Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 16, thanks to Mitre.
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Western Sydney’s resurgence continues
It was a memorable night for two Western Sydney Wanderers against Newcastle Jets.
CommBank Matildas star Tash Prior opened the scoring for the Jets but resurgent Western Sydney rallied on a memorable night for goalscoring duo Trew and Harada before captain Amy Harrison and substitute Holly Caspers sealed the rout at Wanderers Football Park.
MATCH REPORT: Resurgent Wanderers extend streak against slumping Jets on memorable night for Western Sydney duo
Trew’s brilliant solo goal restored parity before Harada’s thunderous effort put the home side ahead as the Wanderers celebrated back-to-back wins, while extending their unbeaten run against Newcastle to five matches, dating back to 2022.
“Honestly, it was absolutely amazing to get the win. The girls fought really hard,” Trew told Paramount+.
“We conceded a goal inside 10 minutes and then we just fought back.”
On her memorable individual goal, Trew said: “All I was thinking was just tunnel-vision to goal. Get my first touch diagonal across from her (Prior). The girls are yelling at me to pass into the box. I saw the opportunity and I took it.”
The Wanderers are 10th in the standings through 16 rounds. As for the slumping Jets – Semi-Finalists in 2023-24 – they are 10 games without a win and 11th in the table.
“Not something I want to hear but it’s reality and we know that,” Cassidy Davis replied when asked about Newcastle’s 10-game drought.
“We just need to get over this result and focus on Perth. Pretty devastated with the result and try to get over this.”
‘This team can achieve anything’: High hopes for record-setting Adelaide
Another game and another weekend unbeaten for high-flying Adelaide United.
Third in the standings and nine points behind league-leading Melbourne City with a game in hand, Adelaide came from behind to earn a share of the spoils thanks to in-form Chelsie Dawber.
MATCH REPORT: Adelaide’s record run rolls on as in-form striker sends Reds second in comeback draw
Dawber has now scored three goals in three games and six in her past six matches, having found of the back of the net just once in the six previous outings. The 25-year-old’s form has catapulted her into the Golden Boot race, with her seven goals just one shy of the lead.
“I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination, so nothing surprises me, and I generally approach each season and each game by not putting a ceiling on the group,” said head coach Adrian Stenta when asked about the team’s unbeaten run and their potential.
“I think this team can achieve anything and everything. So, yeah, it’s been a really great turnaround and the credit has to go to the players.
“They’ve been awesome since day one. They’ve been outstanding, and I can’t speak highly enough of them, and a lot of those players were here last year as well.
“So it’s a real credit to them that they’ve been able to turn things around the way that they have.”
‘It took me bloody long enough’
A drought was broken and an unbeaten run rolled on as Melbourne City overcame rivals Sydney FC 2-1 in Saturday’s Grand Final rematch.
Mariana Speckmaier cancelled out Mackenzie Hawkesby’s opener just 25 seconds into the second half before Bryleeh Henry settled the Grand Final rematch in dramatic fashion.
Henry’s 89th-minute goal lifted City past the Sky Blues as she the CommBank Matildas forward celebrated her first A-Leagues goal in 714 days.
MATCH REPORT: Matilda’s first goal in 714 days seals City’s latest dramatic win in GF rematch
“It took me bloody long enough, that’s for sure,” she joked to Paramount+ afterwards.
“It’s good to get one, especially in a game like that to help the team win. Hopefully they keep flowing from here.”
City are top of the table and undefeated after 17 matches in the Ninja A-League this season. They are in the midst of a 20-game unbeaten streak across all competitions as they gear up for the AFC Women’s Champions League knockout phase.
“The belief is really high,” said Henry. “We’ve gone behind quite an number of times but we keep fighting.
“There is a lot of resilience in the team. The unbeaten streak is an amazing achievement no matter what sport. It’s really cool and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Matildas star’s prediction becomes reality as she lifts lid on struggles in honest interview
On the day of the game at the Home of the Matildas, the A-Leagues star wrote a note to herself, saying she would score two goals against the Mariners.
MATCH REPORT: Matildas star ends goal drought with deadly double as Victory sink Mariners
“The power of manifestation”, according to Gielnik, who is top of the Golden Boot standings with nine goals.
It was part of a honest post-game interview from the Australia international, who was overlooked for the CommBank Matildas’ SheBelieves Cup squad having scored once in eight games prior to the match against Central Coast.
