The year has come to an end. I’m feeling inspired by the big award ceremonies honoring the best players and teams that I thought I would come up with one of my own. So I give to you Medal Monday 2018, where the awards are based off food and we there are two categories for each prize, the W-League and the Tasmanian Women’s Super League (WSL).
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of watching bucket loads of games from both leagues. Whilst the W-League is mid-season and still gracing us with it’s presence, the WSL has been over since September. Rather than name you the best players and parts, I’m going to give you a bunch of awards for things that have stuck with me the most through out the season of which I can liken to food. Because food is essential to Molly’s Footy Rants. Also if you want to have a proper review of what happened in the WSL head over here.
So buckle up and check out this year’s winners.
Best fast food combo award.
Perth’s very own, Kerr and Hill, provide a KFC combo the great kernel himself would adore. Super tasty moves up front, still with plenty of grit, they’re the fast food everyone is after.
Ulverstone’s Foote sisters with Gorrie provide us the triple treat pizza hut box. They serve us the consistency of a pizza, with plenty of variety that the three different types of pizzas provide. An absolute masterclass 2018 for the trio.
Banana peel award.
Defenders are to forwards what banana peels are to Mario kart drivers.
Alana Kennedy and her long legs. A year full of last ditch challenges and stopping forwards in their tracks. Her Matildas performances proved essential for this award.
No one kills a slide tackle like Nellis can. I mean I love a good slide tackle, but even I’ve put my hands to my eyes for a few these during the season. Somehow the ball cleanly won everytime. Magic. Or banana peels.
Glass of Milk Award
The award for when it’s getting late and it might be showing on the field. Where they honestly wish they could’ve just grabbed a glass of warm milk with a cookie and trotted off to bed.
Any east coast side doing the evening West coast Perth games, where it’s really bed time on the east coast. Those who have done it so far are the Wanderers, City and the Jets. All deserve this award.
A match sticks with me, where it was one of the first night catch up games with South Hobart playing Taroona. The moment the second half hit, I swear it was Souths bed time, and the game may as well have stopped. Taroona turned it up a notch like a teenager who doesn’t sleep, while South clearly wanted their glass of milk for bed. Credit to South Hobart though, in their next two night games they dug deep and pulled out some good football (both against the bottom two teams fighting relegation).
Cuppa Tea Award
If you’ve sat near me during a match where a team has defensive blunders due to a lack of communication between the defence and goalkeeper, this award won’t surprise you. I normally only call this out when both individually the defence and goalkeeper are doing so much and phenomenally, however they just need to settle and have a cuppa during the break to remember how to communicate with one another.
The Wanderers and their love of playing out of the back around the defence, despite Whyman in goals literally limping and looking on the verge of lying on the ground, pulling her gloves off and demanding a stretcher. They do so well defending, only to put pressure back on themselves with unneeded back passes.
The Zebras midseason form found them with a few injuries and some necessary changes across the park. In return, they had a decent goalkeeper still and a good defensive line, however the two didn’t seem on the same page in tough moments and nearly cost them essential points (and likely did, my memory is fuzzy)
Tim tam slam
Sometimes a season is a bit rough. There’s potential, because like a Tim Tam, it looks flaming good. But a bit of heat and some milk sees it’s all go a bit messy. It’s normally a sign of things not quite going as planned, as I’m pretty certain Tim Tams never intend to be part of the Aussie ritual of a Tim Tam Slam. However these things happen, much like these sides where things just got out of their control and luck eluded them.
The team to finish first to come up against a City side who have never lost a knock out game was always going to have it rough, and Roar certainly did. The match almost looked the goods, but suddenly someone was drinking up their Championship hopes and dreams and it all fell to pieces.
Being the first side to be relegated in the new format is rough, especially so for a University side who always seemed in the match if that 10 minute lapse of concentration wasn’t included. The ultimate tim tam slam really, it only takes a minute for it to happen.
The Devon Award
Mystery meat. How will they perform? What’s going on? Who knows.
Canberra. I don’t think much more needs to be said other than it’s a mystery what’s going on but hopefully Garriock remembers what’s going on there.
Launceston and Clarence have come up as a tie in this one. Both teams have left me wondering for better or for worse. Launceston looking in the prime position to challenge Ulverstone for the top spot, only to go into a midseason draught. Meanwhile Clarence shifted with their international coup, and kept throwing up some different things, often with no clear consistency and pattern. Hence to both, devon.
Midnight Fridge Raiders Award
There are many skills and requirements necessary for any good midnight fridge raider.
Victory have this title thrust upon them for their offseason recruitment leading to the side stealing the show with the new season and coming out fighting, much like a midnight fridge raider does for that last bit of left over dessert.
For the right midnight fridge raid, it needs to be timed perfectly, during the middle of the night and when others least suspect them. For me this has to go to the team with a bunch of home games, of which they pick up some good points to move up the table, being Taroona. Thanks for the cold nights frozen in the stands at your home away from home at KGV.
Grab the Popcorn Award
There are sides that let my nerdy soccer side absolutely live. Usually they’re the sides well structured, pressing at the right times and have a clear strategy on how they’re going to play out the match
For this type of play you can’t go past Adelaide United this season. They’ve been clever in how they set up without the ball, and every time I’ve watched them I’ve wanted to grab out a bag of popcorn and learn how they can control the game with few touches of the ball.
Much the same reasons as Adelaide United, the Lions are a young side still developing the discipline necessary to execute this well in every battle they face, however the times they do it is a sight to behold and better than finding out the caramel gazed popcorn is on sale. Their win over the Zebras under the lights at KGV was the game they mastered the game plan. It was gorgeous.
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Thanks to By The White Line and Stephanie Meek Photography for the W-League parts of these photos and thanks to Solstice.Digital & Photography for all the WSL parts of these photos.
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MOLLY'S FOOTY RANTS 