Ultra Football’s ultimate guide to the 2023/24 A-League Women’s campaign
Fri, Oct 13.23
Australia and New Zealand captivated the footballing world just over six weeks ago, following the largest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever. Aside from the full stadiums, record audiences, and carnival like atmosphere, our local A-League stars stamped their authority on the most iconic moments.
The islands of Aotearoa shook in unison, as Melbourne City’s Hannah Wilkinson snatched the tournament’s opening goal, Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Sarina Bolden headed the game-winner for the Philippines just a week later, awaking an immense passion for football amongst one hundred and fifteen million people.
Who can forget Sydney FC’s Cortnee Vine, who slotted the winning penalty against the French to help the Matildas secure a first ever semi-final berth.
Australia’s twenty-three player squad have all been developed in the A-League, with the national team now scouting for the competition’s next generation of stars. Sprinkle in a healthy dose of foreigners, thousands of new supporters, an extended season schedule, and you have the makings of a domestic campaign that will live long in the memory.
Adelaide United
The South Australian club are celebrating their 20th birthday this year and have lofty ambitions to improve on the club’s eighth place finish last campaign, despite losing top-scorer Fiona Worts and former-Matilda Jenna McCormick.
Starting point for current Matildas Mary Fowler and Charlotte Grant, Adelaide pride themselves on helping develop young local talent, with homegrown stars Emily Condon and Dylan Holmes having both been selected for the Matildas in recent times.
Those two will be pivotal to Adelaide’s attack without Worts, however, the players to keep an eye on will be Alana Jancevski and Hannah Blake, both signed from Perth Glory to help fill the holes in Adelaide’s frontline. Both offer something completely different, with Blake known for her poaching abilities, while 20-year-old Jancevski is more of a quick and skillful winger.
Brisbane Roar
A busy transfer window for the Queenslanders has brought about an optimism that the club can return to the glory days of years gone by. Eleven arrivals makes the largest of any of the A-League outfit beside newbies the Central Coast Mariners, and highlights a radical shift in approach from coach Garreth McPherson.
A great attack wins games but a great defense wins titles, is the new philosophy for 2023/24, with the two largest recruits being central defender Jenna McCormick and current Matilda Tameka Yallop.
The Matildas’ #13 is our player to watch, as Yallop’s influence on a youthful Brisbane midfield will be fascinating to observe, with the Roar slumping to a ninth-place finish last season, due to an inability to close out tight matches against sides scattered around them.
Canberra United
The side from the capital have built a reputation for overachieving and with many writing off the Njegosh Popovich’s team already, the annual Canberra ‘fairytale run’ may be on the cards once again.
United’s squad remains mostly unchanged from the previous season, with Grace Jale and club legend Grace Maher the main departures. In to replace Jale is one of the league’s greatest entertainers, Chilean international Maria Rojas.
Rojas is the player to watch for Canberra as she attempts to form a prolific partnership with the league’s greatest ever goal-scorer Michelle Heyman. Former Ultra Football employee Emma Ilijoski is another who is flying under the radar, with the ACT native having become United’s Miss-Fix-It, with appearances on the wing, midfield, full-back, and centre-back.
Central Coast Mariners
After almost fifteen years in the wilderness, the Central Coast are once against represented in the A-League Women’s competition. To help kick-start the project, Matildas legend Kyah Simon has been brought in as their marquee, with the forward giving back to the club that helped launch her career in 2008.
Building a squad from scratch will always be an uphill battle, but coach Emily Husband has assembled an impressive lineup, ahead of their return against local rivals the Newcastle Jets.
To partner Kyah Simon up top, the Mariners have picked up Chinese international Wurigumula, while English full-back Faye Bryson and American defender Jazmin Wardlow arrives with plenty of European experience having last played in the English WSL and Italian Serie A respectively.
The player to watch however, is a left field option, with a lot of noise surrounding talented shot-stopper Sarah Langman. A vital cog for both Adelaide and Western Sydney over the past three seasons, the Mariners will need their keeper at the top of her game, to balance out a young backline who have never previously played together.
Melbourne City
The league’s most dominant side have started to drift back to the pack in recent times, a far cry from the team who snapped up three consecutive championships, boosting an entire starting XI of internationals.
Melbourne City possess a distinct Kiwi flavour, with New Zealand internationals Katie Bowen, Hannah Wilkinson, and Rebekah Stott all calling the Victorian capital home. Throw Young Matilda’s Naomi Chinnama and Daniela Galec into the mix and you have a side ready to challenge the A-League’s throne once again.
The crown in the jewel for coach Dario Vidosic and his team is left-winger Holly McNamara. The 20-year-old was unlucky to miss out on the Matildas 23-player squad back in July due to an extended recovery from successive knee injuries.
It is not unrealistic to suggest that a strong season for McNamara results in a golden boot, league championship, and a Matildas starting spot for the upcoming Paris Olympics, such is the forward’s high ceiling.
Melbourne Victory
Minutes away from a grand final berth last season, Victory have done everything in their power to ensure their late defensive collapse, does not eventuate again this season. Their only backline loss over the off-season is shoot-out hero Casey Dumont, who saved a crucial spot-kick in the semi-final before stepping up to score one herself.
