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15.01.2025
JAPANESE DUO HEAD WEST
Perth Glory have added experienced Japanese defensive duo Yuto Misao and Takuya Okamoto for the rest of the 2024/25 A-League season, subject to international clearance. Misao joins from J-League One club Kyoto Sanga, the 33-year-old can play either left back or centre back, and has a wealth of experience, having made nearly 300 appearances in his country, along with Emperor’s Cup and AFC Champions League.
Okamoto also brings a vast amount of experience to the young Glory side, and he began his career with Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds and won caps for Japan at Under-17, 19 and 23 level. The 32-year-old, who has been signed from J-League One side Shonan Bellmare, where he played over 120 games, can play as a centre-back, full-back or wing-back
The pair have only signed for this season, and Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis believes that Misao and Okamoto will significantly strengthen the club’s defensive stocks. “Between them, Yuto and Takuya have played more than 600 times at a very high level in Japan and that experience will be of huge benefit to the largely young squad we currently have,” he said.
“Both players are technically very sound and retain the ball extremely well, while their proven versatility allows us the option of playing them in a number of different positions. We’ve brought them on board now because we really want the remainder of the season to mean something and should they prove themselves, as we expect them to, we will open discussions around extending their time with the club.”
15.01.2025
CARLUCCIO HEADS HOME
Jarrod Carluccio has departed Perth Glory by mutual consent, the midfielder re-joining Western Sydney Wanderers. The 23-year-old moved to Glory on loan in 2023, and went on to make 23 appearances during the 2023/24 season. He played a further 12 times this season and took his tally of goals for the club to two by scoring against Western United earlier this month.
Carluccio took to social media to thank the club and their supporters on his departure. “Dear Perth Glory members and fans, thank you for the past season and a half, it has been an honour to wear the jersey and represent the club and its people. I would like to thank all of my teammates, coaches and staff for all of their support. I wish the club nothing but the best for the rest of the season and future seasons to come.”
Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis paid tribute to the popular midfielder on his time in the west. “Jarrod has made a hugely positive impression during his time at the club both on and off the field, and his sterling efforts during some particularly challenging times have been hugely appreciated,” he said. “However, with the way our squad is developing in terms of the players that we have coming in, we weren’t able to guarantee him the game-time that he needs at this stage of his career.
“Western Sydney Wanderers have offered Jarrod the opportunity to move home and the security of a longer-term deal and taking those emotional and football factors into account, a mutual termination of his contract has been agreed. This is very much an amicable parting of the ways and it is with a heavy heart that we see him go as he has been an absolute joy to work with. I know our members and fans will join me in thanking Jarrod for the significant contribution he has made to Glory during his time here in the West and wishing him the very best of luck in the next chapter of his career.”
15.01.2025
DUNLOP JOINS THE KNIGHTS FOR 2025
Former Perth Glory youth and Bayswater City winger Fraser Dunlop will have a new home next season, with the 22-year-old signing for NPL Victoria club Melbourne Knights for 2025. Dunlop said it’s a huge club, and he is looking forward to the new challenge and working with former Socceroo defender Ivan Franjic. “I’m extremely excited to be playing for such a huge club and very happy with the opportunity to be playing under a coaching staff with a wealth of experience,” Dunlop explained. “The club environment has made the move very easy, and I’m loving every bit of it so far. I’m very keen for the season to get underway – it’s going to be a big one.”
The club announced the signing on their social media: “We are thrilled to welcome Fraser to Somers Street for the 2025 season. Renowned for his explosive pace and dynamic playing style, Fraser brings a wealth of experience from Perth Glory and Port Melbourne to bolster our squad. Under the leadership of Ivan Franjic, this signing, marks yet another powerful addition as we gear up for an exciting season ahead.”
Dunlop, who started his football journey at ECU Joondalup, joined the club from fellow Victorian club Port Melbourne. He will have a few familiar faces at the Knights next season, with former Glory youth duo Ciaran Bramwell and Gian Albano also at Knights Stadium. He had to fight to break into the Port side last season but enjoyed his time there. Dunlop said he wants to play at the highest level he can, and he believes that’s in Victoria.
“I loved my time at Port Melbourne. It was definitely a long and hard grind to break into the team,” Dunlop said. “I was impressed by how much talent and the standard NPL Victoria has, and it’s been great to be part of it. I’ve really enjoyed the experience and the opportunities Melbourne provides players, as my goal is to play at the highest level I can.”
15.01.2025
POPOVIC AND FOXE HOPES OPTUS STADIUM IS ROCKING FOR WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic and his assistant Hayden Foxe have urged WA fans to come out in force for the crunch FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan at Optus Stadium in June. The pair have memories of the sell-out stadium in the 2019 A-League Grand Final against Sydney FC, when they were in charge at Perth Glory, although the result didn’t go the way of their side, the atmosphere was electric, and they will be looking for a similar turn out against Japanese.
“I have felt that stadium rocking with support, we certainly need everyone to get behind us,” he said. “It was a tremendous atmosphere, the lead-up all week (in 2019), you could just feel the whole city was buzzing around the game, so I anticipate that will be the same now with the Socceroos and hopefully this time, we can go one better and get the result that we desire. I’m learning quickly every game is a must-win match. We know that March is the most important, but we also know that in June, it could be a defining game.”
Assistant Coach Foxe knows exactly what a packed to the rafters Optus Stadium looks, feels and sounds like, and he hopes that can be replicated against Japan, but with a different result. “Unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of the right result for us that night, but the support we received from the Perth Glory fans and the people of Perth was fantastic,” Foxe said.
“It gave everyone a big lift. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the job done, but we know the people will be coming to support us in a very important phase of our qualification. They’re all crucial; no different, each and every one. We’re in a really good position, we’re second, so at the moment it’s in our hands and that’s how we want it to be. Hopefully we’re in a position that it will be an opportunity for us to be that next step closer to the World Cup, and that’s what you’re getting.”
With four games left in their qualifying campaign, Group C is tight, and the Socceroos are in the automatic spot but there is a four-team logjam just a lone point behind them. Two games in March against Indonesia (home) and China (away) will be important to their hopes of a place 2026 tournament. But the penultimate game of qualifying, in Perth against group leaders Japan in June, looms as even more vital given it will be chased by a trip to Saudi Arabia to take on the fellow powerhouse in the final game of the phase.
By the time the June game rolls around, Popovic will be hoping to have a settled centre-back pairing, with two of Australia’s best defensive options out with long-term injuries. Harry Souttar ruptured his Achilles paying for English side Sheffield United rupture, while WA’s Alessandro Circati’s continues his rehabilitation from a torn ACL, means another Perth product Cam Burgess and Kye Rowles are in the mix to fil the void.
Another option could be Hibernian defender-midfielder Nectar Triantis, who is contracted to English side Sunderland, but has impressed in Scotland alongside fellow Australians Martin Boyle and another Perth product in Jack Iredale. Popovic said he had been keeping his eye on Traintis since October, but said any player coming in would need to make a strong case.
“We may blood someone else, but they’ll have to earn it, and they’ll have to deserve to be with the Socceroos,” Popovic said. “We have blooded some players, especially in the back line; Jason Geria came in after making his debut eight years earlier, Hayden Matthews, 20 years old, came and played against Bahrain. We are open, certainly, to the idea of bringing in players, but they have to fit in the style of play that we like to play.”
Popovic was in the crowd on Tuesday evening as Glory played Western Sydney Wanderers, and saw Adam Taggart find the net in their 1-2 defeat, and the Head Coach did not rule out Glory skipper. “He’s a fantastic player and someone I’ve been watching closely since I’ve taken over in October,” Popovic said. “His team (Glory) is in a difficult moment, but you can see that he’s still leading from the front. He’s working hard, he’s encouraging the young players, and he’s obviously growing as a leader.”
14.01.2025
GLORY EDGED OUT BY WANDERERS
Perth Glory couldn’t build on their fantastic win against Auckland over the weekend, going down 2-1 to Western Sydney Wanderers in Week 14 of the Isuzu Ute A-League at HBF Park on Tuesday evening. It was always going to be tough for David Zdrilic’s side, playing their fifth game in only 19 days, while the visitors were coming off a bye. An own goal by Andriano Lebib wasn’t the start the hosts were looking for, but skipper Adam Taggart leveled early in the second half. Both sides had chances in an end-to-end game, but it was Zac Sapsford who won it for the visitors, giving former Glory coach Alen Stajcic a perfect return to his former employers.
Zdrilic said they gifted them two goals but was pleased his players had a go. “Five minutes in, and we obviously conceded a goal like that, but I’d have to say, if you compare the difference from the start of the season, that could easily have become two or three goals,” he said post-match. “The guys fought very quickly to get back into the game, and I thought, for the rest of the half, the back end of the first half, we were pretty dominant.
“We gifted them two goals, but we kept fighting back. At 1-1, when we got that goal, I thought we were going to win the game, to be honest. That was the feeling I had, but again, we gifted them a goal. Even after that, I thought we were pushing. It was the first time I really had the belief, even at 2-1, that we could come back and win the game, so I’m very pleased with the mentality of the group to come back and have a really good crack at it.”
Zdrilic made one change to the starting lineup, with Jarred Carluccio, who is rumored to be leaving the club in the transfer window, missing out. Teenager Will Frenry came in for his A-League starting debut. The visitors arrived in eighth place, and they were given a helping hand when they opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Former Glory and Inglewood United defender Jack Clisby’s cross from the left found Brandon Borrello, and the Socceroos midfielder’s shot was parried by Oli Sail. The rebound fell to Tomi Mrcela, who inadvertently scooped the ball goalward, and it went in off the unfortunate Lebib.
They came close to a second five minutes later. Borrello’s cross from the right to the back stick found Sapsford, whose stooping header flew inches over the top. Glory then lost Nicholas Pennington to injury, and he was replaced by Brandon O’Neill. It didn’t take the midfielder long to get involved, finding Zach Lisolajski, whose shot flashed wide of the far post. Then 18-year-old Frenry tried his luck from distance, but he couldn’t keep his shot down, and both sides had chances before the break. Lawrence Thomas got down to save O’Neill’s shot, and Sail did likewise at the other end to deny Nicolas Milanovic. At halftime, the visitors held a narrow lead.
The hosts made a bright start to the second half when Taggart’s long-range shot fizzed over the top in the opening minute, and two minutes later, they were level. O’Neill found Josh Risdon on the right of the penalty area, and his low cross was turned home by Taggart, who raced off to celebrate with the Shed and Active area. They went close to hitting the front ten minutes later when Jaylen Pearman’s shot from the edge of the box almost crept under the legs of Thomas, but the Wanderers custodian held on.
After the bright start, it was disappointing when the visitors regained the lead just before the hour mark, again with a helping hand from Glory. A poor goal kick went straight to Milanovic on the halfway line, and his first-time ball sent Sapsford racing clear. Sail raced out to meet him but was caught in no man’s land, with the striker rounding him and firing home to silence the home faithful. Things went from bad to worse in the 73rd minute when the sprinklers at the venue came on, causing a short delay. However, it did cool the players down on another hot evening in Perth.
Glory pressed for the equalizer and went within inches of doing so four minutes later. Taras Gomulka’s corner from the left found Lisolajski, who rose highest to head inches wide of the far post. Moments later, Taggart had another opportunity after the ball fell to him in the box, but the skipper couldn’t keep his shot down. Borrello should have sealed the game late on after good work from substitute Ayden Hammond found the midfielder in the middle of the park. His first pass picked out substitute Marcus Antonsson on the left, and the Swedish striker cut the ball back to Borrello on the edge of the box, but he blazed over the top.
