2023 Women’s National League – Team of the Season
The football has been played. The trophy has been awarded. The goals have all been scored and the players are now on holiday (or back at work... or angling towards the next steps in their careers). All that remains to be done is to crown the top performers in the annual Niche Cache WNL Team of the Season. Nice and simple: we’ve got three teams tiered as a First XI, Second XI, and Third XI since it’s all about highlighting the best domestic players. Obviously it’s going to be subjective... but fire through your own efforts if you wish, let the National League goodness loose upon the world.
This was another fascinating season. 2023 saw the Wellington Phoenix Reserves unleashed upon the competition with a magnificent 4-0 win over fellow debutants Ellerslie in week one. They didn’t win again until the last week but the stage has been set for the next tier of the Welly Nix. Ellerslie ended up finishing last, the fourth-placed qualifiers from the NRFL Premier Division struggling to turn their battling hustle into wins. But they did get one and it was a doozy: beating defending champs Eastern Suburbs 1-0 to seriously disrupt that defence. An incredible turn-up. Meanwhile Ellerslie finishing last means that Central did not. First time since 2016 that they’ve avoided that unfortunate status, with a win over Ellerslie getting it done.
Eastern Suburbs had to retool in a few areas since their 2022 championship and for much of the season they looked like they could repeat the dose... until a stunning 4-0 loss to Western Springs and that extraordinary defeat against Ellerslie. Western Springs were scoring in bundles yet got toppled by Auckland United in the penultimate week to cost them a repeat spot in the final. This year also saw an expansion of the Capital sides with Waterside Karori and Wellington United bringing a club presence from that region. Both were hugely competitive and enjoyable to watch. Both, incredibly, ended with exactly the same record after nine games. Points, goal difference, goals scored/conceded. All identical. Plus they drew 1-1 when they played.
It was a frisky season for Canterbury United who had to rebuild things a few years removed from the ol’ dynasty. Too many players scooped up by the Wellington Phoenix first team. But they had their moments despite a frustrating seventh placed finish. Yet there’s no doubting that the power balance in the South Island has tipped towards Southern United after some tidy recruitment added to their existing core. Southern United started winning and they kept winning all the way until the grand final when they were tipped over by a more composed, more defensively-impenetrable Auckland United team. Champions of the NRFL Prem and now champions of Aotearoa. Defence wins championships and that was the formula for AUFC. Once they got into their stride they were a brick wall at the back, with enough clever passing in the middle and pace up front that they always found the goals they needed – culminating in a tremendous team effort in the grand final. Now let’s do some Team of the Season stuff.
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FIRST XI
GK – Aimee Hall (Auckland United)
Three clean sheets during the regular season then another one in the grand final. Hall didn’t play in week one so two of the nine goals that her team conceded (in ten games) had nothing to do with her. She did concede three (a late Nicole Cooper hatty) in a loss to Subs in week two but then never again allowed more than one in a game. She was an integral part of the best defence in the competition. A fundamentally sound goalkeeper with plenty of pedigree... she simply did not make mistakes. Pick an aspect of goalkeeping and Aimee Hall does it well. She might have been a little hard done by not to be the Grand Final MVP nod too, given her flawless efforts in the title decider.
Funky story: Hall is Australian and spent a year as a training player with the Wellington Phoenix when they were based in Wollongong in their first A-League season. Would have snuck onto the bench for the game when Lily Alfeld was away with the national team but was only 17 years old so couldn’t sign professionally with a foreign club – even though they were based pretty much down the road from her. Charlotte Lancaster had to be the designated backup goalie instead (a name you’ll read again very soon). Hall spent last ALW season aligned with Western Sydney, getting onto the bench on three occasions. Then she popped up at Auckland United (after an NPL stint with the Illawarra Stingrays) and the rest is footballing history. You get the feeling that an A-League debut won’t be too much further down the line.
