Another weekend of Ninja A-League action is in the books, and as usual there was plenty for the Dub Zone team to discuss as the big talking points from Round 3 went under the microscope.
Host Breanna Holden was joined by former Sydney FC champion and two-time Ninja A-League champion Teresa Polias as well as A-Leagues commentator, Teo Pellizzeri to unpack all the action from Round 3.
UNITE ROUND ULTIMATE GUIDE: SCHEDULE, WHAT’S ON, EVENTS, TICKET DETAILS
READ MORE: Ninja A-League Women Unite Round matches moved to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
The Dub Zone panel discussed Emily Gielnik’s chances of an unprecedented Ninja A-League feat, the unsung hero in Adelaide United’s resurgence and more, while Sydney FC captain Nat Tobin appeared as a special guest.
IT’S TIME FOR UNITE ROUND!
FREE ENTRY: Tickets to Ninja A-League games at Unite Round are now FREE! Everything you need to know
READ MORE: Ninja A-League Women Unite Round matches moved to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
UNITE ROUND ULTIMATE GUIDE: Schedule, what’s on, events, ticket details
‘Are we going to see a 30-goal striker in this league?’
Three games played, six goals scored.
Melbourne Victory’s Emily Gielnik is on fire at the start of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season, and in Round 3 celebrated her long-awaited return to the CommBank Matildas with a hat-trick against Western United that saw the 32-year-old soar to the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard.
A purple patch like this is nothing short of what Gielnik deserves, having suffered a calf injury last season that ruled her out of selection contention for the 2024 Olympic Games, while repeat injuries kept her sidelined through the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
There’s no sign of any physical ailments holding Gielnik back this season, though. Her hat-trick display in Round 3 came on the weekend of her recall to the Matildas setup for four friendlies against Brazil and Chinese Taipei in November/December – and led the Dub Zone panel to ponder how many goals the Victory forward could score by the end of the 23-game regular season – the longest campaign in the history of the competition with Unite Round added to the 22-game, 12-team home-and-away format.
“In earlier rounds you can see she is out on a mission this season,” Polias said. “She’s got a point to prove, she wants to get back in the national team setup.
“Em Gielnik, we know she’s always been a great scorer in this league,” added Pellizzeri.
“(She) has won the golden boot, and now is getting into territory where, for a 23-game season, Em’s got six in three: are we going to see a 30 goal striker in this league?
“I mean, 30 goals in a season, that’s incredible,” Polias replied. “She’s scoring hat-tricks and doubles in games and if she keeps this up, why not?”
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UNITE ROUND ULTIMATE GUIDE: Schedule, what’s on, events, ticket details
Gielnik won the Ninja A-League Golden Boot in 2020-21 whilst at Brisbane Roar, scoring 13 goals in 12 games.
Michelle Heyman and Kerr share the record for most goals scored in a single season with 17 (Kerr 2018-19, Heyman 2023-24).
Should Gielnik continue to score with regularity it’s only a matter of time before she eclipses Kerr’s 70-goal tally – the second-most of any player in the competition’s history. Gielnik is on 60 goals as it stands, fourth behind fellow active player and Brisbane Roar captain Tameka Yallop (64), with Heyman leading the way on an incredible 111 and counting.
With both Yallop and Gielnik capable of surpassing Kerr on the all-time leaderboard by the season’s end, Pellizzeri pondered whether sliding down the rankings could tempt Kerr to one day return to the competition in the hope of stealing back places on the leaderboard she led upon her departure from Perth Glory in 2019.
“It’s hopefully the sort of thing Sam Kerr will see and want to come back and do something about,” he said. “And maybe be the next centurion on that leaderboard after Michelle Heyman.”
Sydney FC captain reacts to teammate’s Matildas snub: ‘I was disappointed… but she’s a fighter’
Sydney FC captain Nat Tobin has challenged teammate and close friend Mackenzie Hawkesby to use being overlooked by Matildas selectors as fuel to prove her credentials for future camps with a strong run of form with the Sky Blues.
Tobin was the special guest on this week’s episode of Dub Zone, and she was asked about Hawkesby’s omission from the 36-player squad selected for two friendlies against Brazil and two more against Chinese Taipei in the international window beginning in late November.
Of the 36 players selected for Matildas duty, 15 were picked from Ninja A-League teams. Potential Matildas debutant Hana Lowry was the only Sydney FC player selected from the reigning Ninja A-League champions.
FULL SQUAD: 15 Ninja A-League stars earn Matildas call-ups, including SIX possible debutants
“Hana, I’m super happy for,” Tobin told Dub Zone. “She’s a great young player, you can see she’s got a bright future ahead of her.
“It is what it is with the Matildas. Mackenzie, she’s one of my best friends so to be honest, I was disappointed for her as well because I think she deserves a call-up – but it is what it is.
“I said to her: ‘You can take this one of two ways: you can either wallow and be upset about it or you can go out there and show them why you deserve to be picked, put your best foot forward and let’s start beating these teams to show why we’re the best teams in the league’.
“Macca, she’s a fighter. I think everyone else in the team is a fighter as well, and I think we deserve to have more people in that squad based on our achievements over the last few years.
“But again, it is what it is and we’re just going to keep fighting, keep plugging away and grinding away, and hopefully we’ll see more names included in the next squad.”
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Hawkesby has been selected in prior Matildas camps and former Sydney FC captain Polias joined Tobin in questioning why the Sky Blues star wasn’t among those included in the bumper squad.