To cover the keeper deficit, Jeff Hopkins has turned to Australian legend Lydia Williams, with the Matilda completing perhaps the strongest defence the league has ever seen.
Good fortune will be needed for any side hoping to get through the likes of Williams, former Matildas Emma Checker, Elise Kellond-Knight, Young Matildas Jessika Nash, Jamilla Rankin and American Kayla Morrison.
Success in the forward line may be a tougher task for Victory, with the player to watch being winger Emily Gielnik, who returns after a mixed stint with English giants Aston Villa.
Newcastle Jets
There were rumours during the off-season that Matilda Emily Van Egmond would link up with father Gary at her home-town club this season. Now that we know the Jets legend isn’t to return, how will they fare and who will help propel the club into finals contention?
Newcastle may have resolved their long-winded search for a talisman post-Van Egmond, having secured a major coup with Victory striker Melina Ayres. The forward has won everything there is to win in Victoria over her six seasons at the club and has now looked further afield for a new challenge.
Alongside Ayres, are Young Matilda’s stars Josie Allen and Chloe Walandouw, both academy graduates, who headline a talented young crop of Novocastrians currently breaking through and making a name for themselves in the A-league Women’s competition.
Perth Glory
The West Australians understand that they’re geographical isolation doesn’t help the club grab headlines in the Eastern states, but just quietly, coach Alex Epakis has assembled an outstanding squad which may silence the nay-sayers and guide the Glory to a deep finals run come May.
Hana Lowry’s contract extension is a large boost, with the 20-year-old tasked with steering Perth’s attack following a stellar campaign, in which the midfielder drew a lot of attention amongst Matildas selectors, Perhaps 2023/24 is the season where the WA native finally fulfills her green and gold dream.
Perth’s trump card, however, comes in the form of New Zealand international Grace Jale, who made the surprising move from Canberra over the off-season. Heavily involved in the Football Ferns World Cup campaign, the explosive forward can play anywhere in a front-three or even drop further into attacking midfield.
Sydney FC
The reigning champions have previously been blessed with a settled squad; however the tables have turned on the Sky Blues, with Remy Siemsen, Charli Rule, Mackenzie Hawkesby, and Sarah Hunter all leaving to prove themselves in European competition.
The re-signing of Matildas superstar Cortnee Vine on a marquee contract turned heads, with the forward having put her faith in the Ante Juric project. The club’s forward line has somehow gotten stronger over the off-season, with 2021/22 top-scorer Fiona Worts signing from Adelaide, along with Brisbane’s striker Shae Connors.
The player tipped to shine in 2023/24 could be attacking midfielder Taylor Ray. The 22-year-old was on the verge of a Matildas debut before rupturing her ACL last season and her return will feel like a new signing for Sydney.
15-year-old Indiana Dos Santos could also force her way into the starting side, with many in the game viewing her as the Matildas future linchpin.
Wellington Pheonix
The Phoenix women will finally have a purpose-built home ground to play in this season, accommodating the explosion of football in the city following the World Cup. Can the Nix use this momentum to push for a first ever finals berth?
New supporters tuning in to watch their Football Fern heros will not be disappointed by Wellington, with the sole Kiwi club playing host to Michaela Foster, Betsy Hassett, and Annalie Longo.
Their largest off-season pick-up has to be American starlet Hope Breslin from the NWSL’s Houston Dash. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder arrives having been one of America’s top college draft picks only two years ago. Her quality up-front alongside several battle-hardened internationals may be the catalyst for a surprise charge up the A-Leagues ladder.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Three weeks before their season opener against bitter rivals Sydney FC, Western Sydney lost their World Cup darling Clare Hunt, to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at Paris Saint Germain. Can the team from Blacktown fill the void left from their breakout Matilda in time for the season opener?
New manager Robbie Hooker believes that new American recruit Vicky Bruce will be the answer to stabilizing the side’s backline. The 29-year-old centre-back arrives with immense experience playing in both the English, German, and Danish top-flights.
The Wanderers main deficiency has traditionally been in retaining their stars, yet this campaign sees a lack of outgoings, coupled with the promotion of a number of young stars including The Philippines’ World Cup hero Sarina Bolden and 17-year-old Alexia Apostolakis.
The player with the largest impact, however, will undoubtedly be midfielder Amy Harrison. The former PSV Eindhoven star may have a small chip on her shoulder having narrowly missed on Matildas selection and will be desperate to regain her standing as one of this nation’s most dominate playmakers.
Western United
Collapse on the final day of the season against eventual champions Sydney FC, dashed any hope of a miracle championship in Western United’s first ever season. Now the dust has settled, can the girls from the west rise again and climb their final peak?
The league’s strongest defense last season has been bolstered considerably, with Grace Maher returning to the city of Melbourne, where she was once a fan favourite at Victory. Maher’s versatility is unmatched, with the central-defender having spent time as a full-back, centre midfield, on the wing, and also as a lone forward.
American striker Catherine Zimmerman will be the player to watch, with the forward controversially shifting across town from rivals Melbourne Victory over the off-season, a decision which will not be well received when the two sides face off in round two.
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