RB – Talisha Green (Auckland United)
The important thing to know about Talisha Green is that she does not do half-measures. Whether lining up a tackle or a shot, tracking back or overlapping, she’s going to put everything into it. The outcome of that is a rock-solid defender who also every now and then scores a goal of the season contender. She bagged one of those this year, no doubt. Also set up three other goal and don’t forget the long throws either. Saved one of her finest performances for the grand final. A proper fan favourite. Oh yeah and she also captained the side after Jess Philpot got injured – although they did a pretty cool thing by getting Philpot down to lift the trophy alongside TG.
CB – Marissa Porteous (Southern United)
Picked up late after her West Coast Rangers team didn’t qualify for the Nats, Porteous ended up being one of the stars of the entire season. Particularly after Southern switched to a back three that allowed their CBs more licence to step forward aggressively which suited the tenacious and athletic Porteous down to a tee. A huge breakthrough campaign from the West Auckland import... who also scored the winning goal away against Wellington United. Seems that Southern United are gonna find themselves in the awkward position of cheering for Porteous/WCR to fail next year so they can get her back... either that or an Otago Uni scholarship might do the trick.
CB – Hannah Mackay-Wright (Southern United)
This is just HMW hanging out where she belongs amongst the elite domestic central defenders. No surprises to anyone who has seen her play these past few years. Or, indeed, five years ago when she was an important player at the U17 World Cup bronze medallist squad. Mackay-Wright is not a defender that you can miss out there. She’s usually a step ahead thanks to how she reads the play and then she puts that step to use by charging into successful challenge after successful challenge. Often pops up on the end of attacking set pieces too (no goals but two assists this term). Between her and Porteous and also Toni Power there wasn’t a moment’s relief to be found whenever strikers set foot on that Logan Park turf.
LB – Arisa Takeda (Western Springs)
A blessed addition to the squad for the summer stuff. Takeda and her compatriot Rina Hirano left Western Springs in early 2023 after a few years of commanding over the Auckland footy scene. They spent most of the year away in Canada but both returned for WNL. Hirano was only able to play a couple of games yet Takeda turned up in week four, scored from nearly halfway, then proceeded to carry on from there. What was crazy was seeing her dominate games in different ways. One week it’d be from applying the defensive clamps. Another week it was the technical precision in possession. Next it’d be her attacking sojourns. Combine the lot and you’ve got a fullback who can do everything and from either side. She made TNC Team of the Weeks in each of her first three games. Not too shabby.
CM – Yume Harashima (Auckland United)
Signed prior to the WNL as a replacement player after Ruby Nathan graduated into the A-League realms, Harashima came over from the third tier of Japanese football where she’d been captaining Tsukuba FC. That turned out to be a very shrewd acquisition. Harashima’s defensive midfield orchestration was magnificent to behold. One of those players who always seems to have more time than anyone else, never flustered, picking the right pass time and time again. No wonder her Auckland United team were so controlled. Harashima also added two goals and an assist. Immense.
CM – Kendrah Smith (Southern United)
Marissa Porteous was not alone in making the trip from West Coast Rangers to Southern United. Kendrah Smith and Shania McIntosh made it a triple signing. McIntosh was a solid depth option who appeared four times off the bench. Smith, however, rocked up and was just casually one of the most dominating midfielders in the National League. Forming an instant combination with the always stellar Rose Morton, it feels unfair to split them in this team (like how it wasn’t possible to split Porteous and HMW) but it had to be done and it was Smith’s goals that snuck her ahead. Hard working, strong in the tackle... she also scored four goals with a speciality for long-range thumpers. Smith played for Canterbury Utd in 2022 but they used her as a centre-back. This year she was unleashed as a midfielder and that was one more brilliant decision on the road to the grand final for Southern United.
