These are the key talking points from Round 18 in the Liberty A-League.
There was a controversial moment involving a Newcastle Jets goalkeeper and a pair of late equalisers that threw up a spanner in the finals race.
But the standout was an emotional farewell for football royalty in Canberra.
With a lot to dissect, here are the key talking points from Round 18 of the Liberty A-League.
Should Newcastle’s goalkeeper have been sent off?
That was the question immediately raised as Claire Coelho took down Adelaide United’s reigning Julie Dolan Medallist and Golden Boot winner Fiona Worts in the first half at Coopers Stadium on Friday evening.
The Newcastle Jets goalkeeper – who has called the club home since debuting in 2013 – aside from a brief loan at Sydney FC six years ago – saved a penalty and produced another incredible save in a 2-2 draw away to Adelaide. But should she have been on the field?
With the second-bottom Jets leading 1-0, the referee only brandished a yellow card for a dangerously high boot that earned Adelaide a penalty.
“You just can’t do that as a goalkeeper,” said former Liberty A-League star Teresa Polias at the time of the penalty during the Paramount+ coverage.
Coelho then saved Maruschka Waldus’ spot-kick in the 22nd minute as Lauren Allan doubled the lead seven minutes later after Newcastle teammate Lucy Johnson had become the first Tasmanian to score in the Liberty A-League.
“I’ve seen very similar ones red carded,” Polias added.
On the stroke of half-time, the 26-year-old Coelho also produced a stunning goal-line save to deny Jenna McCormick from point-blank range.
Newcastle, though, squandered that two-goal lead as Adelaide’s scholarship duo came to the Reds’ rescue in the second half.
Katie Bowler reduced the deficit eight minutes into the second half before substitute Emilia Murray equalised with two minutes of regulation remaining in South Australia.
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While the Reds emerged from the jaws of defeat, the point was not enough to stop last seasons’ semi-finalists from being eliminated from finals contention.
It did, however, put the spotlight on Bowler, who has scored two goals in her past three matches for Adelaide.
“If you’re Adelaide, you’re signing her now – multi-year deal,” Polias insisted.
An emotional McKellar Park send-off for an A-Leagues legend
From foundation player to club legend showered in silverware, Saturday afternoon was a special one for retiring Canberra United defender Ellie Brush.
The 34-year-old former Matilda received her moment to bid the faithful Canberra crowd farewell when substituted in the 86th minute of her side’s clash with Melbourne Victory at McKellar Park; it was her 112th appearance for the club, and her final fixture in front of the club’s adoring home fans.
Brush will call time on her career at the end of the 2022-23 A-League Women season; the defender has contributed to two Championships (2012, 2015) and two Premierships (2012, 2014) throughout her time at Canberra to date, and could yet add to that collection should her side manage to snatch an unlikely spot in the top four by the season’s end.
Brush was substituted in the 86th minute with her side leading 1-0 against Melbourne Victory. Canberra went on to concede two minutes later as the game finished 1-1, lengthening Canberra’s odds of a finals berth as they slid into sixth spot on the table.
But beyond the final whistle, attention turned to celebrating Brush for all her achievements in green, and her contribution to the club over a long and decorated career.
Watching on in the Dub Zone studio was ex-Canberra striker Grace Gill who, when looking back at Brush’s arduous injury history, had nothing but praise for her former teammate for getting back on the park for one last consistent season, and going out on her own terms.
“It’s the most important part of that (journey),” Gill said on Dub Zone.
“She had one ACL injury, another ACL injury and at that point, for so many players, that’s your career done. That’s your career over.
“She (rehabilitated) really well, she’s a physio as well so she knows what she’s doing… she’s done so well to come back to Canberra, and to be back in front of her home crowd, her family, friends, partner and parents, and a packed McKellar Park is a really special moment.”
Pair of late equalisers which changed the face of the top-four race
There’s nothing like a bit of late drama to throw a cat among the pigeons.
On Saturday afternoon the Liberty A-League served up twice the fun with a pair of exhilarating equalisers to shake up the finals race.
