With the collective attention of the Wembley Park crowd focused on Alamein FC’s esteemed guest in their 3-0 win over hosts Box Hill United, there was another name, another sub-plot that would’ve been front and centre on any other day.
But of course this wasn’t any other day. The NPLW was graced with the presence of the reigning W-League Golden Boot recipient and Young Player of the Year in Melbourne City’s Larissa Crummer, who took her place spearheading the Alamein attack.
When she eventually made way at half-time – the culmination of over four months without competitive football – the crowd was greeted with another familiar face, with winger Cristina Cardaci introduced after the break, marking her debut with an appearance against her former side.
“It wasn’t challenging but the mental preparation was different today,” Cardaci said on the chance meeting against her former teammates.
“I just focused on trying to fit in with the way that Alamein play and their philosophy, and they made the welcoming smooth which was really good.”
Cardaci had been with the squad for just over a week before taking to the field, and was even a spectator as her new side fell to a 2-1 defeat to Calder United last weekend.
While she admitted she’s still getting used to the surroundings, the 18-year-old is adamant that this move was right for her, citing coach Sinisa Cohadzic – someone she’s worked closely with in the past – as a major influence in her decision to choose Alamein.
“I’ve been around for roughly a week and a bit. I watched them against Calder United to suss out my next move,” she told.
“I liked what I saw and I’ve know Sinisa for a while now since Summer League so I thought it was the most suitable option for me.
“I felt like I needed a change, and I needed to improve as a player and I felt like Sinisa gave me the best option for that.
“There’s a lot of the game that I still need to learn but I think that when you surround yourself with good players, you learn from them and off them. That was the most important thing.
“[Sinisa’s] really good. He’s tough, he challenges you, puts you on your toes so you want to do everything you can to perform for him because you have that respect.”
Likewise, Cohadzic was pleased to have landed the promising youngster, who believes that the set-up within Alamein can help her take the next step in her game.
“I think because we play attacking football – that’s our style – and she has the speed for it [it will suit her],” Cohadzic said on his newest signing.
“All she needs is for me to instil that confidence in her to do the things that she’s capable of.”
He also believes the competition for places will be good for Cardaci, who grew accustomed to a regular starting berth with Box Hill last season.
“At the moment it’s easy because [of the injuries within the club] but what this brings is that it’ll pick up the level of all the players to make sure that everyone is ready to fight for their spots.
“This will improve us as a team and improve these mistakes that we’re making. They need to understand that everyone that’s not up to par of doing what we need to do to win a game of football, they miss out on the week.”
Cardaci is acutely aware of the challenge to hold onto a place within the match-day squad, but revealed it’s something that will drive her to further improve her game.
“Obviously I knew that when I made my move. No matter what club you move to, you’re going to be competing for positions because the league is so competitive that you’ve got to fight for your spot,” she said.
“I took that into consideration here but the challenge is to work hard to fight for your spot. That’s probably what’s going to drive me further, to not expect to play every single week like last season.”
The 18-year-old had a couple of bright moments down the right wing in her 45 minutes on the park, but admits her performances will improve as her understanding with her new side blossoms.
“From the times I had the ball, I felt like I did the best I could with it.
“Obviously I’m still adapting to players names, their philosophy, the shape – so I’ve still got plenty to learn.
“Overall, I can take both positives and negatives from it, work on what I need to work on and focus on just improving what I’m already good at.”
She was pitted against a former teammate in Emma Littlewood, with each player enjoying spells on top of that little contest.
The Box Hill left-back revealed that she was initially taken aback seeing Cardaci line-up against her.
Full Gallery courtesy of Rachel Bach here
“It took me by surprise,” Littlewood said.
“I don’t know if the other girls were expecting it but it was obviously sad to see her go, but we wish her well at Alamein.”
While Cardaci’s move may have been overshadowed by that of Crummer, she’s looking forward to the chance to work with her on the park, and improve her own game in the process.
“[Crummer] was brilliant to watch and obviously you can learn a lot from her. I really admire the way she reads the game,” she said.
“She’s quick with her feet and especially at training, her ball movement and touch, it’s very efficient. I think that’s really good for this team and hopefully I get to know her a bit better and learn from her more.”
“[For me though], improving performance is the most important thing. Developing better match fitness and working on little aspects of my game.”
Feature Image: Graeme Furlong