NWL 2019 - THE JourneyFan's Season Preview

I'm back, well I never went away, I've just been working on another project which has meant I haven't really had much time to do anything on the blog for a while. Indeed, I realised it had been three months since I had done anything here!

Anyway I now have something to get into, because if you didn't realise (and a lot of people didn't), the National Women's League starts this weekend YES REALLY!!!! and I'm not just going to be doing a preview, I'll be at most of the Capital Football games and some of the Central ones and for the ones I can't make I have a cunning plan. 

With the unfortunate demise of It's In The Back Of The Net (ITBOTN) and the main stream medias obsession with clicks leading it to mainly ignore things like the NWL, it's a bit scary to think that myself and Jeremy Ruane (ultimateNZSoccer.com) could be the leading providers of news on the NWL. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong on this (but don't hold your breath). 

On the ITBOTN demise it's not all bad as the sites creator, Enzo Giordani, will be doing a blog based on following his beloved WaiBOP this season, I have a feeling the blog will be better than the football he gets to watch..........

So with all that out of the way on to #TheFutureIsNow 

First of all you really need to ask.....What on earth is going on here? this year has been a watershed for Women's football. The World Cup in France attracted record crowds and an estimated one billion watched the final between the USA and the Netherlands. True NZ had a finals to forget, but in November last year our U17 team finished third at the World Cup in Uruguay - YES third!!!! Women's sport is on a high and starting to gain the respect it deserves. NZF did have the horror of the Heraf debacle but they got through that and things were looking good, but now it very much seems things are reverting back to the way they were.

A few years ago FIFA (and as a result NZF) wanted at least 50% of coaches to be women in women's leagues. Yet looking at this years NWL 70% of the head coaches are Men, interestingly 70% or the assistant coaches are Women. While Coaching qualifications play an important part these days it is interesting to see that one of the teams has inserted a lesser qualified male coach as head coach over the more qualified female coach, who is his assistant.

Anyway before I start accusing NZ Football of being completely biased against women's football, I do have to point out that they did mange to get the draw out a fair time in advance while with the Men's National League kick off in just seven weeks us fans are still clueless as to who will be playing who - there is a common theme here!

So on to it

The JourneyFan's guide 

to 

NATIONAL WOMEN'S LEAGUE 2019

So far three federations \ teams (Canterbury United Pride, Southern United & Central) have released their squad lists, so I'll start with them.

CANTERBURY UNITED PRIDE

Last Season : CHAMPIONS

Coach : Alana GUNN (Gunnie)

IN -  

Britney-Lee Nicholson, Lara Wall (Southern United)

OUT -  
Victoria Esson (Avaldnes, Norway)

Squad : Lauren Dabner, Jazmine Donald, Ellena Firth, Una Foyle, Whitney Hepburn, Tahlia Herman-Watt, Chloe Jones, Rebecca Lake, Britney-Lee Nicholson, Cody Taylor, Bel van Noorden (all Coastal Spirit), Annalie Longo (unattached), Nicola Dominicovich, Macey Fraser, Annbel Gilchrist, Frankie Morrow, Sam Senior, Kate Taylor, Marisa van der Meer, Lara Wall (all Cashmere Technical), Gabrielle Rennie, Jayda Stewart (both Waimakariri United)

Champions four of the last six seasons, they really are the team to beat. Initially the team line up looks good and solid but nothing spectacular, you are thinking it's the sort of team that needs a player with that star quality. Luckily for the Pride they have that in Annalie Longo (Flea). NZ really has been lucky that she decided to live here rather than chase professional gigs overseas. Without Flea the Pride may seem like an ordinary team but they know how to win and I'd expect them to be in the top two whoever they have starting.

SOUTHERN UNITED

Last Season : 5th

Coach : Ignacio Sande 

(well I hope it is as I haven't seen anything saying it isn't but on their team release management was conspicuous by its absence)

IN -   

Hannah Mackay-Wright (Northern Lights), Rose Morton

OUT - 
Lara Wall, Britney-Lee Nicholson (Canterbury United), Sophie Dijsktra (Capital Football), Kirsty Hayr (Onehunga Sports), Georgia Brown (Three Kings United)

Squad - Ruby Anderson, Mikayla Gray, Miklea Hunt, Kelsey Kennard, Hannah Mackay-Wright, Jade Middleditch, Emily Morison, Rose Morton, Madeline Roseke, Shontelle Smith, Zoe Thomas, Chelsea Whittaker (all Dunedin Technical) Renee Bacon, Samantha Baldwin, Juliette Lucas (all Roslyn Wakari) Lena de Ronde, Erin Roxburgh, Jordan Woodward (Otago University), Sammy Richards, Tahlia Roome (Green Island), Amy Hislop (Queenstown Rovers)

A few years ago Southern were the laughing stock of the league, they played to not concede many but would end up losing by very large scores, over 10 years their number of wins were in single figures. Then something changed, Terry Parle came in with the women and changed their mindset, but it wasn't just him, the federation got behind all of their teams (Mens. Women's Youth & Futsal) and they now are a federation who got rid of their defeatist attitude and this could be their year.

