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Welcome to footballwa.net! Here you will find all the latest football news from Western Australia, current tables for the state's top four Leagues, archived tables and results dating back to 1950, the Western Australian Club Directory which includes honour lists and divisional movements for each club and much, much more.
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5.4.2026
ARMADALE HOLD LEAGUE LEADERS
Olympic Kingsway and Armadale have fought out a hard-fought game, after a scoreless draw in their Week Six New Balance NPLWA – Men’s clash at the Madman Arena, Kingsway Reserve. Despite the scoreline there were chances at both ends, in an entertaining encounter. “Very pleased with the performance and delighted for the players to come away with a well-deserved point after a frustrating few weeks,” Armadale assistant coach Pete Taylor said. “We went with a game plan and the players executed it perfectly. Although 0-0 I thought it was an exciting game of football and both teams gave it everything.”
It was the visitors who made the brighter start, and Leigh Griffiths shot on the turn was blocked by Harley Or, before Scotlan Morrison’s shot flashed just wide of the post. The league leaders hit back with William Ferson cutting in from the left, but his shot was saved low by David Keenan. The best early chance fell to Armadale, Luke Desmond sent William Hayes into the box, and his shot was well saved by Adrian Sinagra at full stretch.
Olympic, who went into the round on top of the table, went even closer on 27 minutes, Joe Hobson’s shot on the turn beat Kennan, but crashed off the base of the post and away to safety.
They were in again moments later, Ollie Annis’ cross found Rob Harker, who played in Liam Boland, but Keenan was out smartly to save at his feet. We almost saw the goal of the season just after the half hour mark, Griffiths spotted Sinagra off his line, and his audacious lob from the half way line had the keeper racing back to goal, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it dipped inches over the top. The chances kept coming at both ends, first Corey Sutherland shot from the edge of the box was saved by Sinagra, before Hobson’s powerful shot was well saved by the alert Keenan.
The visiting supporters thought they had the lead early in the second half, Hayes’ cross from the right picked out Sutherland at the back post and his header rippled the net, but the wrong side. They were in again shortly after, the lively Morrison racing into the box, but a great challenge from Ali Mohamed denied him, while at the other end on the hour an inswinging corner from Mitch Oxborrow was headed wide by Boland, before Keenan got down well to save Aryn William’s shot as both sides continued to search for the opener.
It was end-to-end football, and Hamza Hina’s long-range shot was saved by Sinagra, before Olympic appealed for a penalty after Daniel De Silva’s flick hit the arm of Cameron Murray, but the referee waved away their protests, then Sinagra got down well to save Desmond’s shot from the edge of the box. Things became heated six minutes from time, after a tussle between Morrison and Harker, and it turned into a melee, and the referee booked both players.
Armadale, who are still searching for a first win of the season, had a great chance late, Hina crossing to fellow substitute Abraham Mathet, but some desperate defending by Mohamed denied him, with Sinagra saving the rebound. Then in stoppage time Olympic had a final chance, a weaving run by De Siva saw race into the box, round the keeper, but his last touch was heavy and Jai Rawling cleared. “A frustrating afternoon for us, but fair play to Armadale who came with a game plan and stuck to it,” Olympic assistant Ross Edwards said. “We didn’t play great and couldn’t get going, but very happy with the clean sheet and some excellent individual performances which are good signs for the future.”
5.4.2026
GIBBS WINNER TOPPLE THE KNIGHTS
Sorrento have won for the first time this season, and inflicted a first defeat for Western Knights, after a 1-0 win in the Week Six New Balance NPLWA – Men’s game at Percy Doyle Reserve on Saturday afternoon. The Knights had plenty of chances in this one, but failed to take them, the only goal of the game came just before half time from Clay Gibbs. It was a first win in charge for new Sorrento coach Andres Oliveria and he was pleased with his side’s performance. “A really disciplined performance from the group. We were organised, worked hard without the ball, and took our moment when it came,” he explained. “It was a tough game against a good Knights side, so it’s pleasing to come away with the win.”
It was the hosts who had the first chance, with Gibbs’ cross headed wide by Connor Simpson. But the Knights then took control, and on 21 minutes Sammy Barry’s long-range shot was saved well by Ben Ratajczak, and moments later Kristian Santich’s shot flashed inches past the post. They were in again five minutes later, Barry slipping Luke Hewings in to the box, but he fired straight at Ratajczak.
The hosts were living dangerously, and the Knights threatened again on the half hour. Jess Lazzaro made space down the left, and his cross picked out Justin Tang, whose glancing header drifted inches wide. They went close again shortly after, Santich was given far too much space in the middle of the park, and his shot from distance was saved low by Ratajczak. But the Knights profligacy was punished in the shadows of half time, when Sorrento opener the scoring, with the first shot on target. Dean Cummings’ cross from the left picked out the unmarked Gibbs at the back post, who made no mistake.
The Knights continued to dictate terms after the break, and Barry’s goalbound header was deflected wide by Manolo Veneracion, before Regan Hutchinson’s long-range shot was wide of the target. They were in again shortly after, Konstantinos Sparta’s crossing to Barry, whose flick was saved by Ratajczak. Their best chance came on 69 minutes, substitute Jack Spriggs finding Woonsub Sim, and with the goal at his mercy he fired wide. But Sorrento held firm, with David Stoke and Scott Robertson outstanding at the heart of the back four.
With the Knights pushing men forward looking for the equaliser they were caught out on a counter attack two minutes from time, Kyunghwan Kim raced clear, and beat keeper Sam Reilly to the ball, and his lob bounced in front of goal and on to the crossbar, before Alexander Jovanovic’s follow up shot was wide. They went close again in stoppage time, Kim’s shot on the run couldn’t find the target. The Knights pushed everyone forward late, winning a number of corners, but Gulls held firm to claim a first win of the season. “Happy to get our first win of the season, and to keep a clean sheet as well,” Sorrento skipper Dean Cummings said. “It was a resilient performance against a team that have started well this season, we now look forward to our rescheduled game on Wednesday and aim for another three points.”
5.4.2026
STATE LEAGUE DIVISION ONE – WEEK THREE REVIEW
Murdoch University Melville and Quinns have played out a 1-1 draw in our Week Three State League Division One ‘Match of the Round’ at Len Shearer Reserve on Saturday afternoon. It meant both sides remain unbeaten this season, and Quinns assistant coach Flinty thought they deserved more on the day. “I thought the players were right on top of their game from the kick off today. We controlled and dominated the first 30 minutes and had excellent opportunities to score three or four goals,” he said. “Some very good goal keeping made it difficult as well, but we just could not score. In the second half MUM set up a bit deeper and we continued to dominate the game, Christos (Vaenas) and Elliot (Ireland) put in great shifts in particular, but alas we still could not find a goal from more excellent chances.
“A momentary lapse in concentration allowed MUM to score, but credit to all our players, they dug deep and somehow the football gods smiled on us momentarily and we sneaked a lucky goal from a defensive clearance rebound to get a draw. Disappointed we didn’t kill the game early doors but relived to go back over the river with a point.” The hosts were back at their home, the upgraded Len Shearer Reserve, and the game came to life late, and it was the hosts who found the opener on 76 minutes, skipper Edward Wynne-Willson crossing to an unmarked Gustavo Giron-Marulanda, and his diving header beat James Bosdet. It looked like being the winner, but five minutes from time Quinns found the equaliser.
A cross from the right by Jordan Allen-Rana found Vaenas, whose attempted overhead kick fell to MUMFC defender Adam Fields, and his attempted clearance rebounded off substitute Luke Garas to give both sides a point. MUMFC assistant coach Gavin Brown said it was a fair result. “The game was a bit frustrating. We haven’t found any real rhythm yet, but thought we had won it when Gustavo scored late,” he said. “So, to concede was disappointing, but it was probably a fair result.”
Kingsley Westside have maintained their perfect start to the season, and ended Mandurah’s winning run, after a 3-1 win at Chichester Park. It started so well for the visitors, and they were ahead on the half hour, Kristers Zaluzinskis’ free kick from distance caught Kingsley keeper Isaac Driessen out, and it beat his outstretched hand. But in the shadow of half time the Dolphins were reduced to ten men, Ben Ford’s shot was handled on the line by Lee Blackburn, and the referee sent him off and pointed to the spot, and Max Adamson sent Josiah Godfrey the wrong way from the resulting penalty.
The hosts made their numerical advantage count after the break and were ahead on 64 minutes, Jamie Gardiner found the overlapping Ben Wyeth down the right, and his cross to the back post was superbly volleyed home by Jonathan Hulme. The ten men of Mandurah pressed late looking for the equaliser, but it was the hosts who sealed the win in the final minute, Jack Robinson sending fellow substitute Xavier Medica down the right and he finished with a plomb past Godfrey.
“We’re really happy with the performance against an in-form Mandurah side,” Kingsley assistant coach Jason stern said. “They’ve started the season really well, so we knew it was always going to be a tough, physical fixture. We spoke to the lads about the importance of matching their energy, being calm in possession and taking our chances when they presented themselves, and they executed it perfectly. A couple of really good finishes from Jonny and Xav in the second half capped off a gritty win.”
In final game Subiaco AFC have won for the first time this season, and bounced back from a heavy defeat against Mandurah in the opening round, coming away from Iluka District Open Space with a 2-0 win against hosts Joondalup City. “We knew we needed a big response after Round 1’s loss to Mandurah and we put the hard yards in during the week,” Subiaco’s Tomas Despotovski said. “We were able to get an early goal and were in control for rest of the game, credit to all the boys and coaches for the result.”
Marc Wingell’s side were ahead on five minutes, with striker Ivan Skorich on target. Joondalup lifted as they tried to get back into the game, but they couldn’t find an equaliser, and it was the visitors who sealed the points 15 minutes from time. Ethan Johnson and Farruh Mavlonov combined, to send Kaleb Morrison down the right, and he raced into the box, before his low cross was turned home by Nishan Alagoda from close-range.
5.4.2026
STATE LEAGUE DIVISION TWO – WEEK THREE REVIEW
Our State League Division Two Week Three ‘Match of the Round’ saw a stalemate as Forrestfield United and Wembley Downs fought out a 0-0 draw at Luxwin Stadium, Hartfield Park. “As a team we needed to bounce back after last week’s loss to Kalamunda, unfortunately we couldn’t get the win but we had some good chances late in the game to steal the points but couldn’t capitalise,” Forrestfield defender Shaydon Passalacqua said. “We came off feeling like a loss and they would have felt the opposite. It’s a long season but in this league if you don’t show up you get punished. We have a good bunch of players that can really push this league so it’s exciting times to come.”
Both sides had their chances in the game, but it was the keepers who were the stars, Casey Robertson making some important saves, while host keeper James Wratten was the star making some stunning saves to deny the visitors. The best came ten minutes from time, Josh Waldock squared the ball to Toby Robertson, and many in the crowd were waiting for the net to bulge, but Wratten produced a stunning reaction save to deny him. The draw leaves Forrestfield sitting sixth, and back-to-back games without a win, while Wembley are still unbeaten and sitting in second place behind Rockingham City. “We will take a point away from home against a good side, probably a fair result on balance of play,” Wembley coach Luke Thompson said. “I thought we may have shaded it, with chances created, with their keeper making three big saves but they definitely had their chances as well.
League leaders Rockingham City made it three straight wins to start the season, after a 3-0 win against Kalamunda City at the Endeavour Homes Stadium - Larkhill Sportsplex. “In the first half we created a number of chances and were clinical which was great, and being 3-0 up at half time is always a nice cushion,” Rockingham coach Matthew Brook explained. “But credit to Kalamunda they come out second half and made us work hard, so overall a professional performance.
“It’s great to get another win under the belt, the first clean sheet and start our first game at home with three points.” The hosts found the opener early, Joe Moss was picked outby an inswinging corner, and he heading home. It was 2-0 on 17 minutes, when another corner was volleyed home by Tom Kinnane. They added a third, five minutes from half time, a great ball down the left sent Raphael Gomba racing one-on-one with the keeper and he squeezed it past Jake Maley-Orr, and Shaun Mukwevho on hand to ensure it went in.
Ashfield are third, after a come from behind 2-2 draw against a nine-men Carramar Shamrock Rovers at Grandis Park. “Very proud of the team today especially turning around a 2-0 deficit at half time in very tough away conditions,” Ashfield coach Malcom Tshuma said. “We knew coming into the game on the back of a three day turn around we would suffer and we did. However, we found our feet as the game went on and finished the stronger side. Massive effort to pick up four out of six points away to Balga and Carramar in the space of a week. We are making positive strides but we need to keep improving and tidying up some areas of our game as a group.”
Rovers hit the front midway through the first half, Alex Connelly scoring after neat approach work down the left. They doubled their advantage on the half hour, Nathan Diaz was brought down in the box, and he converted the resulting penalty. But Ashfield reduced the margin after the break, some neat combination play down the right, resulted in the ball falling to Jack Kiama inside the box, he wriggled his way through a couple of defenders before dinking the ball past the goalkeeper. The hosts were then reduced to ten men after Connelly was shown a second yellow card and sent off. It still looked like the hosts would hang on for the points, but in stoppage time Ashfield won a penalty, after Taboka Ndebele was brought down, and Deng Dut stepped up from the spot and converted the penalty to give both sides a share of the spoils.
“The game will be probably be more talked about over the decisions made by the referee but when it was allowed to be played it was a good hard battle. Ashfield had us thinking with good movement and pressed us all over then park but we kept to our jobs and we managed to create some good chances and took them,” Rovers’ coach Adam Walsh explained. “Ashfield came out second half with a different energy and pushed us back and credit to them scored to get back into the game. We created chances to go further ahead but their keeper made some really good saves. Then the man in the middle decided he wanted to have some fun and gave everyone yellows, reds and a penalty for Ashfield, which we didn’t agree with, so in the end happy with a draw after going down to nine men.
Balga have secured their first win of the season, after a 3-1 win against Canning City at Burrendah Park. “I thought the first half was in balance between the teams and Canning was well organised,” Balga coach Gerhard Janssen said. “But in the second half we were very dynamic and combined extremely and all five substitutes made the difference. It was important to get the first win and we are looking forward to host Rockingham in two weeks.”
The hosts made a fast start, and were ahead from the spot, with Hanani Ndebele on target, but Balga levelled just before the break, with a free kick finding Alessio Meschi, and his half volley beat the keeper. Balga lifted after half time and created a number of chances, and they were ahead on 50 minutes, Ilya Nebylystya’s shot had cannoned off the crossbar, but Ivwa Simbile was quickest to the rebound to head home from close-range. They sealed the win in stoppage time, Bay Hamilton was brought down in the box, and fellow substitute Samir Ramos converted the resulting penalty.
Morley Windmills have bounced back from their first defeat of the season last week against Rockingham City, securing a hard fought 1-0 win against North Beach at Wotton Reserve. “I felt overall we dominated the game, and we created chances on several occasions but some great goalkeeping from their keeper kept them in the game,” Morley coach john O’Reilly said. “But credit to North Beach, they fought hard all game and missed an opportunity to steal a point near the end.”
