Season 2023.

[brushmancity]

Thought I would kick off the new year by wishing Modbury Jets State Ladies a great season.
Well someone had to say something on here. BTW great win by Man City Ladies over Bristol City ladies let’s hope the men do the same Thursday morning.

[WNPL Hub]

It's been awfully quiet around these parts...so here's an attempt to update ahead of tomorrow's kickoff. I'll attempt a WSL update tomorrow...

WNPL 2023 PREVIEW

Based on social media posts and pre-season cup teamlists, let's have a look at the ins and outs in the WNPL and WSL!

West Adelaide
Last Season: 1st
Coach: Tracy Jenkins (3rd season)
Key Player: Racheal Quigley
Breakout Player: Victoria Costanzo
ALW: Emily Hodgson, Annalee Grove

Ins: Sharni Tansell (Inter), Erin Hood (Inter), Victoria Costanzo (NTC), Olivia Bunge (Metro), Leah Noto (Vista), Tamara Maxted (Vista), Brianna Farmer (Vista)
Outs: Nicole Tilley (Heidelberg), Olivia Bramley (Heidelberg), Siena Covino (Comets), Siobhan Eastham (Uni), Maddie Du Rieu (Retired), Emily Gale (City)

A lot of big outs and not sure if all the ins address the positional losses but the squad stays strong and if Annie Grove and Emily Hodgson return from Adelaide Utd then things bode well. Meleri Mullan was a big player late last season so hopefully recovers well from her injury.

Adelaide City
Last Season: 2nd
Coach: Tiarn Powell (1st season)
Key Player: Katie Bowler
Breakout Player: Yasmina Kasumovic
ALW: Izzy Hodgson, Dylan Holmes, Katie Bowler, Zoe Tolland, Hannah Holgersen

Ins: Mikayla Vidmar (Canberra), Emily Gale (West), Hannah Holgersen (Denmark), Summer Doman (Vista), Kate Seaton (Birkalla)
Outs: Matilda McNamara (Denmark), Mawa Sumaoro (Bundoora), Florence Russell (Sturt), Caitlin White (South)

Big losses in Valeria Guajardo (injury) and Mawa Sumaoro means goals might not flow until Katie Bowler and Izzy Hodgson return from Adelaide Utd. Tiarn Powell's first senior coaching role will be challenging but with more than enough experience through the spine they should be expecting a top 2 finish again.

Salisbury Inter
Last Season: 3rd
Coach: Tony Scalzi (1st season)
Key Player: Nicole Calder
Breakout Player: Roxy Dodd
ALW: -

Ins: Jess Signoriello (Metro), Annie Green (Metro), Roxy Dodd (Metro), Nicola Scalzi (NTC), Brooklyn Maciver (NTC)
Outs: Sharni Tansell (West), Khal Khan (Comets), Erin Hood (West), Emily Heazlewood (Comets), Maria Rojas (Melbourne City)

Change sweeps through the doors as another coach and some big names depart, but a youthful edge may be what powers Inter into the future. Tony Scalzi returns to the competition and has signed some of his former Metro players with Roxy Dodd tipped to have a big year after dipping in and out of the reserves at Metro. More than half their goals in 2022 have walked out the door so perhaps it will be their twin towers that propel them defensively to maintain their status near the top.

Adelaide Comets
Last Season: 4th
Coach: Tom Monsegnior (1st season)
Key Player: Nano Sasaki
Breakout Player: Khal Khan
ALW: Nano Sasaki

Ins: Siena Covino (West), Khal Adam Khan (Inter), Emily Heazlewood (Inter)
Outs: Stef Lang (South), Esther Heywood-Smith

After their strongest season since admission to the WNPL, Comets are expected to build on this and push to break the hedgemony of the top 3. Some shrewd signings address some of the gaps in quality they had last season - Khal Khan in particular will add quality to their midfield - now the question comes whether they can survive until mid season without their key cog in Nano Sasaki. An appearance in the pre-season cup final bodes well irrespective.