The win leaves the Wanderers in eighth place, but they close the gap to just two points from the top six. While the defeat keeps Glory in 11th, they will have a well-earned rest with a ten-day break until they are in action again, with a trip to McDonald Jones Stadium to take on Newcastle Jets. Stajcic said it was a good win and great to catch up with friends he still has at the club. “Before and after the game, I’m catching up with a lot of friends and players that I coached last year, so it’s always nice when you can reconnect for that short period of time,” he said post-match.
“It’s good to see all the boys, especially the young boys, doing well. It’s good to see Tags doing well again. Obviously, I’ve got a soft spot for all of them, having spent 12 months working with them and trying to make everyone a little bit better. Great to see some of the staff as well, the smiling faces, and even the fans there behind the coach’s dugout. Great fans of Perth Glory and great contributors to Australian football.”
Perth Glory: GK Oli SAIL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON (6 Brandon O’NEILL 16'), 12 Taras GOMULKA, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER (21 Abdul FAISAL 89'), 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN (14 Nathanael BLAIR 89'), 27 Will FRENEY (31 Joel ANASMO 64'), 29 Tomi MRCELA - Subs not used: RGK Cameron COOK, 3 Anas HAMZAOUI, 16 Adam BUGARIJA
Western Sydney Wanderers: GK Lawrence THOMAS, 4 Alex BONETIG, 7 Zac SAPSFORD (9 Marcus ANTONSSON, 62'), 14 Nicolas MILANOVIC (21 Aydan HAMMOND 71'), 18 Oscar PRIESTMAN, 19 Jack CLISBY, 22 Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS, 23 Bozhidar KRAEV (27 James TEMELKOVSKI 89'), 25 Josh BRILLANTE, 26 Brandon BORRELLO (10 Alex BADOLATO 89'), 64 Juan MATA (13 Dean PELEKANOS 62') - Subs not used: RGK Jordan HOLMES, 31 Aidan SIMMONS - Attendance: 5,147 - Referee: Shane Skinner
13.01.2025
STAJCIC RETURNS AS GLORY LOOKS TO BUILD ON AUCKLAND WIN
Perth Glory will look to back up their upset win against former Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Auckland FC on Saturday when former coach Alen Stajcic brings his Western Sydney Wanderers side to HBF Park for Tuesday evening's Week 14 clash (6:45 PM). Youngster Jayan Pearman’s stunning strike gave Glory their 1-0 win—his first goal for the club—and handed David Zdrilic’s side their first home win of the season. The coach believes it was a deserved win, adding that "that one was for the fans."
“The atmosphere after the win, with the fans and everything, I mean, everybody was so happy and relieved that it all came together. Not just to win, I thought we deserved to win,” Zdrilic said. “We created a lot of chances and played probably the best football we’ve played all season. It wasn’t just about getting the three points; it was the way we did it, and that was important for the guys. Now, we’re ready to kick on."
“At home, that has been our issue; we weren’t able to get points or score goals. But in the last two games, we’ve been able to do that. We had a disallowed goal that was very tight, and we had other chances, so we were creating and looking more positive. Now, we want to continue that at home.”
Tuesday’s encounter continues the tough schedule for the club, marking their fourth game in just 11 days. However, Zdrilic believes his players have enjoyed meeting the challenge posed by the hectic schedule. “Everyone has pulled up well from the Auckland game, and they are all putting their hand up to play,” he said. “We’ve got another training session today [Monday], so we’ll assess everyone and go from there, but I’m hoping it’ll be a similar lineup."
“We’ve embraced this little period, but we knew it was coming. The mentality of the group is that we know what we’re in for. We didn’t get the result in the first two of these four games, but the performances against Western United and in the first half against Sydney FC were very good, and obviously, then against Auckland. Mentally, we’re well aware of what we’re capable of, and we’ll put aside any feeling that there’s too much football. The guys are relishing playing football, especially now back at home after a win.”
The last time the Wanderers travelled to Perth was in Week 21 last season, when the visitors scored late to win 2-1. Socceroo Brandon Borrello gave them the lead early, before skipper Adam Taggart levelled in first-half stoppage time. Glory had the chances to win it, but Daniel Bennie, Jayden Gorman, and Riley Warland failed to find the target. Seven minutes from time, Lachlan Brook won it for the NSW outfit.
It will be the first return to the club for Stajic after he was sacked last year. Zdrilic knows the talent his side has, including former Manchester United Spanish midfielder Juan Mata, who has recently broken into the starting side. But he said there is no specific plan to quell his influence; instead, he’s looking for an all-round team performance like Saturday evening’s. “I think in the A-League, there are a lot of players with good quality, and Mata is just another one,” Zdrilic said.
“We’ve seen that in glimpses he’s been able to provide, especially on the ball, with his final pass, and he scored a goal a couple of weeks ago, so he’s got that quality. But we need to make it a physical game, so it’s harder for him and all the other players. I think we did that against Auckland, and we need to do the same thing against the Wanderers. They’re a very talented squad, especially up front, with a lot of star quality."
“They have four very good attacking players that start, and they can bring on another one or two to add to it. When they go forward, they’re very quick, and they like to get in behind. So, for us, we’ll have to be at our best, but again, it’s similar to Auckland. We were expecting a very strong physical team in Auckland, but we matched them, and we’re expecting the same from the Wanderers.”
The Wanderers arrive in the west in eighth spot, seven points ahead of Glory, and are coming off the bye. Their last game was a 2-2 draw against Melbourne Victory, with Ayda Hammond and top goalscorer Nicolas Milanovic on target, but they let the win slip late, with Ryan Teague scoring the equalizer from the spot with three minutes remaining. Borrello, Bulgarian midfielder Bozhidar Kraev, Zac Sapsford, and Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson lead the way to goal, but they have conceded 22 goals at the other end—something Glory will hope to exploit on Tuesday.
Perth Glory squad: GK Oli SAIL, GK Cameron COOK, 3 Anas HAMZAOUI, 6 Brandon O’NEILL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 12 Taras GOMULKA, 14 Nathanael BLAIR, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 16 Adam BUGARIJA, 17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER, 21 Abdul FAISAL, 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN, 26 Khoa NGO, 27 Will FRENEY, 29 Tomi MRCELA, 31 Joel ANASMO *Two to be omitted* - Ins: FAISAL, FRENEY - Unavailable 9 David WILLIAMS (injured), 10 Nikola MILEUSNIC (injured)
Western Sydney Wanderers squad: GK Lawrence THOMAS, GK Jordan HOLMES, 4 Alex BONETIG, 7 Zac SAPSFORD, 9 Marcus ANTONSSON, 10 Alex BADOLATO, 12 Ben HOLLIDAY, 13 Dean PELEKANOS, 14 Nicolas MILANOVIC, 18 Oscar PRIESTMAN, 19 Jack CLISBY, 21 Aydan HAMMOND, 22 Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS, 23 Bozhidar KRAEV, 25 Josh BRILLANTE, 26 Brandon BORRELLO, 27 James TEMELKOVSKI, 31 Aidan SIMMONS, 41 Jesse CAMERON, 64 Juan MATA *Two to be omitted* - Ins: PELEKANOS (returns from suspension), CAMERON (promoted) - Unavailable: 2 Gab CLEUR (injured), 5 Dylan SCICLUNA (injured), 8 Jeong TAE-WOOK (injured)
11.01.2025
PEARMAN STUNNER GIVES GLORY WIN AGAINST AUCKLAND
Perth Glory have secured their first home win of the 2024-25 Isuzu Ute A-League season, and in style, beating the high-flying Auckland FC 1-0 in the week 13 game at HBF Park on Saturday evening. It was a battling performance from David Zdrilic’s side, with the only goal of the game coming from teenage striker Jaylan Pearman. However, it was a team effort, and after all the concerns this season, they will be hoping to build on this win in their next game, at the same venue against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday evening.
Pearman was delighted after the game and said it felt good to get the win. “It feels amazing, it was one of the best strikes of my life, if I’m honest,” the young striker said of his stunning goal. “It’s a turning point for us, our first win at home, and we need to kick on, keep going, and secure some more wins. In the past few weeks, although the results haven’t been there, you could see we’ve been getting better. It’s so good playing next to Tags (Adam Taggart), he is so encouraging, and he helps me out on the pitch, off the pitch, and at training. Today, he made those runs, and I’m always looking for him. He’s so good to play with.”
Zdrilic kept the same starting line-up from the loss against Sydney FC in midweek, and they made a positive start against the New Zealand outfit, who, with a win, would have gone back to the top of the table. Pearman tried his luck from distance, but the shot flashed inches wide. The crowd thought the hosts had taken the lead moments later, when Pearman and Nicholas Pennington combined to find Jarrad Carluccio, whose shot flew past Paulsen. However, his celebrations were cut short as the flag was up for offside.
Auckland responded, with Oli Sail saving Guillermo May’s long-range shot before Liam Gillion fired into the side netting. But on the half-hour mark, Glory found the opener. Carluccio went wide down the left and cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Pearman fired home superbly into the top corner, giving Paulsen no chance. They almost doubled their lead in the shadows of halftime, when Carluccio’s cross was pushed away by Paulsen, with Trent Oster ready to pounce.
The visitors made a double substitution at the break and went close early, with May firing just over the top. The Uruguayan striker was proving to be a real handful. Sail then made a smart save to deny him again on the hour. The Glory custodian was having a blinder, and three minutes later, he made a point-blank save to deny Max Mata, with Josh Risdon alert to block Jesse Randell’s follow-up shot. It was end-to-end football, with chances at both ends keeping the small crowd on the edge of their seats.
First, Adam Taggart sent Pearman through, but the youngster fired wide from a tight angle. Then Mata somehow looped an effort over the top after a dangerous low cross from Logan Rogerson. The Black Knights pressed late, but Sail was in no mood to concede. The big Kiwi made a superb save to thwart May again in the final minute. The visitors ended the game with ten men after Adama Coulibaly was shown a straight red card by referee Nathan Shakespear for bringing down Glory's Andriano Lebib, denying him a goal-scoring opportunity. Brandan O’Neill went close to a second moments later but was denied by Paulsen. After eight minutes of stoppage time, the whistle blew, and the long wait for a home win was finally over. Players, coaches, and supporters celebrated as one.
Perth Glory: GK Oli SAIL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON (14 Nathanael BLAIR 96’), 12 Taras GOMULKA, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI (3 Anas HAMZAOUI 75’), 17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO (26 Khoa NGO 75’), 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER (31 Joel ANASMO 86’), 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN (6 Brandon O’NEILL 75’), 29 Tomi MRCELA - Subs not used: GK Cameron COOK, 16 Adam BUGARIJA
Auckland FC squad: GK Alex PAULSEN, 2 Hiroki SAKAI (17 Callan ELLIOT 45+6’), 4 Nando PIJNAKER, 5 Tommy SMITH, 6 Louis VERSTRAETE, 10 Guillermo MAY, 14 Liam GILLION (9 Max MATA 58’), 15 Francis DE VRIES (16 Adama COULIBALY 82’), 22 Jake BRIMMER, 25 Neyder MORENO (27 Logan ROGERSON 46’), 28 Luis Felipe GALLEGOS (21 Jesse RANDALL 46’) – Subs not used: GK Michael WOUD, 8 Luis TOOMEY – Referee: Nathan Shakespear
11.01.2025
PETERS HAILS DOEGLAS AFTER MEMORABLE COMEBACK GOAL
Perth Glory coach Stephen Peters has revealed Caitlin Doeglas’ surprise start was more calculated than it may have seemed, but even he raised an eyebrow at her impact in a return ripped straight from Hollywood. Doeglas is the talk of the town after scoring in her first A-League Women’s game in almost four years - Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Sydney FC - only hours after the club announced she had returned on an injury replacement contract.