It was a tight first half, with chances at both ends, with North Beach keeper Aidan Holloway making a number of fine saves. But it was Morley who won it early in the second half, Noel Dish made space in the middle of the park, and his shot from distance flew into the net. North Beach went close to an equaliser late in the game, but Jamie McLeod’s header at the back post whistled inches over the bar.
In the final game, East Perth have also won for the first time this season, and left Gosnells City still searching for their first three points of the season, after a 3-1 win at Hudson Park. “I thought is was even first half with two soft penalties,” East Perth coach Sully Sullivan explained. “They started the better after the break, and our keeper Azarl Tanveer made a couple of great saves to keep us in it. But we found another gear. and dominated for last half hour, and our subs won us the game. It was also great to have Captain Chris Smith back for his first game after a bad injury last season.”
The home side were ahead on 28 minutes, with Gérard Clarke converting from the spot. But the visitors were level four minutes before the break, with skipper Aaron Coslani also scoring from the penalty spot. Gosnells were on the front foot after the break, but they couldn’t find a way past the East Perth custodian, and ten minutes from time the hosts regained the lead. Tomas Hehir finding Clarke to bag his second of the game. Then two minutes from time they sealed the points with a third, Hehir again the supplier finding Cian Tuite, who made no mistake past Andrew Craggs.
5.4.2026
KERR IS ONE OF THREE WA PLAYERS IN MATILDAS SQUAD AND DISMISSES TRANSFER RUMOURS
Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro has named a 22-player squad to participate in the team’s first FIFA Series from 11-15 April in Kenya. It will be good preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year. Montemurro has opted for consistency across the squad with a focus on the next phase of growth and players who will be crucial to the team’s style and depth over the next year. Nineteen members of the squad involved in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign will travel to Kenya, with some players opting to rest this international window following a demanding tournament. Defender Clare Hunt remains unavailable for selection due to a knee injury.
Skipper Sam Kerr is one of three West Australian’s selected in the squad, along with former Glory duo Morgan Aquino and a first call up for Leticia McKenna. Kerr has been in the news in the week, with reports the Chelsea striker would be leaving the club at seasons end, as she will be out of contract at the London club. But she has been quick to cast doubt on a report she would join ambitious US expansion club Denver Summit. She wrote on her social media, "Don't believe everything you read in the media man, they know a decision before me."
McKenna (Melbourne City) makes her squad debut, with Jessika Nash (US Sassuolo) and Isabel Gomez (Central Coast Mariners) returning to international duty. The former Cockburn City junior, McKenna was named in the U23 squad for the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship in Vietnam, scoring in the side's 9-0 win over Timor Leste to book their spot in the semi-finals. The midfielder then scored Australia's second goal in their 2-1 win over Vietnam to book their spot in the final, helping Australia lift the title after a narrow 1-0 victory over Myanmar in the decider to become ASEAN Champions.
Nash returns to the squad for the first time since the June/July 2025 FIFA International Series against Slovenia and Panama. Since those games, the defender has made the move to US Sassuolo in Italy and is playing regularly for the side. Gomez also earns a recall to the team, with the midfielder shining for the reigning champions, Central Coast Mariners, in the A-League Women's season. The midfielder earns her second call-up for the senior side, with her last camp in the May/June 2025 FIFA International Series, when she made her debut against Argentina.
Montemurro touched on some absences in his squad, with the likes of Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler and Katrina Gorry rested given their load during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026, with Cooney-Cross stepping away from club duties, staying in Australia with her family. “It was amazing, we were obviously giving her all the support in regards to her wellbeing and any extra support she needed, but the biggest thing was her ability to identify how she was feeling on a day-to-day basis.
“We would just make sure that we accommodated that, and we’ve put in place a strength and conditioning program for her to keep training and keep the levels, but she has the well-being support from our staff and also has people around her that she relies on. She has told us exactly what she wants. I think everyone has been fantastic, and to be honest, the ones that were absolutely amazing were the players.”
Matildas Squad: GK Morgan AQUINO, GK Mackenzie ARNOLD, GK Chloe LINCOLN, Steph CATLEY, Alex CHIDIAC, Caitlin FOORD, Isabel GOMEZ, Winonah HEATLEY, Alanna KENNEDY, Sam KERR, Leticia MCKENNA, Holly MCNAMARA, Jessika NASH, Courtney NEVIN, Jamilla RANKIN, Hayley RASO, Charlize RULE, Amy SAYER, Remy SIEMSEN, Kaitlyn TORPEY, Emily VAN EGMOND, Clare WHEELER
5.4.2026
PETERS QUIET ON COACHNG FUTURE
Perth Glory coach Stephen Peters has kept mum over his future as the end of his contract approaches following another missed A-League finals appearance for the club. Glory’s season finished with a battling 1-0 home loss to Melbourne Victory on Friday night, and not for the first time this season it was a game they came away from feeling they deserved more.
A lack of cutting edge in the final third has doomed Glory to a seventh-straight season without a women’s finals berth as another long off-season awaits. The club will finish eighth, a two-place improvement on last season, unless Newcastle Jets beat or draw with premiers Melbourne City on Sunday. Regardless of other results, they will finish within two wins of a finals spot.
Peters, who signed a two-year deal before the 2024/25 season, was coy over his return when asked whether he would be back. “That question’s probably got to be directed at someone a little bit higher than me,” he said. “I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved. I’m also disappointed that we didn’t make the six - that’s a metric that we put on ourselves.”
Glory finished with two more points than last year in Peters’ second season in charge, but played three fewer games due to Western United’s non-participation this season. They scored seven fewer goals this year, but also conceded five fewer goals. Ultimately, they will rue a four-game winless run early in the season where they shipped 11 goals and scored just two.
Their performances towards the end of the campaign as they chased a top six finish were some of the best of Peters’ tenure — although the results went against them. “There’s a lot of good things for the team, and if the club sees fit, that I’m the person to take them again next season and carry on the work we’re doing, then fantastic,” he said.
“I’ll be super happy with that. We’re building something. There’s a lot to build on. I’m very pleased with a lot of aspects of growth in some young players, which has been really good for us, particularly WA ones. We just need to find some cutting edge in the final third.”
4.4.2026
LENZO LEADS BALCATTA TO FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
Balcatta Etna have secured their first points of the New Balance NPLWA – Men’s competition, and it was all three, after a 2-1 win against Perth Glory at the Home Group Stadium, Grindleford Reserve, in our Week Six ‘Match of the Round’ on Saturday afternoon. It has been a tough week for Balcatta, with a change of coach, and Glory were ahead early with goal from Alfie Knight. But the hosts were level before the break with Charlie Betts on target, and Jack Allen secured the win for new coach Basil Lenzo 14 minutes from time. But he had Riley Stephenson to thank in stoppage time, the Balcatta keeper making a great double save to deny Maxim Uvarov. "A tremendous effort by the boys on what has been an emotional week for many of them," Lenzo said post-match. "I thought they played with courage and work rate and they got a well-deserved win."
Glory arrived on the back of two defeats, but they made the brighter start, and they were in on eight minutes, the lively Joel Sollitt burst into the box, but Luke Alessandrino got back with a last-ditch tackle. But moments later it was Joe Heath’s side who hit the front, Alfie Knight found space on the left, and his cross found the net, with a slight deflection off the unfortunate Alessandrino, which didn’t go down well for Knights dad Gavin, who is the assistant coach at Balcatta. But the hosts started to get into the game, and Darius Ghinea’s free kick was saved by Jhett Warner, at the second attempt, and on 25 minutes they found the equaliser.
Betts pouncing on a defensive mistake, and finished low past Warner. The hosts continued to create the better chances, Jared Flavel firing over the top, before Betts fired straight into the wall after he was brought down on the edge of the box. But it was Glory who ended the half the better, and Oliver Evans shot on the turn was saved low by Stephenson, and eight minutes from the break, good work down the right by Tadiwanashe Kuzamba, saw him cut inside his marker and find Evans, whose first time shot flashed wide.
The visitors were out of the blocks early after the break, and Stephenson was nearly caught out by a cross shot from Kuzamba on the right, but he managed to claim the ball at the second attempt with Sollitt ready to pounce. They were in again on 63 minutes, Adrian Pini sent the overlapping Evans down the left channel, and his curling effort was wide of the target, before Shaun Mutyavaviri headed over the top from Evans’ free kick. Balcatta had struggled in the final third, but on 76 minutes that all changed, as they took the lead.
Jack Allen’s free kick from out on the left was misjudged by Warner, the ball dropping in the net, much to the delight of the home supporters. The game had opened up, and both sides had chances. First Santiago Flores’ shot flashed wide for Glory, before Ghinea’s shot on the run flew over the top at the other end. Glory were pressing late, but couldn’t find a way past a hard-working Balcatta defence, well marshalled by skipper Jesse Fuller. But in stoppage time Glory had two great chances to take a point.
First Uvarov found a pocket of space in the box, but his shot was well saved by Stephenson, the rebound going back to Uvarov, but once again the Balcatta custodian blocked well, with the hosts holding firm to take the three points. “It was great to get our first win of the 2026 season, after lots of hard work throughout the week, working on our game plan with our new Coach,’ goalscorer Allen said post-match. “It was brilliant to see all of the boys hard work pay off, and we look to build on from today’s win on Wednesday against Sorrento.”
Balcatta Etna: RGK Riley Stephenson, 2 James Fanelli, 3 Matthew Tomassone (12 Edward Wilcock 81’), 4 Luke Alessandrino, 5 Phillip Radeski, 6 Jack Allen, 8 Jesse Fuller, 9 Darius Ghinea (60 Rory Betts 86’), 11 Charlie Betts (14 Noah Shamaki 61’), 17 Jared Flavel, 21 Stephen Christopher – Subs not used: RGK Stefan Sotirovski, 15 Christopher Tilson, 16 Rene Kisesa
Perth Glory: GK Jhett Warner, 2 Hayden Thomas, 3 Daniel Jankuloski, 9 Louis Sollitt (21 Cristiano Farfan 77’), 10 Alfie Knight (19 Shaun Mutyavaviri 54’), 15 Arion Sulemani (7 Adrian Pini 54’), 16 Riley Foxe, 18 Oliver Evans (11 Santiago Flores 71’), 22 Tadiwanashe Kuzamba, 23 Malise Mpinga, 35 Jack Lennon (8 Maxim Uvarov 71’)
Subs not used: RGK Tomislav Petkovic, 12 Tyler Fitch – Referee: Dragan Kovaceski
4.4.2026
GLORY LET IT SLIP IN GOSFORD
Perth Glory have let a two-goal lead slip, to draw 2-2 with Central Coast Mariners, in the Week 23 Isuzu Ute A-League clash at polytec Stadium in Gosford on Saturday afternoon. Seb Despotovski and Adam Taggart both found the net early, and they had other chances to put the game to bed, but failed to take them, and goals either side of half time by Ali Auglah and Bailey Brandtman gave both sides a share of the spoils. The result all but ends Glory finals hopes, sitting seven points adrift of sixth place, with only three games remaining, while the Mariners missed an opportunity to close the gap on the teams above them in the finals race.
“There were some really positive moments today, but in the end, we were not good enough,” a disappointed Glory Head Coach Adam Griffiths said post-match. “We had chances in the entirety of the game, to get that extra goal, which I think we needed, and we’re in this position, because we lacked a little bit of composure in critical moments, both defensively and attack, and little bit of smarts on our games need to improve. When you win football games you grow in confidence, but we need to find that way. Tonight was a perfect example, that we should have gone on and won that match three or four nil, and that was the street smarts that we weren’t good enough in critical moments of the game.”
Glory made just the one change to the side that drew against Melbourne City last week, with Jaiden Kucharski coming in for Stefan Colakovski, who dropped the bench. The small contingent of Glory supporters braved the rain early, and Glory dominated, with Taggart denied by a Bradley Tapp’S block early, and their good start was rewarded with the lead on 14 minutes. Kucharski made space down the right, and he crossed to Despotovski, and just like his father Bobby, made no mistake, heading past Andrew Redmayne.
It was the best start to a game for a while from Glory, and it got better three minutes later when they added a second. Young Socceroo Gio De Abreu’s slide-rule pass sent Taggart in on goal, and the clubs leading scorer finished with aplomb. The visitors were rampant and went close to third shortly after, Redmayne saving Taggart’s shot on the run, but the Mariners keeper was beaten on 26 minutes. Kucharski teeing up Taggart, but the crossbar came to the rescue of Redmayne.
The hosts were shell shocked, but they started to get a foot in the game as the half grew, first Matt Sutton saved well to deny Oliver Lavale on the half hour, but six minutes later they reduced the margin. A lung busting run from De Abreu saw him race back the whole length of the pitch to get a challenge on Brandtman, but he mistimed the tackle, giving the Mariners a free kick, and Auglah curled the resulting set-piece past Sutton via the post.
Glory continued to create chances early in the second half, with Kucharski’s effort crashing off the crossbar, and Despotovski fired the rebound over the top. Moments later Nicholas Pennington shot from the edge of the box was saved by Redmayne, before James Donachie got in a great block to thwart the lively Kucharski. But on 66 minutes the hosts levelled, former Glory midfielder Chris Donnell’s pin-point cross was headed home by Brandtman at the back post. VAR checked the goal, and it looked like there was an offside in the lead up, but after a lengthy delay the goal stood. Glory hit the woodwork again 12 minutes from time, Tagart’s shot deflected off Lucas Mauragis and looped up onto the bar.
Then De Abreu, who had covered every blade of grass on the park, saw his curling effort from the edge of the box superbly saved by Redmayne. There were chances at both ends as both sides pressed for the winner. Sutton got down well to save Sabit Ngor effort on 83 minutes, before Redmayne produced another strong save to deny substitute Stefan Colakovski’s strike in the final minute. It wasn’t the result Glory had planned, but it’s a point on the road, and it keeps their faint finals hopes alive. They are back in action at BBF Park next Sunday, when they host Macarthur FC. (5:00pm)
Central Coast Mariners: GK Andrew REDMAYNE, 2 James DONACHIE, 5 Lucas MAURAGIS, 6 Haine EAMES, 11 Sabit NGOR (22 Arthur DE LIMA 86'), 15 Storm ROUX (18 Nathanael BLAIR 74'), 23 Oliver LAVALE (43 Jacob NASSO 74'), 26 Bradley TAPP, 37 Bailey BRANDTMAN, 48 Chris DONNELL (16 Harrison STEELE 86'), 72 Ali AUGLAH (17 Kaito TANIGUCHI 79') – Subs not used: RGK Dylan PERAIC-CULLEN, 24 Diesel HERRINGTON
Perth Glory: GK Matt SUTTON, 2 Charbel SHAMOON (24 Andriano LEBIB 84'), 3 Sam SUTTON (15 Zach LISOLAJSKI 72'), 4 Scott WOOTTON, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 9 Jaiden KUCHARSKI (67 Stefan COLAKOVSKI 72'), 22 Adam TAGGART, 25 Seb DESPOTOVSKI (23 Anthony DIDULICA 56'), 27 Will FRENEY (18 Luca TEVERE 46'), 39 Gio DE ABREU, 45 Brian KALTAK – Subs not used: RGK Ryan WARNER, 16 Gabriel POPOVIC - Attendance: 4,232 - Referee: Ben Abraham
3.4.2026
GLORY END SEASON WITH DEFEAT
Perth Glory have ended their Ninja A-League season with a narrow 0-1 loss against Melbourne Victory at Sam Kerr Football Centre on Good Friday afternoon. In front of their loyal supporters, Glory had most of the possession put couldn’t find away through, and the only goal of the game came mid-way through the first half from Claudia Bunge, which has kept the visitors finals hopes alive.