Yes they have lost Lara Wall and Britney-Lee Nicholson to Canterbury United, but they have picked up Hannah Mackay-Wright from Northern Lights and really those are the major changes for them, of all the teams they are the most stable and I think this will hold them in great stead and give them a great base to finish near the top of the table. 

CENTRAL

Last Season : 7th

Coach : Barry Scullion

IN -

Barry Scullion (Coach, PN Marist), Helen Talbolt (WaiBOP), Natalie Olson (Wellington United)

OUT - 

Don Piper (Coach), MacKenzie Barry (Northern Lights), Jenna Barry (Waterside Karori), Lydia Bamford (Universities, Chch)

Squad - Brooke Bennett, Kate Bennett, Mikaela Boxall, Charlotte Lancaster, Emma Lees, Torijan (TJ) Lynne-Lewis, Freya Partidge-Moore, Tyler Wood (PN Marist), Kate Mori, Peta van Hattum (Massey), Eve Barry (Hokuwhiti), Aoife Gallagher-Forbes (Waterside Karori), Florence MacIntyre (Wairarapa United), Jana Niedermayr (Sacred Heart Girls), Natalie Olson (Wellington United), Maggie Pedersen (Auckland University), Rubi Perano (Gisborne United), Helen Talbolt (Taradale)

Last season saw Central put out a very young team and while they played nice football they struggled in defence and conceded an average of five goals a game. Nine of those players remain all a year more experienced and wiser for it. Goal machine and Samoan international TJ Lynne-Lewis has returned, she will be joined up front by up and coming Wellington United and NZ Schoolgirls international, Natalie Olson and Peta van Hattum who returns after a year away from the National League. For Central it's usually a hard year, but this year won't be as hard as last and a mid table finish could be on the cards. Also good to see they have given the assistant coaching roll to enigmatic captain Mikela Boxall.

Capital realise they have won the penalty shoot out against WaiBOP, Semi Final 2016 Photo TJF Photo

DISCLAIMER : All the teams from here on are yet to release their team lists. Yes, we are only 72 hours away from the league kicking off - there must be some very disorganised teams out there! Anyway the ins and outs I put up here may prove to be incorrect, I don't think they will be and hope they aren't, but this is more than you will get out of the teams of NZF and that's pretty poor really! Anyway here are the other four teams.

CAPITAL FOOTBALL

Last Season : 4th

Coach : Natalie Lawrence

IN - 

Natalie Lawrence (Team Wellington Youth),Sophie Dijsktra (Southern United), Jayden Watts (WaiBOP)

OUT - 

Emma Evans (Coach, Oceania), Sarah Gregorius (Netherlands), Maya Hahn, Emma Main, Dani Turton (all colleges in USA), Meisha Boone, Anna McPhie, Kelsi Rutene (all Wairarapa), Kenndy Bryant, Rosie Wild (Overseas), Tessa McPherson, Caelin Paterson (Western Suburbs) Ronisa Lipi, Asha Strom (Wellington United, Injury), Anna Green

Predicted Squad - Sarah Alder, Jemma Catherwood, Sophie Dijkstra, Fran Grange, Charlotte Wilford Carroll, Jemma Robertson, Michaela Robertson, Dani Ohlsson, Molly Simons, Kelsey Wilkinson (Wellington United), Courtney Norman, Molly Woodhead, Tupelo Duggan, Nina Kondo (Wairarapa United), Libby Boobyer, Ariana Gray (Petone), Katie Barrott, Zoe Barrott, Jayden Watts (Waterside Karori), Juliana Los, Tory Schiltengen (Western Suburbs)

Capital's coach of the last three seasons, Emma Evans, has departed for a job with Oceania, although looking at her instagram, it looks more like an awesome holiday that you get paid for and there may be some football involved!

Her departure and that of her assistant, Sam Morrissery  to Waterside Karori's academy meant Capital were advertising for a new coach. Hopefully their season will go better than that process where the person interviewing the candidates ultimately ended up with the job herself!

Also departing from Capital is the enigmatic Sarah Gregorius who is off to Amsterdam to work for FIFPRO, the international players union, while fellow football fern, Anna Green is also unavailable. Emma Main, Dani Turton and Maya Hahn are all in the USA at University, Kennedy Bryant & Rosie Wild are overseas on their OE's while Wairarapa's trio of Meisha Boone, Anna McPhie and Kelsi Rutene are all missing and Wellington United's Asha Strom is unavailable due to injury.

On the plus side Southern United's Sophie Dijkstra joins after a successful season with Wellington United while Libby Boobyer and Ellen Fibbes of Petone both return to the squad after a year away. The rest of the squad is made up of some very good young players from Wellington United and Wairarapa United, Nina Kondo and Jemma Catherwood being the ones to watch.

Overall there is a lot of change for the Captial side and while I'd love for them to finish in the top two I think this season will see them finish mid table.