To make the night even more special for Doeglas, it was her 50th appearance for her hometown club - almost 46 months on from her last national league appearance. With forwards Kelli Brown and Sarah O’Donoghue both sidelined through ankle injuries and another injury replacement player Olivia Wood also succumbing to an ankle issue, Peters turned to Doeglas.
“I didn’t really know about Dougie at the start (as) the squad had already been assembled,” Peters said. “She’s been training on with us, and she obviously shows a bit of quality. I hinted to her about three weeks ago there could be an opportunity for her, so she’s been training quite well. And then in the match day minus one (session), I put her in the nine position, and she just looked good, she looked balanced.”
“What I think is really good about her is she’s got a bit to her game: she can play in behind, she can play back to goal, she can use both feet, and it doesn’t really seem to phase her. We’ve picked up a good one there, so that’s another WA one to the list, which we’re really proud about and it was great for her to score, and that was her 50th game.”
While 28-year old Doeglas provided the highlight of the night, Peters said he was also impressed with Chloe Lincoln in just her second game for the club. “There was just something about Lincoln in her stint against Wellington, and then just her training, her vibe has been pretty good. She was doing some extras after training, and I think she hit 20 out of 20, so I was like, ‘this kid’s ready.’”
10.01.2025
DOUGLAS ON TARGET AS GLORY DRAW AGAINST SYDNEY FC
Caitlin Doeglas made an immediate impact on her return to Perth Glory, giving Stephen Peters' side the lead early, but an equalizer in first-half stoppage time from Sydney FC midfielder Lucy Johnson gave both sides a share of the spoils in the Week 11 Ninja A-League clash at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Friday evening. “I was really pleased with the first half, we moved the ball around well, got the goal, and I’m stoked for Doegie, but we fell off the cliff after that,” Peters said post-match.
“It was disappointing, I thought we respected them too much, and the goal was really disappointing; we have to stop conceding goals like that. In the second half, they started better, but we hung in there, and Casey came up with a couple of good saves. The last fifteen minutes were ours, the subs made a great impact, but the execution wasn’t quite right. In the end, with the chances we created, we should have won, but I’m sure Ante (Juric) has got a different view. We need to turn these sorts of performances into wins.”
Doeglas was one of two changes to the starting lineup from the side that was beaten by Wellington Phoenix last week. The striker came in for Megan Wynne, while Claudia Valletta replaced Isabella Foletta. It was a packed house at kick-off, and it was an even opening. The best early chance fell to the visitors, with Casey Dumont producing a fingertip save to push Shea Connors' shot onto the crossbar. The Glory custodian did even better moments later, with Connors racing one-on-one after a great through ball from Maddie Caspers, but Dumont stood tall to deny her. Glory settled, and on 25 minutes, they found the opener.
A ball into the penalty area by Miku Sunaga wasn’t dealt with by Sky Blues keeper Tahlia Franco, and Gabby Hollar pounced on the rebound, squaring the ball to Doeglas, who fired home, much to the delight of the 1,139 spectators. Doeglas went close to a second before the break, as a quick counter-attack ended with a shot that flashed over the top. But in stoppage time, the visitors found the equalizer. Natalie Tobin found Johnson, who was given far too much room on the edge of the box, and her shot flew over Dumont to send the sides into the sheds level.
The visitors were on the front foot after the break, and Dumont came to the rescue just before the hour mark, saving at her near post after good work from Indiana Dos Santos. Dumont was keeping her side in the game, producing another fine save, quickly out to save at the feet of substitute Mackenzie Hawkesby, before making a smart save to her right to deny Princess Ibini moments later. Glory finished the game well and went close to the winner on 83 minutes.
Sunaga sent substitute Ella Lincoln racing down the left. The former Perth SC striker raced into the penalty area, and her shot on the run was well saved by substitute keeper Brianna Edwards. Glory was now dictating terms, and Georgia Cassidy’s free kick from the right almost caught Edwards napping at the front post, but she did enough to keep it out. Then in stoppage time, Glory had one last chance to win it. Cassidy took another set piece from distance, but it flew inches over the top with Edwards beaten. Both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Perth Glory: GK Casey DUMONT, 4 Claudia VALLETTA (7 Megan WYNNE 59'), 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR, 11 Natalie TATHEM, 12 Caitlin DOEGLAS (25 Ella LINCOLN 80'), 13 Naomi CHINNAMA, 14 Miku SUNAGA, 27 Charli WAINWRIGHT (6 Tijan MCKENNA 59'), 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG – Subs not used: RGK Miranda TEMPLEMAN, 18 Isabella FOLETTA
Sydney FC: GK Tahlia FRANCO, (RGK Brianna EDWARDS 46'), 2 Margaux CHAUVET, 3 Faye BRYSON, 4 Tori TUMETH, 9 Shea CONNORS (24 Caley TALLON-HENNIKER 46'), 12 Natalie TOBIN, 16 Jordan THOMPSON, 20 Princess IBINI (18 Amber LUCHTMEIJER 90'), 21 Lucy JOHNSON, 22 Indiana DOS SANTOS, 26 Maddie CASPERS (15 Mackenzie HAWKESBY 68') – Subs not used: 14 Abbey LEMON – Attendance: 1,139 – Referee: Rachel Mitchenson
10.01.2025
AUCKLAND HEAD WEST FOR THE FIRST TIME
Perth Glory welcome Isuzu Ute A-League leaders Auckland to WA for the first time when the pair meet in Week 13 at HBF Park on Saturday evening (6:45 pm). It’s been a fantastic start to the competition for the New Zealand outfit, with only one defeat in their first ten games under the tutelage of former Sydney FC coach Steve Corica. They head west in a confident mood. They had the bye last week and are coming off a home scoreless draw against Melbourne Victory in front of another healthy crowd of 14,997.
Glory, on the other hand, have had little time to prepare for the league leaders, only flying back to Perth on Thursday following their 0-3 defeat against Sydney FC on Wednesday evening. But Head Coach David Zdrilic said the spirit in the squad remains high, and they will do all they can to secure their first home win of the season on Saturday evening. "They [Auckland FC] have the luxury of not having played since I think New Year's Day, whereas we've had two games in that time," he said.
"They also came here to Perth before we got back from Sydney, so I think they will be ready to go, but so are we. These guys want to play— not one of them, when they looked at the schedule, said, 'Maybe we should rest here or rest there.' They all want to play; they're all putting their hands up, which I think is great. The guys who aren't playing are coming in and asking, 'Why am I not playing?' In terms of the spirit and motivation of this squad, it's top-notch during this period we're going through, and I can't ask for more from them than that."
Zdrilic, who was part of the Sydney FC coaching staff, came up against a former colleague, Ufuk Talay, in midweek and will go head-to-head against another on Saturday, with former Sky Blues coach Corica in charge of the Black Knights. "I know Stevie well; we're close friends and family friends as well," he said. "We played together at Sydney FC and overseas and coached together as well.
"I know all the work they [Auckland FC] did and all the resources they have. They've put together a very good club, not just on the field, but off the field as well. All the pieces were looked at, and you can see that now. They've got a very athletic and experienced squad with very good players that they've brought together. I think they've just started perfectly as a new club. So, it's going to be a big challenge, and I'm looking forward to a very competitive match."
Glory skipper Adam Taggart was replaced at half-time, sending a scare through the camp, but Zdrilic said he should be available and hopes there are no other problems heading into the game. "We had no fresh injuries from the Sydney FC game," he said. "Taggs was feeling tightness, and we spoke about it at half-time. He was willing to go on, but it was risky, and we didn’t want to take that chance with two games coming up… but he's recovering now and should be all right [for Saturday]. Also, Taras Gomulka broke a tooth, but that shouldn’t keep him out."
Auckland have been the surprise team this season and are two points clear of Melbourne City at the top of the table, with a game in hand. Former Glory midfielder Jake Brimmer has been good in his new surroundings, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Meanwhile, Uruguayan import Guillermo May, who joined from Argentine giants Newell's Old Boys, has scored three. New Zealand international goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who is on loan from English Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, has kept six clean sheets. In the middle of the park, Belgian midfielder Louis Verstraete and Colombian Neyder Moreno have also been outstanding, so they head into the game as strong favorites.
Perth Glory squad: GK Oli SAIL, GK Cameron COOK, 3 Anas HAMZAOUI, 6 Brandon O’NEILL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 10 Nikola MILEUSNIC,12 Taras GOMULKA, 14 Nathanael BLAIR, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 16 Adam BUGARIJA, 17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER, 21 Abdul FAISAL, 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN, 26 Khoa NGO, 29 Tomi MRCELA, 31 Joel ANASMO - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: BUGARIJA, ANASMO - Unavailable: 9 David WILLIAMS (injured)
Auckland FC squad: GK Alex PAULSEN, GK Michael WOUD, 2 Hiroki SAKAI, 3 Scott GALLOWAY, 4 Nando PIJNAKER, 5 Tommy SMITH, 6 Louis VERSTRAETE, 8 Luis TOOMEY, 9 Max MATA, 10 Guillermo MAY, 14 Liam GILLION, 15 Francis DE VRIES, 17 Callan ELLIOT, 18 Finn MCKENLAY, 21 Jesse RANDALL, 22 Jake BRIMMER, 25 Neyder MORENO, 27 Logan ROGERSON, 28 Luis Felipe GALLEGOS - *One to be omitted* - Ins: TOOMEY
10.01.2025
DOEGLAS RETURNS TO GLORY
Perth Glory’s injury problems have been eased somewhat, with the signing of experienced striker Caitlin Doeglas has joined the club’s Ninja A-League squad as an injury replacement for Kelli Brown. The New Zealand striker has struggled with injury all season, and Head Coach Stephen Peters said that Doeglas is a perfect fit, both on and off the park, and the striker is eligible for tonight’s clash with Sydney FC at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
“Caitlin has been training with us for a number of weeks and has made a big impression,” Peters said. “She’s mobile, quick and can finish and she also brings that invaluable experience from her previous stint in the competition. As well as being a quality player, she is a great character and will be a really positive influence on our predominantly young playing group.”
The 28-year-old returns to the club from NPLW side Perth RedStar, bagging 17 goals to help the club to the title last season. She also played NPLW football in both Victoria and New South Wales, and made 49 appearances and scored seven goals for Glory between 2015 and 2021, and scored what was, at the time, the fastest goal in ALW history when she found the net after just 14 seconds against Western Sydney Wanderers during the 2016-17 season and also featured for Glory in the 2019 ALW Grand Final.
10.01.2025
LINCOLN LOOKING FOR MORE GLORY
Perth Glory striker Ella Lincoln made her NPL A-League debut for the club last week. The 20-year-old came off the bench in the 0-2 defeat against Wellington Phoenix. The talented goalscorer, who won the NPL Golden Boot last season with Perth SC, said that getting her debut was amazing, but then she was told about another milestone.
“It felt amazing. It’s always been a dream of mine to make my debut for my hometown club, and it was great to achieve the milestone of being the 1000th ALW player. I didn’t know until Tijan and Stephen showed me, which was really cool,” the striker explained. “I’ve had to bide my time to get into the squad, and I thought I was getting closer, but I didn’t expect it to be in New Zealand. It was a long trip, but I really enjoyed it, and it was a great experience.
“The result wasn’t what we wanted, but we can only move forward. All our focus is on Sydney FC this week. I’m expecting a fast, transitioning game. They are coming off a draw against Melbourne City last week, and they are the reigning champions, so we know what to expect. We need to dig deep. We’ve got a strong squad with a lot of talent, and Stephen trusts every one of us. As long as we give 100%, we can grab points off anyone in the league.”
Lincoln won the NPL Gold Medal last season, emulating her father Paul, who won the Football West Gold Medal in 1997 with Spearwood Dalmatinac and had a stellar career in local football. He also played for Bayswater City, Stirling Lions, Floreat Athena, Inglewood United, and Swan IC. The striker said he was really proud of her debut last week. “It’s really special that we both achieved this (Gold Medal), and he was super proud that I made my professional debut. He watched the game in Bali and cheered me on,” she explained.