Glory midfielder Grace Johnston was an ever-present this season, and she said to miss out on finals football really hurts. “It’s disappointing, we never want to lose a game, but not getting into finals is really disappointing, we had it in our own hands, and had win two of the last four games at the end of the season, but we will go again next season, and hopefully make finals,” she said post-match. “It was a goal of mine to play every minute of the season, and it’s a real positive for me, and I hope to continue that and help the team next season.”
Stephen Peters made three changes to the side after the heavy defeat against Brisbane Roar last week, skipper Isobel Dalton missed the clash, replaced by Clancy Westaway, Teresa Morrissey returned in goal to replace Dayle Schoeder while Ella Abdul Massih came in for Megan Wynne. Glory needed plenty of goals, if they were to qualify for finals football, and the home faithful thought they had the lead on 12 minutes. Abdul Massih flicked the ball towards goal and it was poked in by Gabby Hollar, but their celebrations were cut short when the flag was raised and the goal was ruled out, after a lengthy delay.
The visitors hit back and found the opener ten minutes later. Morrissey was alert to tip Rhianna Pollicina’s shot around the post, but from the resulting corner from former Glory forward Alana Jancevski, Bunge headed home. Glory continued their positive start and Abdul Massih’s deflected shot went wide on the half hour, and just before the break Gabby Hollars shot on the turn whistled past the post, but at the break Glory had it all to do.
Victory needed the win to have any hopes of finals football, and they went close to a second early in the second half, Kayla Morrison should have done better, heading over when well placed. Glory went close to levelling on 66 minutes, Julia Sardo sending substitute Bronte Trew in behind the Victory defence, but Courtney Newbon saved well. Glory cleared the bench in a search for an equaliser, but they couldn’t break down a tight Victory defence, well marshalled by Bunge and Morrison.
The best chance fell to Trew, but her long-range shot was wide of the target. With Glory pushing players forward looking for an equaliser, Victory went close to a second late, Holley Furphy’s cross picked out Sofia Sakalis, but the former Glory midfielder was denied by Morrissey, who made a great save with her legs to deny the substitute. Tempers flared on the pitch and between the technical areas late, but the visitors held on and have done all they can in their pursuit of playoff football in the final week of the regular season.
Perth Glory Squad: GK Teresa MORRISSEY, 3 Emma TOVAR, 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 6 Tijan MCKENNA, 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR (16 Olivia WOOD 75'), 17 Rola BADAWIYA (25 Ella LINCOLN 63'), 20 Ella ABDUL MASSIH (12 Bronte TREW 63'), 24 Julia SARDO, 28 Clancy WESTAWAY (27 Charli WAINWRIGHT 75'), 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG (2 Mischa ANDERSON 78') – Subs not used: RGK Dayle SCHROEDER
Melbourne Victory: GK Courtney NEWBON, 3 Claudia BUNGE, 6 Taylor RAY, 7 Ella O’GRADY (5 Sofia SAKALIS 68'), 9 Holly FURPHY (81 Grace MAHER 90+2'), 10 Rhianna POLLICINA (11 Nicki FLANNERY 81'), 16 Kennedy WHITE, 18 Kayla MORRISON, 23 Rachel LOWE, 24 Laura PICKETT, 66 Alana JANCEVSKI (4 Chelsea BLISSETT 82') – Subs not used: RGK Payton WOODWARD, 28 Sienna TECHERA - Attendance: 952 - Referee: Caitlin Williams
3.4.2026
MACCABI HOST THE CHAMPIONS IN WEEK ONE
The 2026 Belt-Up Amateur Premier Division kicks off on Sunday, and our ‘Match of the Round’ takes us to Maccabean Memorial Oval, where Maccabi host the Night Series winners and last season’s champions North Perth United. (All games kick off at 3:00pm) United have begun their title defence in style, beating Wanneroo City in the Night Series Final last week, while Maccabi, who finished second in their group in the preseason competition, missing out on a place in the quarter finals on goal difference, will be looking to improve on last season’s eighth place finish.
The last time they played at the venue was in week one last season, when United left with the points after a 4-1 win. The visitors hit the front, with skipper Eoghan Rea heading home, and it was 2-0 with a superb finish from Niall Kennedy after some great work from Cian O’Dwyer. They added a third before the break, Rea heading home his second. Maccabi reduced the margin early in the second half, Michael Kaye followed up a shot from Dion Berman, that was pushed onto the post by the keeper, but North Perth secured the points late, with Raido Reinsalu on target.
It will be North Perth coach Chris Batten’s first game in charge of the club, and he said the players are all exited for the start of the new season. “We have a huge target on our backs now after our season last year and also our night series win and we know that there’s no easy games, even more so this season,” Batten explained. “We are excited about the challenge and we will just take each game as it comes. I’ve watched a bit of Maccabi and they won’t be easy. looks like they’ve recruited well and will be a tough early test. We just have to focus on what we do and hopefully we get off to a winning start. Nothing is taken for granted though, we know we have to work hard collectively to win any game so Sunday will be no different. We are looking forward to it.”
Maccabi coach Ricky Berelowitz will coach for the fourth season at the club, and he said it’s a huge first up challenge, but one they are looking forward to. “Obviously very excited to get started again, it’s a long off season and we’ve all been eager to get the season underway,” Berelowitz said. “We’ve got a pretty tough start but we’re excited at the challenge starting with North Perth this week. They were head and shoulders above everyone last year, so we know it’s going to be tough, even if they’ve had Jason and a few players move on.”
It will be a first game in the Amateur league for Swan United, since they entered the State League in 1986, and they face a tricky opening game, with a trip to Kingfisher Oval to take on the newly promoted Ballajura AFC. New Swan coach Lee Taylor said things have been improving over the preseason, and they can’t wait for the season opener. “We’ve made a lot of progress since our first preseason games with what has been a big rebuild of the playing squad so it’ll be interesting for us to see how we stack up against the other sides in the league once we get underway,” Tayloe explained. “We’ve played each other already in the night series so we already know a little bit about each other and we will both be wanting to start the season on a high. It’s going to be a very competitive season, so it’s important for us to make sure we start well and get the three points at the end of the game.”
In other Sunday games, Kwinana United welcome Jaguar to Kelly Park, Kelmscott Roos head to Kingsway Reserve to take on Olympic Kingsway, while Kingsley Westside entertain the newly formed Noranda-Emerald at Chichester Park. In the final game Hamersley Rovers host Wanneroo City at Carine Open Space. City were relegated from the State League last season for the first time since 1978, and new coach Jason Winter will be looking for a quick return.
Rovers will have a new man in the dugout this season, with Antony Benetti replacing Nigel Smith, and he will be looking to improve on their sixth placed finish last season. “The season kicking off is always an exciting occasion, especially with a round one game at home,’ he said. “The week leading into round one always feels a bit different because it’s now time to put the mechanisms into place and on show. The boys were focused this week and the culture within the group is fantastic, especially with so many new faces coming in this year. Wanneroo are definitely a formidable side with real quality but our focus is always on ourselves and what we need to do to get our campaign off to a positive start.”
3.4.2026
NPLWA – MENS WEEK SIX THURSDAY REVIEW
We had three Week Six New Balance NPLWA – Men’s games on Thursday evening, and first up, Fremantle City have come from three goals down to draw 3-3 against Bayswater City at Frank Drago Reserve on Thursday evening, to extend their unbeaten run to five games, while it is now four games without a win for last season’s champions Bayswater. “Tonight is a real testament to the character and resilience of the group. To come back the way we did against Bayswater and extend our unbeaten run says a lot about the belief within the squad,” Fremantle’s Nick Ambrogio explained. “While we’re proud of the fight shown, we also know there are areas we can tighten up, particularly in how we manage key moments throughout the game.”
The hosts led 2-0 at the break, with Ollie La Galia opening the scoring early, before a Chris Jackson penalty doubled their lead. The game looked over on 69 minutes when La Galia added his second to make it 3-0, but Scott Miller’s side weren’t finished. Substitute Iljas Ahmedov reduced the margin seven minutes later, before Chad Nilson made it 3-2 seven minutes from time. Sixty seconds later the port side were level with substitute Paul Zimarino scoring. Both sides pressed for the winner, but the points would be shared, leaving Fremantle sixth on the table, with Bayswater seventh. “Going into the game, we knew that we needed the three points, after a few consecutive results were both the performance and the outcome were not what we expect of ourselves,” Bayswater skipper Luke Palmateer said post-match.
“We needed to change and tweak a few things in our playing style and I thought we did that very well through the majority of the game, and we scored three goals and had thought we had the game exactly where we needed. We are extremely disappointed to let a lead slip in that fashion and are left scratching our heads a bit at our identity and how we must turn this around now. Fortunately, in football every week gives you a platform to rectify past mistakes, so we must put this behind us but take the lessons of needing to finish games in the right manner if we are going to make something meaningful of this season.”
Perth RedStar have rebounded from their first defeat of the season at the Knights last week, coming from behind to beat Stirling Macedonia 2-1 at the RedStar Arena. “Great three points tonight, against a team who always make it difficult to play against,” RedStar’s Gordon Smith said post-match. “I thought if it wasn’t for their goalkeeper in the first 30 minutes, we’d have been out of sight. Then to come back after a goal down shows the quality and character we have and we just have to keep pushing each other on week in week out.”
A tight first half, which saw action at both ends, burst into life five minutes into the second half with Alex Tanevski opening the scoring for the visitors. They were only ahead for ten minutes, with Liam Murray equalising for the hosts, and Scottish striker Gordon Smith won it for RedStar five minutes later, the win leapfrogging RedStar over Stirling to third on the table.
Perth Azzurri have also bounced back from their defeat at Stirling last week, beating Dianella White Eagles 2-0 at Dorrien Gardens. It was a tight encounter, but the real action came late, and on 71 minutes the visitors were reduced to ten men with defender Franc Gamiz Quer sent off. The Azzurri then claimed the lead six minutes later, with Gordon Perkins on target. Things got worse for the Eagles five minutes from time when Daniel Zivkovic was also sent off, and from the resulting free kick Perkins fired home from the edge of the box to seal the win, and move the Azzurri up to fourth on the ladder.
3.4.2026
STATE LEAGUE DIVISION ONE – WEEK THREE THURSDAY REVIEW
We had three games in the State League Division One on Thursday evening, and we had controversy late in the in the 0-0 between Inglewood United and Floreat Athena at the Proto DPS Inglewood Stadium. “An unfortunate end to what was otherwise a very strong and competitive performance. The game was evenly balanced for the opening 20–30 minutes with both sides having their moments. The red card shifted the momentum and allowed the game to open up in our favour,” Inglewood defender Ciaran Salinger said. “In the second half, we controlled possession for long periods but were unable to convert our build up play into clear chances or goals.
“The match ultimately turned in injury time, when Rostyn Griffiths made a run from deep that was incorrectly ruled offside. There was no clear involvement from the player penalised, making the decision baffling to understand. It is frustrating not only for us players but also for spectators and fans to see crucial moments influenced by questionable decisions. Situations like this highlight the importance of measured decision-making, rather than unnecessary intervention, especially at key stages of a match.”
Floreat, who had won both their games to start the season, found themselves down to ten men, when midfielder Harvey Tomlinson was sent off by referee Adrien Liechti ten minutes before the break. They held firm until the first minute of stoppage time, when a surging run by Rostyn Griffiths, saw him play a neat give and go with Kian Mcguigan, before finishing neatly past Joshua Hunter. But after consulting with his assistant the goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up.
Floreat coach Alun Vernals said he was really pleased with how his side fought out the game after going down one man. “I was really pleased how the lads stuck at it tonight, especially after going down to ten men in the first half,” he said. “The players work extremely hard with and without the ball to earn a point, which was pleasing, and it maintains our unbeaten start to the season. We now have two weeks to work on things before we host MUM FC.”
Floreat defender Callum Dodds echoed his coach’s words, and said they had chances, even though they were down to ten in the first half. “I thought it was a well-deserved draw. In fact, I thought we should have actually got more from the game even given the fact we had a player sent off early in the first half,” Dobbs said. “Inglewood played well, and were a tough, physical team and definitely challenged us - although I believe we out played them throughout the game and fought to the end.”
Gwelup Croatia has but a difficult week behind them, after coach Basil Lenzo left to join Balcatta, securing a 1-0 win against Curtin University at Green Promo Park, Edinburgh Oval. “Great reaction from the players after an unexpected coaching change,’ new Gwelup coach Toby Wright explained. “The whole squad responded really well, making for a smooth transition. Obviously pleased to get our first three points and first clean sheet of the season, after such a short turnaround. Really thankful for the club putting their faith in me and now we focus on making steady improvements as the season progresses.”
The only goal of the game came on five minutes, a corner was only cleared as far as Jacob Rossi, who laid it back to Baptiste Poullain, who fired home superbly from distance. The hosts had a chance to level on the half hour, when Gaspar Zuljevic was brought down by Shaun McDermott, and the referee pointed to the spot. Declan Tanna stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but Rocco Liberti guessed the right way to save.
“Really happy for the boys to get our first win of the season, especially considering the circumstances within the club this past week,” Liberti said. “We’ve been playing some good football these last few weeks and haven’t felt the results truly reflected our performances, so very happy to get the win and a clean sheet against Curtin, and I’m happy I was able to contribute to that with a penalty save as well.”
Meanwhile UWA Nedlands have won for the first time this season, after a 4-2 win against Cockburn City at Dalmatinac Park. “I thought the boys were class last night, we came to Cockburn to get three points and that’s exactly what we did,” UWA defender Jake Sardelic said. “We haven’t had the start we wanted this season but last night we showed our potential and quality.” It was a tight first half, with Joe McInnes giving the visitors the lead early, but Matthew Bowen levelled shortly after.
UWA regained the lead eight minutes into the second half Luke Salas sending McInnes in on goal, and he rounded the keeper to score. They added a third on 73 minutes, Mark Bauersachs’ cross was turned into own net by Nicolas Santalucia. Cockburn were back in the game six minutes later, Andrew Rankin’s cross on the run was turned into own net by Lewis Nohar. But Kris Donnell’s side sealed the points five minutes from time, Seb Hooshangian racing clear to score.