CM – Lara Colpi (Western Springs)
Lara Colpi began this season on a roll after setting up both goals in the Kate Sheppard Cup final... but it was an irrepressible WNL comeback from Liz Savage that led the way for Western Springs to begin with. Then Savage got injured. Somebody had to fill her boots as the number ten. Lara Colpi had already been looking tidy out on the wing, building nicely from a nice debut season a year ago, yet once she moved into the middle it was like watching a fish find water again. She was superb. Lovely first touch and a habit of collecting the ball in those dangerous pockets and the ability to work space for her own shot (she scored six goals including a few truly brilliant ones) or thread a pass for a teammate before anyone else had even spotted it (two assists as well). All this at just 18 years of age... expect to see her playing a huge role at the U20 World Cup next year.
FW – Charlotte Lancaster (Eastern Suburbs)
Get this woman back in the A-League, please (if not an even higher level). Lancaster spent two years with the Wellington Phoenix though only ever started one game and tallied less than 200 minutes overall. It’s a pity her time there never overlapped with the Nix Reserves, particularly seeing how that team has aided Zoe McMeeken’s development so much. But Lanc was slightly too old to stick around with the U20s and she might’ve taken that personally because when she played against them for Eastern Suburbs she scored twice in a 3-0 win. Lancaster has a reputation for unstoppable bangers but previously those goals had tended to come as a low percentage amidst a barrage of wild shots. Yet it’s also true that she’d only really played for underdog teams which had to settle for low percentage chances: a couple of wooden-spoon Central sides, two wooden-spoon Nix sides, and various NZ age graders. Moving to Eastern Suburbs (after some solid Aussie NPL stuff during the winter) meant she was finally in a team that controls possession and the result was... still a tendency for things to live or die at the left foot of Charlotte Lancaster but, especially when she played at wing-back and could create for others as much as herself, the hit rate was suddenly tremendous. In eight games she scored 8 goals with 3 assists. There’s nobody in the WNL who kicks a ball harder than Lancaster and goalies all around the country were made to find out first-hand.
FW – Amy Hislop (Southern United)
Back from a stint in the USA where she apparently studied pure tekkers at university, Amy Hislop more than picked up where she left off with Southern United. The funkiest number nine in the competition. She’s always had good size, capable of holding the ball up or turning and shooting. Now she’s also got stepovers and dummies and heel flicks and shoulder drops and all sorts. She was also the one player in the grand final who looked like she could spark something against that imperious AUFC defence. Alas, that wasn’t to be... but they wouldn’t have gotten that far without their brilliant striker who contributed to exactly half of the goals her team scored. 7 goals and 4 assists. An incredible influence.
FW – Kaley Ward (Waterside Karori)
They named her the MVP of the league for a reason. The American striker has been around these parts for many years and the prowess doesn’t wane. Great finisher, as we’ve seen so many times before. As good of a facilitator as she ever has been. With 8 goals and 4 assists she was second-equal on both counts. Ward’s presence is like having a second coach out on the pitch and there wasn’t much that Karori did which didn’t involve KW in some way, shape, or form. 12 goal contributions out of 18 goals overall. Usually had a bespoke goal celebration up her sleeve too.
SECOND XI
GK – Brooke Bennett (Eastern Suburbs)
Last season’s First XI goalie and a contender for the same honour again (though Aimee Hall was ultimately undeniable). With a sketchier defence in front of her this year, largely due to a number of injuries along the way, Bennett nonetheless began with three clean sheets in her first four games. Even saved a penalty in the last of those. The Lilywhites couldn’t maintain the pace as their back three was forced into constant changes but their imperious goalkeeper did all that she could (except in the defeat to Ellerslie when BB didn’t play... coincidence!?). Having spent the last couple winter seasons levelling up at Aussie state level, Bennett is now firmly established as one of the National League’s best. Multiple years of mahi have made that clear. An excellent shot-stopper, especially good against penalties, possessing an equal proficiency with the ball at her feet.
RB – Renee Bacon (Waterside Karori)
Bacon’s been squeezed into right back here but just so you know we’re talking about a very attacking wing-back. One goal and three assists, super direct, great strength, excellent crossing ability. Also one of the leaders in that Wharfies team. This is hardly the first National League season in which Renee Bacon has stood out – she’s done so in multiple years for multiple teams. Wouldn’t have minded seeing her used more often in the forward line (especially as Nikki Furukawa did really well at RWB, scoring a hatty in the win vs Canty) but no dramas. Bacon sizzled. What more can ya say?
