By Dan De Nardi for Football NSW
The 2014 hummel F-League Women’s Competition could prove that looks can be deceiving.
With Boomerangs FS (12), Dural Warriors (9), South Brisbane (8), Vic Vipers (6) and Capital FC (3) all chasing a top-four spot, title-holders Sydney Scorpions look good on 17 competition points… but they’ve played a couple more games than most other clubs and their final two fixtures are against teams jostling hard for a playoff position, Dural Warriors and Vic Vipers.
A loss to ACT-rivals Capital FC in their last game set second-placed Boomerangs FS plans back a little but they’re still confident of reigning in top spot before the season’s out, and third-placed Dural Warriors has five matches to play out and determine their finals fortunes.
Then there’s this weekend’s critical stoush featuring South Brisbane versus Vic Vipers and Dural Warriors against Boomerangs FS, leaving the playoff picture a complete blur.
Adding excitement to the tension is the stark stat of last year’s inaugural five goals per game average being mauled by a robust 6.6 per game in 2014; only four cleansheets have been recorded so far this winter (there were 15 in 2013).
And while the 2014 finalists remain a mystery it’s crystal clear the clubs involved are loving every minute of their national exposure
Several coaches thought last year’s eight-team competition featured more of Australia’s top-line female Futsal talent but all agreed this season’s home-and-away format was the way to go and all still harboured semi-final hopes.
Boomerangs FS coach Kristian Collins felt his charges could still finish top if results go their way. “That’s the way we’re looking at it coming into the last three games. Scorpions started the season well but they’re not this unbeatable team that many people think, they’re vulnerable just like anyone,” he said.
“It’s been a good competition but last year’s standard is probably a little higher simply because we had an extra NSW team. We have to keep teams going in Brisbane and Melbourne but I think another Sydney side is ideal so more talent can get into the competition.”
South Brisbane coach Justin Morrison believed his team was going well and didn’t put this year’s championship beyond them. “We’ve been a little bit inconsistent but there’s still four games to go to get into the top-four and we’ve been training very hard,” he said.
“Both last year and this year is proving again that there’s absolutely nothing between the teams, so anyone can beat anyone, which is why you need the consistency to perform well on any given day.
“Knowing most of the players who’ve come back to play in this year’s hummel F-League, most I’ve spoken to said the overall quality is a step up, but just like each round last year each team’s getting better and it looks like it will be an exciting finish.”
Vic Vipers coach Garry Liakoureas agreed his improved outfit needed better continuity but figured they’d be there for the post-season. “We still have some quality players coming back and this weekend’s result will show us a lot more clearly where we’re at,” he said.
“We’ve have had some poor showings but some very close losses as well. Our issue’s been scoring goals; you can only defend for so much in one game before these very good sides get you, so we need to finish off better. But I’m pretty positive about everything, who’s to say what will happen.”
Individually it’s a free-for-all in the race for the 2014 Golden Boot with seven-goal troopers Gabrielle Marzano (South Brisbane) and Caitlyn Jarvie (Sydney Scorpions) leading the pack, closely followed by Doris Osman (Boomerangs FS) with six goals, Nikola Orgill (Boomerangs FS), Filiz Urkanci (Sydney Scorpions) and Jo Anne Saliba (Sydney Scorpions) all have five goals.
And while the established players blaze away at the top, a healthy 97 different players have graced F-League Womens scoresheets over the past two winters, so the national league’s 100th scorer will be revealed over the coming weeks. Stay tuned…
-By Dan De Nardi