Central Coast Mariners’ Shadeene Evans ended her long wait for a Ninja A-League goal last week but can her coach unlock the 23-year-old’s obvious talent on a regular basis?
A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri and former Sydney FC champion and two-time Ninja A-League champion Teresa Polias heaped praise on the Mariners forward following last week’s 2-1 win over Canberra United in Gosford.
Evans came off the bench and scored her first A-Leagues goal since 2019 as the Mariners rallied past Canberra at Industree Group Stadium on Saturday.
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 5 OF THE NINJA A-LEAGUE!
A former Australia youth international, Evans is in her second season with the Mariners and on this week’s episode of Dub Zone hosted by Amy Duggan, Pellizzeri and Polias praised the potential of the former Sydney FC attacker under Central Coast head coach Emily Husband.
“This is someone who has had elite moments throughout her career,” Pellizzeri said on Dub Zone.
“I mean, at the weekend, it’s a great pass and a great finish after following up.
“It just appears very rarely and I think EM husband, there was an NPL game in 2022 Shadeene Evans singlehandedly knocked her Sydney Uni team out of finals.
“Em husband went and put it in the memory bank, and thinks I can unlock this talent on a more regular basis.”
“She’s got the ability to do that, and she just needs a coach to back her,” Polias said.
“I think she’s got that in Em husband.”
R5 PREVIEW: What you need to know in the Ninja A-League
Pellizzeri added: “There’s a reason she played for the Young Matildas as well before even playing in the old W-League because they saw something.
“We just need to see it more often because it is so exciting.”
Wanderers debut as Western Sydney close in on unwanted record
Where has it gone wrong for Western Sydney Wanderers this season?
The Wanderers are two points adrift at the bottom of the table with just one point from five matches following last week’s 2-0 loss at reigning premiers Melbourne City.
Western Sydney have now gone a club-record four consecutive games without a goal and are one away from equalling the longest streak in Ninja A-League history.
It is in stark contract to last season when the Wanderers – who have not qualified for the finals since their Semi-Final appearance in 2019-20 – agonisingly missed out on the Finals Series on goal difference after finishing level on points with Newcastle Jets.
“They haven’t scored for four straight games, which is already the longest streak in club history,” Pellizzeri said. “They’re now one game away from the longest streak in league history tying that.”
GIELNIK’S JOY: Emotional Victory star reflects on ‘dagger in my heart’ moment and ‘surreal’ 785-day comeback
The Wanderers have not scored since their opening-round 2-2 draw at the Jets, a match in which reigning Julie Dolan Medallist Sophie Harding and Sienna Saveska found the back of the net.
“There’s not much going forward really for the Wanderers,” said Polias.
“They look like they’re low on confidence at the moment. Winning the ball, there’s not many players making forward runs or showing that they really, really want the ball.”
She continued: “The further they get into this season without a goal, that confidence is just going to get lower so something’s got to happen.”
So, what are Robbie Hooker’s Western Sydney missing?
It was a busy off-season for Western Sydney, who farewelled the likes of American star Vicky Bruce and talented Australian Alexia Apostolakis.
“It’s hard one year on, year in, year out there, losing players to other clubs,” Polias said.
“We’re talking about Western Sydney here, this club should be battling for for the Championship every season.
“So many players are produced in the West. So for me, the problem goes a bit deeper than just the team in that. The club I feel like needs to do more for this team, to keep players, to draw players in, to have players that can create more.
Pellizzeri added: “Vicky Bruce, I thought was the single most important player for any given team last year, holding them together.
“To be fair, Wanderers didn’t feel that way in the off-season. They were happy to let her go. Felt as though they could have replaced her with the other players that they already had or bought in. I think they’re lacking leadership and a bit of direction on the field.”
He continued: “You can have a lot of young talents, and Wanderers do and they’ve got a lot of players who I think have Matilda’s potential. They also need people setting the example for them and setting the standards.
“I think the balance is off. It’s only something you can fix in the offseason. How do you fix it now, with the squad you’ve got, is the burning question?”
“You just got to get out back on the training paddock and work extra hard and try new things and but all in all, when you compared it to the Central Coast mariners, they lack that intensity, and that’s something you can easily fix,” replied Polias.
