As the Ninja A-League heads into another exciting weekend, aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know of Round 3 of the 2024-25 season.
There were goals galore in Round 2 of the Ninja A-League and Round 3 promises to be just as exciting with a mouth-watering Sydney Derby taking centre stage on Saturday afternoon, where both sides will be desperate to secure their first win of the campaign.
Brisbane Roar will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins this weekend when they host Perth Glory under the lights at Perry Park on Friday night.
Fresh from their hard-fought 1-0 win over reigning champions Sydney FC in Round 2, Alex Smith’s Roar will be hoping Perry Park can continue to be a fortress for them this season.
Chelsea Blissett’s first-half strike proved to be enough against the Sky Blues but Brisbane’s overall performance will have given Smith plenty of encouragement, particularly the way in which they were able to restrict Sydney FC to few clear-cut chances.
As for Perth Glory, Stephen Peters’ side travel to Queensland off the back of their first win of the season.
After losing their opening-round match against City despite having raced out to a two-goal lead, Glory seemingly learnt their lesson against the Jets in Round 2 and were able to fend off a late comeback from the away side.
Off-season signing Kelli Brown has been a particular highlight so far this campaign scoring two goals in two games although Peters will be hoping for a tighter defensive performance in Round 3 given they’ve shipped seven goals so far.
The first Sydney Derby of the season promises to be a cracking affair at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon as both sides go in search of their first win of the campaign.
For the Sky Blues, Ante Juric’s defending champions find themselves rock-bottom of the Ninja A-League after suffering back-to-back defeats to start the season – the first time since 2017.
A series of high-profile exits meant the Sky Blues had to undergo a big rebuild in the off-season but with each passing game, Juric will be hoping new recruits such as Millie Farrow, Hana Lowry, Faye Bryson and Kyah Simon can begin to forge partnerships across the park.
For the Wanderers, head coach Robbie Hooker will be disappointed with his side’s performance during their 2-0 home loss against Adelaide United in Round 2.
Not only did the Wanderers fail to really trouble Adelaide goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins in the defeat, but they also coughed up plenty of chances against the Reds which will be something Hooker and Co. look to tighten up ahead of the Derby clash.
Furthermore, the Wanderers have lost the last five meetings between these two sides and have only recorded two wins overall in the 24 match history.
With two wins from two to start the season, reigning premiers Melbourne City have certainly started the season with a bang.
After coming from behind in Round 1 to seal an emphatic 5-2 win, Michael Matricciani’s side followed that up with an impressive 3-2 triumph over Melbourne Victory in the Melbourne Derby.
A two-goal haul from new striker Mariana Speckmaier got City over the line while import Lourdes Bosch also got her first goal of the season in what was another impressive display from the American.
Central Coast Mariners arrive in Melbourne with an unbeaten start to the season under their belts having knocked off reigning champions Sydney FC in Round 1 before claiming a valuable point on the road at Western United.
Key to their impressive early season performances has been English import Jade Pennock, who has already registered a goal and an assist so far this season whilst also impressing with her defensive efforts from the top of the pitch.
Furthermore, the midfield trio of Isabel Gomez, Taylor Ray and Captain Bianca Galic have shone at times this season and are only likely to get better with the more games they play as a unit.
Also kicking off at 4pm (AEDT) on Saturday are Canberra United, who head into their home clash with Adelaide United looking to extent their perfect start to the campaign.
New head coach Antoni Jagarinec couldn’t have asked for a better start to life as a Ninja A-League head coach following wins against both Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix respectively.
Aided by a superb goalkeeping performance from Sally James against the ‘Nix in Round 2, Jagarinec’s Canberra left Wellington with a hard-fought 1-0 win and that defensive rigidity could prove to be vital once more in Round 3.
Furthermore, goal-machine Michelle Heyman is off and running for the campaign while new signing Maja Markovski has been particularly impressive in her first two matches for the club.
For Adelaide United, the Reds head to the nation’s capital following a dominant display against Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 2.
Having won 2-0 on the day, head coach Adrian Stenta will feel as though his side could and should have bagged a few more goals on the day and the good news is, in striker Fiona Worts, they have a genuine goal threat at all times.
Back at the club where she won the 2021-22 Julie Dolan Medal, Englishwoman Worts has enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign having already scored three goals – something that will no doubt have the Canberra defence on high alert come Saturday afternoon.
They may not have secured a win yet this Ninja A-League season but Ryan Campbell’s Newcastle Jets have certainly been entertaining.
Coming from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw in their season opener against the Wanderers, Newcastle then went down 3-2 away at Perth Glory in Round 2 and are certainly proving to be quite the threat in front of goal.
Boosted by the acquisition of NRLW champion Sheridan Gallagher, who scored her first goal in the 3-2 loss against Perth, the Jets will be hoping to finally secure their first win of the season this weekend although they’ll have to do so without goalkeeper Danielle Krzyzaniak who is now suspended.
With two losses to start the season, Wellington Phoenix coach Paul Temple will be desperate to see his side get off the mark in Round 3 when they hit the round for the second time this campaign.
Despite taking the lead against Western United in Round 1, the ‘Nix succumbed to a 4-2 loss at Ironbark Fields before then failing to find the back of the net in a 1-0 home defeat to Canberra United.
However, Temple will no doubt feel as though his side deserved at least a draw from their last outing at home with Canberra shot-stopper Sally James producing a Player-of-the-Match display to keep the Phoenix attack at bay.
Melbourne Victory will be out to bounce back in Round 3 following their gut-wrenching loss against rivals Melbourne City in the Melbourne Derby.
Having clinched a dramatic 3-2 win over Adelaide United in Round 1, Jeff Hopkins side were then on the receiving end of the same scoreline at AAMI Park but the positive for his side will be the sheer amount of chances they are creating.
Matildas forward Emily Gielnik has started the season in electric form having scored three goals already – taking her tally to 24 goals from her past 24 A-League Women appearances – and with a support cast of Nikki Flannery and Alana Jancevski, Victory look well equipped to cause plenty of teams some damage.
As for Western United, Kat Smith’s side hit the road for the first time this season having picked up four points from a possible six at home.
A clinical display against Wellington Phoenix in Round 1 was then followed up with a goalless draw against Central Coast last weekend, a result which Smith will feel should have gone the home side’s way given the sheer amount of chances they created.
Key to Western’s hopes of obtaining a victory against their Melbourne rivals will be CommBank Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo, who has so far started the season in fine form as she looks to earn a recall to the national team set-up.