3.4.2026
SEASON SPOTLIGHT: AMATEUR LEAGUE PREDICTIONS
This week we take a look at what might lie ahead in the Amateur League Premier Division this season, while also casting an eye over what could unfold across the lower leagues.
Wanneroo City, relegated from the State League last season, along with newly merged Noranda Emerald and defending champions North Perth United, will be among the favourites for the title.
All eyes will also be on the other new sides in the competition, with relegated Swan United joined by promoted teams Kwinana United and Ballajura AFC as they look to make their mark in the top flight.
footballwa.net predicts the 2026 competition, with “The Insider”, Murray Stevens from The World Football Programme radio show, footballwa.net founder Jacob Aufdemkampe, and for the first time, predictions from ChatGPT,
offering their thoughts on
how 2026 might unfold.
3.4.2026
BALCATTA ETNA WELCOME PERTH GLORY IN OUR ‘MATCH OF THE ROUND’
It’s not been the start to the New Balance NPLWA - Men’s season Balcatta Etna would have liked, and they are still searching for their first points, and on Tuesday they parted company with head coach Terry Nicolaou. It was a shock decision, but that’s football for you. They will be hoping new coach Basil Lenzo can lead them to their first win on Saturday when they welcome Perth Glory to the Home Group Stadium, Grindleford Reserve, in our week six ‘Match of the Round’. (All games kick off at 3:00pm unless stated) Glory are coming off back-to-back defeats at Stirling and RedStar, and they sit ninth on the table, five points ahead of the hosts. So, both sides need the win to kick start their season.
The last time the teams met at the venue was in week ten last season, when Glory secured a 3-1 win. Glory found the opener on 14 minutes, Adrian Pini finding Christian Pullella, who slipped in Max Naylor down the left channel, and the striker finished with aplomb past Stefan Sotirovski. Glory doubled their lead three minutes before the break, when Pullella’s corner was headed home by Daniel Jankuloski. They secured the points on 74 minutes, with a third, Pini curling a free kick past Sotirovski. It went from bad to worse for the hosts, with Declan Hargreaves picking up a second yellow card in the final minute and sent off. But they did find a late consolation goal, with Ben Hinshelwood scoring deep into stoppage time, but it was Glory taking home the points.
Glory coach Joe Heath said despite the back-to-back defeats, he has seen good signs from his young side. “Yes, not great results for us the last two weeks, but encouraging signs from two really good first half performances,” he explained. “We have struggled to maintain the performances across 90 minutes and need to rectify that quickly. I thought we controlled the game for 60 minutes against RedStar, then undid our good work with 12 minutes of madness conceding two. Then against Kingsway, who are a good team that know how to win games of football, again I thought we were the better team first half, but you don't get points for winning a first half.”
Teenage striker Louis Sollitt has led the line well for Glory this season, bagging four goals to sit joint top scorer in the league, and Heath said some of the other young players have stepped up in recent weeks. “Louis for me is a real talent. He is quick, strong and shows quality on the ball and in front of goal, I’ve worked with him for three seasons, and he is a great character,” he said. “Yes, it's encouraging to see young lads stepping into the NPL this year such as Jack Lenon, Lucas Mura, Christiano Farfan, Shaun Mutyavaviri and Oliver Evans, who all have a lot to learn, but are competing well at this level so far.”
It's never ideal to play a team after a coach is dismissed, but Heath said it’s business as usual, and they will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats. “We will prepare as normal for our round six game at Balcatta, and this will be our sixth straight away game so far,” he said. “The boys always give 100% and I'm sure this weekend will be no different.”
Romanian-Born striker Darius Ghinea, who joined Balcatta from English club Witham Town, said it’s not been easy this season, but he had seen signs of improvement over the last three games, and to see the coach leave is sad, but they have to move on. “Yes, unfortunately the first game of the season didn’t go our way what so ever, the plan didn’t work out, but it’s football we all have bad days, but we’ve really improved recently, he said. “I have a lot of respect for Terry, we started preseason nice and early, got us fit, and was well organised.
“Unfortunately, the first games of the season were against tough opponents and things just didn’t seem to work out for us. But I believe we always gave it our all on match day, and I everyone, from players to all the staff members, and we will continue to do that. We are training hard for that game, with the new coach, and we have a very strong tactic going into Saturday and you can feel a good energy in and around the club, we are all very excited for Saturday as in this league anyone can beat anyone.”
The round kicks off tonight (Thursday) with three games. First up Bayswater City will be looking to bounce back after three games without a win, including last week’s loss at Dianella, when they host Matthew Sparrow’s former club Fremantle City at Frank Drago Reserve (7:00pm). The visitors will be buoyed after last week’s late win against Armadale, to stretch their unbeaten run to four games. Third placed Stirling Macedonia make the trip to the RedStar Arena to take on Perth RedStar (7:00pm), who lost for the first time last week at the Knights. Meanwhile, at Dorrien Gardens, it’s the battle of the former Perth Glory coaches, with Kenny Lowe’s Perth Azzurri welcoming Ian Ferguson’s Dianella White Eagles (7:15pm). In Saturday’s other games, league leaders Olympic Kingsway host Armadale, while second placed Western Knights head to Percy Doyle Reserve to take on Sorrento.
3.4.2026
MUMFC RETURN HOME TO TAKE ON QUINNS
It’s week three of the State League Division One over the Easter weekend, and our ‘Match of the Round’ takes us to Len Shearer Reserve, where Murdoch University Melville return to their home ground, and welcome Quinns. (All games kick off at 3:00pm, unless stated) The hosts are coming off a hard-earned draw at Inglewood, making it two draws to start the season, while Quinns game against Subiaco was called off, but the newly promoted side won their opener at Curtin, so both sides go into this one unbeaten and looking to maintain it on Saturday.
The last time MUMFC hosted Quinns, was in week nine in 2022, when they scored deep into stoppage time to draw 1-1. A tight game burst into life late, and it was Quinns who found the opener on 70 minutes. A long throw wasn’t dealt with a referee David Bruce spotted a foul in the box and pointed to the spot, and skipper Hayden Doyle stepped up and found the bottom corner.
Both sides were then reduced to ten men when MUM’s Tim Robertson and Quinns Joel Ledsham were both sent off. It looked like Quinns would leave with the points, but four minutes into stoppage time MUMFC found the equaliser. A long free kick from Tom Allan was punched clear under pressure from Patrick Stephenson, but it only went to Tom Pellizzari whose looping header found the net.
It was a hard-earned point at Inglewood last week for the hosts, but head coach Marc Anthony said they need to be better. “Yes, it was good point away from home, but we probably didn't do enough to win the game, so we need to improve moving forward,” he said. “We’ve started the season with two draws, which isn't too bad considering we were away from home.”
MUM FC have some experience in their side, the likes of Gustavo Giron-Marulanda, Alan Carroll, Harry Clisby and Matt Worton and Anthony said the squad is taking shape and he knows Saturday will be another stern test. “We have integrated a few young kids into the group which is great for the future of the club, but the older boys have been excellent helping with their development,” he explained. “We’re looking forward to our first home game of the season against Quinns, and as you know there are no easy games in this league this season, and they will be extremely tough, but being at home will hopefully be a big help for us.”
Quinns were winners in the opening game at Curtin, but their game at Subiaco was postponed last week, due to both grounds being unavailable, which was frustrating for coach Nick Jennings. “Naturally the playing group were disappointed with the postponement of our round two game,” he said. “I’m not sure how two sides who couldn’t host a game due to pitch unavailability can be scheduled to play each other, I’ll be polite and call it an admin error.”
Jennings has added some experienced to his side after winning Division Two title last year, with the likes of James Bosdet, Matt Henry and Chad Samuels to name a few, and he believes he has got a good mix. “Like all promoted sides you need to improve the depth and quality of your squad, and I feel we have done that,” he explained. “We’ve recruited not just good quality players but good people who are prepared to work hard and fight for their position in the starting side.”
They will return to their home ground Stylish Park in week four, but they are on the road again, and Jennings is expecting a tough encounter at MUMFC this week. “Yes, our ground is shared by Quinns with a tee ball club and we’ve only got the keys back on 1st April, and the council now have to get the facilities ready for our round four game at home against Joondalup City,’ he said.
“Murdoch are always a difficult team to play, and they are very well coached and play some great football. We won’t have to play on their plastic carpet which is a relief for a few players knees, but we know we will have to be at our very best to get a positive result on Saturday. Like always we’ll look to get on the front foot and be super positive in everything we do.”
The round starts tonight when joint leaders Floreat Athena entertains Inglewood United at E&D Litis Stadium. (7:30pm) Glenn Grostate’s side is still searching for a first win in his tenure, but on the other hand Alun Vernals’ side won both, and sit behind leaders Mandurah City on goal difference, this one should be a cracker. In other games on Thursday, Cockburn City meet UWA Nedlands at Dalmatinac Park (7:30pm), while Gwelup Croatia travel to Green Promo Park, Edinburgh Oval to meet Curtin University. (8:30pm) In the other Saturday games league leaders Mandurah City will look for a hat trick of wins to start the season, when they travel to Chichester Park to take on Kingsley Westside, while Joondalup City welcome Subiaco AFC to Iluka District Open Space.
3.4.2026
WEMBLEY AIMING FOR A HAT-TRICK AT FORRESTFIELD
Wembley Downs are the early leaders on the State League Division Two table after back-to-back wins, and they feature in our week three ‘Match of the Round’ when they travel to the Luxwin Stadium, Hartfield Park on Saturday afternoon. (All games kick off at 3:00pm) The hosts lost for the first time this season last week in the local derby against Kalamunda, and will be looking to bounce, while Wembley won comprehensively against North Beach to sit top, and will be looking to make it three from three on Saturday.
The last time Wembley headed to the venue was in week 11 last season, when they hosts prevailed 4-1.
The hosts were ahead on the half hour, Austin Reynolds finding the top corner. They added a second just before half time, Sherwin Tucker finding Reynolds who finished clinically past Daniel MacQuillan. Reynold’s completed his hat-trick early in the second half redirecting Shaydon Passalacquas header into the top corner. It was 4-0 when Tucker headed home Matty Evans’ cross from the right. Wembley scored a consolation goal late, Tristan Sullivan pouncing on a defensive mix up, racing one-on-one with the keeper to score.
In only their second season in the State League, it’s been a positive start for Wembley, with wins against Balga and North Beach, but coach Luke Thompson said it’s still early days. “We’ve been very pleased with the start and the contribution from the whole squad,” said. “But no one wins the league after two rounds, so we are not getting carried away at all, just next game mentality.”
The coach said it was nice to score multiple goals last week, and good to see some of the younger players stepping up. “We have a very young squad across the board and its great seeing everyone step up and play their part,” Thompson explained. “Billy (Templeton-Knight) scored in the cup and Taye (Thistlethwaite) scored on the weekend and its great seeing them play with freedom and enjoying the moment. Our goal is to try and be consistent in our performances and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.”
They hit the road for the first time this season, and come up against Forrestfield, who beat them in the night series, and Thompson said it would be nice to get one over them. “To be fair, Forrestfield have been a bogey side for us, we haven't really laid a glove on them every time we've played them,’ he said. “Daryl has assembled a great squad and are definitely going to be there or there abouts come the end of the season, so we know we are going to have to try and maintain our standards to be able to walk away with a result.”
Forrestfield had a positive start to the new season, with a win against Gosnells, but coach Daryl Platten said they need to find consistency, after slipping up against Kalamunda last week. “It’s been an inconsistent start to the season a solid win against Gosnells was nice, but the loss loss to Kalamunda was very disappointing,” Platten said. “We just didn't show up on Saturday, and there were to many passengers, and if we want to have a successful season, we can't have too many more off days.”
Like Wembley, Forrestfield have a young squad, and the coach is pleased how some of them have performed so far. “The young lads have had a decent start both Anton (Guarino) and Josh (Bell) have settled nicely into the club, both good lads that work incredibly hard,” Platten explained. “Josh missed most of preseason due to a foot injury, and Anton had a great preseason, but went on holiday for three weeks just before the season so both a little under cooked at the moment, but I think we will see the best of them in the coming weeks.”
A 5-2 win in the night series against Wembley was encouraging, but Platten said Saturday will be a very different game. “This week will be a good test for the boys, and we’ll be looking for a response from last week's disappointing performance,” he said. “Wembley have started the season on fire and they always carry a threat going forward and the first two results of the season show that. I’m confident that if our boys stick to their task and don’t switch off we can get the three points.”
In other games on Saturday, the undefeated Ashfield travel to Grandis Park to meet Carramar Shamrock Rovers. Ashfield were involved in a week two catch up game on Tuesday evening, securing a 1-0 win against Balga at Princess Road Reserve. With the game heading for a draw, substitute Joe Aitken picked up a loose ball in midfield and found the run of debutant Jack Kiama, who took the ball in his stride before rocketing one into the top corner with the last kick of normal time.
“Delighted with the three points and another fantastic effort from my boys. We started the game the better side but Balga’s experience came into the fold and they caused us a few issues,’ Ashfield coach Malcom Tshuma explained. “We adjusted a few things at half time which allowed us to get back into the game. Balga are a top side and most people’s favourites to win the league. So, to come here and get three points is a very good feeling for the group. We are a work in progress and still have a lot of areas I want to improve so it’s back to training tomorrow and get ready for another tough away fixture at Carramar.”
The other unbeaten side is Rockingham City, and they welcome Kalamunda City to Endeavour Homes Stadium at the Larkhill Sportsplex, while Balga will look to bounce back from back-to-back defeats when they travel to Burrendah Park to meet Canning City. Morley Windmills entertain North Beach, while East Perth host Gosnells City at Hudson Park.
3.4.2026
BENNIE COURTED BY SCOTLAND
Former Perth Glory winger Daniel Bennie is being courted by Scotland, as the Australia U20’s player continues to impress in England with Championship club Queens Park Rangers. The 19-year-old, who was born in Hong Kong is proud of his dual heritage, and can play for his place of birth, Scotland and Australia, and it appears there is a tug of war between SFA and FFA for his services. Speaking to the West Australian, he was coy on where his allegiances lie. “I’m proud of both. I’ve grown up with Scottish family, but I’ve lived in Australia for a long time — both of them are home to me, and it means the world to me to be from both,” he said. “I’m just proud to be from both countries, and that’s a big thing, so we’ll see what happens in the future.”
The former Sorrento, ECU Joondalup and NTC player, has overcome injuries to fight his way back into QPR’s first-team and earned regular minutes since the start of the year, and his performances have been impressive, including a stunning strike against Hull in February, which helped the Hoops to a 3-1 win. They currently sit in 12th position in the Championship, and he has come in to good form recently, and after playing 207 minutes across 12 league games last season, he has notched 410 minutes in the same amount of Championship appearances this year and has featured in 13 of QPR’s last 14 games in all competitions.
