After a handful of trials and the preliminary stages of the Julie Porter Cup, the WPL season officially kicks off this weekend with two new sides looking to make their mark.
The competition will see the league expanded to seven clubs with two new debutantes. Let’s take a closer look at each club.
Bulli FC
With the club building for the future and heavily relying on youth, it is not a great surprise to see Bulli a little off pace. They have lost several first-team players to work and retirement.
With that said, there is some optimism at Balls Paddock with the squad gaining more and more experience with each game. Nikki Taylor makes the short trip from Thirroul over to Bulli. She is a proven goal scorer having averaged more than a goal a game over the last two seasons. The club has also picked up former NPL defender Darby Walsh to help firm up the backline.
Kitty Dubourdieu has been one of the more consistent players at Balls Paddock and the club will be hoping she can inspire the players around her.
Bulli will be hoping to win more games than they did in 2024 as they look more to the future.
Coniston
New kids on the block Coniston will start their rookie year with great optimism. Whilst they will be hoping to debut in the finals in their first year, they are focused on building a strong culture at the club and a platform for seasons to come.
Coach Nick Tortorella is no stranger to Women’s football as he leads the club in their inaugural season. It’s fair to say that Coniston has a young squad with the average age across the club just 19 years. What they lack in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm and energy. Look for Coniston to be an athletic and mobile side that can hurt sides on the break.
Zoe Barling comes across from University and gets her opportunity as the Coniston shot stopper. Kellie McIntyre comes across from South Coast Flame and along with Ava Parry, they will be looking to put up a strong defensive effort.
Coniston won’t stop trying all year and they will likely have a say in the competition outcome as they look to solidify their introduction to the WPL.
Shellharbour JFC
After last year’s disappointment, Shellharbour has turned to Madelaine Costanzo as player/coach. The athletic forward will no doubt lead from the front as she looks to inspire the next generation of players.
Shellharbour has had a strong preseason and has shown they won’t be relying on Costanzo for goals with Jessica Bell and Sofia Mieli amongst the goals already in the Cup competition.
Katelyn Leadbeatter will be a big loss as she is no longer playing football. With that said, the team has a nice balance to it with Costanzo bringing in former NPL experienced midfielders Samara Wehmeyer and Kristy Brown. The club has also drafted Kari Gonzalez and Imogen Dos Santos into the first team to create more depth.
After playing bridesmaid over the last two seasons, Shellharbour will be hoping 2025 is their year.
Shoalhaven
Another of our competition debutants, Shoalhaven has already shown that they are not just prepared to make up the numbers.
It’s hard to look past Shaylee Meehan as their key although, by all reports, the squad is quite balanced with threats across the park. Meehan has been crowned Golden Boot in the last two seasons of Community League football. If anyone was wondering whether she could make the step up, she has scored seven goals from three matches in the preseason Cup.
Meredith Cheyne has a high work rate in midfield and she will be looking to link with Isabella Coleman and Kaitlyn Sennitt as an alternate outlet. Watch for Lauren Gilbert to be another influential player for Shoalhaven. The attacking midfielder has already shown in preseason that she can be a handful.
Shoalhaven has already taken down the Sharks in the preseason and whilst it might be optimistic to suggest they can go all the way; they mustn’t be discounted as contenders.
Thirroul JFC
After missing out on finals football across the last two WPL seasons, the Thunderbirds are looking to take their game to the next level.
Coach Brad Walter has a young squad at his disposal with more than half of their entire league squad still age-eligible for Youth Grade. Their Youth team won the League championship last season and several of the girls will likely get their opportunity for first team football.
The club welcomes back Zara Button after she had a gap year. Her defensive experience and leadership will be crucial.
Nicole Lacunza has shown some good early form and will be hoping to continue that into the season. Kristen Ward has been one of the more consistent defenders in the league. She will need to be at the top of her game if the Thunderbirds are to make a charge.
University FC
After dominating the competition over the last decade, the students have not had it all their own way in recent seasons. To compound this, University has lost Holly Turner for the season as she looks to take a break from football.
They have however picked up Emi Skopal who has experience at this level and is a proven goal scorer. The students will also be relying on the talented Sophie Boyd to control their midfield whilst Amy Morrell, Lexi Carter, and Jasmine Trajcevski will all be looking to make contributions up top.
At the other end, Rhianna Brown will be looking to marshal the defence whilst the students have picked up Emma Carstens in goal from US college football.
Whilst University may be happy to be just playing finals football, they will be hoping they can keep up with the leaders to give themselves a chance.
Woonona FC
The Sharks have had great success in the WPL and they have retained much of their League and Grand Final winning team. They have however lost Annelotte Birdsall and Madison Smith to early retirement with both Beth Tomlinson and Zoe Anderson coming in from South East Phoenix.
Coach Neil Castle hasn’t been afraid to rotate his squad in preseason and there are several young players that have had first team opportunities. Depth may just be a factor as the season wears on.
There is also an abundance of experienced players in the squad who all know what it takes to be successful at this level. The Sharks are renowned for their frugalness in defence with Ivana Peric between the sticks and Morgan Potter repelling opposition attacks.
The 2024 leading goal scorer Jessica Beale returns to Ocean Park and will lead the front line with the likes of Tess Stephens, Sophie Heath, and Laura Green in support.
Woonona will no doubt be contenders as they hunt for their third straight League title in this competition.