AUCKLAND

Last Season : 3rd

Coach : Nic Downes

IN - 

Nic Downes (Coach), Katie Duncan (FC Zurich)

OUT - 

Grace Jale, Leah Mettam, Nicole Mettam, Bernadette Goulding, Kate Carlton

Predicted Squad - Corina Brown, Lucy Carter, Ava Collins, Jade Parris, Hannah Pilley, Rebkah van der Dort (Eastern Suburbs), Maisy Dewell, Emma Leaming, Tessa Leong, Alisha Perry, Ella Russ, Genevieve Ryan, Paige Satchell (Three Kings United), Sophie Bradley, (Onehungha Sports), Katie Duncan (FC Zurich), Britney Cunningham-Lee, Stephanie Skilton (Papakura City), Nadia Olla, Sarah Morton, Jaedeci Uluvili (Western Springs)

With last season's coach, Tracey Wrigley, moving to WaiBOP as a development officer, Auckland appointed Auckland City Academy director and Central United director of football, Nic Downes as their new coach with Papakura City and Samoa WNT coach Nicola Demaine as assistant. Nicole will be stepping up for the first game as Nic is also the Futsal Ferns coach and they are currently away at a four team tournament in China.

While there seems to be alot of change at Auckland, it shouldn't really matter they are such a strong federation and with the bulk of the team made up by Northern League Champions and Kate Sheppard Cup winners Eastern Suburbs and the always strong Three Kings United, they are not a team that can be written off easily and with the addition of 124 cap Football Fern, Katie Duncan, they will definatley be one of the teams to beat.

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Last Season : Runners Up

Coach : Shane Verma

IN - 

MacKenzie Barry (Central), Kelli Brown (WaiBOP), Greer McIntosh (Durham Woman), Rene Mitau Wesi (Papua New Guinea), 

OUT -   

Gemma Lewis (Coach, FFDP), Anna Leat (Georgetown, USA), Sammi Tuwharu (Iowa University, USA), Hannah Mackay-Wright (Southern United), Malia Steinmetz (Northern Tigers, Aus), Emma Turnbull (Aus), Nicole Stratford, Kate Loye, Rose Luxton, Jane Barnett

Predicted Squad From - Lily Alfeld, Claudia Bunge, Emily Couchman, Alaina Granger, Talisha Green, Maggie Jenkins, Helena Kelderman, Arabella Maynard, Vegas McCaroll, Ava Pritchard, Liz Savage, Dayna Stevens, Laney Strachan, Saskia Vosper, Mackenzie Barry, Chloe Bellamy, Kelli Brown, Hannah Carlsen, Ella Dorward, Genna Gross, Jess innes, lily Jervis, Suzy Jung, Chloe Knott, Greer MacIntosh, Emily Oosterhof, Cat Pretty, Kendrah Smith, Rene Mitau Wasi, Lara Wilson

Last season's runners up are another team with a change of coach with Gemma Lewis taking on the Football Ferns Development Program (FFDP) role. Succession planning is working well with last season's assistant Shane Verma stepping up to the role of head coach.

Have had a few changes but it shouldn't bother them that much, especially with the addition of NZU19 goalscoring machine Kelli Brown. In reality Northern will just be trying to stop losing to last minute goals which has become something of a speciality for them in the last few years resulting in them finishing second more than they would like.

WaiBOP

Last Season : 6th 

Coach : Nico Girard

IN - 

Nico Girard (Coach, Canada), Catilin Byrne (Otumoetai), Lisa Evans (Otumoetai), Annalises Heuvel (Tauranga City), Rhiannon Jones (CR), Iona Love (HW), Rachel Major (HW), Paige McCloskey (CR), Adi-Grace Mooar (HW), Maddi Ollington (HW), Toni Power (Otumoteai), Emma Sizer (Melville Utd), Shannon Trebes (HW)

OUT -  

Michael Mayne (Coach), Kelli Brown (Northern Lights), Emma Cawte, Helen Talbot (Central), Jayden Watts (Capital Football), 

Predicted Squad from - Georgia Candy, Chloe Henderson, Olivia Hooper, Iona Love, Rachel Major, Adi-Grace, Mooar, Maddi ollington, Shannon Trebes, Richlyn Tuhoro, Grace Wisnewski, Caitlin Bryne, Lisa Evans, Lily Muspratt, Toni Power (Hamilton Wanderers),  Annalise Heuvel (Tauranga City), Rhiannon Jones, Paige McCloskey, Stella Neems (Claudelands Rovers), Emma Sizer (Melville United) 

Probably the team with the most changes, with only seven players returning from last season. New coach, Canadian Nico Girard will be up against it but will e helped with the core of his team coming from Hamilton Wanderers, but it's going to be a tough year for them (sorry Enzo)

After that here is my guess (and it really is just a guess!) of how the table will look at the end of the season

1  Northern Lights

2  Canterbury United Pride

3  Southern United

4  Auckland

5  Capital Football

6  Central 

7  WaiBOP 

FINAL : Pride switch of the Lights with a 96th minute goal to make it 4-3 after coming back from 3-0 down

So there it is - an article that really should have been produced by others but it does feel the more things change the more they stay the same! But as the hashtag says #Thefutureisnow - It really should be club based and club run but thats a whole another article!

If you want a copy of the NWL draw click this link

And if you can get along to one of these games in the first round