Bennie, who helped the Young Socceroos to the AFC Asian U20’s Cup last year, has attracted the attention of World Cup-bound Scotland, who he is also eligible to represent internationally, and recently told The Times he would be open to playing for the Scottish. But the speedy winger was quick to acknowledge his strong ties to Australia as well, and his time at Glory in the final season under Alen Stajcic was very important in his player development.
“It probably turned me from a boy to a man in terms of professional football. Having that long season. I played almost every game at 17 was a big factor of to where I got to know,” Bennie said. “Learning off the likes of Tags (captain Adam Taggart) and with Staj trusting me as much as he did was a really big thing. I improved so much that season and it set me up really well to come over here and do the best I could.”
In his second full season in the English Championship, which is a tough competition, Bennie said he was settled in and, after being used as a jack-of-all-trades last season, was enjoying playing as a winger and striker in the current campaign, the same positions he played growing up. “It’s a big transition. The A-League is a lot less games, but it is in the heat and it is really tough. Moving here, it’s a lot quicker pace and every second day sometimes you get a game,” Bennie explained. “Last year was a bit tougher, playing out of position quite a lot. When I was coming off the bench, I was getting appearances wherever: left-back, right-back, whatever.
“But this year it’s really helped that I’ve been in that front three, where I do my best work so I’ve got to show off what I can do.”
The speculation around Bennie’s international future comes hot on the heels of fellow rising Australian stars Adrian Segecic and Nectar Triantis changing their allegiances to Croatia and Greece, respectively, while winger Sydney-born Cristian Volpato recently reiterated his desire to represent Italy. But his situation is vastly different to those players, all of whom were born and raised in Australia, and the former two having impressed for Australian under-age teams.
Bennie was born in Hong Kong to Scottish parents, and it was not until he was 12 years-old he stepped foot in Australia. Not that Bennie is focusing too much on international honours right now; while he admitted the prospect of playing at this year’s World Cup would be amazing, he is more concerned with keeping his feet on the ground at QPR. “It’s in the back of my head, but I’m trying just to take each game as it comes and just worry about my football here,” he said. “And I’m sure that’ll steer me in the right direction for what comes.”
3.4.2026
GLORY’S SLIM FINALS HOPES GOES ON THE LINE AGAINST MARINERS
With four Isuzu Ute A-League games to go, Perth Glory needs to make every post a winner if they are to play final football, and first up they head east to take on Central Coast Mariners, in the week 23 clash at the polytec Stadium in Gosford on Saturday afternoon. (2;00pm WA Time) Adam Griffiths’ side kept their faint finals hopes alive with a stoppage time equaliser in the draw against Melbourne City last week, with Adam Taggart becoming their all-time top goalscorer, which leaves them five points outside the top six
Glory defender Brian Kaltak said the international break has come at a good time for them, and they have had a good couple of weeks on the track. “With no players on international duty, it was good to focus on our game and build up to this weekend’s game,” he said. “We have taken plenty of confidence from the second half performance against Melbourne, and everybody knows how important Saturday’s game is for us. We’ve been doing well and we’re looking for three points this weekend. There is still a belief in the squad, you can see how we are as a team collectively, but most important individually. The positive vibe we put in at training, this week especially, you can see we still feel positive we can reach the top six.”
It's a return to his former club for Kaltak, the Vanuatu defender played three seasons at the club between 2022 and 2025, before heading west, and he is looking forward to the game. “I have beautiful memories of my time at the Mariners, and I’m sure it will be strange for the supporters to see me there in different colours,” he said. “They are in a good place on the table, so it’s an important game, and we both need the points, so it’s massive for both teams. They have been playing well recently, and will have a powerful force up front, and for us it’s to stop them, and make use of the chances we have up front.”
Glory coach Adam Griffiths said his squad is refreshed and revitalised, and knows the importance of Saturday’s game as they push for a finals place. “The boys are very much up for this challenge that we have, and I feel that they are coming off the back of the Melbourne City game with some confidence,’ he explained. “I definitely believe that we are capable of being part of the Finals conversation. We just have to get the three points against Central Coast which will be a challenge, but something we’re going to address. We’ll approach it with the similar kind of energy that we finished the Melbourne game, and that’s high intensity and trying to get some more goalscoring creation moments.
“We’ve been really trying to focus upon the things that were positive in the Melbourne City game, of which they were a lot. We’re trying to make sure that boys want to attack in numbers and the last few training sessions have been really positive. We need consistency and to have players available on a consistent basis. We’re starting to get players playing more regularly and then it’s about trying to find the right balance with this group. With key players that have been out through injury or sold, it’s made it more difficult during a critical period of the season, but this group now, I think they have enough minutes under their belts and they’re fully focused.”
Last time Glory played the Mariners in Gosford was in week 24 last season, when they were beaten 3-1. The hosts opened the scoring on five minutes, with Alou Kuol on target, but Nicholas Pennington levelled for Glory five minutes later. Brazilian midfielder Mikael Doka gave the Mariners the lead at the break, and Christian Theoharous sealed the win on the hour. Griffiths is well aware the Mariners are in the finals mix as well, sitting seventh at present, and knows the threat Warren Moon’s side will pose. “Central Coast Mariners are a strong team, they’re doing well and they’re a difficult team to play against,” he said. “They’re a team that is difficult to break down and beat. Nearly every team that they’ve come up against has found that, so it’ll be tough, especially away from home, but we’re confident.”
Central Coast Mariners Squad: GK Andrew REDMAYNE, GK Dylan PERAIC-CULLEN, 2 James DONACHIE,5 Lucas MAURAGIS, 6 Haine EAMES, 11 Sabit NGOR, 15 Storm ROUX, 16 Harrison STEELE, 17 Kaito TANIGUCHI, 18 Nathanael BLAIR, 20 Will KENNEDY, 22 Arthur DE LIMA, 23 Oliver LAVALE, 24 Diesel HERRINGTON, 26 Bradley TAPP, 37 Bailey BRANDTMAN, 43 Jacob NASSO, 45 Jesse MANTELL, 48 Chris DONNELL, 72 Ali AUGLAH - *Two to be omitted* - IN: DE LIMA (promoted) KENNEDY (promoted), MANTELL (promoted) - UNAVAILABLE: 4 Trent SAINSBURY (not selected), 3 Nathan PAULL (injured), 8 Alfie McCALMONT (injured), 7 Christian THEOHAROUS (injured), 10 Miguel DI PIZIO (injured), 21 Seth CLARK (injured)
Perth Glory Squad: GK Matt SUTTON, GK Ryan WARNER, 2 Charbel SHAMOON, 3 Sam SUTTON, 4 Scott WOOTTON, 7 Nicholas PENNINGTON, 8 Callum TIMMINS, 9 Jaiden KUCHARSKI, 15 Zach LISOLAJSKI, 16 Gabriel POPOVIC, 18 Luca TEVERE, 19 Josh RISDON, 22 Adam TAGGART, 23 Anthony DIDULICA, 24 Andriano LEBIB, 25 Seb DESPOTOVSKI, 27 Will FRENEY, 39 Gio DE ABREU, 45 Brian KALTAK, 67 Stefan COLAKOVSKI - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: POPOVIC, RISDON - Unavailable: GK Cameron COOK, 6 Brandon O’NEILL, 11 Lachlan WALES, 20 Trent OSTLER, 31 Joel ANASMO, 34 Tom LAWRENCE (All Injured)
3.4.2026
GLORY HOPING TO END SEASON ON A HIGH
Perth Glory 5-2 defeat against Brisbane Roar all but ended their Ninja A-League finals hopes, sitting eighth on the table three points out the top six. Last week’s defeat also hurt their goal difference, and they have ten goals to pick up on the Mariners, who sit in the last finals spot, so it looks like the final two spots will be fought out by the Roar, Central Coast Mariners and Friday’s visitors to the Sam Kerr Football Centre, Melbourne Victory. (4:00pm)
It wasn’t the result Glory were chasing in Brisbane, and defender Onyinyechi Zogg said it was very sombre after the game, but they have to pick themselves up for the Victory game. “The mood wasn’t good after the game last week, but we’ve recovered and looking forward and focusing on Victory this week, it’s in the past and we can’t change it,” she explained. “We have to learn from it, and we’ve already watched the video of the game and analysed it and know what we did wrong. Nobody was happy after last week, but it’s a chance to make emends on Friday, but we need to do better.”
Glory’s chances have gone for the finals, although they can mathematically still qualify, but need to thrash Victory and hope the Mariners lose heavily to Sydney, but I won’t be holding my breath. Victory meanwhile also needs a win and hope that the Mariners lose, to take sixth spot, and Zogg said it sets up a great game. “We’re really happy to be at Sam Kerr, and playing in front of our fans, and it’s my favourite day of the week when I know we are playing there,” the defender said. “I’m expecting a tough game, obviously for Victory, it’s a do or die game, but we want to finish our home games with a win, and I’m positive we can do that.
Glory coach Stephen Peters said they handed the Roar opportunities, and on the night, they took them, which was disappointing “A lot of the downfalls in the game were self-inflicted which was fairly disappointing, and that’s an area we need to address moving forward,” he said. “I think there’s a mix of some people wanting answers as to why things have happened and how they’ve happened and then there’s another group of players that are opportunistic as well and can see an opportunity to play the last game of the season, so I think there’s a fairly healthy blend there.”
Peters said they have moved on from last week, and all their focus is on Friday’s clash, and finishing the season well in front of their supporters. “We haven’t beaten Melbourne Victory since I’ve been the coach, so it would be nice to do that and also we’re very aware that we’re playing on Good Friday and we don’t want to have people coming out to support us and not give them a performance,” he said. “So, I think that’s something we need to take very seriously, our supporters have been super. Sam Kerr is such a great venue for us and we’ve had great success there this season and last season, so we want to continue that and reward the people that come out and support us there, so if people are looking for something to do on Good Friday, they should come out and support us and we’ll try and give them some good entertainment.”
The last time Victory headed west, was in week five last season, when a stoppage time goal from Alana Murphy gave them a 1-0 win at Sam Kerr Football Centre. They will be looking for another win on Friday, and it's must win for Jeff Hopkins’ side, and Peters is expecting Victory to come out swinging. “They’re a very good team with lots of very experienced players,” he said. “It’s quite a shock they are where they are on the table and I think they’d be shocked more than anyone, so we’re expecting them to try and put that right and get themselves in the six. They’d obviously be well fired up, and I don’t think Jeff pulls any punches there and we’ve got to be ready. In my opinion, [Rhianna] Pollicina is the best midfielder in the comp… obviously they’ve got dead-ball threats as well and they’re very robust at the back with [Claudia] Bunge and Kayla [Morrison] who are very difficult to get past. We’ve just got to be on our guard.”
Glory’s keeper crisis hit a new low last week with Teresa Morrissey injuring herself in the warm up and with Jessica Skinner and Meg Phillips unavailable, Perth Azzurri custodian Dayle Schroeder made her A-League debut. Peters said Morrissey, who suffering a knee injury, could make a return on Friday. “Hopefully Teresa comes through ok this week,” he said. “She’s had scans and there is some indifferent news there, but nothing catastrophic. In terms of players coming back, we almost have a clean bill of health at the moment, so we’re in a pretty good space.”
Perth Glory Squad: GK Teresa MORRISSEY, GK Dayle SCHROEDER, 2 Mischa ANDERSON, 3 Emma TOVAR, 5 Grace JOHNSTON, 6 Tijan MCKENNA, 7 Megan WYNNE, 8 Georgia CASSIDY, 9 Gabby HOLLAR, 12 Bronte TREW, 17 Rola BADAWIYA, 19 Sarah O’DONOGHUE, 20 Ella ABDUL MASSIH, 23 Isobel DALTON, 24 Julia SARDO, 25 Ella LINCOLN, 27 Charli WAINWRIGHT, 28 Clancy WESTAWAY, 29 Onyinyechi ZOGG - * Two to be omitted* - Ins: MORRISSEY, TREW, WESTAWAY - Unavailable: 10 Susan PHONSONGKHAM (injured), 11 Natalie TATHEM (injured), 13 Naomi CHINNAMA (injured)
Melbourne Victory Squad: GK. Courtney NEWBON, GK Payton WOODWARD, 3 Claudia BUNGE, 4 Chelsea BLISSETT, 5 Sofia SAKALIS, 6 Taylor RAY, 7 Ella O’GRADY, 9 Holly FURPHY, 10 Rhianna POLLICINA, 11 Nicki FLANNERY, 16 Kennedy WHITE, 18 Kayla MORRISON, 23 Rachel LOWE, 24 Laura PICKETT, 27 Rosie CURTIS, 28 Sienna TECHERA, 41 Jessica YOUNG, 66 Alana JANCEVSKI, 81 Grace MAHER - *Two to be omitted* - Ins: FLANNERY (return from injury) - Outs: 14 Fiorina Iaria, 17 Poppy O’Keeffe (National team selection), 20 Leyla HUSSIEN - Unavailable: 8 Sienna SAVESKA (injured), 19 Zoe MCMEEKEN (injured)
2.4.2026
ALL CHANGE AT HOME GROUP STADIUM
The first coaching departure in the NPLWA Men’s competition has come early, with Balcatta Etna parting ways with Terry Nicolaou after they struggled in the opening four games and are still looking for their first points of the season. They started the campaign with a heavy defeat against Bayswater City, but were unlucky in the other matches, losing narrowly to Fremantle City, Olympic Kingsway, and Perth Azzurri. However, the club has moved early. Nicolaou was shocked by the decision, but he hopes Balcatta can turn their form around.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the players, staff, and supporters of Balcatta Etna. It has been a privilege to lead the club,” he said.
“Although I understand the coaching landscape in football can be very unstable, Balcatta Etna’s decision to relieve me of my duties after four matches under these circumstances does not reflect the reality of the hard work, the rebuild, or the direction the team was heading. I’m very disappointed with both the timing and the rationale. This season began with a completely rebuilt squad following the work done last year to keep the club in the NPL. We faced three of the league’s top sides in the opening rounds and, despite the challenges, the group showed clear progress, commitment, and a strong identity forming.
“Rebuilding takes time, and the players were fully invested in the direction we were heading. I stand firmly behind the work my staff and I have done, the culture we were establishing, the standards we were raising, and the long-term plan that was put in place. I am proud of the players and staff who bought into that vision and gave everything. While the club has chosen a different path, I leave knowing that I acted with integrity, professionalism, and total commitment to the badge. I wish the players success for the remainder of the season, and I remain confident in the foundations we built together.”
Balcatta have acted quickly to fill the void, with Gwelup Croatia coach Basil Lenzo taking over. He will be in charge for Saturday’s game against Perth Glory. Lenzo has a long connection with the Grindleford Reserve club and, after taking training this week, he can’t wait to get started. “I’m up for the challenge (again) and, given my history with Balcatta, I’m super keen and energetic to give the club everything I can to help change the situation,” Lenzo explained. “Our first session was very solid and energetic, and the players know that it’s now time to be brave. Coaching in the NPL has always been a goal of mine, so I’m very appreciative of the opportunity.”