CB – Greer Macintosh (Auckland United)
Went extremely close to making the 1st XI, but those pesky Southerners got in the way. Typical for Macintosh who happens to be one of those players who always delivers yet rarely gets the credit. But she’s beginning to stack together a serious track record now and it’s about time she gets recognised for it. GM is someone who has steadily worked her way up the age grades. Macintosh and Talisha Green were the only AUFC players to start every game. GM held it down alongside both Jess Philpot and then, after JP was injured, Chelsea Elliott (two very different types of central defenders) and never flinched. A crucial presence for the champs. Let ‘em all know about it.
CB – Saki Yoshida (Eastern Suburbs)
Last year she was a National League winning midfielder, this year she’s had to drop into the sweeper role for the Lilywhites and guess what? She was great at that too. Yoshida locked things down as a steady presence in a back three that was only twice able to pick the same trio in consecutive games. Reads the game like its a picture book, always a few pages ahead of everyone else. Suburbs started amazingly with three clean sheets from four but never kept another as those constant changes caught up with them – yet they still won 7/9 games. They weren’t far off. Saki Yoshida was a huge reason why that was the case as an experienced presence in a very young squad.
LB – Saskia Vosper (Waterside Karori)
There have been a few players popping up in the National League after being released by the Wellington Phoenix since that became possible and pretty much all of them have bossed it. Think Kelli Brown last year. Charlotte Lancaster this year. And chuck Saskia Vosper in there too. Whatever the Wharfies needed from her, she provided. There were games as a bounding attacking wing-back. There were games as a sharp-tackling sweeper. Vosper was already one of the better WNL players in her position prior to joining the Nix and she’s only gotten better and more versatile.
CM – Hope Gilchrist (Wellington United)
Every team ought to have that one midfielder who wins the ball then gets it where it needs to go. Over and over again. Without fail. No fuss at all. Gilchrist is one such player. Most of her past WNL stuff has been as a centre-back, an extremely good one too, though this year she got to put the technique to the test as a defensive midfielder and yeah mate the technique held up just fine. There were several games in which she was like the leader of the vanguard for the Diamonds. The word ‘reliable’ doesn’t even begin to do her justice.
CM – Charlotte Wilford-Carroll (Eastern Suburbs)
There is one reason and one reason only why CWC didn’t make the First XI and that’s that she only played six games. Pretty sure it was an injury that limited her, which was a damn shame because she scored a belter for the win over Southern in week one (a win that came to look better with each subsequent week as SU strode all the way to the grand final) and carried on confidently from there. Always a great tackler, but this year her distribution really shone too. Throw a couple of assists on the fire as well and the 21yo is looking like a complete midfielder these days. You know what happened in the six games she played? Suburbs won all of them, scoring 20 goals in the process. You know what happened in the three that she missed? Suburbs lost two out of three and were shut out in both defeats. There are no coincidences.
CM – Rose Morton (Southern United)
Yeah okay all three of these midfielders could have made that First XI. That’s exactly why there are three teams in this article and not just the bare eleven. Rose Morton is the smiling assassin. Plays the game with an infectious sense of joy yet also happens to be an irrepressible possession-winner in the midfield. Her workrate is up there with anyone. She tackles hard. She sniffs out interceptions. She served up a couple of assists as well so it wasn’t all off-the-ball mahi. Morton is the heartbeat of this Southern team and was still beaming even after the grand final defeat. She’s the perfect teammate.
