| Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|
| Sorrento FC | 1–1 | Hyundai Football West Academy |
| Balcatta Etna FC | 0–2 | Perth RedStar FC |
| UWA Nedlands FC | 0–5 | Fremantle City FC |
| Subiaco AFC | 0–5 | Perth Azzurri SC |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perth Azzurri SC | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 3 | +17 | 21 |
| 2 | Fremantle City FC | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 20 |
| 3 | Balcatta Etna FC | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 7 | +17 | 18 |
| 4 | Perth RedStar FC | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 15 |
| 5 | Hyundai Football West Academy | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 12 |
| 6 | Subiaco AFC | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 24 | –14 | 8 |
| 7 | Sorrento FC | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 25 | –19 | 5 |
| 8 | UWA Nedlands FC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 32 | –28 | 1 |
60 goals after 12 games is absolutely insane.
To be fair NWS Spirit had already conceded 23 goals across the first four weeks of the season and were routed 8-3 by UNSW FC last week, and despite bolstering the playing list with A-League Women players for the remainder of the campaign their fortunes haven't improved which doesn't bode well for them as they're currently on course for relegation and the wooden spoon.
Surely they’ll end up being one of the worst teams in the history of the NPLW.
Clearly something has gone wrong at NWS Spirit between last season and this year's campaign as they managed to finish mid-table last season whilst only conceding five goals in a game at most, with just over half of their 44 goals scored coming from Skye Halmarick who had 23 goals for the year and they've been ruing her loss for the first nine matchdays of this season after she made it to the Dub.
Finally won a game but I doubt they’ll stay up. If they did they’d have to be one of the worst teams in any football league ever to stay up.
The NWS Spirit under-23s remain winless through 13 matchdays but the first grade side have bolstered the playing list with a number of A-League Women players including Tiahna Robertson starting between the sticks as an improvement on previous keeper Jasmin Selva, and we'd expect Skye Halmarick to continue to have field days and find the back of the net between now and September.
I honestly don’t see why players are allowed to be brought in at the end of the ALW season. It just diminishes the league’s standing as a place for player development.
I agree, clubs instantly bench NPLW players for Dub players and while the quality of the league definitely improves a lot, it’s unfair on the kids who wanna develop. I wonder if this will force players to overseas academies. Milly Boughton did it, and it’s been done by several Aussie men’s players who’ve gone to countries like Croatia, England or Italy as teens, and even Leo Messi went straight to La Masia.
There is so much potential in the womens game here but the lack of true pathways is so detrimental to development.
On the other hand though, a lot of the ALW players need somewhere to go during the off season. If they can't get a good overseas contract or just don't want to go overseas, they need something local to keep up.
I doubt there's a cap on how many Dub players a team can field because NWS Spirit had eight A-League Women players in their starting XI against Gladesville Ravens but if it does mean that NPLW players are unable to get game time then more needs to be done to ensure that the competition remains balanced and that they can still gain valuable match experience as part of their development.
Maybe it would be better if ALW clubs had teams in their respective state leagues, I know some do but I don’t think they use players from the ‘run on’ squads.
It wouldn't work though because some teams like Adelaide United and Sydney FC don't have reserve teams altogether and Wellington Phoenix would have to have a reserve side integrated into the Member Federation leagues, in addition to the fact that if Canberra United remain in the Dub then it would be more detrimental for them if they fielded their reserves in the Capital Football system due to the organisation's mismanagement.
I agree there are many ‘ifs and buts’ but somehow systems need to be put in place to address the slow development of young players.