Balcatta’s gain is Gwelup’s loss, and Lenzo said the club has been great to work for and wished them all the best for the rest of the season. “The Denona family have been very welcoming to me and my family, so this wasn’t an easy decision, but Jure knows what family means and my historical ties to Balcatta made it significant,” he said. “While he was disappointed, he was supportive. He also understood that, as coaches, we don’t get these types of chances often. I can’t thank him and Technical Director of Football Lucas Le Marchand enough for their support, and I will be supporting them from afar. I sincerely wish the club the very best.”
Toby Wright will take over at Gwelup, with Dom Ciullo as his assistant, and the pair will be in charge for their game at Curtin University on Thursday evening.
2.4.2026
KERR SHOOTS DOWN UNITED STATES RETURN
Matildas captain Samantha Kerr has been quick to pour doubt on suggestions she'll end a successful six-season spell with Chelsea at the end of the season. Media reports claim the 32-year old will sign with United States expansion club Denver Summit, bringing to an end a glittering run with Chelsea where she won the Women’s Super League title five times as well as three FA Cups.
But Kerr was quick to post “Don’t believe everything you read in the media man, they know a decision before me” to social media. her future with the Blues has been clouded after the club put forward just a one-year contract extension, despite being one of the biggest names in the Women's Super League.
Kerr was a prolific goalscorer in her previous spells in the United States where he played for Western New York Flash, Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars before joining Chelsea. Despite not having featured in the NWSL since 2019, Kerr remains the competition’s top goal scorer with 77 goals.
1.4.2026
MAYNARD-BREWER IMPRESSES AS DUNDEE UNITED ASSESS OPTIONS
Ashley Maynard-Brewer is staking a compelling claim for a new deal at Dundee United. That’s the view of Tannadice manager Jim Goodwin, who has emphasised the importance of stability between the sticks next season.
Maynard-Brewer, 26, joined the Tangerines from Charlton Athletic in January and immediately supplanted Dave Richards as first choice between the posts. He has made 11 appearances, demonstrating his shot-stopping ability and has been solid from wide deliveries – in sharp contrast to Yevhenii Kucherenko, who started the campaign as United ’keeper.
Maynard-Brewer’s short-term contract only runs until the summer but it is understood United have an option to extend for a further two years. “We’ve got a deal in place toward the end of the season where, if we want to extend Ash’s deal beyond this season, we can do that,” Goodwin said.
“The whole focus for Ash to come in and get back playing, and get his fitness and match sharpness up. He’s shown in the games that he’s played that he’s a really steady pair of hands. He’s made some big saves for us ... He’s a good shot stopper and is very comfortable with cross balls in on top of him. Ash has done himself no harm whatsoever.”
Goodwin is acutely aware of the importance of filling the goalkeeping berth swiftly, and successfully, after United’s travails during the first half of this season. Kucherenko made a host of costly errors before being sold to Panetolikos in January. Richards steadied the ship but was usurped following Maynard-Brewer’s arrival.
31.3.2026
SOCCEROOS PUT ON A FIVE-STAR SHOW
The Socceroos have played their final home game before the FIFA World Cup Finals later in the year, with a comprehensive 5-1 win against fellow qualifiers Curacao in the FIFA Series at AAMI Park in Melbourne, on Tuesday evening. Awer Mabil had given Australia the lead at the break, but the visitors were level five minutes into the second half with Ajany Martha on target. But the hosts took control with former Perth Azzurri defender Alessandro Circati grabbing a second, before substitutes Jordy Bos and a brace from Nestory Irankunda sealed the win.
Coach Tony Popovic was pleased with the performance. "Wonderful send off. We wanted to win this game and go off on a high note after this FIFA series and scoring 5 is a nice bonus," he said post-match. "We conceded a soft goal to go 1-1... but was a great reaction after that. Some boys today got an opportunity and I'm sure they enjoyed the camp... and hopefully we've added a few more players to the squad depth."
In front of another disappointing crowd, the visitors went close to the opener on 11 minutes, Circati pass was pounced on by Juninho Bacuna, and he found Tahith Chong, and the Sheffield United midfielder saw his deflected shot was well saved by Matt Ryan. They were in again four minutes later, another error at the back let them in, and Jeremy Antonisse raced into the box, but Circati got back with a timely tackle. But after a slow start, it was Australia who found the opener on 23 minutes.
A mis-placed pass from Leandro Bacuna was intercepted by Kai Trewin, and he played the ball into Deni Juric, whose neat flick sent the ball into the path of Mabil, who finished clinically. Curacao threatened again ten minutes later, some neat build up play ended with a superb through ball from Leandro Bacuna sent Antonisse in on goal, but his low shot was well saved by the alert Ryan. The Socceroos went close to a second just before the break, Ajdin Hrustic made space down the left, and his cross to the back post found Mabil, but his shot crashed off the post.
Curacao were back in the game five minutes into the second half, a long ball caught Australia napping and Martha raced clear down the right, and he finished through the legs of Ryan. Australia hit back and Aiden O’Neill fired just wide of the target, before Mabil blazed over the top after a great ball from Circati. Then on 67 minutes Australia regained the lead, Riley McGree’s cross, was met by Circati, and his diving header beating Eloy Room, for his first goal for his country.
They added a third, moments later, McGree was again involved, the Middlesbrough midfielder finding Bos, who finished with aplomb. Irankunda had been lively since coming off the bench, and it wasn’t a surprise when he added a fourth. Bos finding the Watford winger, and quick feet saw him race into the box, and his shot deflected off the keeper and just rolled over the line, and he celebrated with his back-flip and a Michael Jackson dance, included a silver glove. Irankunda was in again four minutes later, a well weighted pass by Nishan Velupillay sent him in on goal and he made no mistake, to seal the win.
Irankunda spoke post-match how much Tony Popovic has helped him, and he was also asked about his goal celebration. "I'm happy with the performance, just doing what the boss wants me to do. We've had conversations in the last few months and he's just trying to help me become a better player. As you can see tonight, he's helped me during the week to get in positions like that to score more goals" Irankunda said. "I am a huge MJ fan, obviously you always want to back yourself to score. Me and my boy did talk about it and he just threw it (Silver glove) and I had to catch it and put it on, and do the celebration."
Australia: GK Matthew Ryan, 4 Kye Rowles (21 Cameron Burgess 66’), 8 Connor Metcalfe (20 Paul Okon-Engstler 46’), 10 Ajdin Hrustic (9 46’), 11 Awer Mabil (14 Riley McGree 66’), 13 Aiden O’Neill (22 Alex Robertson 82’), 15 Kai Trewin, 16 Aziz Behich (5 Jordy Bos 66’), 23 Alessandro Circati (2 Milos Degenek 81’), 24 Deni Juric (7 Nestory Irankunda 66’), 26 Lucas Herrington (19 Jason Geria 46’) - Subs not used: RGK Patrick Beach, RGK Paul Izzo, 3 Jacob Italiano, 6 Martin Boyle, 17 Patrick Yazbek, 25 Ante Suto
Curacao: GK Eloy Room (RGK Trevor Doombusch 82’), 2 Shurandy Sambo (17 Tyrese Noslin 63’), 3 Juriën Gaari, 4 Roshon van Eijma, 5 Sherel Floranus (20 Joshua Brenet 64’), 7 Juninho Bacuna (21 Kevin Felida 73’), 8 Livano Comenencia (6 Godfried Roemeratoe 46’), 9 Brandley Kuwas (16 Jearl Margaritha 46’), 10 Leandro Bacuna (12 Sontje Hansen 82’), 11 Jeremy Antonisse (19 Gervane Kastaneer 46’), 13 Tahith Chong (15 Ajany Martha 46’) -
Subs not used: RGK Tyrick Bodak, 24 Riechedly Bazoer, 14 Kenji Gorre
30.3.2026
BENNIE SPEAKS ON DUAL HERITAGE
West Australian rising star Daniel Bennie is proud of his dual heritage but was coy on where his allegiances lie amid a potential tug-of-war as his form in England puts him on the path to international honours. The former Perth Glory young gun has also opened up on how his time in the A-League prepared him for his current breakthrough season in the Championship with Queens Park Rangers.
19-year old Bennie has fought his way into the R’s first-team and earned regular minutes since the start of the calendar year, capped by a superb goal against Hull in February. After playing 207 minutes across 12 league games last season, he has notched 410 minutes in the same amount of Championship appearances this year and has featured in 13 of QPR’s last 14 games in all competitions.
It came off the back of a crucial role in Australia’s under-20 Asian Cup triumph and two goals for the Young Socceroos at the ensuing under-20 World Cup last year. But Bennie has attracted the attention of World Cup-bound Scotland, who he is also eligible to represent internationally, and recently told 'the Times' he would be open to playing for the Scottish.
“I’m proud of both. I’ve grown up with Scottish family, but I’ve lived in Australia for a long time - both of them are home to me, and it means the world to me to be from both,” he said. “I’m just proud to be from both countries, and that’s a big thing, so we’ll see what happens in the future.”
Not that Bennie is focusing too much on international honours right now. While he admitted the prospect of playing at this year’s World Cup would be amazing, he is more concerned with keeping his feet on the ground. “It’s in the back of my head, but I’m trying just to worry about my football here, and I’m sure that’ll steer me in the right direction for what comes,” he said.
The speculation around Bennie’s international future comes hot on the heels of fellow rising Australian stars Adrian Segecic and Nectar Triantis changing their allegiances to Croatia and Greece, respectively, while winger Sydney-born Cristian Volpato recently reiterated his desire to represent Italy.
Bennie was born in Hong Kong to Scottish parents, and it was not until he was 12 years of age he stepped foot in Australia. And it was Perth where Bennie grew up, both literally and figuratively, when he won Glory’s young player of the year award during the 2023/24 season.
Aged just 17 at the time, Bennie started 22 of 25 games that season and led then-coach Alen Stajcic to compare him to Socceroos great Brett Emerton, who played almost 250 English Premier League games for Blackburn Rovers. “It probably turned me from a boy to a man in terms of professional football. Having that long season,” Bennie said.
“I played almost every game at 17 was a big factor of to where I got to now. “Learning off the likes of Tags (captain Adam Taggart) and with Staj trusting me as much as he did was a really big thing. I improved so much that season and it set me up really well to come over here and do the best I could.”
In his second full season in West London, Bennie said he was settled in and, after being used as a jack-of-all-trades last season, was enjoying playing as a winger and striker in the current campaign. “It’s a big transition. The A-League is a lot less games, but it is in the heat and it is really tough. Moving here, it’s a lot quicker pace and every second day sometimes you get a game,” Bennie said.
“Last year was a bit tougher, playing out of position quite a lot. When I was coming off the bench, I was getting appearances wherever: left-back, right-back, whatever. But this year it’s really helped that I’ve been in that front three, where I do my best work so I’ve got to show off what I can do.”
29.3.2026
WE DIDN'T DO ENOUGH ADMITS JONES AFTER SALFORD LOSS
Gethin Jones gave his honest assessment after Milton Keynes Dons’ second defeat in a row, admitting he and his team-mates did not do enough to warrant victory over Salford City. Matt Butcher’s 66th minute goal separated the sides at the Peninsula Stadium as Karl Robinson’s men claimed a scrappy win, resigning the Dons’ to a second consecutive reverse.
“It was a tough afternoon,” Socceroos defender Jones said. “We knew the pitch wasn’t great coming here, but we weren’t expecting the wind. Coming out in the warm-up, we saw it was strong, and in the first half we had the sun against us as well which didn’t help. But it’s the same for both teams, and we knew it would be a battle.”
“We set up to come and play, with the way we had our midfield set up, but we quickly realised it wasn’t going to work with how difficult the pitch was. And then the wind just killed the game. We have to look at how we battled because they came away with most of the second balls all over the pitch.”
“We knew the game would come down to one chance. We had a goal-line scramble we should have put away but at the end of the day, they’ve scored a screamer. But did we do enough in the game to get the win? Probably not. A draw was probably a fairer result, but we’ve come away with nothing.”
29.3.2026
NORTH PERTH TAKE OUT AMATEUR NIGHT SERIES
North Perth United have won the 2026 Belt-Up Amateur Premier Division Night Series, after a 2-0 win against Wanneroo City in Sunday evening’s Final at Players Parade, Madeley. The hosts had the better chances in the first half, but failed to take them. But second half goals from Marcus Seydel and Scott McArthur sealed the win for Chris Batten’s side. The coach was delighted with his side’s performance on the night. “We had a good week of training and very well prepared. I found it strange us going in as heavy underdogs when we won the double last year,” he explained.
“A lot of the outside noise made my team talk a lot easier, and the lads deserved it. Best team from start to finish, it’s been a pretty big rebuild from the club but we’ve replaced quality with quality. First half was a typical cup final a little scrappy but we made a couple adjustments at half time and when the first goal went in, there was only going to be one winner. I’m proud of every single one of the boys, and winning creates confidence and we are in a good position going into our first league game on Easter Sunday. Finally, it was great to see as many our fans at the game too, certainly a noisy bunch which helped push the lads on.”
It was Wanneroo City, who are coached by former North Perth coach Jason Winter, who started the brighter, and Jordan Cook’s corner wasn’t dealt with at the near post, but the alert keeper Ben Green claimed. Moments later Cook fired straight at Green from the edge of the box, before Loris Tommolini shot from the angle was saved by the North Perth custodian. The hosts best chance came on 20 minutes, Jack Wilson found space on the edge of the box, but his shot was pushed over the top by Green.
North Perth settled, and went close themselves six minutes later, Seydel’s snap shot from just outside the box was saved by Cian Flynn. But it was Wanneroo who finished the half the better, and Wilson saw his goalbound shot well blocked by John Harris, and they were in again in stoppage time. A great through ball from Wilson sent Charlie Reid racing clear, but a great last-ditch tackle from Tom Fowler denied him, but at the break it was all-square.
The second half started well for North Perth, and three minutes in they found the opener. Barry Boggan sent Jake Chamberlin down the left, and his low cross found it’s way through to Seydel who made no mistake, firing low past Flynn. Wanneroo looked for an immediate response, and they went close on the hour, Tommolini was given far too much room on the edge of the box, but his shot was saved low by Green. But the decisive second goal came for North Perth 18 minutes from time.
Wanneroo were caught in possession in the middle of the park and McArthur raced into the box and found the bottom corner of the net, much to the delight of the North Perth faithful. Wanneroo kept pressing, and Wilson’s long-range shot was wide, before Alex Wheelhouse’s free kick was saved by Green, but they couldn’t find a way through a tight defensive well lead by Fowler and John Harris, and it was the North Perth fans celebrating at the final whistle, and North Perth midfielder Marcus Seydel was voted ‘Player of the Match’.