FSA NTC
Last Season: 5th
Coach: Michele Lastella (5th season)
Key Player: Sasha Coorey
Breakout Player: Erin Kontoutsikos
ALW: Milsy Murray, Sasha Coorey, Grace Wilson, Erin Kontoutsikos

Ins: Mia Viennakos (promoted), Brooke Powditch (promoted), Sian Dewey (promoted), Stella Wieczorek (promoted), Ilah Soroush (promoted), Kaitlin Reardon (promoted)
Outs: Victoria Costanzo (West), Michaela Belmonte (Uni), Sophie Allison (Cove), Abbey Burns (USA), Nicola Scalzi (Inter), Brooklyn Maciver (Inter), Ruby Di Pieri (Birkalla)

Another season, another mass turnover in the NTC as players graduate out into the WNPL and beyond. With a strong showing in the Reserves competition in 2022, it bodes well for the large cohort that seemingly has been promoted. Time will tell if losing key players such as Burns, Costanzo and Belmonte will be adequately covered but there seems to be a never-ending pipeline of talent coming through. Can they reach the heights of 5th yet again?

Metro United
Last Season: 6th
Coach: Paul Morris (2nd season)
Key Player: Laura Stockdale
Breakout Player: Hannah Debose
ALW: -

Ins: Hannah Debose (Lithuania), Kirsten Pett (Modbury), Aislin O'Neill (Modbury), Jasmine Biddle (Modbury)
Outs: Victoria Mansueto (Birkalla), Roxanne Dodd (Inter), Vanessa Reed (Vista)

A squad that seems to get younger and older simultaneously every year means Metro will keep everyone guessing in 2023. Losing two of their go-to scorers has resulted in new talent coming in from the WSL to look to make an impact. They seem to have made a statement by bringing in (their first visa player since Stockdale I believe) Hannah Debose from Europe, a DM where they already have a lot of competition, so will we see a different approach to their line-up? Keeping Stockdale on the park for more than the 12 games in 2022 is key.

Adelaide University
Last Season: 7th
Coach: Tony Sacca (2nd season)
Key Player: Evelyn Goldsmith
Breakout Player: Tanaye Morris
ALW: -

Ins: Evelyn Goldsmith (Alamein), Michaela Belmonte (NTC), Natasha Vella (Fulham), Josephine Trimboli (Fulham), Siobhan Eastham (West), Alana Fitzsimmons (Vista), Lotte Miller (Cove)
Outs: Inana Toovey (Modbury), Elisa Karas (Sturt), Maddy Cool (Sturt), Hayley Needs (Birkalla), Elle Pirintzis (Birkalla), Stella Rigon, Milano Venter, Mabel Day

Uni seem to have hit the transfer market hard in 2023 as a change in focus from youth to experience has seem them make a statement of intent, bringing in 6 key players. Always the bridesmaid and never quite the bride, bringing back GK Evelyn Goldsmith and adding Belmonte from NTC will give them super confidence in shoring up their defence, whilst Vella and Fitzsimmons will add significant pace to their attack. A strong result against West Adelaide in pre-season is a potential signal of stability since multiple coaching changeovers in 2022.

Birkalla
Last Season: 8th
Coach: Chris Goddard (1st season)
Key Player: Victoria Mansueto
Breakout Player: Hayley Needs
ALW: -

Ins: Manamen Sumaoro (Fulham), Elle Pirintzis (Uni), Hayley Needs (Uni), Ruby De Pieri (NTC), Victoria Mansueto (Metro)
Outs: Libby Davy (NTC), Kate Seaton (City), Ellie Seaton

After a tough season in 2022 which saw one win sufficient to keep them in the WNPL, Birkalla have brought in some fresh young faces to try and solidify their status. Vic Mansueto and Elle Pirintzis are experienced at this level and will bring some game intelligence whilst Needs and De Pieri have the potential to sharpen up a low-scoring attack. It feels as if they've done more than Fulham in the off-season to keep away from the drop zone this time around.

Fulham
Last Season: 9th
Coach: Max Primaro (1st season)
Key Player: Angela Mills
Breakout Player: Kara Davies
ALW: -

Ins: Tessie Mitchell (Modbury)
Outs: Natasha Vella (Uni), Josephine Trimboli (Uni), Manamen Sumaoro (Birkalla), Mia Lundquist, Sarah Hunt

Counterbalancing the loss of club stalwarts in Trimboli and Vella by bringing in their own 'Sam Allardyce' in Max Primaro, Fulham know it won't be easy as their squad gets younger and the competition gets stronger. Angela Mills was the most lethal player on the pitch last season and will be required to score more than the 6 goals she got in 2022. Having now played in the relegation playoff two seasons in a row, can they avoid a 3-peat?

