W-LEAGUE TEAM OF THE YEAR

With Sydney FC securing this year’s Westfield W-League championship, Victoria Balomenos looks back at the 2009 season and the players who were most influential.

Victoria has played up front for the Westfield Matildas and plies her trade for Adelaide United in the Westfield W-Legue

Congratulations to Sydney FC on an outstanding Westfield W-League campaign. Building on last year’s semi-final appearance, Sydney was able to field a more experienced outfit with the inclusion of several internationals and returning of players from the previous season.

To kick off my W-league team of the year, it is no surprise that Sydney and runners-up Brisbane feature heavily.

Coach: Alen Stajic takes the role of coach of the year for the ingenuity behind the team’s cohesion and game play that lead to Sydney’s winning record.

Goalkeeper: Melissa Barbieri – Bubs is the fearless guard between the Melbourne Victory goal. The most capped goalkeeper in the league utilised her international experience to captain the Victory to a fifth-placed finish which included three clean sheets.

Left back: Heather Garriock – Returning from the inaugural Womens Pro League in the US just one week before season commenced, it didn’t take long for Garriock’s ability to transition play from defense to attack to come to the fore.

Centre back: Ellie Brush – Canberra United’s captain and player of the year in 2008 again steered her team to the finals. Brush showed more than just leadership and defensive competence, scoring four goals this season - the most by any defender in the league.

Centre back: Servet Uzunlar – Finding herself in an unusual role, the natural attacking midfielder controlled the Sydney backline like a seasoned defender. Her composure and never- say-die attitude saw her acknowledged in the semi final against Canberra as player of the match.

Right back: Clare Polkinghorn – Demonstrated maturity beyond her years as the captain of Brisbane. As a vital member of the Roar defense, Clare made use of her blazing speed to keep the opposing attackers at bay.

Defensive midfield: Lauren Colthorpe – Spent the off season perfecting her game in Denmark’s top competition, her tireless work ethic was unrewarded but not unseen as she was instrumental in many of Brisbane’s attacking.

Left midfield: Elise Kellond-Knight – Natural left sided player and dead ball specialist. Elise had a very consistent year for the Roar which was rewarded with the young player of the year gong.

Center midfield: Kylie Ledbrook – One of the most creative players in the league, Sydney’s Ledbrook boasts an inherent awareness of the game and close ball control and skill that can be likened to those of Brazilian playmaker Kaka.

Right midfield: Samantha Kerr – The youngest player to make the list, the Glory’s 16-year-old has a fearlessness bordering on arrogance - but that’s a good thing! Voted the Players Player she was behind the long range effort against Sydney in Round 8 that saw her win Goal of the Year.

Attacking midfield: Tameka Butt – Another youngster with maturity beyond her years. Butt is a big game player with the ability to find the back of the net. She scored a hat-trick in Round 10 against Newcastle and finished the season with five goals, the most of any midfielder in the league.

Striker: Michelle Heyman - The Cinderella story of the year. Heyman, who had no state or international representation prior to the season, had a stellar year for the Central Coast Mariners, scoring 11 goals in the 10 week season. The 21-year-old scooped the W-League awards, receiving Player of the Year, the Hat-Trick Award and the Golden Boot.