“The step up to the A-League has been really challenging, going from two days a week of training to training every day in a professional environment. It takes a toll on the body, physically and mentally, but I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it. The girls and the coaching staff have been amazing. They’ve made the environment so enjoyable to be around, and it’s cool to see so many local girls in the squad. A couple of weeks ago, our midfield consisted of Chari (Wainwright), Georgia (Cassidy), and Tijan (McKenna), all from my NPL team at Perth SC, which is really good to see.”
It’s been a long journey for Lincoln, but after a stellar season at Dorrien Gardens last year, she earned a youth contract with the Glory. However, it’s business as usual for the striker this week—training hard and trying to earn a spot in the squad for the visit of Sydney. It would be amazing to play a part in the game in front of family and friends. “I set goals last season at Perth SC: to score more than 20 goals, win the Golden Boot, and earn myself a Glory contract. I managed to do all that, which I was super proud of,” she said.
“Going into this season at Glory, my goal is to earn more minutes, sustain a spot in the team, and hopefully create and score a lot of goals. To play my part this weekend against Sydney would be amazing. I’ve had the privilege of playing at Sam Kerr Football Centre last season in the NPL, and it’s just a great facility. We have some great fans, and when they get around us, it feels amazing. I wasn’t part of the squad last time we played there, but the energy and vibe are awesome, so it would be nice to be a part of that in front of my family and friends. Although dad is still in Bali, I know he will be watching.”
10.01.2025
CHAMPIONS HEAD TO PERTH IN WEEK 11
Perth Glory Head Coach Stephen Peters believes that Friday’s home clash against reigning Ninja A-League Champions Sydney FC at Sam Kerr Football Centre, is set to be one of his side’s most important games of the season so far. (7.00pm). Glory was beaten in Wellington last week, which made it back-to-back defeats for Peters’ side, leaving them tenth, while Sydney arrives in the west bottom of the table, a position few would have expected them to occupy before the season got underway, so three points are massive in this encounter.
“I think they [Sydney FC] probably looked at this game on paper and said it’s a game they’re sure they can win,” Peters said. “We know they’re going to be coming here pretty determined to get the three points because as you’ve seen on the table, back-to-back wins catapults you up pretty quickly. It’s a massive, massive game for us, so we have to be ready for the energy that we need to put in to get the points. They’re a team that’s very well-organised typically and they’ve always got a big danger on the counter-attack.
“That’s been their mantra for the last couple of years. They’ve had matchwinners all across the park and they still do. It’s just a matter of time until they start showcasing that more consistently and get the wins on the board. In terms of us, we’re obviously not going to be rolling out the red carpet for them. We’ve got to get in their face and welcome them to Perth the way we know how.”
Peters said difficult playing conditions didn’t help them in the loss in Wellington, but believes his young side got some valuable experience ahead of the week 11 clash with the Sky Blues. “I don’t think a lot went wrong; it’s just where we’re at the moment,” he said. “The first half and the first half result were good. We went in at 0-0 and I thought we were cagey enough in that game to give them a few problems.
“But unfortunately, and I don’t want to blame the conditions, but we seemed to have a bit of an issue with having the wind behind us first half. And then being so far away from the bench with the wind against us, it was difficult for a lot of the young players that we had out there. It was a very good experience for them and I think that will come back to us down the track, but for the time being, it’s very difficult for some of these girls to execute a 90-minute performance.”
The last game against the Sky Blues in Perth was in round eight last season, which saw a player of the match performance from keeper Morgan Aquina, to secure a 0-0 draw for the hosts in front of over 1,500 supporters at Macedonia Park. In early team news, late decisions will be made on a number of Glory’s walking wounded, including co-captain Izzy Dalton and Tijan McKenna and Ella Abdul Massih, but Gabby Hollar has been given the green light to feature despite being forced from the field after a stray elbow against Phoenix.
As for Sydney FC, their poor start to the current campaign has come as a major shock given their recent dominance of the competition. Ante Juric’s side have won just one of their nine fixtures to date and are the competition’s lowest scorers with six. Former Glory forward Millie Farrow is yet to get off the mark for her new club in five appearances, while fellow-attackers Indiana Dos Santos and Princess Ibini have managed just two goals between them. Unfortunately, former Glory midfielder Hana Lowry will miss the game after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the team’s draw against Melbourne City earlier in the season.
Perth Glory squad: GK Casey DUMONT, GK Miranda TEMPLEMAN, 4 Claudia VALLETTA, 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 6 Tijan MCKENNA, 7 Megan WYNNE, 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR, 11 Natalie TATHEM, 13 Naomi CHINNAMA, 14 Miku SUNAGA, 18 Isabella FOLETTA, 20 Ella ABDUL MASSIH, 23 Izzy DALTON, 24 Caitlin DOEGLAS, 25 Ella LINCOLN, 26 Tanika LALA, 27 Charli WAINWRIGHT, 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: MCKENNA, ABDUL-MASSIH, DOEGLAS - Unavailable: 10 Susan PHONSONGKHAM (injured), 16 Bella WALLHEAD (injured), 19 Sarah O’DONOGHUE (injured), 44 Kelli BROWN (injured)
Sydney FC squad: GK Brianna EDWARDS, GK Jasmine BLACK, GK Tahlia FRANCO, 2 Margaux CHAUVET, 3 Faye BRYSON, 4 Tori TUMETH, 9 Shea CONNORS, 12 Natalie TOBIN, 14 Abbey LEMON, 15 Mackenzie HAWKESBY, 16 Jordan THOMPSON, 18 Amber LUCHTMEIJER, 20 Princess IBINI, 21 Lucy JOHNSON, 22 Indiana DOS SANTOS, 23 Rubi SULLIVAN, 24 Caley TALLON-HENNIKER, 26 Maddie CASPERS - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: SULLIVAN (promoted), BLACK (promoted) - Unavailable: 5 Kirsty FENTON (knee), 6 Shay HOLLMAN (calf), 7 Millie FARROW (hammy), 8 Hana LOWRY (knee), 19 Kyah SIMON (calf)
9.01.2025
COOK TO CALL LEEDS UNITED HOME
Former Perth Glory youth goalkeeper Robert Cook has become the latest West Australian to head to England, with the talented shot-stopper signing for Championship outfit Leeds United on a three-year-deal. The 17-year-old has signed for the Yorkshire club, who sit top of the Championship, and on course for a return to the Premier League.
Cook, like a number of Glory youngsters in the past, leaves our shores having never played a senior game for his hometown club, but was part of their academy set-up and turned out for their NPL side last season. He has been pursued by several English clubs over the past few months, having trialled with Sunderland earlier this year. Manchester United, who recently signed another Glory youngster James Overy, were also reportedly interested, while Birmingham City — now in League One, but pushing for promotion — made a late attempt to beat Leeds to the youngster.
Leeds has been a happy hunting ground for several Australians over the years, with Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and former Glory midfielders Neil Kilkenny and Jacob Burns having played for the Elland Road club. Cook was recently named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while representing WA U16s at the 2023 National Youth Championships, and it is expected his move will result in some small financial compensation for the Glory.
9.01.2025
FORRESTFIELD ADD EXPERIENCED DUO FOR 2025
Forrestfield United head into 2025 looking to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish, and their cause has been helped by the signing of experienced duo Brian Patterson and Rhys Loxley. Patterson joins the club from Mandurah City, and the former Fremantle City and Armadale midfielder said it’s a new challenge he is looking forward to.
“I had a very enjoyable time at Mandurah and met some quality lads down there, and we were very unlucky both seasons not to win the league, and then getting beaten in the playoffs was a hard pill to swallow,” he explained. “But the time was right for me to leave, and hopefully they go one better this year and win the league. I’m looking forward to a new challenge at Forrestfield, a great young team, and with a bit of experience in there, hopefully, we can challenge for the league.”
Forrestfield Head Coach Daryl Platten said adding Patterson to the squad is a huge boost for the club, and his leadership will be invaluable as their pre-season begins. “We are delighted to get Brian over the line; both Alec and I have known Brian for a long time, and he fits the profile of player we are looking for. Having such a young team last year, Brian adds the experience, leadership, quality, and winning mentality that we were maybe missing last season,” he explained.
“We can't wait to see him in the black and yellow for the coming season, and we can already see in training what he will bring to the team. Pre-season has been going well, with a few new faces added to the array of talent that we have coming through the under-18s and reserves. It should be an exciting year for the Forrie faithful in what seems to be a very competitive Division Two.”
It’s a return to Hartfield Park for Loxley, the former club skipper heading back after a spell at Swan United. He said it’s good to be back home. “I’m delighted to return to the club where I have had my fondest memories as a footballer,” he said. “I left the club because I needed a new challenge, and while I enjoyed my time playing at Swan and coaching at Olympic Kingsway, I feel that now is the time for me to return. I have been really impressed with the squad so far. There are some really talented youngsters that, with the right guidance, can become the next crop of players to take the club back to the very top again.”
“I’m also excited to be working under former teammate Daryl, alongside Alec and Bully, who have really laid the foundations for a successful campaign so far. There is a good feeling of ambition both in the squad and the club as a whole, and with a good pre-season, I feel that we can definitely be challenging for promotion in 2025. I will be doing all I can to contribute and help the club achieve its goals this season. Division Two will be a really tough league this season, though, with a lot of teams sharing a similar ambition to us. But we are a determined group and are relishing the challenge.”
Platten said, like Brian, Rhys brings a vast amount of experience, and he has had a hand in the development of some of the youngsters in the squad. “We’re very excited to get Rhys back to the club,” he said. “He will bring so much experience to the team, and it’s nice for him to come into a team with so many players he himself helped develop over the years he was at Forrestfield. Those young boys trust him and will learn so much from him on the pitch.”
8.01.2025
INJURIES BITE HARD FOR GLORY WOMEN
Perth Glory Women’s injury crisis continues to throw curveballs at coach Stephen Peters who has revealed co-captain Isobel Dalton is still struggling with a hamstring injury. And not even injury-replacement players have been spared, with Peters confirming recent addition Olivia Wood suffered a serious injury prior to the weekend loss at Wellington Phoenix.
Nonetheless, Peters has urged his team to defy expectations and not let Sydney FC dictate terms when they meet on Friday night at Sam Kerr Football Centre. Glory might have to battle Sydney without Dalton, with Peters admitting the midfielder’s hamstring issues had re-surfaced. “It’s a bit of a weird one, it’s right on the cusp of a tendon injury as well,” he said.
“It’s quite painful for her, so, unfortunately, we’re a bit unsure about her. It’s a bit of a week-to-week proposition now. It’s quite annoying in that way because she’s obviously not getting the preparation she needs in terms of being able to put a full week of training in, so that’s difficult mentally for her.”
Glory are already without attackers Kelli Brown, Sarah O’Donoghue and Susan Phonsongkham, all to ankle injuries. To make matters worse, injury-replacement signing Wood had travelled to play Wellington only to rupture the anterior talofibular ligament in her ankle the day before the game.
In some better news for Perth, Peters was hopeful the returning Tijan McKenna (foot) and Ella Abdul-Massih (calf) would be able to see some action on Friday. “They (Sydney) probably looked at this game on paper and said it’s a game they feel they can win, so we know they’re going to be coming here pretty determined to get the three points,” Peters said.
“It’s a very massive game for us. They’ve got match winners all across the park, so I think it’s a matter of time until they start showcasing that more consistently and get the wins on the board. We’re not going to be rolling out the red carpet for them; we’ve got to get in their face, and welcome them to Perth the way we know how.”
