NPLW Northern NSW 2023 season preview: Ins, outs, predictions

Northern NSW Football's top-flight women's competition transitioned to National Premier Leagues status last year and was boosted by the return of several A-League players. Warners Bay were tipped as championship contenders and lived up to the hype. This year looks much harder to pick with plenty of off-season player movement. Here is how the eight teams are shaping up. Coach: Ryan Swinkels Last season: Finished first with 55 points, beat Newcastle Olympic 4-2 in the grand final. Squad news: The Panthers have lost all but one player from their senior squad with goalkeeper Georgia Cooksey the sole survivor and have had a coaching change in Ryan Swinkels taking over from Craig Atkins. Several players have stepped up from the club's 17s side and others have come to the club in search of opportunity. Key pick-ups include midfielder Callie Thomas from Olympic reserve grade and Central Coast pair Ashley Turner, a winger, and Ella Murphy, a fullback. Bottom line: It is hard to know how Warners Bay will fare this season as they begin a rebuilding phase with an eye on the future. How quickly they jell will be key with so many new faces, and they have a tough first-up test in Olympic. Being an unknown entity could be their strength in the early rounds. Prediction: Last Coach: Jake Curley Last season: Finished second (52), bowed out in the preliminary final. Squad news: Goalkeeper Alison Logue is not playing in probably the biggest out for any team. But Ruby Jones steps back up to first grade after making her return from a serious head injury through reserve grade last year. They have lost forwards Lucy Kell (Maitland) and Jordan Evans plus midfielder Nadja Squires. The latter two are playing in different competitions. Fullback Alice Munro could be out due to work commitments and whether former national league championship-winner Rhali Dobson plays is also not yet known. Midfielders Gemma Harrison (baby) and Kobie Ferguson (injury) have returned and Magic have signed last year's NPLW leading scorer and player of the year Adriana Konjarski from Warners Bay. Bottom line: Magic retain the core of a team which have been setting the pace for the past three seasons but are yet to make a grand final since returning to the competition. That is sure to be their driving force in 2023. The squad is loaded with experience and players who know how to win. Will be in the top-two battle. Prediction: Second Coach: Niko Papaspiropoulos Last season: Third (41) Squad news: Azzurri have lost midfielders Summer Taube and Tamara Nash, who combined for 22 goals in 2022, striker Courtney Anderson (Adamstown) and goalkeeper Taylah Gray. They have recruited well with strike weapon Sarah Halvorsen, who has played AFLW, returning to the sport, forward LJ Babic back after a season out and the acquisition of Jets fullback Tessa Tamplin. A number of players have been promoted to first grade. They include striker Cassie Corder, who scored 25 goals in reserve grade last year. Bottom line: Depth and versatility will be key this year and was perhaps the missing factor last season in a sometimes inconsistent campaign. How they fill the void in midfield after the departures of Taube and Nash will prove telling but Azzurri look likely to be among the top-four contenders. Predicition: Fourth Coach: Neil Owens Last season: Fourth (34), lost 4-2 to Warners Bay in the grand final. Squad news: Losses include midfielders Paige Kingston-Hogg and Jade McAtamney, goalkeeper Nat Wiseman, defender Zoe Burnley plus forwards Keea Parrish and Chloe Hinde. They have picked up goalkeeper Jayla Murphy from playing in Canberra and Elodie Dagg, Zoe Horgan and Georgia Cook have come across from Warners Bay. Sophie McDonald, Sophie Walmsley and Rosie Copus have been promoted from Olympic's reserve-grade side. Bottom line: Olympic made a sluggish start to last season with key players Jemma House, who scored 20 goals in 16 games, and Keely Gawthrop injured on the sidelines. But they showed their winning mentality in a number of games to guarantee a finals spot and from there it was muscle memory. They have a ton of experience and retain the spine of a team who have been highly successful since joining the competition. Will benefit by a mid-season cameo from Georgia Little, who is playing college football in the United States but will be back on break. Prediction: First Coach: Keelan Hamilton Last season: Fifth (31) Squad news: Keelan Hamilton is back at the helm and sure to have the Magpies fit and firing. They have picked up Lucy Kell from Broadmeadow and tireless midfielder Sophia Laurie from Warners Bay. Defender Sawyer Hall and midfielder Nikolina Bucalo join Maitland from the Victorian NPLW and striker Indiana Auddino comes from the Central Coast Mariners. Bottom line: After being there or thereabouts in the past two seasons, Maitland look likely to feature in finals for the first time. They retain the core of their squad, including midfielder Sophie Jones - who was outstanding last year - and have strengthened with some good pick-ups. Striker Bronte Peel will be back during the the US college break and Jets forward Sophie Stapleford should return by round eight. Prediction: Third Coach: Ryan Campbell Last season: Sixth (21) Squad news: Kimmie Trappett, who scored 21 goals in a break-out season for the Buds last year, will be out for the first few months of competition due to work, and forward Mia Bales is not playing. Adamstown are boosted by the addition of striker Courtney Anderson and return of midfielder Ellyse Lynch from injury. They won't have left-back Leia Puxty and midfielder Josie Morley until their A-League commitments with the Jets finish. Bottom line: Adamstown pulled off some big results last year but were inconsistent. Consistency will be key to their top-four hopes and their strength will be continuity, with minimal changes to the squad. How they manage the early part of the season could prove crucial while they don't have Puxty and Morley in addition to the absence of Trappett. Prediction: Sixth Coach: Emma Stanbury Last season: Seventh (10) Squad news: The acquisition of former national league player Emma Stanbury as captain-coach is a huge boost to what will be another young side. There will be a lot of new faces in the Mid Coast team and Stanbury expects left winger Zora Bofkovski and midfielder Marissa Masterantonio, both 14, to turn some heads in the competition this year. Bottom line: Stanbury has been brought in with a long-term view of success for the club and the versatile 31-year-old brings plenty of experience and guidance to this young side. Expect them to be competitive but hard to see them being in the mix for finals this year. Prediction: Seventh Coach: Greg Lowe Last season: Last (0) Squad news: They have picked up a wealth of experience headlined by Jets players Cassidy Davis and Lauren Allan plus Tara Pender, who has also played national league. The talented trio have come across from Warners Bay along with Amy Gosling, Serena Carter, Airlie Davis and goalkeeper Ally Boertje. Bottom line: The Eagles have collected the wooden spoon for the past two seasons but appear destined to finish much higher up the ladder with a new-look squad. How high is hard to tell. They won't get Davis or Allan until around round eight and both are crucial to top-four aspirations. Prediction: Fifth Magic v New Lambton, Magic Park Azzurri v Maitland, Lisle Carr Oval Warners Bay v Olympic, John Street Oval Mid Coast v Adamstown, Taree Zone Field MORE IN SPORT: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below. Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.