It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as the A-League Women’s season finally gets underway!
It’s shaping up to be a season of redemption for the Wander Women, after they fell heartbreakingly short of breaking their finals drought last season.
It was a season of ups and downs, as a coaching change on the eve of the season meant it was a slow start for the Wanderers, but under the guidance of coach Robbie Hooker they soon found their feat.
A run of just one loss in seven games – including six wins – saw the Wanderers shoot up the table, and this was primarily down to the form of one player.
It was a breakout year for Sophie Harding, as she scored 12 goals in 21 games, the highest ever for a Wanderers player in a season.
Not only did she earn her first ever call up to the Matildas set up earlier in the year, but she was also named the Julie Dolan Medal winner for the 2023-24 season as the best player in the A-League Women.
In a huge boost for the club, Harding has recommitted for the next two seasons, and she will no doubt be a key player once again for the Wanderers.
She is not the only key player sticking around, as a host of crucial cogs in the Wanderers system have also signed new deals to stay on in Wanderland.
Club captain Amy Harrison, last season’s player of the year Danika Matos, and long serving midfielder Olivia Price are all returning, as are Holly Caspers and Cushla Rue to name a few.
The return of Caspers is especially big, given she scored five times and assisted seven more goals last season as she formed a lethal combination with Harding going forward.
Some of the young stars of the Wanderers have also signed new deals, including Ella Buchanan and Talia Younis.
Young talent time has been something of a theme in Western Sydney during the off-season, with the club focusing on promoting a number of players from the academy set-up to the first team.
Milly Bennett, Amelia Cassar, and Talia Kapetanellis have all signed deals with the senior side after being train-on players last season, whilst Sienna Saveska has returned to the club after a season with our crosstown rivals.
There have been some players with more experience signed up too, including former Central Coast defender Paige Hayward, who will look to be a replacement for the departed Vicky Bruce.
The biggest thing going in the favour of the Wanderers heading into season 2024-25 is the fact the squad has had a much more settled pre-season.
Hooker’s introduction just days out from last season meant the side got off to a slow start that eventually cost them a spot in the finals, with their form during the rest of the season being hugely impressive.
They got particularly strong results against the top sides in the competition, recording wins over all but one of the teams who finished in the finals.
It is their record against the weaker teams in the competition they will look to build on this season, with failures to beat Adelaide, Brisbane, and Wellington – teams who all finished below the Wanderers – costing them dear at the end of the season.
Despite this, there is huge optimism surrounding the club, and staff and players will be hoping this is the year the Red and Black finally return to the finals!
