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.
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Featured image: MyShots JDB
*There was no football in NPLM SA meaning Adelaide United did not play, while Brisbane Roar’s NPLM QLD fixture was postponed, along with Central Coast Mariners’ game in NPLM NSW.
‘Nix kick-off new season in dominant fashion and the mission is clear: ‘It’s our job’
It’s a new season but the same objective for Wellington Phoenix’s reserve team in New Zealand’s Central League.
Over the weekend, Wellington were 4-0 winners over Upper Hutt City at Fraser Park.
Anaru Cassidy, Luke Mitchell, Ryan Watson and Jack Perniskie were the goalscorers for Chris Greenacre’s Phoenix on Saturday.
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It was a breath-taking second half from Wellington, who finished fifth last season, after pilling on four unanswered goals, including three goals in 17 minutes as new academy arrival Mitchell scored on debut.
Wellington had the perfect start to the campaign, however, it is all part of the wider picture for the A-Leagues team as they look to produce more first-team players.
This season alone in the Isuzu UTE A-League, the likes of Nathan Walker, Xuan Loke and Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues have all graduated from the academy, on top of Matthew Sheridan, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Alby Kelly-Heald and Luke Supyk.
“It’s always about looking forward,” head coach Chris Greenacre said via Wellington Phoenix prior to the start of the season.
“The group I’ve got have had a year of understanding how I work, how we want to work within our system, and what it takes to replicate what would happen in the professional environment.
“The day to day things of training, looking after your body, being in the gym, the psychological aspect of high-performance sport.
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“Hopefully we can improve on last year, having all this knowledge behind us. We have to always remember that it’s not all about winning, but a big part of it is still winning.
“We’re at a point now with my group where it’s not about handing out jerseys to everybody. You’ve got to earn that place.
“We can push on, and then the new players underneath are going to attach themselves to that and hopefully the process continues, and we can see even more young players pushing on to our first team environment.”
On Wellington’s academy graduates and the youth team moving forward, Greenacre – whose Phoenix faced Fiji and New Caledonia national teams in pre-season – added: “We’ve seen a high number of players achieve that recently.
“It shows the signs that the club is progressing and looking to the future when my group disintegrates.
“You feel like you’re starting all over again, even though you’ve got a nucleus of players who have been with you for a year.
“It shows the club is forward thinking, and we want to push our young players into the first team environment earlier than normal.
“It’s our job in the academy space to get the players to that level so they can become first team players, and hopefully fully fledged international players.
“The job’s trying to get players ready for the expectations of the first team environment and the first team staff.”
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As for Wellington’s Under-18 women’s team, they beat Waterside Karori 4-0 in the opening round of the women’s Central League on Saturday.
Mackenzie Bryant, Maisy McDonald, Isabella Temple and Amelie McClintock scored for the ‘Nix.
Unbeaten City make statement in big win over A-Leagues rivals
Talk about a statement win. Look no further than Melbourne City’s crushing victory over Western United in VPL1.
Alessandro Diamanti’s City soared to the top of the standings in Victoria’s second tier thanks to their 4-0 rout of fellow A-Leagues academy Western in Tarneit on Saturday.
In a mouth-watering battle pitting second against third, City came out on top in emphatic fashion away from home to stay undefeated through eight rounds.
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Emin Durakovic, Lawrence Wong, Akeem Gerald and Arion Sulemani were on the scoresheet for City, who are two points clear at the summit as they look to follow in the footsteps of Melbourne Victory after the latter were promoted to NPLM VIC last season.
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“I treat my players like Serie A players, nothing different,” Diamanti told aleagues.com.au previously. “I explain to them at 17, 18, 19 years old, in Europe they play starting XI so there’s no excuses.
“The motivation and confidence I give to them is just to be a Serie A player. This is how I treat them because they understand everything. They have the physicality, the talent to be there. It’s up to them.
“We prepare every game like a World Cup final because every game and training counts, especially at that age. This is who I am. Sometimes when I first start, they keep telling me this is young and old.
“For me, there is no young or old. For me, there is good, no good or ready, not ready. I go from there. I don’t want to know the age. They know me now. They don’t tell me the age (laughing).”
At U23 level, flawless Western United prevailed 4-3 in a thriller against Melbourne City.
A double from Golden Boot leader Alex Marmura inspired Western, while Oscar Tanic and Zackaria Kaddour also scored.
Marmura has now scored 10 goals for the season.
John Kellis bagged a brace for 10-man City, who also had Charlie Downes among the scorers.
Western have now won all eight of their fixtures in 2025 to sit five points ahead of second-placed City.
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In NPLM VIC, Melbourne Victory lost 2-1 to Green Gully as Tommaso Minutoli scored before being sent off.
Victory’s U20s also went down 2-0 to Green Gully – a result that left them level on points with Avondale FC and Dandenong City atop the table.
Wanderers’ promising season continues
Western Sydney Wanderers were back in the winners circle over the weekend in NPLW NSW.
The Wanderers bounced back from defeat with a 2-1 win over Gladesville Ravens at Wanderers Football Park.
An own goal from Eliza Coleman set the tone for Western Sydney before Anika Stajcic doubled the lead for the home side.
Stajcic has now scored three goals in four games this season.
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Elsewhere, Newcastle Jets lost 3-2 to Manly United at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The Jets led 2-1 but succumbed to a rallying and 10-player Manly last week.
Alexis Collins opened the scoring with a stunning 34th-minute goal before Marni Duggan restored Newcastle’s lead early in the second half.
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As for Bulls FC Academy, they were beaten 2-1 by Northern Tigers. Ashlee Brodigan pulled a goal back late for the Bulls.
In NPLM NSW, Sydney FC went down 2-0 to Mt Druitt Town Rangers while Western Sydney Wanderers lost 1-0 at Marconi Stallions.
Central Coast Mariners’ clash with Sydney Olympic was postponed.
Zac Fowler‘s hat-trick ignited Sydney FC’s 4-1 rout of Mt Druitt Town in the U20s as the seventh-placed Sky Blues extended their unbeaten run to five games.
Jacob Mclachlan also scored for Sydney.
Western Sydney – second in the table – edged Marconi 1-0 courtesy of Tristan Arrarte‘s 38th-minute goal.
Arrarte has scored six goals in 2025.
In Football NSW League One, Bulls FC Academy and Newcastle Jets were both winners over the weekend.
High-flying Newcastle cruised to a 4-0 win against Rydalmere Lions thanks to goals from Amos Okumu, Alex Nunes, Wil Southcombe and Janni Rafty in the second tier.
Okumu has scored five goals this season – four with the U20 side and one with the senior academy team after the weekend, while Southcombe also bagged his first senior goal of the campaign having struck four times in the U20s.
The Jets are third in the table and three points adrift, while they are four points clear of fifth-placed Bulls FC Academy, who took down Hills United 1-0 via Flynn Madden.
In the U20s, the Bulls and Jets are level on 21 points atop the table through eight games.
Lachlan Sattout and Ali El-Sabeh led the Bulls past Hills United 2-0, while Newcastle were 2-0 victors over Rydalmere Lions with Lucas Johnson and Dash Baker on target.
Over in NPLM WA, Perth Glory continued their unbeaten start to the season following a 2-2 draw at Sorrento FC.
Adrian Pini and Sebastian Despotovki scored for Glory, who are third in the standings after three rounds.
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