This week will go down as one of the most unbalanced and midfield-heavy Teams of the Week ever. It seemed like every club was either shipping in goals or had very little defending to do, with centre mids dominating proceedings, taking up eight spots in the squad.
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GK: Christine Fonua (Heidelberg United)
Fonua was at her reliable best on Friday, always in the right spot to sweep up a delivery before it could turn into a goal threat, and dealt with most shots that came her way. Could do nothing to prevent Hulbert’s powerful strike.
RCB: Penny Bakopoulos (Box Hill United)
Holding finals-bound Heidelberg to a draw was no easy feat, and Bakopoulos was part of the reason Box Hill managed to frustrate the Bergers. She put on a solid display to keep the Bergers to just the one goal and help her side earn a hard-fought draw.
CB: Raelynn Mikell (Casey Comets)
A cool back-heel goal and a clean sheet capped off a fine night for Mikell. In truth, she didn’t have all that much to do, but she went about her business with minimal fuss anyway, barely allowing South Yarra a sniff at goal.
LCB: Emma Checker (Ashburton United)
Yes, yes, we know. Checker’s been dominating in defensive midfield and was at it again on Friday night against the Senior NTC, helping Ashburton control the tempo of the game and possession of the ball. We’ve had to shift her back to CB for the sake of team balance, though.
DM: Alex Natoli (Bulleen Lions)
Thrived in a deeper midfield role, involved everywhere from the build up of attacking passages to getting on the end of a couple of chances herself. Scored an early brace and had the ball on a string throughout the remainder of the contest.
RCM: Michelle Verzi (Heidelberg United)
It’s almost a travesty Verzi isn’t in the starting XI, but due to TCF’s Marxian approach to giving each club as equal representation in the team as possible, the captain will have to settle for a bench spot. Was a constant presence for the Bergers with her passing range, goal sense
CM: Amy Jackson (Boroondara Eagles)
After a couple of quieter games by our standards – and we have ridiculous standards, expecting a brace every time now – Jackson was back to her usual self, bagging another brace. That takes her season tally to a lazy 21 goals, five better than anyone else, which is even more impressive considering these goals are coming from midfield.
LCM: Caity Friend (Bulleen Lions)
Like her midfield counterparts, it’s as though Friend’s boots had magnets for the ball to attach to, as she win possession countless times around the pitch before distributing with great poise and precision.
RF: Antonia Niteros (Casey Comets)
Scored her first goals in years to cap off a successful transition from defence to attack. The first one was a powerful and curling effort, while the second may have had a bit of luck to it from a distant angle. It all counts though, and nobody will be more delighted than Niteros to get off the mark this season.
CF: Brittany Dudley-Smith (South Melbourne)
She may only have been on the pitch for a half, but in that time, Dudley-Smith managed to almost single-handedly swing the pendulum in South Melbourne’s favour. Assisted the opener and scored the sealer to help South earn an invaluable three points in the race to the finals.
LF: Taryne Boudreau (Boroondara Eagles)
Worked her way into the contest very nicely after a quieter first half, and it was no surprises that when she fired up, so did her team. Scored two goals and provided an assist to propel the Eagles to a comeback victory.
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BENCH:
Hayley Richmond (Senior NTC)
A sprightly showing from Richmond in an NTC side with few proper standouts, she helped her side work their way back into the game with a cracking effort that dipped in off the crossbar, her second goal of the season. Was lively throughout the contest on the defensive flank.
Emily Hulbert (Box Hill United)
A key player in Box Hill’s draw against Heidelberg with a classy performance in midfield. The 80th minute equaliser was deserved reward for Hulbert, who had been denied a couple of times earlier, including by the upright on one occasion.
Briar Palmer (Ashburton United)
The new Kiwi arrival has made an immediate impression on the WPL. Sliced open the NTC defence with her runs in behind the defence and dangerous deliveries, leading to one key assist. Was also dangerous on the set-piece, denied a goal by the woodwork.
Mykaylin Rosenquist (Casey Comets)
Has been a fantastic addition for Casey, which has coincided with the Comets’ recent good form. Was on the scoresheet with two well-taken goals against Yarra and could easily have had a few more on the night. A real spark for her side in the latter parts of the season.
Jess Tay (Boroondara Egales)
Has been super since re-joining the Eagles, and was bright in Ash Callaghan’s usual holding midfield role. Put in a good defensive display with a number of interceptions, while also constantly looking for that spark going forward.
Cindy Lay (Bulleen Lions)
Pushed back into the middle of the park, Lay completes the midfield contingent in Team of the Week for Bulleen. In another dominant performance, reflective of her season to date, she saw plenty of the ball in the middle and grabbed a late goal.