Firstly it was Melbourne City depriving Sydney FC of three points via Kaitlyn Torpey’s 94th-minute leveller in a 1-1 draw. Then, Melbourne Victory’s Tiffany Eliadis repeated the feat just two minutes before stoppage time in her side’s clash with Canberra United in a match which finished with the very same scoreline.
The top four implications of each result were significant. Sydney would have reclaimed top spot on the table with a win over City – instead they remain behind Western United by two points. City, meanwhile, sit seven points clear of fifth-placed Perth Glory after securing a point against the Sky Blues.
Glory – who have three games to play – are the only team capable of knocking them out of the four by the end of the season, and that extra point means Alex Epakis’ side would need to notch at least seven points from their remaining three games, whilst significantly bolstering their meagre goal difference, to bump City out of the finals.
For Victory, a point against Canberra was pivotal. They were just minutes away from defeat at McKellar Park – a result which would have brought Canberra to within three points of the fourth-placed side.
Instead, there’s now a five-point gap between the two teams after the 1-1 draw. Meantime a 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix allowed Glory to jump Canberra into fifth, and now look the likeliest of the two sides outside the top four to make a late tilt at the finals places.
With just two rounds left to play – every game and every late, points-saving goal – is of upmost importance for teams attempting to navigate a series of sliding doors en route to the post-season.
Glory star setting a ‘benchmark’ in Liberty A-League
High praise for a key cog in Perth Glory’s finals charge.
Cyera Hintzen is piecing together a sensational season in the west. Her fifth goal of the campaign came in Glory’s Round 18 clash with Wellington Phoenix – a game which the latter side dominated but failed to take anything from in a 1-0 result settled by one moment of pure quality from the 25-year-old spearhead.
Glory star Rylee Baisden suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in January after a scintillating start to the campaign, in which she scored five goals in six games.
The timing of the injury meant Glory were unable to find a proper replacement for the American’s goals – but Hintzen has since stepped forward to do the heavy lifting in attack. Hintzen now has five goals and five assists to her name this season, with the latest keeping Perth’s slim finals hopes alive.
“I say it quite often back in Perth: I believe she’s one of the benchmark nines (strikers) in the competition,” Epakis said after the 1-0 win over Wellington.
“Not just from a goalscoring capacity, but also from the work she (does) off the ball. Even until the 95th minute she’s back pressing players and helping out.
“For me, she’s the full package.”
Green shoots for Kat Smith’s Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers’ finals hopes may be over, but they can take plenty of positive notes out of Kat Smith’s first season as head coach.
The Wanderers came away with a 3-1 victory over Brisbane Roar, ending an over 10-year long wait for a win at home to the Queensland-based side.
It continued an eight-game unbeaten run at Wanderers Football Park to round out the season as well (6W, 2D) – showcasing just how much of a fortress their spiritual home had become towards the end of the campaign.
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It’s one of many positives to take out of a season which looked to be spiralling out of control in January, having not won a game in almost a year and none in their opening seven games of the 2022-23 Liberty A-League term.
But since knocking off leaders Western United in early January, the Wanderers have been much improved – winning four, drawing three and losing three.
Not only that, a host of top quality players have had breakout seasons, including Clare Hunt – who is now a Matilda – Alexia Apostolakis, Sophie Harding and Bethany Gordon, while established veterans such as Amy Harrison and Sarina Bolden have put together solid campaigns.
“To come in and, from where the club was, try and create something; to bring a core group together to look to the future to bring some stability, that’s going to come with time,” said Smith.
“Players and the staff need to take stock and be proud of the progress that we’ve made because you don’t come into training every day not to have growth.
“It’s nice that while there are other measures and metrics you can use to monitor that, at the end of the day it’s about results.
“We can see that transfer now and that’s really pleasing.”
The Wanderers’ campaign wraps up in just under a fortnight’s team when they take on the side they beat to kickstart their resurgence – Western United on April 1.
Beyond that, all eyes will be on the Wanderers to see if they can use this as a launching pad back into the finals next season.
