The NPLW Victoria was rolled out to much fan-fare in 2016 and in it’s inaugural season, has delivered in its promise to foster a more competitive womens top-flight competition. Nine teams slogged it out for 24 games plus finals as Calder United claimed a league double to establish themselves as the powerhouse of the competition. In full retrospect of the 2016 season, we honour some of the best performers of 2016 in The Corner Flag’s Team of the Season, which you can have your say in by voting for two players via the poll below and using the hashtag #NPLWTOTS.
They hold many different roles within a team, with those playing in the engine room expected to play either a shutting down role to win possession as frequently as possible, a playmaking role from either a deep or more advanced position, or a good mix of everything mentioned, floating from box-to-box to influence the play at both ends. They’re the glue that holds a good side together, and we take a look at some of the very best in a central midfield position this season.
NPLW Victoria Team of the Season: Goalkeepers
NPLW Victoria Team of the Season: Centre Backs
NPLW Victoria Team of the Season: Fullbacks
NPLW Victoria Team of the Season: Attacking Midfielders
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MelindaJ Barbieri (Senior NTC)
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The reigning Melbourne Victory Young Player of the Season backed up her incredible breakout campaign in last year’s WPL by topping her output once more. Barbieri is showing no signs of slowing down either as she shapes up for the rigours of another W-League campaign on back of captaining her Senior NTC side to a seventh-placed league finish, scoring 10 goal in the process. Oh and also an FFV Gold Medal to boot – not bad for a 16-year old.
Jamie Brown (Bayside United)
Despite finding game time hard to come by early in the season, Jamie Brown finished as one of Bayside’s more important players, finishing as their equal second top scorer with three goals and improving immensely as the season wore on. The former Senior NTC keeper has come a long way in further developing her skills as an outfielder, showing great positional awareness and game sense for someone of such a young age, even filling in at right-back at one stage.
Kristina Hall (Box Hill United)
The American arrived on our shores with a decent pedigree of second-division football with her native San Francisco. She delivered on her promise of all-action, energetic performances and would’ve even taken out a prestigious FFV Gold Medal, were it not for six yellow cards accrued throughout the season leaving her ineligible. The vivacious midfielder always looked dangerous for Pythagoras and made a whopping seven appearances in TCF’s Team of the Week, finishing as United’s second top-scorer with five goals.
Jamie Pollock (Bulleen Lions)
Her season got off to a blistering start as she was amongst the best on ground in a first up win over Galaxy United. She rode the crest of that wave of form throughout 2016, carrying on from a strong first up campaign in the Victorian top-flight with South Melbourne last year. As she showed during her time with Melbourne Victory, Pollock proved an reliable stop-gap solution at centre-back, where she was required as mid-season injuries piled up at the Veneto Club, while contributing at the other end with four goals.
Emma Robers (Bayside United)
Robers is maturing as a player as every season passes by, showing huge improvement from the raw, but promising talent nurture through the ranks of Sandringham SC to one of the more experienced players at consortium Bayside United. This season, she’s become one of their most important players playing in a more box-to-box role, where she showed glimpses of her attacking intent, balanced with a high pressure tenacity to win plenty of ball from opposition midfielders.
Melissa Taranto (Galaxy United)
Melissa Taranto enjoyed yet another exceptional year in the Victorian top flight in her first season outside of the Senior NTC system. Moving to Galaxy United alongside sister Adriana, she played a huge part in her side’s run in to the Grand Final – even netting the winning penalty in the Semi Final against Alamein FC – with her performances in a deeper midfield role. Recycled possession well to help control a contest, while also keeping herself busy with a good defensive work rate, her supreme technical ability was still allowed to on show with as she helped herself to four goals and a handful of assists.
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Honourable Mentions: Enza Barilla (Calder United), Sarah Cain (Senior NTC)