“It’s been a really interesting few weeks for me,” Gielnik told Paramount+. “Obviously the non-selection for the Matildas hit home a bit. I haven’t been in form over the last six-seven weeks to be fair. It’s no secret that I’ve been in a goal drought.
“I’ll tell you a funny story. This might be a bit weird but out of nowhere today, I wrote myself a note and I said I will score two goals today. All I will say is the power of manifestation is real. It’s just about finding that belief within myself. I think I needed that.
“I should have scored that penalty. I practice penalties all week, I must have hit 30-35 in the corner and of course the one today goes over the top but that’s football.
“It is good to get the monkey off the back. It’s good to be back, I won’t call it goalscoring form, but it’s good to hit the back of the net again.”
A 60-time Matilda, Gielnik – whose Victory are second in the standings while Central Coast are sixth and just a point clear of Canberra – added: “I’ve been having a mental mind game with myself these last few weeks.
“It’s hard to explain but all I know is I’m in acceptance. The hard think as a striker when you’re not scoring goals, you can see the way it’s unfolding and sometimes it feels like things aren’t going your way.
“Instead of looking for excuses, you look for that fire in your belly. As soon as I realised I missed out on selection, it’s just crack on and go again. You can’t lose belief. It’s about getting back in form and it’s about the bigger picture which is winning with this team week in and week out.
“I’m not going to lie, I did really struggle but at the end of the day, I accept it. I haven’t been in form. There’s nothing else you can do but play good football week in, week out.
“I’ve already had some serious chats with my coaches on what I need as a player and what I need them to do for me, and how I can contribute more for this team.
“I do obviously have higher ambition to play beyond this team and wear that jersey again. That’s no secret. I’m really honest and open about that.”
Crazy turnaround less than two months after 10-goal shootout
At the end of December, Brisbane Roar humbled Western United 8-2 in Tarneit. Fast forward to Sunday and the two sides played out a 0-0 draw at Perry Park.
Sunday’s draw was the Roar’s first draw in 20 Ninja A-League matches – a run that lasted for 393 days dating back to January 2024.
The Roar were without injured star Sharn Freier, while twin sister Laini was absent due to concussion against fourth-placed Western. Isabela Hoyos also rolled her ankle in the game and Chelsea Blissett also missed out through injury.
MATCH REPORT: 94th-minute drama as Roar denied miracle win in crucial top-six clash
“Personnel probably plays a role. Confidence isn’t exactly high at the moment,” Roar head coach Alex Smith reflected when asked about what had changed from December’s result to Round 16.
“When you lose a couple of people in the game, it’s sort of a snowball effect.
“From 8-2 to 0-0, it’s quite funny. This league is very interesting at the best of times.”
It has been a challenging period for Brisbane after a red-hot start to the season. Having briefly spent time atop the table early in 2024-25, the Roar are now fifth and two points inside the top six, while they are 14 points off the pace.
With just one win in six games heading into the international break, Smith told reporters: “I think we’re a little bit tired. I think the break will do us the world of good. If we can get some more players back, even better.
“Just getting back to us, who we are and who we want to be as a team and a style of play, That’s up to me to reset that and get back to doing what we did so well in the first half of the season.”
‘We wanted it more than they did’
After three straight losses to Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory snapped their drought on Sunday night.
With 19 minutes remaining in the contest, Megan Wynne’s whipped ball into the box was turned into her own net by Jaber as Glory kept their slim finals chances alive.
MATCH REPORT: Glory snap skid against finals-chasing Phoenix in action-packed Distance Derby
Perth are ninth in the standings and nine points behind sixth-placed Central Coast.
“I think the whole vibe in that game, I could just tell we wanted it more than they did. We all just worked for each other,” Glory captain Isobel Dalton told Paramount+ after opening the scoring against the ‘Nix.
“We knew those dying minutes is often when people concede and we stuck together really well.”
As for Wellington, they were left to rue another road defeat in 2024-25.
The Phoenix have lost four consecutive games away from home, while they have only won one of their past seven road fixtures as they sit eighth in the standings.
“Once again we didn’t perform on the road,” Wellington head coach Paul Temple said post-match. “We’ve tried so many different approaches and we’ve tried different tactics and strategies, but so far the solution hasn’t been there.
“That’s my responsibility as the head coach. I have to find a solution for these poor away performances.
“We have to find a way to ‘be us’ when we’re in the heat of the battle. We have the quality but we’re not using it in the moments we need it.”
