Welcome to Wonderkid Watch: A weekly piece that keeps you up to date with the players and stories emerging from A-Leagues clubs playing at NPL level in Australia.
17-year-old’s stunning volley as Perth Glory roll on
Perth Glory sit third in NPL Western Australia after a comfortable 3-1 win over Sorrento FC on Friday night, headlined by a stunning strike from a 17-year-old.
Daniel Jankulovski opened the scoring with a strong header in the 20th minute and the match was put beyond doubt in the 86th minute by substitute Royie Rahamim, but the highlight was a supremely-hit volley by teenager Alfie Knight.
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After a free-kick cannoned into the wall, Knight latched onto the ball perfectly from the edge of the area and rifled his first-time finish into the bottom corner.
The result sees Glory, who are the top scoring side in the division with 35 goals, sitting third on 28 points, trailing Bayswater (36 points) and Olympic Kingsway (32 points) after 14 rounds.
Next up is a clash against bottom-placed Floreat Athena.
GLORY EXITS: Perth Glory announce 4 departures as off-season squad overhaul continues
Adelaide United stun league leaders thanks to brilliant assist
Isuzu UTE A-League fans got a taste of what teen full-back Harry Crawford can do last season when he burst onto the scene with a stunning goal – and he’s still strutting his stuff with the club’s NPL side in the off-season.
Over the weekend, the young Reds achieved a superb result with a 1-1 draw against runaway NPL South Australia league leaders Metrostars, who currently sit nine points clear at the top after 16 matches with just one loss.
They hadn’t dropped points since April 26, ending a run of 10 wins in a row in all competitions.
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Metrostars did open the scoring after 19 minutes, but had to share the points after a quickly taken free-kick unleashed Crawford down the right wing, with the 18-year-old producing a superb pinpoint cross for Alex Battistela to equalise.
Crawford made seven first team appearances last term and will be eyeing more in 2025-26 after NPL head coach Airton Andrioli was handed the senior side.
Adelaide’s NPL outfit currently sit sixth and boast an array of rising stars also including Ryan White, Amlani Tatu and Feyzo Kazumovic, who have experience in the senior side.
Son of a gun in unstoppable form as Mariners get crucial win
Jai Rose, the son of Central Coast Mariners great Josh, continues to go from strength to strength in NPL NSW.
The 17-year-old scored and provided an assist for teammate Ahmad Elhelou in a 2-0 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers that lifted his side off the bottom of the ladder and above their opponents.
Rose has scored twice and provided three assists in his last four matches in a period of resurgence for the Mariners who appear to be locked in a relegation battle.
“I’d like to play at the highest level I possibly can in the future,” Rose told the NPL NSW website ahead of that 2-0 win.
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“Right now I’m happy with where I’m at. I just need to keep refining my game, keep working hard and be ready for any opportunities that are presented to me.”
The Mariners sit 15th on the ladder, just behind Western Sydney Wanderers, who had a 1-1 draw with Wollongong Wolves over the weekend as Edmun Haddad’s penalty saw the points split.
“It is disappointing to lose after being up one-nil and having a few opportunities throughout the game,” Wanderers head coach Richie Cardozo told the NPL NSW website.
“Every point is vital for us and this was one of the youngest sides we’ve put out so I’m proud of them.”
Meanwhile, Sydney FC were beaten 1-0 by Marconi Stallions, leaving them seventh on the ladder after 21 matches.
In Football NSW League One action, Bulls FC Academy went down 2-1 to Blacktown Spartans despite Atiya Waranga’s goal, while Newcastle Jets won a thriller 3-2 over Northern Tigers as Maxwell Cooper scored a 92nd minute winer following strikes from Oliver Cockle and Xavier Bertoncello.
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In the NPLW NSW, Western Sydney Wanderers were beaten 2-1 by Gladesville Ravens as Amy Barker found the back of the net, while Newcastle Jets were beaten 2-0 by Manly United.
Bulls FC Academy enjoyed a 3-1 win over Northern Tigers thanks to goals from Claudia Valletta, Tamires Souza and Petria Phillips.
Goals galore in busy week for young Roar
Brisbane Roar’s youth side were in action twice this week, scoring five goals.
On Wednesday night, they played out a 3-3 draw with Eastern Suburbs in NPL Queensland; Caleb Butler scored an early equaliser before Roar found themselves down 3-1, prompting an impressive comeback thanks to goals from Aaron Morris and Jackson O’Reilly.
Morris took just eight minutes to score his first goal for the club after arriving from Moreton Bay Excelsior.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, the Roar suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Lions FC in the Kappa Pro Series, bringing their best ever run in the tournament to a close in the semi-finals.
After falling behind, the A-Leagues club took the lead thanks to goals from Asim Sehovic and David Russell, before a quick-fire brace from Queensland goal machine Andy Pengelly settled the match in the 82rd minute.
Victory suffer 92nd-minute heartbreak
Melbourne Victory went down 2-1 to Melbourne Knights in NPL Victoria on Monday night as a 92nd minute penalty sealed their fate.
Patrick Wall opened the scoring after just five minutes as a Knights set piece routine backfired, but the Victory could not hold on in a result that puts them firmly in a relegation battle after 20 matches of the season.
They now sit 12th with 15 points, level with Port Melbourne and two points clear of Knights.
Meanwhile in VPL1, Melbourne City salvaged a 1-1 draw with Melbourne Srbija care of a late Beckham Baker penalty, while Western United went down 2-1 to Moreland City.
Over in New Zealand, Auckland FC’s reserves were beaten 2-1 by East Coast Bays, while Wellington Phoenix drew 1-1 with Napier City.
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