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.
Can anyone stop the high-flying Jets?
Newcastle Jets are enjoying an historic season in Football NSW League Two and young gun Alex Nunes has been at the forefront of their relentless charge towards promotion.
Nunes was among the goals as the high-flying Jets crushed Parramatta FC 4-0 to stay unbeaten in NSW’s third tier.
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The 17-year-old opened the scoring for Newcastle, whose historic undefeated season continued into a 20th match (W15 D5) with Amos Okumu, Kierry James and Christian Bracco also on target.
“Alex is a highly talented creative footballer who has spent time training with the first team last season,” Stanton said.
“He has progressed well, and I’ve monitored his performances with the Youth Team this season and he’s ready to make the next step into a full-time A-League environment. It’s now up to him to apply himself and develop further.”
Nunes has been likened to former Argentina, Valencia and Benfica star Pablo Aimar by his former Jets youth coach Ric Marchioli, who said he is a “classic number 10”.
Over the weekend, he took his goal tally for the season to seven as he looks to make his A-Leagues debut in 2024-25.
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Through 20 rounds, Janni Rafty is Newcastle’s leading scorer with 12, followed by Xavier Bertoncello (11) and Justin Vidic (9).
In League One, Craig Noone’s promotion-chasing Bulls FC Academy came from behind to conquer Bankstown City 2-1 in dramatic fashion.
A moment of magic from Bulls captain Flynn Madden in the 91st minute decided the contest on Saturday afternoon.
Jonathan Grozdanovski put Bankstown ahead approaching the half-hour mark before Dean Bosnjak equalised 27 minutes from the end.
Then, Madden won the ball on the edge of the penalty area and curled a strike into the back of the net in the first minute of stoppage time.
Madden has been making an impact, on and off the field in NSW.
The 19-year-old, who is eyeing an A-Leagues debut under Mile Sterjovski at Macarthur FC, is the founder of XEO Sports, which sells clothing for athletes and also holds football clinics in Wollongong and the Southern Highlands.
During the week, Madden trains in the mornings with the Bulls and then runs coaching clinics in the afternoons.
Sky Blues claim bragging rights with season first
The Isuzu UTE A-League season may be done and dusted but there are still bragging rights on the line at NPL level.
Sydney FC painted the town Sky Blue over the weekend after downing rivals Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0 in NPLM NSW.
The relegation-threatened Sky Blues claimed three crucial points at Wanderers Football Park, where Mathias Macallister‘s first-half double set the tone before Tiago Quintal put the result beyond doubt in the 67th minute.
The 17-year-old dreams of playing for the Socceroos or Norway, where he born as his father Dylan plied his trade for SK Brann.
The 17-year-old academy graduate, who has called the Sky Blues home since the age of 11, is highly regarded at the Sky Blues, having trialled at the academy of European giants Lyon last year while he earned a place on the bench for an Isuzu UTE A-League fixture for the first time this season.
It was Sydney’s first away win of the season as they moved onto 18 points through 21 games, six points ahead of bottom-placed Central Coast Mariners, who lost 2-0 to Manly United.
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“I thought we were really dominant and restricted them to long shots at goal while having quite a few ourselves,” Sydney FC coach Jimmy Van Weeren said via NPL NSW.
“The collective effort was great and the young group which was exposed to men’s football has a belief now that they can compete.”
The Wanderers were once top of the table but Western Sydney have lost four straight games to be fifth in the standings, 13 points off the pace.
In NPLW NSW, Bulls FC Academy went down 3-2 to APIA Leichhardt.
Amber Luchtmeijer and Central Coast Mariners star Peta Trimis scored to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead before APIA rallied with a 10-minute blitz to beat the visitors.
Emerging Jets’ trip to Sydney University, meanwhile, was washed out.
City youngster extends goalscoring run
Arion Sulemani is making up for lost time after his latest goal for Melbourne City in VPL1.
While City lost 2-1 to Bulleen Lions in Victoria’s second tier on Monday night, 19-year-old Sulemani scored to take his tally to five in his past four matches.
One of club’s most “highly rated” prospects, he had been on the verge of earning his first senior minutes at Isuzu UTE A-League level before his length spell on the sidelines.
Sulemani is contracted through to the 2025-26 season after signing a deal in June last year.
City are eighth in the standings after 19 matches, 17 points behind league-leading rivals Melbourne Victory heading into this week’s derby at Casey Fields.
A much-changed Victory were dismantled by struggling Caroline Springs George Cross 4-0 – a result that boosted their opponent’s survival chances.
Victory made five changes to the starting XI at Epping Stadium and the result means they are now just three points clear of Northcote City and Preston Lions.
Western United are just four points off the pace amid their seven-game unbeaten streak following a 2-2 draw with bottom side North Geelong Warriors.
Nicolas Koek scored twice for Diogo Ferreira’s Western.
In NPLW VIC, Calder United lost 5-0 to Moreland Zebras.
Over in NPLM SA, Adelaide United were swept aside 5-1 by the MetroStars while Perth Glory snapped their drought with a 1-0 win over Floreat Athena in NPLM WA.
Ivan Ozzi scored in the 86th minute as Brisbane Roar topped Wynnum Wolves 3-2 in NPLM QLD. Kade McDougall and James Durrington also scored for Brisbane.