Flinders Utd
Last Season: 1st (WSL)
Coach: Joel Porter
Key Player: Anastasia Willoughby
Breakout Player: Eliza Macdonald-Hall
ALW: -

Ins: Anna Malapira (Birkalla)
Outs:

Their first outing in the WNPL since 2018 (albeit with a new name and colours), Flinders Utd will look to avoid a baptism of fire as they try to attain WNPL status beyond 2023. Winning the WSL comfortably in 2022 and retaining the majority of the squad has allowed Joel Porter the continuity that perhaps Vista missed out on as they tread the same path last year. Strong showings in the pre-season cup can only bode well for a side that may struggle to score but seem to have the capacity to keep clean sheets. Without the comfort of their tricky home ground (where they have a 100% record), will Flinders adapt quickly to Santos Stadium's far slicker surface? It took one win to be the difference between survival and relegation last year - can they do it?

[John Cena]

How many times is this now for Max at Fulham ?

[romarios shin]

3 or 4 times isn't it?
Are they struggling to attract a different coach, player turnover and results looked to be an issue last year and it doesnt look like improving this year.
is this a culture problem??

[Bacon8]

How many times is this now for Max at Fulham ?

1st season, it says.

[John Cena]

yep and what a start to his first season , beating WA

[BeNatural]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

[Marinos]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

Given Comets and Inter have two visa players already I'm going to assume that was City and probably Birkalla.

No problem with her going for the most money, as long as she admits it.

[BeNatural]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

Given Comets and Inter have two visa players already I'm going to assume that was City and probably Birkalla.

No problem with her going for the most money, as long as she admits it.

No issue either her getting as much money as she can out of the game.

[juniorsupporter]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

Given Comets and Inter have two visa players already I'm going to assume that was City and probably Birkalla.

No problem with her going for the most money, as long as she admits it.

City already has 3 WLeague players. I reckon the other bidder was Uni.

[BAGGIO 15]

Certainly not Uni.

No discussions what so ever with Cote.

[n8]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

Given Comets and Inter have two visa players already I'm going to assume that was City and probably Birkalla.

No problem with her going for the most money, as long as she admits it.

No issue either her getting as much money as she can out of the game.

Didn’t really help them last night….

[Ben Rath]

Maria Rojas back this time with the highest bidder being Flinders United outmatching two other clubs.

Given Comets and Inter have two visa players already I'm going to assume that was City and probably Birkalla.

No problem with her going for the most money, as long as she admits it.

No issue either her getting as much money as she can out of the game.

Didn’t really help them last night….

How about last night?

[juniorsupporter]

It could be that Cote will help Flinders just stay up, which I suspect was the plan. Having watched the game on Saturday, whether Cote can score will depend on how often defences are caught napping (as was the case Saturday) when the long ball comes. The quality of Saturday's game was pretty average- not sure how much Cote will be able to do on her own and not sure how much good service she'll get from her teammates at Flinders.

And the question remains as to how long the ALW players will be available. Some teams have signed players who haven't been and may not be available. Some teams will be more affected by their departures than others.

As this is a thread about season 2023 here are my thoughts, for what they're worth:

I think Comets will win at least the minor premiership- they seem to be the most consistent team out the atm. NTC started strongly, but what team comes out on any given day depends on availability- the junior and young matildas have had a fair few commitments lately and their ability to compete depends on having those more experienced players on the pitch. They're already 5 points back, I don't see them recovering from that.

As for what teams are in finals, I think it'll be Comets and then three of the following: Salisbury, Westies, City, NTC. Birks is playing well and may surprise everyone.

Either Flinders or Uni to go down...

[SwandelPark]

Either Flinders or Uni to go down...

Add Fulham into the mix, 21 goals conceded over the two grades last round.

[juniorsupporter]

Yes, it wasn't a good weekend for them. Having a player sent off certainly didn't help. It was only 1-0 at half time.

[BeNatural]

Comets 6 Adelaide City 0

How the mighty have fallen.

[youreds15]

Comets 6 Adelaide City 0

How the mighty have fallen.

City Reserves Forfeited today too. Interesting as the U17's was postponed too

[BeNatural]

Comets 6 Adelaide City 0

How the mighty have fallen.

City Reserves Forfeited today too. Interesting as the U17's was postponed too

Wow has does a club like that forfeit their Reserves? What is going on?

[SwandelPark]

Comets 6 Adelaide City 0

How the mighty have fallen.

City Reserves Forfeited today too. Interesting as the U17's was postponed too

Wow has does a club like that forfeit their Reserves? What is going on?

too much focus on the 1st team

[youreds15]

Screen Shot 2023-07-07 at 3.59.34 pm.png (40.25 KiB) Viewed 31914 times

Another Clean sheet for comets the day of the game.