7.01.2025
O’NEILL URGES GLORY TO BUILD GOOD HABITS
Perth Glory midfielder Brandon O’Neill has compared stringing together winning games to brushing your teeth: “the more you do it, the more it becomes natural.” But with Glory stranded in 12th spot on the A-League ladder with just one win to their name, it appears his team are in urgent need of a trip to the dentist ahead of O’Neill’s return to former side Sydney FC.
Glory will play their second game in six days - part of a slate which features four games in 12 days - away to the Sky Blues tomorrow night, and O’Neill says Glory need to use the hectic schedule to revitalise their season. With the sting of their injury-time loss to Western United still fresh, O’Neill urged his team to start to building good habits.
“As gut-wrenching as it was, you’ve got now three games in seven days to put it right and come the end of this cycle, you could look back and go ‘we’ve started something here to build on,’” O’Neill said. “It’s a great opportunity to get a bit of momentum. One result can turn into two, two can turn into three and especially these home games coming up (next week) we’ve got, it’s a great opportunity for us to get maximum points.”
After facing Sydney, Glory head back home for Saturday night’s clash with Auckland. “The travel obviously is demanding, but as players, you forget about that when games are coming thick and fast,” O’Neill said. “You play, you recover, you travel back, you recover again, you play, you recover. If you ask any of the any of the squad members, they love that; the more games, the better.”
So far this season O’Neill has not performed to his own lofty expectations due in no small part to injuries, which have seen his spot in midfield go to Taras Gomulka. “I’ve got to be on the pitch first and foremost and a few injury interruptions has obviously cost that, but I think you just try win the day,” O’Neill said. “You win the day, and you move on to the next day, and you know yourself if you’re doing all the right things.
“You know yourself if you’re working hard and you’re trying your best and I think if we can all do that, individually and collectively, each day, what can we do today to be better than tomorrow? On the weekend, they (the fans) could feel, probably for the first time this year, that the lads had a crack here - the challenge for us now is to bring that week in, week out, that competitiveness, and turn that into results.”
7.01.2025
LOLLEY HAT-TRICK SINKS GLORY IN THE RAIN
It wasn’t a happy return to Sydney FC for Perth Glory head coach David Zdrilic, as the Sky Blues ran out 3-0 winners in wet conditions in Wednesday's Week 11 Isuzu Ute A-League clash at Allianz Stadium. English striker Joe Lolley was the hero for the hosts, bagging a second-half hat-trick. The win moved them up to seventh, while the loss left Glory second from the bottom, extending their horror season.
Zdrilic made one change from the side that was edged out by Western United last week, with Jarrod Carluccio coming in for Khoa Ngo, who dropped to the bench. It was a huge game for Glory defender Josh Risdon, who became only the third Glory player to play 150 games for the club, joining new East Perth FC striker Andy Keogh and Perth RedStar keeper Liam Reddy. There was a sombre moment prior to kick-off, with players, coaches, and supporters observing a minute's silence in honour of former Sydney FC CEO Stefan Kamasz, who sadly passed away today.
The hosts were on the front foot early, with Anthony Caceres and Lolley being a constant threat, but Glory were defending deep. The first real chance fell to the Sky Blues on 27 minutes. Nicholas Pennington brought down Moroccan midfielder Anas Ouahim on the edge of the box, but Lolley’s free-kick was pushed away by the alert Oli Sail. Adam Taggart was a lonely figure up front for the visitors, but he had Glory’s first real chance seven minutes later.
A great turn by Carluccio in the middle of the park sent him racing away, and he found the skipper on the edge of the box. Taggart’s shot was deflected behind for a corner by Zac De Jesus. Sydney went closer in the first minute of stoppage time. Joel King’s cross from the left wasn’t dealt with by Sail, and the ball fell to Caceres, whose shot was cleared off the line by Andriano Lebib. Zach Lisolajski then knocked the ball away to safety, and at the break, it remained scoreless.
There was a surprise at the break, with Taggart being replaced by Nathanael Blair. However, it was still Sydney dictating terms, and Caceres was inches away from Lolley’s low cross early on. Then on 52 minutes, their early pressure was rewarded with the lead. Caceres cut in from the right, played a give-and-go with Lolley, and the former Nottingham Forest striker got a lucky deflection off Lisolajski. The ball fell into his path, and he finished with aplomb past Sail.
Glory almost had an immediate response. Carluccio made space down the left and picked out Blair, who fell under a tackle from Hayden Matthews. The ball rolled to Trent Ostler, whose snap shot flashed inches wide of the post. They went close again just after the hour mark when Taras Gomulka’s corner picked out Tomi Mrcela. The defender climbed above his marker but couldn’t find the target.
The home faithful thought they had a penalty on 68 minutes after a handball from Lebib off Lolley’s cross from the right, but referee Sam Kelly waved away the protests. However, he was asked to review the decision by VAR, and after viewing the screen, he pointed to the spot. It looked a little harsh, but Lolley made no mistake from the resulting penalty, taking him to the top of the goalscoring chart.
Sail then made a smart save to deny Lolley eight minutes later, as the hosts looked to wrap up the game. They thought they had a third moments later when Patryk Klimala’s shot from the edge of the box beat Sail, but the flag was up for offside. Two minutes from time, they did find a third. Substitute Adrian Segecic’s cross from the left picked out Klimala. His shot was parried by Sail, and Lolley was on hand to fire home the rebound and complete his first-ever A-League hat-trick.
Sydney FC: GK Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES, 5 Hayden MATTHEWS, 6 Corey HOLLMAN (13 Pat WOOD 90’), 8 Anas OUAHIM (7 Adrian SEGECIC 71’), 9 Patryk KLIMALA (20 Tiago QUINTAL 90’), 10 Joe LOLLEY (25 Jaiden KUCHARSKI 90’), 15 Leo SENA, 16 Joel KING, 17 Anthony CACERES, 21 Zac DE JESUS (4 Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS 76’), 23 Rhyan GRANT – Subs not used: RGK Andrew REDMAYNE, 3 Aaron GURD
Perth Glory: GK Oli SAIL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON (10 Nikola MIEUSNIC 71’), 12 Taras GOMULKA, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 19 Josh RISDON (26 Khoa NGO 91’), 20 Trent OSTLER (21 Abdel FAISAL 63’), 22 Adam TAGGART (14 Nathanael BLAIR 46’), 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN (6 Brandon O’NEILL 63’), 29 Tomi MRCELA – Subs not used: RGK Cameron COOK, 3 Anas HAMZAOUI - Attendance: 7,634 - Referee: Sam KELLY
7.01.2025
WA STADIUMS VOTED THE BEST SPORTS VENUES BY AUSTADIUMS
West Australian sporting facilities have taken out four major awards in the 2024 Stadium Awards, with Optus Stadium taking top honours once again. The multi-purpose stadium, located in Burswood was completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. The stadium's total capacity is 61,266, including standing room, making it the third-largest stadium in Australia (after the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Stadium Australia).
The stadium can be extended up to 65,000 seats for rectangular sports, with Perth Glory hosting the 2019 A-League Grand Final, and has hosted English Premier League clubs, Manchester United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, European giants AC Milan and Roma, as well as Championship high flyers Leeds United. The Matilidas have played out to a sell out crowd in 2023, and the Socceroos play Japan in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier in June.
The sixth edition of the fan-voted awards held on Austadiums during December saw Western Australian venues dominate again, taking out four of the six awards. Optus Stadium was voted as Australia’s best, claiming 45% of votes, with the MCG second on 14% and Suncorp Stadium 12%, and it was also voted as Australia’s Best Oval Stadium, in front of the MCG and Adelaide Oval. The Western Australian public continue to show their patriotism, getting behind the awards in a big way since their inception in 2019 and 2024 was no different, with 43% of entries from the west.
The Best Rectangular Stadium was taken out by HBF Park, the home of Perth Glory and the Western Force, (ahead of Suncorp Stadium and AAMI Park), while RAC Arena, the home of the Perth Wildcats and Perth Lynx, was voted as the Best Indoor Arena (ahead of Rod Laver Arena and Qudos Bank Arena). In other awards, Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium was voted as Australia’s Best Regional Stadium, ahead of Queensland Country Bank Stadium and Sunshine Coast Stadium. And finally, the new Most Picturesque Stadium category was taken out by the Adelaide Oval, just ahead of Industree Group Stadium on the Central Coast.
7.01.2025
GLORY HEAD TO HARBOUR CITY IN WEEK ELEVEN
It’s a quick turnaround for Perth Glory after their heartbreaking defeat against Western United on Friday, as they travel to Allianz Stadium on Wednesday evening to take on Sydney FC in week 11 of the Isuzu Ute A-League (kick-off 4:00 pm WA time). Last time out, Glory put in an improved performance, but their defensive frailties were there for all to see. Head Coach David Zdrilic is hoping to build on the performance as they search for a second win away from home this season. He knows it’s tough for his side to travel and back up from a tough game on Friday, but he said it’s the same for both sides.
“The result we had against Western United was not what we wanted, but the performance was much, much better, and we need to build on that,” he said at his pre-game press conference. “For us, we want to be playing games, and sometimes in these situations, playing games replaces the training, so we’re just focusing on that. We’re already relying a lot on the young ones, and we want to try and get them in at the right time and use them at the right time, like Jaylan Pearman, for example. But in terms of rotating, it’ll depend on their bodies. For this Sydney game, I think we’re okay, but for the next two games after that, we’ll have to see how we’re looking when we return from Sydney.”
The last time Glory played the Sky Blues at the venue, it was a day to forget, losing 7-1 in the final game of last season, which was also the last game in charge for Allen Stajcic. Jordan Courtney-Perkins gave the hosts the lead early, and two late first-half goals from Joe Lolley and Nathan Brattan gave Sydney a 3-0 lead at the break. Adam Taggart pulled one back on the hour, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. Slovak winger Robert Mak bagged a brace before Lolley added his second in stoppage time to secure a comfortable win.
The coach has some fond memories of the Sky Blues. The NSW-born striker played 59 games, scoring five goals, before returning in 2023 as an assistant coach to Steve Corica. But he said playing them for the first time since departing and coming up against Ufuk Talay, whom he also worked with during his time at the club, hasn’t provided him with any extra incentive this week. He knows his side needs results. “I spent a lot of my A-League time at Sydney FC, both as a player and as a coach in different forms,” Zdrilic explained.
“But other than that, it’s just business as usual. We need to get points and produce a good performance to back up the good performance from the weekend and hopefully get a better result for us. I’m fully focused on what we’re doing here, and obviously, the challenge here is big. I think both of us [clubs] are coming into the game under different types of pressure. We’re trying to rebuild and get results while doing that, and they’re obviously a big club that’s used to winning and expects to win every game.
“But other than that, it’s just another game in which we need to move forward. The type of football that we’re playing here now is not as aggressive as the kind of football we were playing [during my time] with Sydney, and he [Talay] is not playing that way at the moment either. But generally, they’ve got very good technical players, we know that, and they’re very good on the ball; he’s improved his squad. A lot of the foreigners that have come in are very, very high quality, so they’re able to keep the ball even more.
“That’s the style of football that they’re playing at the moment…but they’re flexible in the way they play. There might be a surprise there, so we’ll just have to wait and see. I’m expecting both of us [teams] to come in very motivated and try to get that win.” Sydney FC currently sits eighth on the ladder, four points outside the top six, and has struggled for consistency this season. But the form of English striker Lolley and Polish forward Patryk Klimala will give Zdrilic headaches. At the other end, the Sky Blues have kept just one clean sheet, so he will hope to target that on Wednesday.
