Opinion
Round 2 of the A-League Women provided derby delight for Sydney and Victory while some Matildas made their mark in their return to the competition.
The risk and the reward of the guest stint
Guest players aren’t a new phenomenon in Australian football. Superstars come down under and keep it short and sweet. There is an undeniable benefit from having these players in your team but there is also a risk.
The most recent example of the risk v reward factor is Denise O’Sullivan’s stint at Western Sydney in the 2019-20 season. The Irishwoman was integral to the Wanderers side which had finally hit its straps and qualified for finals for the first time in its history.
But O’Sullivan was only on a guest contract. So after seven games she was back in the United States where she was playing with North Carolina Courage. The early departure of Lynn Williams made matters worse and the Wanderers crashed out of the semi-finals.
Fast forward to this season and Emily van Egmond and Lynn Williams have signed guest contracts at Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Victory respectively.
The pair – who both took part in the recent friendlies between the Matildas and the USWNT – made instant impacts. Van Egmond teed up Tara Andrews for one of her goals in the Jets’ 5-1 thumping of the Wellington Phoenix. Meanwhile, Williams scored what was the derby winner for Victory only eight minutes after entering the fray.
It is unsurprising that these world-class players were able to immediately positively contribute to their sides. But considering they are here for a good time not a long time, could it ultimately have a negative impact on the Jet’s and Victory’s seasons long-term?
Van Egmond’s departure looks more likely to cause headaches with Williams only one part of a stacked Victory forward line; one that is still waiting on the return to fitness of their top scorer last season, Melina Ayres.
While fans should first and foremost enjoy being able to watch these players grace stadiums around the country, they should also watch with bated breath to see if these teams will endure a fate similar to the Wanderers of two seasons ago.
All I want for Christmas is a centre back
Melbourne Victory captain Kayla Morrison has been ruled out for the season after it was confirmed she had torn her ACL. Her glass half full mentality in approaching her injury has to be commended with the defender writing on Instagram “Maybe I needed to experience this low to fully and truly appreciate the highs that come along in careers.”
Victory will be hoping Santa does express shipping on a centre back to replace Morrison, especially considering her replacement in their 2-1 win over City, midfielder Amy Jackson, will miss their upcoming clash after being sent off.
The silver linings outlook seems to be a Victory-wide thing. Against City, the first half was a grind with the home side creating plenty of chances. The introduction of Lynn Williams and some moments of excellence from the likes of Alex Chidiac and Catherine Zimmerman saw the team in navy come away with the win.
Victory now sit top of the ALW table with two wins in as many games. Following last week’s 5-1 drubbing of Adelaide United, Melbourne coach Jeff Hopkins said “great to win the game and by the margin we did, excellent, it’s a kind of dream start for us, but probably none of us are under any illusions that it was a really good performance.”
It felt similar this week in the derby. Victory were clinical in the second half but the overall performance wasn’t 100 per cent. Hopkins isn’t hitting the panic button however.
“In saying that, I think the disappointing thing and the pleasing thing that we’re so far off our best, when we hit our best we’re going to be absolutely awesome,” he said post-derby.
If you have to start a season slow, it might as well be with some ugly wins that include bursts of your best. And if Victory’s best arrives in a timely manner as Hopkins suggests it will, then they will once again be hard to beat.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Border déjà vu
Speaking of winning ugly, after failing to record a single victory last season, Perth Glory are currently two from two and sitting in third on goal difference behind Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC.
They once again left it late against Brisbane Roar but recorded a 1-0 win via Alana Jancevski’s deflected strike. Two weeks in a row, it appears that Perth have enjoyed some good fortune following a season full of bad luck last time out.
The fear, however, is that another Perth season will have a generous helping of border trouble as a subplot. Affecting both the men’s and women’s side, how the club navigates their home state’s rules regarding travel has the potential to cause havoc for a little while.
While it is nothing new for Glory coach Alex Epakis, it is undoubtedly a distraction and one the club and the Leagues will be working through right now.
Taylor Ray’s time to shine
Much is made of Sydney’s front three and with good reason. The triumvirate of Princess Ibini, Cortnee Vine, and Remy Siemsen is once again firing on all cylinders. Siemsen was on the scoresheet against the Western Sydney Wanderers, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win including a stunning long range-strike.
If the trio put in another strong season, they’ll have more than earned their right to be part of the conversation for best ever A-Leagues front threes.
In this game however, a player a little further back deserved some credit for the work she is doing. In the offseason, Sydney lost their talismanic captain Teresa Polias and current Matildas midfielder Clare Wheeler.
Taylor Ray was earmarked as the obvious replacement in the centre of the park. After two ACL injuries in her late teens and a season full of cameos in 2020-21, this was her time to shine. And in the Sydney derby she did just that. A good defensive midfielder sets the tone for a team’s defence and attack and Ray put in a strong shift in the derby.
With no more senior player to fall back on, Ray is assuming the responsibility and living up to the potential she had previously shown in between her injuries.
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