“That’s probably the first name I looked for when I saw the list,” Polias said. “I just thought she would’ve picked herself given the impact she’s had on the league, her numbers and stats.
“I thought that was a big disappointment, not seeing her in there. And someone like Rhianna Pollicina as well, who I thought both deserved call-ups.”
“Similarly, Sophie Harding got a taste of it but then misses this squad,” Pellizzeri replied. “Nicki Flannery is in good form… I think this lights a fire under a lot of players.
“Just because it’s a big squad, you can’t be demoralised and think: ’Well hang on, that means I’m at best 37th in line. No no no, you play well and you still force their hand.
“This shows they (the Matildas selectors) are open-minded and they’re looking at plenty of options. There are lots of players who have been given a cap or a handful of caps in the past that have been brought back after years of absence from the Matildas set-up… I like what they’ve done.
“I don’t agree with every player, but how could you when it’s 36 players, right? But I think this is a really good sign to the rest of the Ninja A-League that they will be open-minded, and good performances will be rewarded.”
‘WHAT?!’: Hilarious full story of complete A-Leagues award shock comes to light
Unsung hero identified in Adelaide resurgence: ‘She stands out in every single game’
A rejuvenated Fiona Worts is writing the headlines in Adelaide United’s early-season turnaround – but there’s one player not being spoken about enough when analysing the Reds’ resurgence this season, and that’s off-season signing Erin Healy.
The 23-year-old joined the club from Portuguese top-flight side Club de Albergaria, where she scored eight goals in 24 matches last season, and despite notching just one assist so far for the Reds, Pellizzeri has identified the United States import as the catalyst for most of Adelaide’s best attacking play so far in 2024-25.
The Reds lost in Round 1 to in-form Melbourne Victory but have since notched back-to-back wins against Western Sydney Wanderers and Canberra United to sit third on the Ninja A-League table, after finishing bottom of the pile last season.
“The talk here needs to be about Adelaide and their resurgence, and how well-tuned they’re looking this season,” Polias said.
“They’re looking fresh, the team chemistry is there, they look fit and they’re producing a lot of chances and scoring early, which is great.”
“I think one of the big reasons for this is Erin Healy,” Pellizzeri replied. “(She) is the number one player in the competition for creating shots for her teammates.
“We say: ‘It’s a Fiona Worts revival, she’s back to her Dolan Medal best’ – it’s because Erin Healy has come in and been the creator that is creating for everyone else in this team.
“She just hasn’t got the rewards herself in terms of goals – but who would complain when she’s such a great teammate to everyone else?”
“That’s exactly how it works – and she’s a team player,” Polias added.
“I (didn’t) know that stat before Teo, but doing the eye test and watching the game, she definitely stands out in every single game so far.”
‘Phenomenal’ Mariners midfielder’s Matildas call-up ‘evidence’ of encouraging Ninja A-League trend
After four years, three clubs and 49 appearances in the Ninja A-League, Central Coast Mariners midfielder Isabel Gomez finally earned the first Matildas call-up of her career – and her international selection has proven an encouraging point for players hoping to prove themselves as worthy of Matildas consideration while playing on home soil.
Gomez began her career at Western Sydney Wanderers as a teenager in 2020 but it’s taken some time for the all-action midfielder to be recognised by the national team; a two-season stint at Wellington Phoenix helped Gomez enhance her reputation as an up-and-comer but it’s been under Mariners coach Emily Husband where she’s found her best form.
In a blistering start to her second season at Central Coast, Gomez has scored two goals in three games; she had scored just one goal in 47 appearances prior. Her 50th game in the competition came in Round 3 in the aftermath of her first Matildas call-up and it was against Melbourne City on the road that her third career goal earned the Mariners a point in a 2-2 draw with the current league leaders.
“She’s been phenomenal,” Polias said. “The engine on her is great and that call-up is so well deserved.
“It’s also the technical aspect we see now from Izzy Gomez. She’s always been that tough player that spurs everyone on around and motivates, but now she’s added that technical side where she’s scoring goals as well – which is awesome for the Mariners.”
Pellizzeri has been equally impressed with the Mariners midfielder’s early-season form and suggested other players around the league should take encouragement from her surge into Matildas contention.
“It’s the trajectory of the improvement,” he explained. “This is a player who was scratching for game time at Western Sydney Wanderers when she first appeared on the scene. It is evidence that not all development is linear; some players explode.
“Wellington Phoenix, when she was over in New Zealand, rated her highly but that was in a team that was losing most weeks. Now we’ve seen someone who is taking the leap – and this is the competition where you get to see that happen.
“It’s very exciting to see players who have scratched and fought and the penny hasn’t dropped for them – and the Mariners now with Bianca Galic and Izzy Gomez basically have two players in the same team doing it at the same time.”
Unite Round is THIS WEEKEND!
Ninja A-League fans, you can catch all the action from Unite Round for FREE after all six fixtures in Round 4 were moved from Leichhardt Oval to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Catch up with everything you need to know ahead of the A-Leagues’ ultimate away day via the essential reading links below. Unite Round begins on Friday, November 22 and is free for all to attend; bring your friends and family to Netstata Jubilee Stadium and head right through the gates to see all your favourite stars in action!
FREE ENTRY: Tickets to Ninja A-League games at Unite Round are now FREE! Everything you need to know
READ MORE: Ninja A-League Women Unite Round matches moved to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
UNITE ROUND ULTIMATE GUIDE: Schedule, what’s on, events, ticket details