In early team news, Zdrilic confirmed that Nikola Mileusnic is poised to return to the squad for the first time since the former Adelaide United midfielder injured his hamstring against Melbourne City in round four, while Riley Warland and former Sydney FC midfielder Brandon O’Neill will also be pushing for a starting role. The coach must also be delighted with the performances of youngsters Andriano Lebib and Jayden Pearman, leaving only David Williams (ACL) as a confirmed absentee.
5.01.2025
LEEDS SNAP UP GLORY YOUTH GOALKEEPER COOK
Former Perth Glory youth goalkeeper Robert Cook has become the latest West Australian to head to England by signing with Championship outfit Leeds United. The 17 year-old has signed for the Yorkshire powerhouse, currently top of England’s second tier and on course for a return to the Premier League, on a three-year deal.
Cook has been pursued by several high-profile English clubs over the past few months, having trialed with Sunderland earlier this year. Manchester United were also reportedly interested, while Birmingham City - now in League One, but pushing for promotion - made a late attempt to woo Cook.
Cook’s move follows that of 18-year old Daniel Bennie, who has so far chalked up nine appearances for Queens Park Rangers since leaving Glory in May. Another former Glory academy member James Overy, signed for Manchester United in June following previous interest from Everton.
4.01.2025
ZDRILIC DEFENDS LATE-GAME TACTICS, PRAISES TEENAGER PEARMAN
Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic has defended his team’s deep defensive positioning and his tactical moves in the aftermath of last night’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Western United. But amid the gloom of yet another home loss, Zdrilic lavished teenage debutant Jaylan Pearman with praise, hailing him as the “future of the club” after an eye-catching performance.
It will be little relief to Perth fans though as Glory let slip a 2-1 lead heading into injury-time. With 10 minutes to go, the home side retreated deeper and deeper into their own half and, although they had the odd chance in transition, Glory’s shape opened the door for United to come forward.
While Glory are not the first team to sit too deep and nor will they be the last, Zdrilic said the state of the game contributed to their positioning. “It’s also momentum in games, they felt like they needed to come at us, so they kept dribbling at us and risking a little bit,” he said.
“It was just the momentum of the game, they get deeper and deeper and any high ball in the boxes are more dangerous. We were defending quite well in our box in that second half, Oli (Sail) made some saves again, it just didn’t fall our way. We need something to fall our way in terms of luck. It didn’t happen tonight, but we’ll keep going.”
Zdrilic said it was an inability to keep possession that contributed to United’s late revival. “The problem was we were just not holding the ball,” Zdrilic said. “It’s a psychological thing. It (dropping deeper) happens to nearly every team and I don’t think that was a factor. We had some players come on and be able to hold the ball for us, and that’s what we needed.”
There was a glimmer of light in the form of 18-year old Pearman, who added some spark in attack and provided an outstanding chipped assist for Adam Taggart’s first-half goal. “Jaylan is the future of this club,” Zdrilic said of the Australian Under-17 international.
“He’s been unbelievable in training. He was in the NPL, he’s gained strength, and because he’s gained that strength, I felt comfortable that he was able to come in, and then the players feel comfortable with him. He can link up, he’s got good technique, he’s got a great shot. I was just really happy he didn’t show any nerves, just went straight into it.”
4.01.2025
INJURY-HIT GLORY BEATEN IN WELLINGTON
An injury hit Perth Glory have been beaten 0-2 in the Distance Derby by Wellington Phoenix in week ten of the Ninja A-League at Porirua Park - Jerry Collins Stadium on Saturday morning. Without the injured Kelli Brown, Tijan McKenna, Sarah O’Donoghue, Bella Wallhead, Ella Abdul Massih and long-term absentee Susan Phonsongkham, it was always going to be a big test, and second-half goals from former Glory striker Grace Jale and Olivia Fergusson secured the points for the hosts. The win moving them up to fifth in the standings, while Glory are tenth and five points outside the top six, after a three-match winless run.
Head Coach Stephen Peters made two changers to the side that were edged out by Central Coast Mariners last week, with Miku Sunaga coming in for Tanika Lala and Isabela Foletta coming for co-captain Izzy Dalton. It was the hosts who were on the front foot early and Grace Johnston did well to block Mebae Tanaka’s close-range shot after Casey Dumont mis-judged a cross from the left. The Japanese midfielder went close again on 14 minutes, this time getting on the end of Wellington skipper Annalie Longo’s cross, but she couldn’t keep her header down.
The hosts were creating the better chances, with Glory defending desperately. The lively Tanaka was the supplier on the half hour, her low cross was fired wide by Fergusson. Glory custodian Dumont was called into action five minutes later, saving from Gale, and she was in the action again moments later, as the Phoenix continued to dominate, this time Tanaka fired straight at the Glory custodian. Despite the dominance Dumont had not really been tested, and the Glory had their best opportunity in the shadow of half time, Natalie Tathem trying her luck from distance, but she couldn’t keep it down, and at the break it was scoreless.
After the break the hosts had the strong winds at their backs, and two minutes in they found the opener. Jale picked the ball in the middle of the park from a clearance from keeper Carolina Vilao, and strode forward before unleashing a shot from distance which beat Dumont and found the bottom corner. Moments later the horror trip across the ditch got worse for Gabby Hollar. The American striker was fined $400 for taking and apple off the plane into New Zealand on Friday, this time she was caught be a stray elbow from Ferguson, and she was replaced five minutes later by Lala.
It was backs to the wall for Glory as the Phoenix had the wind in their sails, and it wasn’t a surprise when they doubled their advantage on 69 minutes. Lala Wall’s cross from the left found Ferguson, and the English striker got in front of her marker and headed powerfully past Dumont. Glory went to the bench soon after with Claudia Valletta coming on for debut for the club, replacing former Perth SC midfielder Charli Wainwright. Glory wasn’t finished and ended the game well, and went close to reducing the margin five minutes from time.
Sunaga ball found Lala, who went one-on-one with Vilao, the Portuguese keeper stood tall to deny her shot, the rebound fell to Sunaga on the edge of the box, whose shot crashed off the crossbar. There was another Glory debutant late with former Perth SC and NTC striker Ella Lincoln coming off the bench, replacing Megan Wynne. Both debutants performed well, which will give a boost to Peters’ squad in weeks to come. The hosts went close to a third deep into stoppage time, but Longo’s curing free kick from the edge of the box flashed inches wide.
Wellington Phoenix: GK Carolina VILĂO, 2 Zoe MCMEEKEN (5 Alivia KELLY 71'), 3 Tiana JABER (11 Manaia ELLIOTT 71'), 4 Mackenzie BARRY, 6 Maya MCCUTCHEON, 7 Grace JALE, 9 Olivia FERGUSSON, 10 Alyssa WHINHAM (20 Emma MAIN 80'), 14 Mebae TANAKA (15 Daisy BRAZENDALE 80'), 16 Annalie LONGO, 21 Lara WALL - Subs not used: RGK Aimee DANIELI
Perth Glory: GK Casey DUMONT, 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 7 Megan WYNNE (25 Ella LINCOLN 85'), 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR (26 Tanika LALA 55'), 11 Natalie TATHEM, 13 Naomi CHINNAMA, 14 Miku SUNAGA, 18 Isabella FOLETTA, 27 Charli WAINWRIGHT (4 Claudia VALLETTA 73'), 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG - SubS not used: RGK Miranda TEMPLEMAN, 23 Izzy DALTON - Attendance: 675 - Referee: Mikayla Ryan
4.01.2025
LATE HEARTBREAK FOR GLORY
Perth Glory were only minutes away from their first Isuzu Ute A-League win at home this season, but two late goals from Western United, including a spectacular last minute overhead kick from Jordan Lauton secured them a 3-2 win in the week 12 clash at HBF Park on Friday evening. Skipper Adam Taggart had given the hosts the lead on the half hour with his 50th goal for the club, but Matthew Grimadi found the equaliser moments later. A stunning strike from half time substitute Jarrod Carluccio looked like it had won it for Glory, but in stoppage time Tate Russell levelled before Lauton broke the hearts of the Glory supporters.
It was an improved performance from David Zdrilic’s side, especially after all the distractions off the pitch, but again their defensive frailties came back to haunt them. “What do you say? It’s a game where I thought that was the turning point at home,” a disappointed Zdrilic said post-game. “The second half was better, and we got that 2-1 and those last few minutes — look that happens in football. These things happen, to lose to a scissors kick like that, last kick of the game, what are you going to say. Even a draw we would have taken that, I didn’t expect us in injury time to concede two goals.” The coach made three changes to the side that were well beaten by Macarthur FC last time out, with Oli Sail coming in for Cameron Cook in goal, while teenager Jaylan Pearman and Zach Lisolajski replaced the injured Riley Warland and David Williams.
With the cricket Big Bash on at the same time over at Optus Stadium, there was a sparse crowd in the ground at kick off. It was a lively start to the game, with both sides having early chances. First on three minutes Sail got down well to save Riku Danzaki’s effort, before Pearman’s shot on the run was saved by Matthew Sutton. Sail came to the rescue again on 14 minutes, the Kiwi international stood tall to save Grimaldi in a one-on-one situation. The visitors were in again ten minutes later, the lively Danzaki got in behind, but Lebib, who was already on a yellow card, did enough and he fired wide.
Then on 29 minutes the Glory faithful saw something, for the first time this season the Glory were on the scoreboard. Lebib found Pearman in the middle of the park, and the Australia Under-17 international midfielder turned away from his marker and sent Taggart in on goal, he timed his run superbly, and the skipper duly converted past Sutton, much to the delight of the Shed and Active supporters behind the goal. But three minutes later the visitors levelled, Ben Garuccio slipped the ball into the unmarked Angus Thurgate, who found Grimaldi with was also in acres of space, and he fired low past Sail.
Glory made a change at the break, bringing on Carluccio for Khoa Ngo, but clear-cut chances were few and far between early, but it was Glory who had the best on 65 minutes. Nicholas Pennington finding Taggart, but the skipper’s effort was deflected wide. Then from the resulting corner Lebib saw his effort deflected wide. It was the best period of the game for the hosts, and two minutes later they capitalized, hitting the front again. Taggart held the ball up well on the left, and fed the overlapping Carluccio, who raced into the penalty area and drilled his shot past Sutton.
United pressed for the leveller, substitute Hiroshi Ibusuki almost continued his good goalscoring record against the Glory, but this time his header was well saved by Sail, before Lebib was forced to clear off the line from a goalmouth scramble with three minutes to play. With the game heading into injury time, it looked like the Glory had done enough to take the points, but two minutes in United levelled. Luke Vickery’s cross into the box wasn’t dealt with and Russell poked the ball home, and after a VAR check the goal stood.
It was a huge disappointment for the 4,564 crowd, but it got worse moments later. Thurgate’s cross from the right picked out substitute Lauton on the edge of the box, and the 21-year-old, who had only come on the pitch eight minutes from time, saw his acrobatic overhead kick fly into the corner of the net to win it for John Aloisi’s side. Unfortunately for him he took his shirt off to celebrate, and was shown a second yellow card by referee Ben Abraham and sent off, but the three points were heading back to Victoria.