[SwandelPark]

Piss poor! Should dock the 1st team points.

[BeNatural]

How do you forfeit your Reserves?

They dont have 22 players available between 2 sides?

Clubs should be held accountable in the WNPL level, dock points from their senior side.

[BeNatural]

Strange decision to play the Cup Semi Finals side by side at same time at Modbury Vista's ground, where there is no dividing fence between games.

[Rightside]

Strange decision to play the Cup Semi Finals side by side at same time at Modbury Vista's ground, where there is no dividing fence between games.

Sounds like a nightmare. Lots of stopped play to come.

[Rightside]

Relegation battle is heating up with 3 games to go.

Uni 13pts - have Metro, NTC, Flinders
Flinders 12pts - have Birks, City, Uni
Fulham 12pts - have Comets, Inter, Metro

Fulham would need an upset I think to get off the bottom against a tough run home.
The 9th place team match vs 2nd in state league will be a very interesting one, closer than it has in the past I think.

[BeNatural]

Congratulation to Comets on winning their first Premiership.

Still the big one to come, if you dont win the Grand Final, you arent the Champions, it would be great to see the Ladies get the Trophy before the Mens!

[WNPL Hub]

With the final round upon us and some tasty outcomes, it would be interesting to hear people's thoughts on what may happen...

WNPL FINALS
1 Comets.....43 +45
2 FSA NTC....36 +20
3 Inter............29 +12
4 City.............29 +10
5 West...........24 +18
6 Metro.........22 -11

Adelaide Comets v FSA NTC
West Adelaide v Adelaide City
Metro United v Fulham United
WT Birkalla v Salisbury Inter

Even though there's a 1 v 2 battle between the impressively consistent duo of Comets and NTC, all the attention will be drawn away as the double chance in 3rd and a finals spot in 5th are still up for grabs on the final day. The crucial fixture is City v West, two teams that had no problem competing for both titles in 2022 suffering from reduced investment (City) and poor squad planning (West). If City win they need to rely on beating Inter for goal diff (although Birkalla have proven resilient enough to take points off anyone). If West lose, then Metro can pounce with an expected win over Fulham. It would prove to be an exciting finals series if the defending champion weren't in the race.

WNPL RELEGATION
8 Adelaide Uni...16 -14
9 Flinders Utd.....15 -22
10 Fulham Utd....12 -47

Adelaide University v Flinders United

Surprising to see Uni in this position yet again given the massive amount of recruitment (McCormick, Holgersen, Trimboli, Vella, Eastham, Fitzsimmons, Belmonte), although losing their GK midway through the season was perhaps the biggest factor. Equally as massive financially and statement-wise, Rojas' goals and assists have earned Flinders 10 of their 15 points to put them in a position where survival could be guaranteed on the last day. Uni play the better brand of football but brand has meant little this season across the league - who will limp over the line and avoid the relegation playoff?

WSL PROMOTION
1 Modbury Vista......44 +65
2 Sturt Lions..............42 +54
3 South Adelaide...40 +41

Sturt Lions v Modbury Vista
South Adelaide v Cove FC

Winner takes all in the clash of 1st v 2nd. Big pressure on Sturt who can win and automatically be promoted to the WNPL, or lose and finish 3rd and completely out of the promotion places. After a shaky start Vista has cruised but been unable to shake off it's competitors. You expect Panthers to win their fixture against a lowly Cove side, and they also have a point to prove after losing last years promotion playoff to Fulham (who has all but mathematically been confined to WSL in 2024). Vista look the only (current) squad resilient and experienced enough to stay up in WNPL in 2024, Panthers and Sturt would need to recruit heavily after mainly poaching WNPL Reserves level players.

[fooey]

Good write up.

Let’s hope Vista and Sturt don’t play for a draw.

Another poster stated that Comets aren’t champions unless they win the finals series. And that is the prevailing attitude. It’s a shame that the true champions are considered “minor”. It takes more work to win the league than to win a cup competition.

[WNPL Hub]

Good write up.

Let’s hope Vista and Sturt don’t play for a draw.

Another poster stated that Comets aren’t champions unless they win the finals series. And that is the prevailing attitude. It’s a shame that the true champions are considered “minor”. It takes more work to win the league than to win a cup competition.

Technically (I believe) the titles are League Premiers for winning the minor premiership and League Champions for winning the finals series.