FW – Bree Johnson (Auckland United)
Johnson was a wee bit quiet in the final but there’s simply no way that AUFC would have even been there without her. From the very start of the season onwards, her creativity on the left wing was her team’s most reliable outlet. That wicked dribbling ability mixed with a ruthlessness to beat her marker and either get to the byline or angle in for a shot. Then the reliable finishing for a team that, for much of the season, found that last shot to be their achilles heel. Johnson scored the only goal in 1-0 wins against Ellerslie and, most importantly, Western Springs. She also scored a spectacular solo effort in the last round robin game to break things open against Welly Utd. 5 goals and 4 assists overall. Great player.
FW – Mikaela Bouwmeester (Central)
When they lost 8-0 in week one it was looking like it’d be another long season for the Centrallers. But they steadily rose to the challenge, with a draw against Canterbury and a 1-0 win against Ellerslie giving them another team to look down upon in the standings for the first time in more than half a decade. Guess who scored in both of those games? Bouwmeester getting four goals and an assist for Central is the equivalent of, like, 12 goals & 3 assists for one of the finalists. Her veteran presence and dependable outlet up front made such a difference for Central.
FW – Sofia Garcia (Western Springs)
Finally we get around to the Golden Boot winner. Bit harsh to put the top scorer in the second team but, y’know, who are you gonna drop from the firsts? The talent is too excessive. Similar to last season, there are games in which Garcia looks unstoppable and games in which she’s less of a factor. Four of her nine goals came in week one against Central. But the quiet ones probably have a lot to do with teams specifically reacting to her known threat... thus creating space for the likes of Lara Colpi and Ela Jerez to thrive like they did. It’s a team effort, aye? No high line is safe when Sofia Garcia is in town. She also added a pair of assists. Tremendous presence.
THIRD XI
GK – Amelia Simmers (Southern United)
Not an easy task to pick a third keeper, as quite a few of these teams either split the duties or conceded too many goals. Or both. Waterside Karori used four different goalies. A few teams used three. At least we only saw one non-GK having to put the gloves on this year (Charlotte Roche covering after Una Foyle was sent off with no subs left for the Cantabs)... which is the same number of goalies who played outfield (Central’s Leonie Heck is also an accomplished forward and got to stretch the legs off the bench in one of the games where she wasn’t in goal). So let’s go with Amy Simmers for the third team since Southern were the next best defensive unit behind Auckland Utd and Simmers’ performances in the first six rounds were huge in giving this team the rising belief that took them all the way to the final. However Simmers was unavailable for a few weeks so Lauren Paterson filled in and was good enough that Simmers couldn’t get her spot back, not even for the final. Simmers and Paterson each had two clean sheets. Maybe they can share the prestige... though Simmers played more games so she gets the official selection.
RB – Zoe McMeeken (Wellington Phoenix)
There have been so many women going directly from National League to A-League lately and most of them have made the step up instantly (some NPL experience does help too). The best players at this level can do that. But McMeeken hardly had any WNL stuff under her belt when the Welly Nix came calling a couple of years ago and you could see that in her tentativeness and limited confidence. But under Paul Temple and Katie Barrott’s guidance she’s a different player. She’s begun to show it for the ALW team recently but before that came the dress rehearsal for the Reserves. Free-roaming inverted left-back duties, spending half her time in the midfield, really thriving upon her incredible athleticism... and scoring a couple of stunning goals. ZM’s six appearances included all three in which the WeeNix got positive results.
CB – Caelin Patterson (Wellington United)
With respect to her CB partner Zoe Barrott, who has a very similar claim to this position. They can share the prestige if they want. Patterson isn’t actually a WU player – she was brought in as a guest player from Petone (which is also why Hope Gilchrist was able to play CDM after having been a CB in the Kate Shep Final). But Patterson and Barrott have played plenty together for Central in the past so the partnership was instant and effective. Patterson has excellent awareness. She’s capable of playing on the right side as occasionally saw. Got that helpful habit of being where she needs to be. Just a really good, consistent defender.