Perth Glory: GK Oli SAIL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 12 Taras GOMULKA, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER, 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Jaylan PEARMAN (6 Brandon O’NEILL 60'), 26 Khoa NGO (17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO 46'), 29 Tomi MRCELA - Subs not used: RGK Cameron COOK, 14 Nathanael BLAIR, 16 Adam BUGARIJA, 31 Joel ANASMO
Western United: GK Matthew SUTTON, 6 Tomoki IMAI, 7 Ramy NAJJARINE (9 Hiroshi IBUSUKI 46'), 10 Matthew GRIMALDI (37 Luke VICKERY 76'), 13 Tate RUSSELL, 17 Ben GARUCCIO, 19 Noah BOTIC, 23 Rhys BOZINOVSKI (44 Jordan LAUTON 82'), 30 Dylan LEONARD, 32 Angus THURGATE, 77 Riku DANZAKI - Subs not used: GK Tom HEWARD-BELLE, 22 Kane VIDMAR, 24 Michael RUHS, 34 James YORK – Red Card: Lauton 95’ - Attendance: 4,564 - Referee: Ben Abraham
4.01.2025
KERR STEPS UP RECOVERY AT CHELSEA TRAINING CAMP
Sam Kerr is stepping up her recovery from a long-term knee injury by joining English champions Chelsea on their mid-winter training camp in Portugal. The Matildas' captain hasn't been in a Chelsea squad since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at last January's training break in Morocco.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor said last month 31-year old Kerr was expected to make her eagerly awaited return to action in either February or March. But the club are adamant Kerr won't be rushed into training with the rest of the squad, and the striker has made it clear she won't be rushing back until she is completely satisfied she is fully fit.
It will also be no cakewalk for Kerr to get straight back into the team that she's graced for so long, with unbeaten Chelsea having won 15 out of all their 16 matches this term and having soared six points clear in the Women's Super League race in her absence. They've also reached the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League with a perfect winning record.
3.01.2025
WYNNE HOPES TO INSPIRE IN QUEST FOR GLORY
Welsh international Megan Wynne is drawing on her bountiful experience in England to provide leadership to the Perth Glory Women’s side, including putting her away days nous to good use this weekend. While Wellington Phoenix are recovering from a virus that swept through the team, Glory will be seeking to overcome one of the world’s longest away trips and take three points tomorrow.
Taking on Wellington in New Zealand is a new experience for Wynne, having spent more than a decade in England with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Southampton, the winger said she was prepared for the arduous trip. “Back home, I’m used to spending it on a coach — we used to travel to Sunderland, six, seven hours on a coach,” she said.
“For me, flying seems a bit more of a walk in the park than jumping on a crammed coach, but it’ll be difficult. My roommate will be Izzy Dalton hopefully and she’s done it plenty of times before, so I’ll learn off her and find ways to deal with the time difference because that’s going to be an issue.”
Given the late start to pre-season, which meant 31-year old Wynne trained on her own for four months to stay fit, she said it had taken time for the side to gel. “I feel like we needed a few more weeks to get into it, but things are starting to settle now, and friendships are building on and off the pitch, it takes a little while,” she said.
“We’ve probably noticed in the last few games, losing 1-0, it’s been tough, and there are little mistakes in there that that might not happen if you’re a little bit more experienced, so it’s managing games and teaching the young ones in terms of what we can do better to manage games and see out results.”
Having spent most of the past five years in England’s Championship — the second-tier competition below the Women’s Super League — Wynne said she was enjoying the A-League Women’s competitive nature. “You never know what you’re kind of going to get weekend to weekend, everyone seems to be beating everyone at the minute, there’s a hell of a lot of goals,” she said.
“The transitional side of it as well is very fast-paced attacking, something probably I’m not used to as much but I’ve been learning a lot in my last few weeks, and hopefully I can continue to improve and make a bit more of a mark than I’m doing at the minute. I’ve been battered around a little bit, so a few bumps and bruises, but I like a physical battle.”
Wynne represented Wales at youth level before gaining her first senior cap in 2011. She has gone on to tally up 19 appearances for the Welsh national team and having missed out on selection for the squad in recent times, she is eager to represent her country again.
“There’s no better feeling and it’s been bittersweet watching the girls back home. I haven’t been selected for the last couple of camps,” she said. “I’m hoping now I’m back playing regularly and getting good minutes, I can push my way back in there and be in contention for a place, maybe at the Euros.”
3.01.2025
RIGHT TIME TO MOVE ON SAYS BODNAR
Perth Glory defender Luke Bodnar has become the latest player to leave the A-League club, after they announced he had his contract terminated by mutual consent in order to take up an opportunity overseas. The 24-year-old joined the Glory Academy as a teenager, and was a standout in their NPL side, before heading to ECU Joondalup, under former Glory coach Kenny Lowe, where he helped the Jacks to NPL title in 2020.
He returned to the Glory the next season, and made his senior debut in the 2020 AFC Champions League clash with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, where Glory was beaten 2-1 in the Group Stage at the Education City Stadium. He went on to make 45 A-League appearances, 29 of which were starts and scored his maiden goal against Newcastle Jets in February 2023 in the 2-2 draw at Macedonia Park.
Bodnar, who also played in midfield at the Glory, said he is grateful for the opportunity to play for his hometown club. “It was the right time to move on from the club, and look at options elsewhere,” Bodnar said. “I’d like to thank the Glory supporters for the support they have given me since I’ve been there, and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to play for my hometown club.”
It looked like Bodnar was on the outer under new coach David Zdrilic, and only made one appearance in the league this season, but Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis wished Luke all the best in his future football endeavours. “This represents a good outcome for both Luke and the club,” he said. “Luke has not been getting the game-time that he needs and wants at this stage of his career and that situation was unlikely to change, especially with new players set to be added to the squad in January.
“We worked closely with Luke to help facilitate a move overseas and an exciting opportunity has come up for him as a result of that. “We would like to thank him for his service to the club and wish him all the very best in the next chapter of his football journey.” From everyone at Footballwa - Good luck Luke!!
2.01.2025
SPARROW FLIES INTO FRANK DRAGO RESERVE
After two successful seasons as Head Coach at Fremantle City, Matthew Sparrow has found a new challenge, the 43-year-old taking the reins at Baywater City for 2025. Sparrow who arrived in WA in 2017, after a successful career in UK football, playing over 500 career games over 17-years as a professional. This including 371 games for Scunthorpe United in two-spells, and he bagging a brace to help the Iron beat Millwall in the 2008-09 League One Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium. He also had spells at Brighton, Crawley Town, and Lincoln City, before joined Sorrento for 2016.
He immigrated to WA the next season, and joined Joondalup United, before other stints at Gwelup Croatia, Fremantle City and at Bayswater. Sparrow is enjoying life in WA, and he said the decision to leave Hilton Park was a tough one, but he has nothing but good memories at the club. “Yes, I really enjoyed my time at Fremantle City first as a player and secondly having the privilege to manage the club for the past couple of years where we had two fantastic seasons, taking advantage of the play offs for the first time after they got introduced that season and then coming from behind to beat Joondalup in the final was the icing on the cake for everybody involved in the club,” he explained.
“We knew getting promoted to the NPL for the first time would prove challenging and it’s fair to say the players really stepped up and showed they could compete at that level week in week out, it was a rollercoaster of a season started the league bright by winning six games in mid-season, unfortunately we lost both our strikers and that hurt us but we adapted well and had some really good results along the way upsetting a few of the so called bigger teams. It was a difficult decision for sure as I made some good friends on and off the pitch, I’ve left the club with great memories and in a good position and no doubt they can kick on and have another successful season. The Highlight for me was the club achieving success via the play offs and coming back the way we did on the night was emphatic.”
Sparrow said a move to Bayswater was the challenge he was looking for, especially in his relatively short coaching career, but it’s a challenge he is looking forward too. “Absolutely it’s a challenge I’m very much looking forward too, they are a big club with good players and have experienced winning the league before but over the past few seasons it’s clear something has been missing for whatever reason,” the former midfielder said. “My job now is to try and turn things around and use my experience as a player and now coach along with my coaching staff, Matt Lenzo and John Kearney, and to give it everything we have between us all to get us back to challenging for titles again.”
Bayswater City President Mr Oriano Colli said they are delighted to welcome Matthew to the club, but firstly praised the outgoing coaches, who just missed out on the Night Series title, losing to Perth RedStar in the Final, and Top Four Finals, edged out by only three points. “Gary (Williams) and Stewy (Moses) came to the club at the back end of 2023 when the we needed a change, and they did an amazing job to reinvigorate the team and produce the results required to reignite our season,” he said. “I believe they have left the club on sound foundations in order for us to build and kick on in 2025.
“Matthew is no stranger to our club, having joined the club for a brief stint in 2020 as a player and most recently being part of our all-conquering over 45’s team. He has brought a team of good coaches to the club, and a young fresh approach coupled with Matty’s wealth of professional playing experience. He is extremely thorough, dedicated and driven individual who will leave no stone unturned to bring success to Baysie in 2025.”
2.01.2025
SHANMUGANATHAN PROMOTED TO FIFA LIST OF MATCH OFFICIALS
It’s going to be an exciting 2025 for Football West referee Arvin Shanmuganathan, after he was promoted to the FIFA list of match officials, becoming the first WA official on the list since Mathew Cheeseman in 2016. The 31-year-old said when he got the call he was over the moon. “Getting the phone call to say I had been nominated to be included in the FIFA International list was probably the best moment in my time refereeing, and even sitting here now it truly hasn’t completely sunk in,” Shanmuganathan explained. “To be nominated to represent your country on the international stage is a real honour, and when the moment comes where I can finally fix the badge on my shirt before a game for the first time it will be unreal and a moment to cherish.”
Shanmuganathan, who began officiating in 2008, has more than 60 A-League Men’s assistant match appointments to his name. He was an assistant referee in the high-profile games between AC Milan-AS Roma game earlier this year and the Crystal Palace-Leeds United friendly in 2022, both at Optus Stadium, occasions he will never forget. “To officiate on the Milan/Roma and Leeds/Palace games were yet again two more occasions where all the hard work and time on the training pitch and in local NPL, State League and even Amateur league games make you realise it was all worthwhile. Games like these are where you sit back and think of all the ups and downs that you have been through, and realise it was all worth it to get to be on such a huge stage such as those two games,” he said.
“I remember before the Milan/Roma game, sitting in the change rooms and thinking back to the very first game I refereed as 15-year-old back in 2008 – an Under 13s match between South Perth United and Lynwood Soccer Club down at Challenger Reserve. I remember pinching myself and still in disbelief that I had come all this way, to be then officiating on a game between 2 of the biggest clubs in world football, in front of almost 60 000 people at an arena like Optus Stadium.”
Along with Josh Mannella, Shanmuganathan been a stalwart in A-League games in Perth, but he has also been assistant in games away from WA, including the Australia Cup Final this season between Macarthur United and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, and he is looking forward to the future. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to be a match official on the A-League for the past several seasons – it is something that not many (especially here in Perth) have the opportunity to experience so that alone has been an unbelievable ride,” he said.
“Josh has been a mainstay and real beacon for referees in WA, and to have been at the top level of football in this country for as long as he has is a testament to his dedication and quality as a match official. Any final for a match official is a great moment, but to be appointed to the Australia Cup final at AAMI Park this year was another real highlight. I have also had the great fortune of doing games interstate this past 12 months, with highlights including two finals in Sydney and Central Coast, as well as the A League All Stars game against Newcastle United at Marvel Stadium. These are all moments where I will hopefully look back on when I am much older and cherish.”
Football West General Manager of Football David Lewis said Shanmuganathan has worked extremely hard and deserves his elevation to the FIFA list. “This is an outstanding achievement by Arvin following years of dedication to refereeing at both a state and national level,” he said. “We are thrilled he is now in the running to be appointed to games at the highest level of our sport and look forward to seeing him flourish among the best match officials in the world. Arvin’s achievement also demonstrates that there are opportunities for referees in Western Australia to be recognised and to have opportunities to officiate at the top level.”
It's exciting times for Shanmuganathan, and he can’t wait to get started, and he is realistic on his goals. “In terms of the future, I have learnt to just give it my absolute all and not have too many expectations. Of course it is important to have goals, and it would be absolutely unreal to possibly one day get to a World Cup,” he explained. “However, it takes many years and dedication just as a FIFA official, to then be amongst the absolute best few in Asia to be even considered for a World Cup. I would never put limitations on myself, but being realistic if I can experience officiating in maybe the Asian Champions League, or World Cup Qualifiers then that in itself would be an immense achievement.”