North Perth skipper Niall Kennedy said it was a game of two halves. “I don’t think either time wanted to give much away in the first half, albeit Wanneroo probably shaded it on the chances,” he explained. “Second half we stepped up a gear, started to play more free flowing football and got a good grip on the game. Delighted for two of our new boys Marcus and Scotty who notched on the night. We’ve had a few tough games with Wanneroo this season, but we’re buzzing to leave with the silverware on this occasion. We’ll be looking to build on this momentum into the league campaign.”
Wanneroo coach Jason Winter said North Perth wanted it more on the night. “It was a tight game, and scoreless at half time, but they came out the stronger and scored two goals and deserved there win in the end I believe,” he explained. “I think it's a good learning curve for the squad, and the club, that Sunday Premier League isn't easy. In any league anywhere in the world you have to work hard and earn it. If we want to do well this season, we'll have to earn it. We’ve had a good preseason, now our focus turns to Hamersley away on Sunday.”
Wanneroo City: GK Cian Flynn, 2 Carl Ennis, 3 Zak Thomas, 4 Robbie Sallis, 5 Kane Fitch, 6 Aaron Louttit, 7 Alex Wheelhouse, 8 Jack Wilson, 9 Loris Tommolini, 10 Ben Gammack, 11 Alan Reidy, 12 Michele Berlingeri, 13 Jordan Cook, 16 Frankie Stammers, 19 Sam Gammack, 20 Asa Sippits, 21 Charlie Read, 28 Lukas Schuller
North Perth United: GK Ben Green, 2 John Harris, 4 Eoin Haverty, 5 Tom Fowler, 6 Barry Boggan, 7 Marcus Seydel, 8 Niall Kennedy, 9 Yanich Jordan, 10 Conor Hartley, 11 Raido Reinsalu, 12 Tomas Carroll, 14 Scott McArthur, 15 Conor Quinn, 16 Jake Chamberlin, 17 Ronan Dunphy, 30 Mark Shaughnessy – Referee: Joe Willis
29.3.2026
EAST PERTH TOO STRONG FOR SORRENTO
East Perth have won the Construction Training Fund Women’s League Night Series, with a convincing 7-1 win against Division Two side Sorrento in the Final at Players Parade, Madeley on Sunday evening. It was second time lucky for Luke Green’s side, who were beaten on penalties in last season’s final, and he was delighted with the performance. “I’m extremely proud of the group. It was a big rebuild to the squad and it takes a lot of character to gel the way they have,” he said. “Sorrento had an amazing tournament and should be proud of what they achieved, despite the scoreline they posed real tactical questions so we had to adjust a few plans. We are hopeful that this is the foundation to a solid season and I can’t wait to see what this group can achieve.’
East Perth hit the front on 20 minutes Rachel Hein’s corner was turned home by Shauna Fox. They doubled their lead four minutes later, Fox was the provider this time, a great through ball to Christiane Astorp, and the striker made no mistake past Monique Todd. But the Gulls were back in the game on the half hour, Alexis Townsend’s corner was headed home by Jodie Brough. But East Perth regained their two-goal advantage six minutes later, Astorp turning her marker in the box and finishing well, then in the shadows of half time it was 4-1, with Kate Hurley’s lob going in.
It was 5-1 on 72 minutes, Astorp completing her hat-trick from the penalty spot, after a handball. It was six shortly after, Hein’s free kick fell to Kellie Kinahan, whose shot crashed off the post, but Fox was on hand to fire home the rebound. The icing was added to the cake in stoppage time, with Kinahan’s corner headed home by Astorp, her fourth of the night to seal a comprehensive which saw the striker win the Player of the Match Medal.
Sorrento coach Jake Stewart said it had been a good competition for them, but they came up against a good East Perth side on the night. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for us. We came up against a very strong East Perth side who were a class above as we had expected,” he explained. “All the girls worked really hard and unfortunately, we just couldn’t get a foothold in the game. We can take heart in the fact that we made it to the final against all expectations and have shown throughout that we have a team capable of mixing it at state level. I am extremely proud of all my players for getting us here and our focus now turns to an exciting and promising season ahead.”
East Perth: GK Maria Flandes-Iparraguirre, 2 Chantelle Colalillo, 3 Lauren Nicholson, 4 Lydia Ward, 5 Christiane Astorp, 6 Shauna Fox, 7 Kate Hurley, 8 Rachel Hein, 9 Laura Regan, 10 Brianna Patrick, 11 Charlotte Lynch, 12 Dyon Keane, 14 Kellie Kinahan, 15 Demi Bounds, 16 Nadia Harvey, 17 Lucy Nassau, 18 Aoife McCann
Sorrento: GK Monique Todd, 35 Brittany Allen, 36 Carla Biegun, 37 Gabrielle Denman, 38 Holly Cannon
39 Ava Broderick, 40 Shelby Cochran, 41 Madilyne Beeken, 42 Ella Kamarudin, 43 Caoimhe Mahon, 44 Kaley Cornell, 46 Royan Norman, 47 Kaylee Sprainaitis, 49 Jodie Brough, 50 Alexis Townsend, 51 Isabel Judd – Referee: Emily Bunston
29.3.2026
FW ACADEMY WIN FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
It was a shortened New Balance NPLWA – Women’s week three, with the game between Balcatta Etna and Perth RedStar postponed, but the Hyundai FW Academy were the big winners of the weekend, sealing their first win of the season beating newly promoted Sorrento 7-2 at Sam Kerr Football Centre on Sunday afternoon. After two draws to start the season coach Stephen Warmsley was pleased with his young squad.
“It was nice to get the first win of the season and score a high number of goals. The mentality was great from the start and early goals always help,” Walmsley explained. “With ten U16 players and two U15 players, to perform at this level with a young group like this is a testament to the players and the program. The challenge for these girls is to do this consistently in training and in matches on a regular basis.”
The hosts took control in the first half, with three quick goals in the first ten minutes. First, Theodora Mouithys finished clinically from just outside the box on three minutes, before Cate McAuliffe headed in Zoe Dumont’s corner to double their lead two minutes later. It was 3-0 moments later, with Piper Dowe racing clear to finish past Amalia Caceres. It was four on the half hour, Dowe adding her second with a neat finish.
They added a fifth just before the hour mark, McAuliffe pounced on a pass out of the Sorrento defence and she released Mouithys, who run into the box to score. It’s been a tough start for the Gulls, but they showed a lot of character and reduced the margin eight minutes from time. A long free-kick ran all the way through to Tamzyn Aisbett, who scored to become the Gulls' first scorer in NPL WA. They added a second moments later, the Academy failed to clear another ball into the box and substitute Hanna Marchlewicz scored. But the Academy hit back, and Mouithys unselfishly finding McAuliffe after a quick breakaway which made it 6-2, before a late own goal completed the scoring.
In other games Tom Glavovic’s Perth Azzurri made it back-to-back wins to open their title defence to continue their lead at the top of the table, after a 2-0 win against Subiaco AFC on Sunday. The hosts were ahead on the half hour, when Maja Archibald’s defence splitting pass sent Epril Nossent in on goals, and she finished well past Briana O’Dell. They sealed the points with a second before the break, Matilda Bohm’s clearance sent Jessica Flannery, and she made no mistake.
In the final game Fremantle City remain undefeated this season and stay in third place after a 5-0 win against UWA Nedlands at Hilton Park. Leyna Woods gave the host the lead on the half hour, and skipper Annebelle Leek added a second from the spot just before the break. Abbey Green made it 3-0, before late goals from Lacey Heys, and a long-range lob from substitute Georgie Ireland sealed the win for Samantha Geddes’ side.
28.3.2026
OLYMPIC TAKE THE GLORY
Olympic Kingsway have maintained their place at the top of the New Balance NPLWA – Men’s table, after a hard fought 4-2 win against Perth Glory in their first home game of the season at the Madman Arena, Kingsway Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Glory led at the break with Louis Sollitt on target, but a second half hat-trick from Liam Boland, and another from Robert Hawker gave them a 4-2 win. “I thought Glory were the better team in the first 20 minutes, so it was great response from the team in the second half after a lacklustre first half trailing 1-0,” Boland said. “Rob Harker scored a classy goal which got us back in the game right after the break and we kicked on from there with a great second half. It was a great start to a run of home games that we have now.”
The visitors started brightly and were rewarded with the lead just after the half hour. Glory won possession in the middle of the park and Oliver Evans sent Louis Sollitt away, he held off challengers from Aryn Williams and Harley Orr, before finishing well past Adrian Sinagra. They held the lead at the break, but whatever Olympic coach David Tough said at half time worked, as the Green Machine were on the front foot after half time, and they were level seven minutes in. Former Glory midfielder Noah Ieraci found Robert Harker in a pocket of space on the edge of the box, and the English striker finished with aplomb past Ryan Warner.
The hosts went close again moment later, but Joe Hobson’s shot crashed off the post, but they did hit the front on 55 minutes. Mitch Oxborrow’s free kick deflected off a Glory defender and Boland was on hand to score from close-range. But his celebrations were cut short with the flag up for offside, but after consulting with his assistant the referee awarded the goal. The hosts were now in control and they added a third on 69 minutes. Tyler Garner was impeded on the edge of the box by Santiago Flores, and Boland smacked the resulting free kick around the wall and into the corner of the net.
Joe Heath’s team weren’t finished and eight minutes later they pulled one back. Substitute Tyler Fitch cross from the left found Sollitt, who got in front of his marker to head home, and it was game on. Glory pressed for the equaliser, and Sollitt went close to his hat-trick, but his shot on the run was saved by Sinagra, but it was Olympic who sealed the game in the final minute. Harker won possession on the left of the penalty area, before finding Boland, who’s neat first touch took him clear of his marker, and his second was to finish low past Warner to seal the three points.
Dianella White Eagles have moved up to fourth, after a 2-0 win against Bayswater City at Dianella Reserve on Saturday evening. A goal in each half from Cory McNelis and Albert Luwi, secured the clubs first win on home soil this season. “It was a big win for the club, I think after last week we knew we had to increase on our performance especially in front of goal, which we did creating a lot of good chances in both halves and gladly capitalising on some,’ Luwi explained. “This was also a great opportunity to show what quality we have in this squad and where we want to be in this league and Bayswater is always a great test for that and I’m glad we rose to the occasion and can hopefully carry on this momentum in the coming games.’
A tight first half came to life midway through. Bayswater unfortunately lost defender Jackson Stephens to injury on 22 minutes, he was replaced by Coby Sutton, and it seemed to affect them, and five minutes later Dianella hit the front. Miguel Restrepo picked the ball up in the middle of the park and sent a lovely weighted ball into the path of McNelis, who held off Sam Mitchinson, before finishing low past Jason Saladris. Sean McManus went close to an equaliser eight minutes later, his deflected shot drifting just past the post.
Luwi was then denied down the other end, Jason Saladris getting down to make a smart save, after the big striker’s shot from the angle, before Restrepo fired over the top. Down the other end Sutton header was straight at Joel Driscoll, and in the final minute Luke Palmateer headed over the top, but at the break the hosts held a narrow lead. But eleven minutes into the second half Dianella added a second. Asher Nelson sent George Ballah down the left, and his low cross was turned home by Luwi.
Bayswater looked for a response, and McManus’ looping header landed on top of the net. But Dianella also had their chances, with Ballah’s free kick whistling over the top, before Luwi’s goalbound shot was well block by Mitchinson. Oliver La Galia was then denied by a last-ditch tackle from Franc Quer, as Bayswater lifted the tempo, before McManus’ shot was cleared off the line by Lachlan Collins. Then a clash off the ball between Restrepo and Brent Quick caused a melee, with all the players involved. After it all calmed down and the referee booked Quick and his former teammate Asher Nelson. Bayswater couldn’t find a way back into the game, and it was Dianella taking the points, the loss leaving last season’s champions in seventh place.
“We went into the game knowing that it was going to be a hard-fought battle from the very first whistle given the quality Bayswater have and have shown over the last year or so,’ Dianella skipper Sasa Njegic said. “However, we knew that if we stuck to our game plan and played like we did in periods against Fremantle, for the whole game against Bayswater we could get a result. I think the boys were up for the challenge and played hard for every ball - especially focusing on defending as a unit and keeping our first clean sheet of the season. It also always helps when you have a big turnout of fans and the atmosphere is electric, so to win against last year’s premiers at home in front of them was special.”
Stirling Macedonia are up to third, after their first home win of the season, and secured the ‘Dylan Tombidis Trophy’ with 3-1 win against Perth Azzurri at Macedonia Park. First half goals from Callum McKenzie and Calvin Whitney saw the hosts ahead at the break, and although Julian Kelly pulled one back for Kenny Lowe’s side early in the second half, substitute Jamie Bilaloski won it for Ao Mujic’s side. “I thought the boys were brilliant today, we knew it was going to be a tough battle but everyone worked extremely hard,” Stirling striker Callum McKenzie said post-match. “We pressed really well, and we kept it simple and played to the conditions perfectly I thought, and I definitely feel like the better team came out on top.”
Stirling were ahead on 16 minutes, Euan Cameron’s free kick was turned home at the back post by McKenzie, for the Scottish strikers fourth goal of the season. They doubled their advantage seven minutes later, Perth keeper Liam Driscoll had a poor touch, and it was pounced on by McKenzie, the rebound falling to Whitney, who fired into an empty net. The Azzurri were back in the game ten minutes into the second half. David Ninkovich’s cross was played back to the edge of the box by Gordon Perkins, and Kelly found the bottom corner. It was game on, but it was the hosts who won it on 65 minutes. McKenzie was sent down the left channel, and he squared the ball to Jamie Bilaloski who poked the ball home.
In the final game Fremantle City have scored deep into stoppage time to beat a ten-man Armadale 2-1 at Hilton Park. Scotlan Morrison had given John Baird’s side the lead at the break, but they were reduced to ten men late, with Cherno Bah sent off. Charlie Chechlacz levelled early in the second half, and former Armadale winger Chad Nielson won for Scott Miller’s side in the 94th minute. “It was a really important win for us today. We were disappointing in the first half and started too slowly, which allowed Armadale to get on top early,” Nilson said post-match. “The red card before halftime probably sparked a response within our group, and I thought we showed a lot more patience and control in the second half.
“We dominated the game after the break, waited for our moments, and thankfully were able to take them. It was nice to score the last-minute winner, but most importantly it was a big three points for the team.” Armadale hit the front on 33 minutes, a long clearance from keeper David Keenan found Corey Sutherland on the left. He outmuscled his marker, before finding Morrison on the edge of the box, and his low shot beat Luke Radonich. But all their hard work was undone just before the break, when Bah was shown a second yellow card for simulation, it looked very harsh, but it left Armadale down to ten.
The hosts were level five minutes into the second half, Nick Ambrogio sent Nilson down the left, his cross was deflected to Chechlacz, who made mistake, firing low past Kennan. It looked like Armadale would hang on for a well-earned point, but deep into stoppage time, and the last action of the game, Fremantle won it. Riley Woodcock’s corner from the right picked out an unmarked Nilson at the back post, who headed home, much to the delight of the home faithful and his fellow teammates.
