The annual NTC Challenge was conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport from Monday 26 August to Friday 30 August in Canberra.

 

South Australia showed a much improved performance from 2013 as the mix of players from the Women’s Premier League, the NTC girls continued to show the progression of women’s football in South Australia.

 

The format of playing two games a day meant the balancing of the players and the squad would be a challenging one. With the best Under 18 players in the country, with many Under 20 and Under 17 National teams players, the tournament was used as a guide at how SA are progressing with our development pathways.

 

With a mix of players born between 1995 and 1999, the group performed well in in terms of the technical execution of the National Curriculum and in terms of results.

 

The Championships involved two tables, one being for results and one on marks awarded for technical quality inline with the National Curriculum.

 

Over the seven games in the tournament, South Australia finished fourth, overall having played seven, won four, drawn one and lost two.

 

On the final game against ACT the host team, South Australia had to win to finish runners up, and in terrible conditions with high winds, the girls controlled most the game, and found it difficult to break down a the ACT defensive block, creating numerous chances, and not for the fine work of the ACT goalkeeper South Australia would of scored. With five minutes remaining, ACT created a well executed counter attack which lead to the winning goal, and left us finishing fourth overall.

 

Without doubt the standout performance for the week was against a Queensland team coached by the Under 17 National team coach, and starting eleven packed with national team players. South Australia put on what was regarded by the technical committee as the stand out performance of the championships, and receiving the highest score for the week from the FFA.

 

With new Lady Reds coach Ross Aloisi visiting the group for the week, and giving an inspiring talk to the players, encouraging them to believe and be courageous, the girls put on a master class in pressing and fluid possession play, create chance after change.   The Queensland team were camped in their own half and struggling to build any momentum, with the girls controlling the game and wonderful team play.

 

In the second half Emily Condon produced a piece of individual brilliance, having terrorised the Queensland National Team full back all night, received the ball, wide on the left, beat two players one on one and curled a vicious curling shot into the top corner to make it one nil.

 

Queensland responded by playing a more direct game and pulled one back to make it 1-1 with 10 minutes remaining. With South Australia dominating the midfield and continuing to drive forward, the winning goal was a slice of luck which gifted SA a memorabile victory.

 

With a corner taken short Emily Condon drive a hard low cross to the front post which was sliced by the Queensland defender into her own net to make it 2-1 to South Australia, with only minutes remaining the eventual winners pushed players forward playing direct balls into the South Australia penalty box, with the girls hanging on, to produce a first call performance.

 

South Australia again this year proved that the talent within our state is as competitive with anywhere in Australia, and with a deep desire to continue to improve and strive to making national teams, the group is hungry to win these championships in the future. It proved again the improvement of our local talent and that as a state we can match it and defeat the best.

 

Overall the quality of play and the way the group represented South Australia both on and off the field, was a credit to a committed and talented group of girls.

 

NTC Squad 2013

 

Sarah Willacy - Adelaide City

Emma Checker -  WT Birkalla

Ellie Bills - Adelaide University

Elysha Magor - Sturt Marion

Mariah Aplin - Sturt Marion

Lucy Burnett -  Adelaide City

Monique Iannella - Adelaide City

Dylan Holmes - Fulham United

Izzy Hodgson - Fulham United

Dragana Kljaic -  Adelaide City

Jess Waterhouse -  Adelaide Olympic (JPL)

Alex Chidiac - FFSA Under 15

Emily Condon - FFSA Under 15

Sophie Green - Sturt Marion

Lauren Steer - Metro United

Gaby Bentley - Adelaide University

 

Coach: Geoff Hargreaves

Trainer: Carol Goddard