism, attitude, winning mentality and leadership will bring our team to another level. It’s an exciting signing not only for Alamein FC but for the entire NPLW competition.”
The signing of American utility Amy Marron adds another level of depth to Sinisa Cohadzic’s squad.
Capable of playing across all lines on the pitch, Cohadzic has hinted that he’ll look to utilise the St John’s University graduate in a centre-back role.
During her four years in the college system, Marron registered 70 appearances for eight goals and 11 assists; of which seven came in a personal best 2013 campaign.
“[Marron] is an experienced American central defender that played at a high level,” Cohadzic said.
“She’s composed on the ball, technically very sound and has a physical presence and calmness. [She’s a] great addition to our backline, an area where we lacked composure and control last season.”