The scene is set for the latest instalment of the Perth Azzurri-Balcatta Etna rivalry as the two top sides in WA lock horns in the CTF Women’s State Cup final.
Azzurri last week ended the New Balance NPL season as league champions, a point ahead of Balcatta.
In March, Balcatta beat Perth 1-0 in the Night Series final, while their three league meetings finished with one win apiece and a draw.
If that is not enough, they also go up against each other next Saturday in the Top Four Cup, with a further clash in that competition’s final a possibility.
Balcatta captain Abbey Meakins, one of several players who has represented both teams, knows what to expect at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Saturday.
“It’s always a really tough battle when we play each other,” she said. “We were just speaking before, with the Top Four Cup to come we’ll probably play each other five or six times.”
Balcatta reached the State Cup final 12 months ago, losing to Fremantle City 3-0. Meakins believes they are well placed to go one better this time around.
She said: “Last year we had a big run of fixtures at the end of the season. I think we had 10 games postponed because of the rain [which we had to reschedule]. Then we came up against a tough Freo side and ran out of legs a bit. We’re looking to redeem ourselves this year.”
A cup win will also go a long way to making up for missing out on the league. While Balcatta were only a point short, it was more comfortable than the final table suggests, with Azzurri failing to win any of their last four games.
“We probably cost ourselves in the middle of the season with a few draws. We left it too late and it was probably closer in the end than we thought it would be,” Meakins said.
Where Balcatta did come out on top was in the goalscoring charts. They were the competition’s leading scorers, led by Golden Boot winner Caitlin Doeglas on 15 and Meakins joint-second with 11.
Determined to thwart the pair this weekend is Azzurri keeper Dayle Schroeder, who has been a huge part of the champions’ successful title defence. Schroeder and her backline conceded just 13 goals in 21 matches, the second-best return over 21 rounds since the Women’s NPL began in 2020.
“They’re big games against Balcatta. It’s two Italian clubs, and the whole club is behind you. They are all supporting you,” she said.
Schroeder said she was unable to work out the team’s recent dip in form after staying unbeaten for the first 17 matches but promised the players would be right up for Saturday’s final.
“It’s a tough one to say [why we lost form]. We still pushed, but we definitely did feel the pressure. It was a shame, but we put in the work at the start. Now we’re hungry for the next one.”
Azzurri, State Cup winners in 2024, received some good news at the start of the week when the club successfully appealed defender Ruby Marshall’s red card in last week’s loss at Perth RedStar, freeing her to play on Saturday. Marshall was sent off after deciding to jump up and handle the ball, to the astonishment of teammates and opposition alike.
Schroeder joked: “I had to talk to her … I thought she was coming for my position there. She’s been following the footy quite closely so maybe she was watching that too much!
“I think it was just a lapse of concentration, and we’ve had a good laugh about it. And she’s been cleared to play, which is a huge thing. That’s a great relief. She was really worried about that.”
The CTF Women’s State Cup final is on Saturday 29 August. Kick-off is 2.30pm and it will go to extra-time and possibly penalties if level at full-time.
The game is the third of four finals all of which will be shown live and free on Streamer.com.au
- 10am – Men’s State U18s Cup: Stirling Macedonia v Perth Glory
- 12.15pm – Men’s State Reserves Cup final: Olympic Kingsway v Joondalup City
- 2.30pm – Women’s State Cup final: Perth Azzurri v Balcatta Etna
- 4.45pm – Men’s State Cup final: Fremantle City v Bayswater City
– Football West would like to acknowledge the Construction Training Fund as the naming rights partner of the Women’s State Cup