Shanmuganathan said the future is bright in WA, with young referees coming through the system, and he knows the game will be in good hands for years to come. “It’s important that the governing body have a structure in place for young referees to come through and thrive to hopefully get to an elite level, and to see the work that the referees’ department at Football West are implementing is pleasing. Having guys like Shane Skinner and Josh around is important as well, and if any young match official has dreams of getting to a high level, then it is important to tap into the knowledge and experience that these guys possess,” he explained
“As well as the other NPL/State league referees to then adopt themselves – you have to have the mindset of an elite match official before becoming one. Simple things like attending training and coaching nights are great steps to not only make yourself known, but to show that you are willing to put yourself on a platform to achieve whatever goals you have. It’s great to see a number of both male and female referees coming through, and hopefully this will continue so that we can continue to see WA being represented on not only the national stage, but internationally as well when Shane, Josh and myself are long gone in years ahead.”
2.01.2025
GLORY HOPING FOR A BETTER START TO 2025
Perth Glory will go in search of some New Year home comfort when they host Western United at HBF Park in the week 12 clash in the Isuzu Ute A-League on Friday evening. (6.45pm) It’s been a 2024 to forget for the club, but there is only one way for them to go in 2025, and that is up. The off-field problems are making all the headlines at the moment, and Head Coach David Zdrilic said everyone is working hard to turn things around. “It should be clear to everyone, it was always going to be a big job, not just for me, but for everyone involved at the club to make the changers we need to make, to get this club back to where it needs to be,” he explained. “Obviously the results are not good, and that distracts from the many things we need to change.
“The mindset of the club, the culture of the club, the infrastructure of the club, with new facilities coming, so there is a lot of things happening. Players leaving, changes in all departments of the club it’s happening in the background, so there is short term pain. We want better results and performances, we know that, but there is plenty happening at this club, we know it was a big job, and we’re not going to be standing around waiting for it to happen, we’re going to be proactive and make sure that happens very quickly.”
The Head Coach went on to confirm that the club are working hard to bolster the squad with a number of new recruits during the January transfer window. “We’re proactive and we’re not going to sit and wait to the end of the season to make changes,” he said. “We tend to focus on the results now and clearly everyone’s disappointed and I’m the most disappointed of all, but I also know how much needs to change at this club and that starts with personnel. “In terms of the team, there will be changes coming and hopefully very soon. We need to freshen up the team. We’re going to keep continuing to strengthen the squad as best we can and we’ll definitely be doing that in this [transfer] window.”
The Glory are coming off a fourth straight home defeat last week against Macarthur FC, and the coach said they need to tighten up at the back, if they are to give their members and supporters some New Year cheers. “Against Macarthur, I thought we were quite comfortable and then it’s just a ball over the top and it ends up in a goal,” he said. “We haven’t got to the break keeping a clean sheet [at home] and you see the results that we’ve got away from home have always been on the back of having a good solid defensive performance. Then we’re able to at least keep ourselves in the game. That’s been a big factor and something we’ve spoken about, it’s definitely something we’ve addressed.”
They have already played United this season, a 1-3 defeat in the Unite Round in Sydney in week five, and after Trent Ostler gave them the lead early in the second half, but John Aloisi’s team hit back to seal the game with three goals in 16 minutes. Zdrilic said he was pleased with the performance on the day, and is adamant his team have what it takes to avenge that defeat. “I was very happy with our first sixty to seventy minutes against them last time,” he said.
“I thought that was a game where they had a couple of chances, but we also created and that was some of the best counter-attacking football that we’d played up to that point in the season. We scored a very good goal and had some other good chances, but again we got caught out by a set-piece which gave them a way back into the game and they killed us off with two goals in quick succession, which has been the story of our season. They’re a team that has won three in a row… and they’re playing with confidence. It’s another big challenge, but one that we’re ready for. We’re ready to go again.”
The last time Glory hosted United was in week 25 last season, when the visitors won a seven-goal thriller at HBF Park. Matthew Grimaldi gave United the lead early, but Adam Taggart levelled, and put the hosts ahead two minutes into the second half. But United hit back, with Riku Danzaki and Abel Walatee scoring to regain the lead, and in stoppage time Oliver Lavale added a fourth. David Williams did pull one back moments later but United left with all three points.
In terms of squad news Brandon O’Neill returns to action having missed the last two games due to the effects of a concussion sustained against Newcastle Jets in Round eight, while Lachlan Barr and Joel Anasmo have also been added to the squad. Nikola Mileusnic and Anas Hamzaoui are still not available, despite training this week, while David Williams’ season is sadly over as striker sustained an ACL injury in the first half of last week’s home meeting with Macarthur.
Perth Glory squad: GK Cameron COOK, GK Oli SAIL, 2 Riley WARLAND, 5 Lachlan BARR, 6 Brandon O’NEILL, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 12 Taras GOMULKA, 14 Nathanael BLAIR, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 16 Adam BUGARIJA, 17 Jarrod CARLUCCIO, 19 Josh RISDON, 20 Trent OSTLER, 21 Abdul FAISAL, 22 Adam TAGGART, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 26 Khoa NGO, 27 Will FRENEY, 29 Tomi MRCELA, 31 Joel ANASMO *Two to be omitted* - Ins: BARR, O’NEILL, ANASMO - Unavailable: 3 Anas HAMZAOUI (injured), 9 David WILLIAMS (injured), 10 Nikola MILEUSNIC (injured)
Western United squad: GK Tom HEWARD-BELLE, GK Matthew SUTTON, 6 Tomoki IMAI, 7 Ramy NAJJARINE, 9 Hiroshi IBUSUKI, 10 Matthew GRIMALDI, 13 Tate RUSSELL, 17 Ben GARUCCIO, 19 Noah BOTIC, 20 Abel WALATEE, 22 Kane VIDMAR, 23 Rhys BOZINOVSKI, 24 Michael RUHS, 29 Charbel SHAMOON, 30 Dylan LEONARD, 32 Angus THURGATE, 34 James YORK, 37 Luke VICKERY, 44 Jordan LAUTON, 77 Riku DANZAKI - Ins: GARUCCIO, YORK, VICKERY (promoted) - Outs: 14 Jake NAJDOVSKI (omitted) - Unavailable: 4 James DONACHIE (injured), 21 Sebastian PASQUALI (injured), 43 Khoder KADDOUR (injured)
2.01.2025
GLORY HEAD ACROSS THE DITCH IN WEEK TEN
Perth Glory head over the ditch in week ten of the Ninja A-League, to take on Wellington Phoenix, in Saturday’s Distance Derby at Porirua Park - Jerry Collins Stadium. (11.00am WA Time) A narrow defeat last time out against Central Coast Mariners was tough to take for Stephen Peters’ side, but the coach has been pleased how the side are growing as a team, despite the injury toll increasing. “The injuries haven’t been very kind to us, but that’s all part of football,” he said. “Every team goes through it and it just provides the next opportunity for someone to step up and put in a shift like Charli Wainwright has done in the last couple of weeks, she’s done an exceptional job.”
Peters said the long-trip of 5000km, plus the five-hour time difference is daunting, but he knows a good performance and a win will make it all worthwhile. “The trip is what it is, we can’t think about it too much, we’ve just got to think about the football aspect and try and prepare the players as best we can and try and have an energetic performance,’ he said. “We’re looking forward to it… we look forward to any opportunity we get to go out and fight for three points.
“We’re making fantastic strides as a team, our attack has actually improved, even though it’s not showing in terms of the goals we’re scoring. If you actually look at the style that we’re playing, we are evolving as a team and are creating better opportunities. There are just those small margins that we’re not managing 100% and we have to better at those to turn 1-0 losses into 1-0 wins. The thing that’s eluded us is the clean sheet, so moving forward, we really need to keep fighting for that clean sheet and that is probably where our next bit of evolution is for the team.”
The last time Glory played Wellington on the road was in week six last season, when the host come from behind at half time to secure a 2-1 win at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland, in front of 5,532 supporters. Millie Farrow gave the visitors the lead on 21 minutes, but three minutes into the second half Hope Breslin levelled for the hosts. Then just after the hour the Phoenix won it, with Chloe Knott on target.
They head into Saturday’s game without Kelli Brown, Tijan McKenna, Sarah O’Donoghue and Ella Abdul Massih due to injury, and have added former Perth RedStar defender Mischa Anderson and Young Matildas defender Claudia Valletta to the extended squad. Peters is expecting another tough game, against a Wellington side who are sitting two points and two places above Glory on the table, but they are also coming off a narrow loss against Melbourne City last time out, but did beat Sydney FC in the last home game. “I think Wellington are an excellent side, they are probably the closest team in terms of what we’re trying to do.,” he explained.
“They’re very similar… they’re in the opposition’s face a lot and causing a lot of errors in the opposition’s back third. So, it’s going to be a pretty interesting match-up and from all reports, they’re quite a physical team as well. It’s going to be tough, but I think if we play our game and get ourselves into the game the way we want to, I think we’ll be right in it.”
Wellington Phoenix squad: GK Carolina VILĂO, GK Aimee DANIELI, 2 Zoe MCMEEKEN, 3 Tiana JABER, 4 Mackenzie BARRY, 5 Alivia KELLY, 6 Maya MCCUTCHEON, 7 Grace JALE, 9 Olivia FERGUSSON, 10 Alyssa WHINHAM, 11 Manaia ELLIOTT, 14 Mebae TANAKA, 15 Daisy BRAZENDALE, 16 Annalie LONGO, 17 Ela JEREZ, 19 Olivia INGHAM, 20 Emma MAIN, 21. Lara WALL - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: JEREZ - Outs: 8 Amelia ABBOTT - Unavailable: 18 Ella MCCANN (injured), 23 Rebecca LAKE (injured)
Perth Glory squad: GK Casey DUMONT, GK Miranda TEMPLEMAN, 2 Mischa ANDERSON, 4 Claudia VALLETTA, 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 7 Megan WYNNE, 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR, 11 Natalie TATHEM, 13 Naomi CHINNAMA, 14 Miku SUNAGA, 17 Morgan ROBERTS, 18 Isabella FOLETTA, 22 Ischia BROOKING, 23 Izzy DALTON, 26 Tanika LALA, 27 Charli WAINWRIGHT, 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: ANDERSON, VALLETTA - Unavailable: 6 Tijan MCKENNA (injured), 10 Susan PHONSONGKHAM (injured), 16 Bella WALLHEAD (injured), 19 Sarah O’DONOGHUE (injured), 20 Ella ABDUL MASSIH (injured), 44 Kelli BROWN (injured)
1.01.2025
PETERS LOOKS TO EXPERIENCE IN WELLINGTON
Perth Glory coach Stephen Peters will be leaning on his most experienced players when his side face Wellington Phoenix this weekend. Glory are set to head to New Zealand with several members of their squad having never made the trans-Pacific trip as they seek to return to the winner’s circle.
The distance between Perth and Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua is more than 5000km and Peters is embracing the challenge of the long-haul flight. “Apparently it’s the biggest trip in world football, so that’s pretty exciting; we’re history makers,” he said.
“We can’t think about it too much, we’ve just got to think about the football aspect, try and prepare them as best as we can, and have an energetic performance. That’s probably the main concern, that you won’t travel well, so we’ve just got to make sure we do that part well.”
Peters said given it was first trip from Perth to Wellington, he would lean on those players who had undertaken the arduous travel before to guide the others. “It’s going to be interesting to see how people adapt to that,” he said.
“Hopefully the ones that have done it before give us a little bit of leadership in that aspect. From all the discussions we’ve had, there’s been lots of positive feelings about previous trips to New Zealand. Any opportunity we get to go out and fight for three points, we look forward to it.”
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