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Club Legend
- May 7, 2019
- 2,683
- 1,379
- AFL Club
- Essendon
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The Melbourne derby served to show that there's a big step up from NPLW to the W-League. City had Johnson, McCormick and Tori Tumeth starting in defence yesterday (the same back three that was ripped apart by Victory the previous weekend). Johnson is still getting back to full match speed after spending a year in retirement but has almost 100 NSWL games and a couple of seasons in the W-League to her name, McCormick runs hot and cold but is a capped Matilda, while Tumeth is playing her first season of W-League after being signed out of NPLNSW. Tumeth is a player of the future (she's a Young Matilda) but she's definitely the weakest link in the back three, and when Checker came in for her in the second half, it was pretty obvious just how much the City defence stiffened against a Victory team looking for the winning goal.
I have to say I don't quite understand why Vidosic insists that Withers has to play on the right flank. She's a centre forward but every time she had the ball yesterday afternoon, she went straight to the right flank - the only two times she didn't, she missed a shot on goal then scored the winner. Withers spent four seasons playing US college football and set a scoring record for her college (37 goals in four seasons), and then she scored 12 goals in 14 games for Souths United in the NPLW Queensland competition in 2019-2020. For a team crying out for a striker, it's remarkable that Vidosic insists on playing the sole striker on their books out of position. At least it's slightly better than playing a natural winger in Dobson up front.
Despite the win, I'm not sure that Vidosic has got the formation right this season.
This Adelaide side has got some game about them.
I thought we were comfortably the better side TBH.Peacock said that they go equal top after beating City. Looking at the raw stats, City would feel pretty aggrieved about not coming away with at least a point. They dominated possession but the lack of a cutting edge up front undid them, as well as a turnover in midfield allowing Holmes to smash home the winner from down-town. City have compiled a lot of midfielders but have nobody to play as a striker for them, and I believe the new Norwegian player that Peacock referenced in the coverage is yet another midfielder. The squad looks unbalanced when Vidosic is forced to play Kira and Chidiac, both midfielders, up front.
Adelaide rode their luck, but they also made the most of their opportunities when they created them. The inter-play that led to Holmes' first goal was exquisite, as it manipulated the City defence out of position and allowed Holmes to slip through the defence and score her first ever W-League goal. I believe that Holmes is eligible to play for Australia and also Brazil, as she was born in Sao Paolo. I think there's a bit of a push to get her into the Matildas, so that she doesn't get called up by Brazil when international football returns (the USWNT did thrash Colombia this week). I do think she's a fair way short of the calibre needed to play for the Matildas, but if she keeps improving she could earn a cap or two in the next 12 months.