Up until last Friday’s mini-reveal, news from the Melbourne Victory W-League camp was kept tight-lipped under the stewardship of new head coach Jeff Hopkins. Today the club has revealed the squad that it will take into its ninth W-League campaign. As it stands, 18 of the 20 spots on the roster have been filled, with two new international faces amongst the mix.
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The stalwarts:
These familiar face have been around the block in Victory colours before, and were also a part of the roster selected by Dave Edmondson for their 2015 campaign, which saw them finish the season dead last on the W-League ladder.
Amongst the returning faces is Gulcan Koca, who spent a large amount of last season battling a broken foot. She recovered to make six appearances towards the back of the season. The midfielder/defender – coming off a good Victorian campaign with NPLW Champions Calder United – brings plenty of experience to the squad and is the longest serving player on the current Victory roster.
Another utility player to return is Alex Natoli who has had fitness concerns of her own this year, with the 20-year-old missing a large chunk of the NPLW season for Bulleen Lions with a ligament tear in the ankle. She was one of the breakthrough players for Melbourne Victory in 2015 as featured both in a centre back and a left-back role as she finally established herself as a first-team regular after three seasons in the W-League system.
Continuing on the theme of injuries are the returning Laura Spiranovic and Selin Kuralay, who were both early casualties in last years embattled W-League campaign for the Victory. Kuralay came out of W-League retirement to make a return after a four-year absence, only to be cruelly struck down by an ACL injury in just the first game of the season. She recovered and featured towards the back end of the NPLW season with club side Galaxy United, making eight appearances off the bench as they fell to a Grand Final defeat.
Spiranovic captained that Geelong side to a fourth place finish and subsequent Grand Final loss after missing the beginning of the season recovering from a knee injury that saw her miss the back end of the last W-League campaign. The powerful forward has featured for the Victory on and off since earning her first selection for the 2011-12 campaign and will be hoping to add more to her league tally of seven goals.
Finally, the Victory have retained the services of their star midfielder Christine Nairn for a third season in Navy Blue, a massive coup for Hopkins’ squad. The twice-capped American international has forged a reputation as one of the best technical midfielders in the league and possesses a penchant for the spectacular, netting some brilliant goals in her time with the club.
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The young brigade:
This quartet all made their W-League bows last season after fine seasons in the WPL saw them join from the Senior NTC system in Victoria. Carrying a largely inexperienced squad into 2015, Edmondson was more than prepared to give youth a chance, and so it proved as they all enjoyed a promising first season in the W-League system.
None impressed more so than reigning Victory W-League Medallist Annabel Martin, as the Young Matildas representative enjoyed a fine year at right-back, appearing in every minute of the 2015 campaign. The flame-haired livewire showed shades of a former Victory fullback in Steph Catley as she showcased her supreme fitness down the flank to contribute both in an attacking and defensive capability, as she did for Galaxy United in the state league season.
The other big returning name is none other than 16-year-old MelindaJ Barbieri, who showed plenty of promise in her debut W-League season. The teenager showed a maturity beyond her years and finished the season as equal top scorer with two goals from 12 appearances as she went on to claim the Victory’s Young Player of the Year award. ‘Mindy’ took on the mantle of captain at the NTC this season, where she’s skippered her side to a seventh-placed finish and went on to take out the NPLW Gold Medal for her best-and-fairest season.
Twins Adriana and Melissa Taranto both return to the fold after featuring eight and 10 times respectfully in the nation’s top-flight last campaign. The technically gifted pair are telepathic on the pitch – having played alongside each other for their entire senior career at both the Senior NTC and this season Galaxy United – and will hopefully have the chance to line up alongside each other more in Victory colours this season.
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The returning:
Whether they sat out injured or were playing at other clubs last season, the following three names make a return to the W-League fold with the Victory after spells away from the club.
Rachel Alonso has spent the last two seasons at Adelaide United, although the 22-year-old did not feature in last season’s campaign. She last featured for Melbourne Victory as a teenager in the 2012-13 season, where she made two appearances that campaign. She has found another level to her game this season during her time with Calder United, where she netted a personal best return of 17 goals and donned the title of co-captain. Capable of playing on both wings and behind the striker, she will be relishing a second chance to feature at the Victory, this time as a more polished player.
Joining her is Bulleen Lions forward-come-midfielder Caitlin Friend, who returns to the W-League fold after injury saw her passed up for selection in last year’s squad. Victory’s all-time leading goal scorer burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old and netted three goals in her first season at the club (15 in total). She has moved into a deeper role in the past two seasons at the Veneto Club and adds versatility and options across the park for Hopkins to consider.