28.3.2026
KNIGHTS CONTINUE UNBEATEN START TO THE SEASON AFTER BEAT REDSTAR
Western Knights have remained unbeaten in the New Balance NPLWA – Men’s competition after a thrilling 4-2 win against Perth RedStar, in our week five ‘Match of the Round’ at Nash Field on Saturday afternoon. The hosts raced to a three-goal lead, with goals from Regan Hutchison and a brace from Kristian Santich. Matthew George reduced the margin before the break, but Jesse Lazzaro sealed the points from the spot in the second half, before substitute Jacob Evans pulled one back late, but it was too little too late for the visitors.
“A brilliant win for us, we were relentless and resilient off the ball with our pressure and our shape and in transition we broke with pace and a purpose and was ruthless in the final third,” Knights defender Regan Hutchinson said post-match. “I thought we did the basics well and showed why we are one to watch this season. We Keep grinding these results out and make it difficult for teams that play us.”
It was the visitors who started the brighter and a long clearance from Sonny O’Shea caused confusion between keeper and defender, and Noah Lummert was quick to clear the danger. Moments later Redstar had a penalty shout turned down after Daniel Walsh looked to go through Gordon Smith, but the referee was well placed to wave away their protests. The Knights settled and Luke Hewings’ teasing cross landed on top of the net, and on 12 minutes they found the opener. Hewings crossfield pass found Hutchinson, and the English defender strode forward and fired home from distance.
RedStar looked for an immediate response, and from Aaron Black’s corner Blair Govan header was pushed around the post by Sam Reilly. Moments later Benson Nsegetse raced down the right, and cross was turned inches over his own goal by Walsh. But on 18 minutes it was 2-0, a quick break by Justin Tang found Konstantinos Sparta on the right, and his low cross was fired home by Santich. The visitors were shell-shocked, but they conceded a third ten minutes later. Hewings ball into the box was only cleared as far as Santich, and the midfielder fired home superbly from the edge of the box.
It was a dream start for the Knights, but RedStar were back in the game seven minutes later. Matthew Goerge found Black on the left, and he slipped a ball back to George, who had continued his run, and he fired low past Reilly. The visitors ended the half the better, George’s curling effort flashed wide of the post before Riley Warland saw his effort cleared off the line by Noah Lummert, but the Knights held firm, and RedStar had it all to do after the break.
The Knights went close to a fourth straight from the kick off in the second half, Woonsub Sim’s audacious lob had Luca Iovene back-peddling to tip the ball over the top. They were in again on 53 minutes, Sparta’s shot from the edge of the box took a slight deflection, and whistled just wide of the post. They went even closer moments later and attempted clearance from Govan ricocheted off Hutchison, the ball cannoning back off the post, before Jesse Lazzaro’s curling effort was pushed wide by the alert Iovene.
Just before the hour, RedStar thought they had a second, after Smith headed home Black’s cross, but the Scottish striker had strayed inches offside. But two minutes later it was the Knights that added a fourth, referee David Bruce pointing to the spot after Hewings’ shot hit the arm of Tom Hough, and Lazzaro sent Iovene the wrong way from the resulting penalty. It was nearly five moments later, when Ryan Finnie’s poor pass was intercepted and Santich was denied a hat-trick by a smart save for the busy Iovene.
With RedStar pushing men forward the Knights had chances to put the game to bed, Hewings firing into the side netting, before Santich’s snap shot was saved by Iovene. But the visitors did find a lifeline ten minutes from time, with substitute Jacob Evans curling home superbly from distance. Both sides cleared the benches with time running out, the best chance for RedStar to cut the deficit came from Black’s whose teasing cross was punched clear by Reilly, with players waiting to pounce on a mistake. The win keeps the Knights in second place, and still unbeaten, while the first loss of the season sees Redstar drop to fifth.
Western Knights: GK Sam Reilly, 2 Regan Hutchinson, 4 Daniel Walsh, 6 Noah Lummert, 8 Woonsub Sim (5 Max Blackshaw 81’), 15 Konstantinos Sparta, 16 Justin Tang (9 Manase Abandelwa 81’), 18 Sammy Barry (10 Jack Sprigg 65’), 20 Luke Hewings, 21 jesse Lazzaro, 22 Kristian Santich (17 Asher Hwight 88’) - Subs not used: RGK Anthony Lance, 3 Luke Sprigg, 7 Dylan White
Perth RedStar: GK Luca Iovene, 2 Nick Walsh, 3 Riley Warland, 4 Blair Govan, 9 Aaron Black. 10 Matthew George (23 Jacob Evans 67’), 14 Gordon Smith (5 Oskar Patterson 87’), 17 Sonny O’Shea, 18 Tom Hough (24 Teddie Curran 84’), 19 Ryan Finnie, 21 Benson Nsegetse – Subs not used: RGK Jayden Ispiroglu, 6 Matthew Ntoumenopoulos, 11 Dennis Galan, 37 Taj Filipe – Referee: David Bruce
28.3.2026
MANDURAH MOVE TOP AFTER WIN AT COCKBURN
Mandurah City have continued their winning start to their State League Division One season, after a hard fought 3-2 win against Cockburn City in our ‘Match of the Round’ clash at Dalmatinac Park on Saturday afternoon. “Today was our best result to date, a dominant performance from start to finish and on another day, we win that game by more,” Mandurah coach Zach Headington said. “Cockburn were clinical in their goals but great character from the group to react and come back from behind twice and then to win speaks volumes.”
It was the hosts who opened the scoring on the quarter hour, Luka Caceres made space down the left, his cross was blocked, but he pounced on the rebound and crossed to Isaac Mcvittie at the back post, who made no mistake. But the Dolphins were level on 38 minutes, Kris Zaluzinskis sent Charlie Breen racing down the right, and he cut the ball back to Jordan Callaghan, whose first shot was saved by Ben Radonich, but he fired home the rebound. Cockburn regained the lead again early in the second half, Matthew Bowen crossing from the left and Mcvittie was on hand to fire home his second. But Mandurah restored parity on 64 minutes, Harry Collins’ ball into the box was played into the path of Joey O’Brien by Sam Lovall, and the former Sorrento striker finished clinically.
The visitors won it five minutes later, a quickly taken free kick from Collins found Lovell in space on the left, his cross found Callaghan, whose flick was saved by Radonich, but the striker was quickest to the rebound to score from a tight angle. The only downside of the game was the sending off of Max Worswick, who picked up a second yellow for a challenge on Bowen three minutes from time. Then from the resulting free kick, Josiah Godfrey saved well low to his left to deny Andrew Rankin, Mandurah held firm to take home all three points. ‘A hard-fought win till the end, to come back from being behind twice shows a lot of character,” O’Brien said. “I’m very proud of the overall work rate and our reaction when things went wrong.”
UWA Nedlands have scored deep into stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw against Gwelup Croatia at the Croatian Sporting Complex, Wishart Street. “We were far too passive and took too long to find our rhythm in the first half,” UWA Coach Kris Donnell said. “To the players credit, the second half was a big improvement, we showed more intensity, moved the ball quicker and looked more like ourselves, but we have to be more clinical in front of goal. We created enough chances to get something from the game, but at this level you have to take those moments.’
The home side made the perfect start, and were ahead on seven minutes, UWA were caught in possession out on the left, and Jeremie Mba raced away, and fired low past keeper Jim Collins at his near post, and Basil Lenzo’s side led at the break. It looked they would hold on for their first win of the season, but that all changed in the third minute of stoppage time. A ball into the box by Jake Sardelic struck the arm of Jack Overy and the referee pointed to the spot. It did look harsh, but after consulting with his assistant, he confirmed the penalty, and Lewis Nohar kept his nerve and sent Rocco Liberti the wrong way, to give both sides a share of the spoils. “The lads showed great intent and spirit today and that is what we were after,” Gwelup coach Basil Lenzo said. “I think it was a fair result and we are really super proud of the young squad.”
In the final game Inglewood United have come from behind to earn their first point of the season, after a 1-1 draw with Murdoch University Melville at the Proto DPS Inglewood Stadium. “I thought we were unfortunate not to get the three points today, we had a lot of the ball and dictated a lot of the play,” Inglewood defender Ciaran Salinger explained. “Credit to MUMFC who hung in and defended well, sadly we couldn’t convert the chances we had. Disappointing to not get three points, but we need to go again for Thursday against Floreat.” Both sides went into this one looking for their first wins of the season, and it was the visitors who found the opener on 19 minutes. Gustavo Giron-Marulanda was picked out in space in the middle of the park, and the former Bayswater City striker moved forward and his shot from the edge of the box found the bottom corner of the net past Jordan Barbas.
But Inglewood levelled six minutes before the break. Salinger won possession in his own half and he played a diagonal pass to Declan Hudson, and his cross found Martin Coughlan at the back post, who calmly took a touch and slotted the ball home. Both sides had chances to win it after the break, but had to settle for a point each. “The conditions were a lot better than expected, pitch was great but game was scrappy,’ MUMFC assistant coach Gsvin Brown said. “A draw was probably a fair result. Lots of effort, but not a lot of control from either side.” The games between Subiaco AFC and Quinns at Rosalie Park, and Kingsley Westside and Curtin University at Chichester Park were both postponed.
28.3.2026
ROCKINGHAM WIN IT LATE AT MORLEY
Our week two State League Division Two ‘Match of the Round’ didn’t disappoint, with Rockingham City scoring two late goals to beat Morley Windmills 2-1 at Wotton Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Rockingham coach Matthew Brook said it was good to continue their winning start to the season, but they were made to work hard for it. “We struggled to find our rhythm in the first half, credit to Morley they were hard to break down and they controlled a lot of the game,” Brook explained. “In the second half we were much better and controlled the game and began to create chances and on the balance of play deserved something out of the game. Credit to the lads the character was great, Morley are well drilled and hard to break down, they will be very competitive this year.”
The hosts, who opened their season with a win against East Perth last week, were ahead early, with Brennan Borzecki on target. It looked like that would be the winner, but three minutes from time Rockingham levelled. Ryan Kennedy whipped a free kick into a dangerous area and it ended up in the back of the net off a Morley player. That set up a frantic finish, with both sides chasing the winner, and it went to the visitors in the third minute of stoppage time. Another set piece from deep wasn’t dealt with and Shaun Mukwevho reacted well to the second phase to fire home to seal the win.
“It was a really hard-fought game. Morley were very organised with plenty of quality and very good on the attack,” Rockingham midfielder Chris Thackray said. “Going down one-nil early on away from home is always hard, but the lads never gave up, and we always knew that we would get the chances to win, and I thought it was the depth of quality in our squad that shone through in the later stages to win the game. Great to get another win on the road early in the season.”
Kalamunda City have bounced back from their first-round defeat at Carramar Shamrock Rovers, beating Forrestfield United 2-0 in the local derby at the Luxwin Stadium, Hartfield Park. “Really pleased with the performance today. I thought the group showed a strong response after last week, particularly in terms of discipline, work rate, and concentration across the full 90 minutes,” Kalamunda coach Kyle Robertson said. “A special mention to our goalkeeper Jake, who completely dominated his box and made some important interventions at key moments. That said, performances like this aren’t built on one or two players.
“What we saw today was a complete team performance. We were back to our best and controlled the game from start to finish. A lot of people wrote us off after last week, but Kris and I had full belief in this group. We’ve added quality to what we built last year, and now the players are really starting to buy into what we’re building. It’s also important to recognise that everyone played their part today, from the players to our strength and conditioning staff, our team manager, and the wider committee who support us behind the scenes.
“In a way, last week was needed. The response from the players this week was exactly what we were looking for, and full credit to them for how they approached it. Now the focus shifts to next week at Rockingham. They’re a strong side, full of confidence, and it should be a great contest. It’s one we’re really looking forward to. We’re expecting great support from the Kalamunda fans, and hopefully we can deliver another strong performance for them over the Easter weekend. Today was a big result, and it was important for us to show the city that Kalamunda City is the real deal.”
The visitors were ahead on 23 minutes, a corner from the left by Agustin Ventre was only cleared to the edge of the box to Isaac Spencer, and the former Armadale youngster drilled a low shot past James Wratten. They sealed the points with a second in the shadows of half time, Lorran De Almeida made space down the left and cut the ball back to Thang Sangpichung, and the former Gosnells midfielder made no mistake. “Kyle and Kristian gave us the tools we needed to get the results, but we knew ourselves after last week we needed to be better,” Kalamunda keeper Jake Maley-Orr explained. “Some quality defensive work, lead to fantastic transition allowing out forwards to really be dangerous. We will have be celebrating tonight but back to work come Tuesday for another "shock result" I have full trust in our team and background staff to get the job done.”
Wembley Downs have made to two from two, and moved to the top of the table on goal difference, after a 5-1 win against North Beach at Butlers Reserve. “Very happy with a good performance from the whole squad,” Wembley coach Luke Thompson said. “We were made to work really hard in the first half, but we made some small adjustments at half time and executed really well. All the substitutes made an impact today too showing great depth across the group.” The hosts were a head when Luke Coltman’s corner was headed home at the back post by Tristan Sullivan
But North Beach levelled before the break, with last season’s top goalscorer Alex Kretowicz on target. But Wembley took control after half time, and they regained the lead when Callum McLeod’s free kick from the right found substitute Toby Robertson, who beat the onrushing keeper to the ball to score. It was 3-1 when Rory Hannon beat his marker down the right and crossed to Josh Chalmers, and the skipper made no mistake. Robertson bagged his second to make it 4-1, getting on the end of a cutback from the byline from McLeod, before Taye Thistlethwaite added the fifth, heading home to complete the scoring.
In the final game Canning City and Gosnells City have played out a scoreless draw at Burrendah Park. “We created a few good openings but failed to convert our chances, that’s been a bit of a repetitive theme over the last few weeks and something we need to get right moving forward,’ Canning City coach Lee Hayward explained. “I thought we defended reasonably well but struggled to put through the lines. It's still a pretty new squad with almost an 80% turnover from last season, but I’m confident we can get it right over the coming weeks.” Former Gosnells striker Moses Macauley was a handful, first denied by Gosnells keeper Andrew Craggs early, before he got on the end of a Kevin Beattie cross, but his header crashed off the post.
Gosnells’ best chance fell Abdul Dofash, but he was denied by a great save from Paul Leask. Canning could have won it late, but Craggs stood tall to deny Freeman Nyatsambo, but it ended 0-0. “I thought it was a fair result, both teams had their chances in a hard-fought battle,” Gosnells coach Peter Allan said. “We are still a work in progress, but Alan and I were really pleased how the young players fought the game out to earn our first point of the season.” The other two games of the round, Ashfield against Balga at the Ashfield Arena, and Carramar Shamrock Rovers against East Perth at Grandis Park, were postponed.
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