CB – Chelsea Elliott (Auckland United)
Near the end of the winter season, Elliott played striker and scored a hat-trick in the game that clinched the NRFL title. For the summer stuff she was back in defence. In and out at first but when AU captain Jess Philpot went down injured it was Elliott who stepped up and not only delivered some physically powerful defensive games – none more so than how she handled Amy Hislop in the grand final – but she also scored a few goals including a free kick from damn near halfway. X-factor goal scoring from a defender? That’s team of the season quality.
LB – Jemma Catherwood (Wellington United)
A goal and four assists as a left-sided defender (sometimes wing-back, usually fullback) is the kind of output that needs to be paid attention to. Back from a stint in the American college stuff, 20yo Catherwood was a steady link between attack and defence for Wellington United. She’s got good pace and reliable delivery, but can also get around her marker and to the line which is when she looks the slickest and most dynamic.
CM – Ella McMillan (Wellington Phoenix)
Captain of the WeeNix in their inaugural campaign, starting every game splitting her time between central defence and central midfield. Honestly, she looked equally good at either. Seems to be a fantastic leader and that composure spills into the way that she plays the game – setting a tone for her young teammates to follow. There are some very exciting prospects in that Nix system but McMillan is the one player from this reserves team (excluding those who already have first team contracts) who looks like she could do a job in the A-League already... and she has been involved in a couple of wider squads. Given how the team’s depth has been hit in Ella McMillan’s two specific positions she’s definitely a chance of a debut this season.
CM – Lily Taitimu (Western Springs)
When Lily Taitimu was absent from the team list for the crunch game against Auckland United in the penultimate round, it was a very bad omen for her team. Taitimu is such an important presence for them patrolling the midfield and keeping the ball moving and even popping up with a couple of goals. Her and Jess Innes have formed an excellent partnership at Springs (Innes has a claim to this spot herself with four assists to her name). But yeah nah the one game that Taitimu missed was the one game her team were kept scoreless in, a 1-0 defeat that effectively ended their hopes of making the final. Key players are key players for a reason, ya dig?
CM – Charlotte Mortlock (Canterbury United Pride)
It was such a wobbly season for the Pride, full of ups and downs and inconsistencies with a young squad, that we’ve only ended up one player of theirs in the selections. So it goes. But if you haven’t learned the name of Charlotte Mortlock yet then you probably ought to get onto that. Mortlock scored two goals and delivered two assists and her corner kicks had a lot to do with that. Absolutely wicked deliveries. Those goals each came in positive results too – and there were only a handful of those for the Cantabs. Mortlock’s also a menace from open play, a hard-worker who can spot a pass. Still only 17 years old. You’ll be seeing her (and a few of these other players, including the one up next) at the U20 World Cup next year. Don’t doubt it.
FW – Zoe Benson (Eastern Suburbs)
The assist queen of the Women’s National League. The 17yo forward sometimes got overshadowed by the more experienced players around her, meaning that there were games she played on one wing, games she played on the other wing, one game she played off the bench, and a couple at the end where she was used as a wing-back. But no matter where she played or who she played with she always set up goals. Her six assists were two more than anyone else. The first thing to look for with a young footballer is how much influence they’re able to have on games and Zoe Benson leaves footprints all over the pitch.
FW – Pepi Olliver-Bell (Wellington United)
It’s a wonderful trait for a striker to know how to be in the right place at the right time. Almost like how a wild animal sniffs out its prey. Olliver-Bell has that trait. She scored seven goals in six different games including in every single one of the Diamonds’ wins and draws. POB is speedy playing off the shoulder of the last defender and she’s a pretty good finisher on top of that. Still a teenager and already one of the more consistent goal-scorers in the country.
FW – Maddison Hughes (Central)
Mikaela Bouwmeester got second team honours and Maddi Hughes sneaks into the third team. Between those two (with a little bit of Ruby-Aroha Gurnick as well) pretty much all of Central’s creativity can be contained. Hughes scored both of the team’s two goals that Bouwmeester didn’t and also set up one of MB’s. She’s quick and clever in the attacking third. Gets on the ball in good areas. Best of all was how consistently dangerous she was no matter who she happened to be up against.
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