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The new faces:
The first of the newcomers is midfielder Ayesha Norrie who signs from the Brisbane Roar. The 19-year-old has been a part of the Brisbane Roar system since 2013, making 15 appearances at W-League level. Norrie competed at U15’s level in the NPL Queensland Mens competition in 2014 and progressed through to senior football with Souths United in the NPLW Queensland, where she comes off the back of a 17 goal season, netting at just under a goal a game.
The surprise signing of the group comes in the form of South Melbourne defender Alex Cheal, not because of any lack of talent, but rather because she spent the off-season playing in State League One, while other rivals for her spot featured in the NPLW top-flight. The 23-year-old was one of a handful of first team players to stay with the club upon missing out on an NPLW licence and the Echuca local skippered her side to a SL1 Championship in 2016. She boasts eight years of top-flight experience having made her league debut as a 14-year-old for the Bendigo Vipers in 2008 and featured previously as a train-on for the Victory.
Calder United’s Bethany Mason-Jones signs on as Victory’s second-choice goalkeeper and her selection is reward for a consistent NPLW season which culminated in a starring role in Calder’s Grand Final triumph. The 18-year-old began her senior career in the NTC system before progressing through the ranks at South Melbourne and Bundoora United before making the move to Calder this season. She kept eight clean sheets from her 24 league appearances and succeeds Melissa Barbieri and Cassie Dimovski as custodians at the club.
Speedster Lia Privitelli puts a checkered history of serious injury behind her to don the Navy Blue for the first time in 2016. The Bulleen Lions product strung together a consistent season of football for the first time since 2014 and has been rewarded with a first-ever contract at national level. The exciting winger with an eye for goal made her senior debut in 2011 for the EAP and has scored 23 league goals, including an 11 goal haul in 2014 and a further seven this season. She gets the opportunity to showcase her undoubted ability, which has been so often held back by her constant injury concerns.
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The internationals:
Signing on for the second half of Melbourne Victory’s W-League campaign last year. English forward Natasha Dowie re-joins the club for her first full campaign in the Navy Blue. The 28-year-old netted twice in last year’s W-League campaign in her seven games for the club, and comes with some pedigree in the English top-flight. The striker has made 14 senior appearances for the English national team and boasts over 10 years of experience in England, while also featuring for the Boston Breakers in between W-League stints.
The first of two new internationals is Mexican/American goalkeeper Bianca Henninger, who signs from Houston Dash, where she played alongside Australians Ellie Brush and Lydia Williams. The 25-year-old joins the pair Down Under for the first time, in her senior career, having appeared 20 times for the Dash since signing in 2014. She counts a spell with Bayern Munich as well as experience with New York Fury and FC Kansas City in her senior career to date. The American-born keeper earned a call-up to the Mexican national team earlier this year for their Four Nations campaign in China, but didn’t feature.
Rounding off the squad is the loan signing of 25-year-old American defender Samantha Johnsonon from Chicago Red Stars. She’s no stranger to Australian shores, having featured for Sydney FC in their 2014 W-League campaign, and returns to work alongside fellow countrywomen in Henninger and Nairn. The U18 and U20-capped defender featured previously for the University of Southern California, beginning as a utility midfielder/forward.
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The departing players:
Cassandra Dimovski spent the state league season travelling across Europe and misses selection this season, as does young midfielder Jess Pitts, who featured for Calder United in this year’s NPLW season. Her teammate and long-serving Victory midfielder Enza Barilla misses this season due to personal commitments, while internationals Jamie Pollock, Georgia Cloepfil and Briar Palmer were not retained.
Knee injury rules out Whitney Knight after a promising debut W-League campaign for the youngster, in which she scored on her debut in a year where she finished equal top goal scorer. Similarly, newly appointed Heidelberg United manager Melissa Barbieri misses the season after similarly suffering an ACL/MCL tear towards the back end of the NPLW season.
Matildas winger Hayley Raso brings a close to her stint in Melbourne, signing with Canberra United for the upcoming W-League season, while Thea Slatyer was not retained.
Full squad:
Rachel ALONSO
MelindaJ BARBIERI
Alex CHEAL
Natasha DOWIE (England)
Caitlin FRIEND
Bianca HENNINGER (Mexico)
Samantha JOHNSON (USA)
Gulcan KOCA
Selin KURALAY
Annabel MARTIN
Bethany MASON-JONES
Christine NAIRN (USA)
Ayesha NORRIE
Alex NATOLI
Lia PRIVITELLI
Laura SPIRANOVIC
Melissa TARANTO
Adriana TARANTO