Broadmeadow Magic are the only Herald Women's Premier League team not to have kicked a ball before all grassroots football in Australia was suspended on Tuesday.
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Magic were set to host Warners Bay on Tuesday night in a rescheduled round-one match that had been postponed due to wet weather. But the club called off the fixture yesterday afternoon a few hours before Football Federation Australia released a statement saying it would suspend all grassroots football for four weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Broadmeadow's round-two clash with Thornton last Friday night was also called off for precautionary reasons while a Magic player who was unwell awaited test results for coronavirus. The player was later cleared of having the virus.
Familiar faces
While Northern NSW Football's top-flight women's competition has lost a host of talent to the NSW league this season, returning players have had impact.
Newcastle Olympic striker Tulia Palozzi and midfielder Keely Gawthrop have been back in action after absences from WPL and showed promise against Merewether at Darling Street Oval on Sunday.
Palozzi has not played WPL since nine appearances for Warners Bay in 2016 and former Wallsend captain Gawthrop last played in 2017.
Former Irish youth international Sarah Bergin made her competition debut against Olympic and Merewether coach Scott Ellis was encouraged by the midfielder's first performance for the club.
"She did well," Ellis said. "Fitness-wise she survived pretty well. What I liked most about her, and some of the experienced Hamilton players, was the way their first touch takes them away from the defender, opens themselves up.
"She was really good, especially her awareness, and the more our midfield get to play together the better that's going to be."
Merewether's Lori Depczynski continued to revel in her move from defence to attack after one year out of WPL. She produced the winner in United's 2-1 defeat of Olympic to be unbeaten after two rounds.
Memorable debut
Adamstown's Ella Spicer won't forget her first-grade debut in a hurry. The 14-year-old striker came on around the 79-minute mark in Rosebud's 2-1 win over defending champions New Lambton at No.2 Sportsground on Sunday.
The young gun was involved in one play before clashing heads with teammates Brianna Trappett while defending a corner and being forced from the field due to injury. Spicer ended up with seven stitches to mark her first appearance in the top grade.
Goal instincts
Trappett's sister Kimmy showed her class with an impressive long-range effort to secure the win over the Eagles and send unbeaten Rosebud to the top of the table after two rounds.
She picked up the ball in space around 30 metres out, wrong-footed one New Lambton player then drove towards two more before unleashing her shot from the edge of the 18-yard box which sailed into the top of the net.
Simon in Sydney
Gema Simon has followed a host of her W-League Jets teammates in heading to Sydney.
She has joined National Premier League NSW Women's team Northern Tigers with fellow Jets Claire Coelho and Lauren Allan.
They drew 2-2 with Sydney University, who feature Jets Nicki Flannery, Clare Wheeler and Teigan Collister, last weekend before their league was also suspended on Tuesday.