The AWFA senior women's league title race is set for an interesting second half. Just as Albury United looked destined to have it wrapped up with a 10-point buffer, some shock results in the two weeks leading into the mid-season break has all of a sudden turned the season on its head. We rate every side's start to the season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Albury United (1st)
Rating: 9/10
Win/draw/loss: 9-2-0 (29 points)
Next three: Wangaratta, bye, St Pats.
Season high: Beating Wangaratta 5-4 away after going down to 10 players and coming from 2-0 down to beat Wangaratta at home.
Season low: Injuries to playmaker Brea Quinlivan and goalkeeper Naomi Roberts in recent weeks.
Star Player fancies: Abbey Collins, Zoie Dalitz, Maree Matthew.
Injuries: Brea Quinlivan, Jarlisa Quinlivan, Naomi Roberts, Netaya Milne.
In a nutshell: United's depth will be tested in the second half of the season, with Brea Quinlivan leaving a huge void to fill in the midfield. Coach Tony Cigana knows it won't be easy to defend their seven-point buffer for the last 11 rounds. "It's not a position I expected us to be in, but in saying that, we've been building up to this for the past couple of years," Cigana said. "We've come back to the field a bit in the last two or three weeks since we lost Brea Quinlivan. "Anybody can beat anybody now, there's no easy games any more."
Wangaratta (2nd)
Rating: 7/10
Win/draw/loss: 7-1-3 (22 points)
Next three: Albury United, Boomers, bye.
Season high: A 4-0 win at home against Albury City to close the gap to leaders Albury United.
Season low: Losing 3-2 to Albury United at Jelbart Park in round nine after racing out to 2-0 lead.
Star Player fancies: Colette Suter, Leanne Branson, Bianca Mulqueen.
Injuries: Alice Townsend.
In a nutshell: If you said to Wangaratta coach Adam Burchell his side would be second at the halfway mark, he would have taken it. "Anyone can beat anyone, so we're not going to get games where we'll beat teams 6-0 or 7-0," Burchell said. "For us, it's about coming back stronger and being more consistent. "It would be lovely to win the league because it shows you've been the best team all season, but I've said to the girls we need to start looking towards finals now. We need to try and have two or three good games in a row, because that's what it's going to be like in finals."
St Pats (3rd)
Rating: 7/10
Win/draw/loss: 6-1-4 (19 points)
Next three: Bye, Albury City, Albury United.
Season high: Beating Albury City 4-1 the week before the mid-year break.
Season low: A 4-1 loss to Albury United in the season opener.
Star Player fancies: Claire Mahoney, Kate Fruend, Isabella Barbaro.
Injuries: None.
In a nutshell: After a sluggish start, St Pats have become the form team of the competition. Josh O'Farrell's side is starting to push towards its goal of a top-two finish. "We didn't carry our form from the Iannotta Cup into the regular season as we would have hoped," O'Farrell said. "At one stage we were sitting on the bottom of the table, but were confident once the girls started to play the way we spoke about, we would be able to climb the ladder quickly."
Also in sport:
Albury City (4th)
Rating: 6.5/10
Win/draw/loss: 6-0-5 (18 points)
Next three: Bye, St Pats, Melrose.
Season high: Falling 4-3 to Wangaratta away from home with a number of senior players missing.
Season low: A 7-1 defeat to Albury United in round seven.
Star Player fancies: Bridget McDiarmid, Georgina Cominos, Kat Mitchell.
Injuries: Jessicca-Jane Williams, Bree Sredojevic, Sophia Evans, Katrina Rose, Bernadette Holmes.
In a nutshell: Albury City coach Scott Broadway knew 2019 was going to be a developing year for the league and cup champions. "We're trying to keep both grades (reserves and seniors) going which makes it a bit tough, but we think it will eventually pay off," Broadway said. "I think the other teams were a bit surprised we've dropped off a bit, but we want to use this year to get some of the under-14 girls up into the ressies and give them a bit of a taste of senior football."
Boomers (5th)
Rating: 6/10
Win/draw/loss: 3-1-7 (10 points)
Next three: Melrose, Wangaratta, bye.
Season high: Beating Wangaratta 2-0 prior to the mid-season break.
Season low: A hefty 10-0 defeat against St Pats.
Star Player fancies: Emily Hitchens, Sanna Mila, Sam Bushnell.
Injuries: Mariah Tischler, Emma Klingsporn, Megan Collins.
In a nutshell: Several injuries stalled Boomers' start to the campaign, but coach Steve Kusic wants to ensure they're fit and ready to fire in the second half. "Teams in the lower part of the ladder are getting better and better, so we're catching up to the top sides," Kusic said. "I think it's going to be a very tight finish, I couldn't even predict who is going to win the league at the moment."
Melrose (6th)
Rating: 6/10
Win/draw/loss: 2-1-8 (7 points)
Next three: Boomers, bye, Albury City.
Season high: Draw with unbeaten Albury United.
Season low: Losing 1-0 to Boomers after dominating the game.
Star Player fancies: Maya Davis, Alex Davis, Rachael Reitano.
Injuries: None
In a nutshell: Melrose has shown improvement as the season has worn on, culminating in a 1-1 draw with leaders Albury United prior to the bye. "After the weekend, I feel the girls could go a bit further, but I won't be putting pressure on them," coach Adam Waters said. "We didn't come in thinking we were going to be the champions."
- Receive our daily newsletter straight to your in box each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here.