After a few preliminary rounds of the Julie Porter Cup, the Women’s Premier League season also kicks off this weekend. What can we expect to see this year?
Bulli FC
After finishing bottom of the table last season, Bulli will be hoping for a much more positive season. Despite not getting any points over the preseason cup, they showed considerable improvement across their last two fixtures.
The club have opted for a blend of experience and youth. Michelle Carney joins Bulli as one of the more prominent Women’s signings in this league. Carney still has a lot to offer, and she will be aided by Camille Augustyn and Kitty Dubourdieu.
Kanako Murata not only pulls the strings, she also has the capacity to score from range. Watch out for Hannah Moore. A young player who has an eye for goal.
There is no doubt Bulli have the attacking capability to match it with most teams, one feels their prospects this year fall squarely at how well they can defend and shut out teams.
There is genuine hope at Balls Paddock that a finals spot is not out of the question.
First challenge is to overcome Coniston this weekend.
Coniston FC
Speaking of Coniston, despite falling away late in the season, they can well be pleased with their effort. Their lower grades reached the Grand Finals.
Coach Nick Tortorella is back at the helm, however, this time, despite having one of the youngest squads in the league, Coniston are targeting finals football.
Jess Cruickshank is renowned as a genuine goalscorer, and she joins goalkeeper Ciara Wade in moving to JJ Kelly Park from Flame. Two big signings at opposite ends of the field.
Karissa High and Tianna Tortorella are also capable of banging in goals as is Kellie McIntyre. There is plenty of pace and tenacity in this squad. They will prove to be a tough opponent this year.
Coniston looks a balanced side and if they can go the distance, they are capable of being a contender.
Shellharbour City
Runaway League Champions last year, Shellharbour is hell-bent on sweeping the competition. They have started the season in brutal form scoring 15 and conceding just once across their three preliminary group games.
They have quality across the park however Samara Wehmeyer has been one of the big standouts already.
City have mobility, strength, experience and youth. All the hallmarks of a quality team.
Maddi Costanzo remains a major threat up top, and when she gets going or gets strong service, not sure there is any team capable of stopping them.
It is no surprise they will start as firm favourites, however, we’re sure several of the other teams will want a say in that.
Shoalhaven FC
The big talking point to come out of Shoalhaven is the loss of their taliswoman Shaylee Meheen, to South Coast Flame. With that said, it hasn’t stopped the side from putting together a strong preseason campaign where they saw themselves qualify for the Cup Semi Finals.
Meredith Cheyne and Lauren Gilbert are pivotal for this side. Highly technical and competent, the pair is setting some high standards at Ison Park, with reigning coach of the year Brad Banks fundamentally keeping the bulk of the squad with a sprinkle of youth.
Watch out for new recruit Taniesha Angelkovski, who knows how to find the net, whilst we also expect Kaityn Sennitt to step up and take more responsibility in front of the goal.
Shoalhaven may be overlooked by some, but they won the Julie Porter Cup, made the League Grand Final last year and are unbeaten in preseason. Underestimate them at your own risk.
We expect Shoalhaven to be firmly in the top four this season, and they will no doubt have a say in what happens at the top end of the ladder.
Thirroul Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds are undergoing a bit of a transformation this season, with coach Joao Oliveira blending youth with experience.
There have been some promising signs in the preseason, and they will need to wait an extra week before they kick off their season, as they have the bye in round 1. It might be a blessing as they look to add a bit more depth to their squad over the coming weeks.
It’s hard to see where the bulk of their goals are going to come from; however, Mila Gehrke has proven to be a threat early on.
There is still some experience in the squad with the likes of Claytyn Gehrke, Leah Carlon and Grace Vaughan.
Not quite sure Thirroul will feature amongst the top sides come year’s end, but we expect them to get better as the year goes on and surprise a few teams along the way.
University FC
The students will be looking to get back to their former glory days, and despite finishing third last season, they will be hoping to be challenging for the best part of the year.
University has kept faith with the bulk of their squad from 2025, and they will be relying on the likes of reigning Player of the Year Sophie Boyd and Jasmine Trajcevski to be their main threats.
Emma Carstens was terrific in goal last year, and with Alicia Bamforth and Rhianna Brown marshalling the backline, one would expect them to keep things tight at the back.
Surprisingly, University failed to make the semi-finals of the Julie Porter Cup; however, Coach Ben Joyce was experimenting with the squad ahead of their season opener away to Shellharbour City.
If they are to be serious contenders this year, they will need to win games against the top teams, a feat they didn’t manage last year.
Woonona Sharks
It’s been a bumpy start to the season for the Sharks. Bundled out of the Julie Porter Cup and a winless sequence of games.
They haven’t been without chances, and they will need to turn things around pretty quickly as they face a rematch of last week’s matchup against Shoalhaven in Round 1.
At this stage, there is no Brittany Ring and Tess Stephens, but the Sharks have picked up some handy recruits from Wagga in midfielder Grace Cooper, whilst there is also a change in goal with Ebony Warner taking the gloves. Danielle Blackett has come across from Thirroul. They will also be banking on some of their youngster club players to step up into the first team.
The Sharks have won the last two Grand Finals, and despite their early-season form, they are too good a side not to be contenders. We expect the likes of Jordan Wheatley and Morgan Potter to help re-calibrate things on the pitch for the Sharks.
