Round 10 of the 2015-16 W-League saw some ruthless aggression. So who made a move up the power rankings.
1. Melbourne City (no change)
Kept goalless until halftime, goals to Kim Little, Marianna Tabain, Larissa Crummer and Jess Fishlock in the second saw City walk away 4-0 winners against the Glory in Perth.
Crummer’s goal increases her season tally to 11, making her the likely Golden Boot.
Doesn’t get much easier for City girls, with an away match against the Brisbane Roar next Monday.
2. Canberra United (no change)
A goal within three minutes of the second half kicking off reset the tone for Canberra, who walked away 3-0 winners, with goals to Jenna McCormic, Ash Sykes and Michelle Heyman.
To make this heated clash that little hotter, the Canberra weather guys threw a 36 degrees afternoon into the mix.
Captain Nicole Begg took the week off to rest a niggly back injury, and the rest of the team will enjoy Christmas off with a Round 11 bye.
3. Brisbane Roar (+5)
Regardless of what the commentators said during the telecast, Brisbane were the only team that looked like scoring in this clash at Gosford.
Goals from Tameka Butt, Clare Polkinghorne and an own goal from Alanna Kennedy saw the Roar win 3-0.
They host Melbourne City next Monday.
4. Adelaide United (+5)
Didn’t see this result coming, with Adelaide conceding an equaliser with a 19th minute penalty, before going on to win 5-1.
Goals to Elizabeth Milne, Rosie Sutton, Emily Condon and a double to Abby Dahlkemper gives the Lady Reds a vital for-and-against boost in the mid-table battle.
They join Canberra with the week off.
5. Western Sydney Wanderers (no change)
Not the worst week to get the bye, with hot conditions countrywide.
Host the battle-wounded Newcastle Jets on Sunday at home.
6. Sydney FC (-3)
A win against the eighth-placed Roar would have given them a four-point gap from Adelaide; instead they are now right in the mid-table jam again.
Head to Melbourne to face the Victory next week in the televised match.
7. Perth Glory (no change)
The latest victim of the Melbourne City juggernaut, going down 0-4.
Perth will enjoy the week off over Christmas, before hosting Canberra early in the New Year.
8. Newcastle Jets (-4)
A win and the Jets would have been a game clear in fourth spot, but instead they suffered a 1-5 loss and are now a win outside the top four, facing the team in sixth.
Will be a massive game for the two clubs next week, as the winner might dethrone Adelaide, but the loser could find themselves too far away to close the gap to the final four.
9. Melbourne Victory (-3)
This team needs to rebuild for 2016 and beyond, with their next match a televised home game against Sydney FC. Regardless of form, Victory won’t want bragging rights to leave the state.
So there we are Roarers, with Canberra and Melbourne City at the summit, the mid-table race is more congested than peak-hour traffic.
Enjoy your holiday breaks, and I will be back next week.
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It will be a bumper occasion, there will not be a spare seat in the house and of course, Sydney FC could well produce a miracle with their backs against the wall.
