FA Girls National Youth Championships Insider: Former Matildas coach Greg brown hails hat-trick hero Kealah Boldery
A Newcastle Jets academy talent has put a big stamp on the tournament with a semi-final hat-trick – and has drawn some high praise. Find out more in our National Youth Championships insider.
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A Kealah Boldery hat-trick has powered Northern NSW into the National Youth Championships U16 grand final after a thrilling 5-1 win over Victoria at The Home of the Matildas.
The Newcastle Jets academy talent made a smooth tap-in from a cut back to bring up her third goal in the 40th minute of the semi-final clash on Sunday.
Boldery’s fantastic game earned the praise of former Matildas boss and current Northern NSW U16 coach Greg Brown.
“She was brilliant, I mean she played full back yesterday, we can play her anywhere,” Brown said post-match.
Boldery took her total to four goals from five games at the national tournament.
Speaking minutes after her heroic performance, Boldery said she felt like her team “played so good” in the match.
“We kept the foot on the throat, we just kept going, we didn’t stop once and the three goals, I’m pretty happy with that,” Boldery told KommunityTV.
“I honestly did not expect to get a hat trick in the semi, I’m stoked with it.
“We got knocked out in the semis last year so I’m happy that we are going through to the grand final this year.”
Brown said he felt “really good” about his side following their emphatic win.
“I mean Victoria is a top side, obviously they are on top of their group so we knew it would be a tough game,” he said.
“We tried to match them up tactically and it worked perfectly.
“The girls put a great shift in, they worked really hard and we took our chances and that’s the most important thing.
“In games like this, when you get a chance, you got to put them away and we did that.
“They didn’t, they had a couple of chances, didn’t manage to put them all away, we did and they’re the fine lines.”
In the other U16 semi-final there was another hat-trick with NSW Metro No.11 Tiana Fuller bringing up her triple inside the first 30 minutes.
It was a stunning start to the game from the forward who helped steer her side to a 4-0 advantage at half-time, going on to defeat Queensland Maroon 5-0.
‘Talented’ Northern NSW keeper pulls off stunning save
When Caoimhe Bray pulled off a stunning diving save in her side’s semi-final and an onlooker turned around and said “she’s a good keeper”, he was damn right.
Bray’s epic full-stretch save against a surging NSW Metro at the U15 National Youth Championships kept the scores level at 0-0 in the 23rd minute.
The massive save drew a huge round of applause from the strong crowd in the stands at The Home of the Matildas with opposition fans even clapping despite their team being denied a goal.
And in the do-or-die clash, the 14-year-old continued her excellent performance for Northern NSW, pulling off multiple saves in the second half to keep the scoreline at 0-0 and send the game to penalties.
Many would say NSW Metro were the better team and on shots and possession, they were superior, but getting the ball past Bray was the problem.
Her big save in the first half and overall game was one of the best seen at this championship.
And even though Bray didn’t win the penalty shootout to reach the grand final, her top performance still stands true because if it wasn’t for the rising star’s efforts earlier, they wouldn’t have made it so far.
A special mention has to go to her opposing goalkeeper Alyse Oppedisano who prevailed 4-2 in the shootout to win a ticket to the grand final.
Bray was quick to congratulate Oppedisano following the intense shootout in a nice sign of respect.
Before reaching the national stage, Bray’s soccer journey began as an eight-year-old at Muswellbrook Eagles in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales.
She played there for two years before taking her game to the next level when she joined the Emerging Jets.
This is where Bray made a huge commitment alongside her family, making regular road trips from her hometown in the Hunter Valley to get to training more than an hour away in Newcastle.
Bray also had a stint at Adamstown Rosebud in Newcastle before moving there with her family this year and joining the Jets Academy where she now plays reserve grade.
When it comes to the biggest highlights in her soccer journey, Bray couldn’t go past her debut for the Junior Matildas playing against Indonesia in China.
“It would have to be the Junior Matildas first game,” she said.
“It was probably one of my better games out of the three and just singing the anthem at the start, it was just a surreal experience, nothing could beat it I reackon.”
Bray’s Northern NSW U15 goalkeeper coach and former training partner at the Jets Claire Coelho said a career in the game was on the horizon.
“She is a good keeper, she is talented,” she said.
“There is a career there but there is a lot of hard work to be done as well, she has got the talent.”
WA striker drawing inspiration from nationals rivals
Western Australia U15s star Theodora Mouithys Mickalad isn’t just making the most of her time on the pitch at the National Youth Championships, she is also utilising her time off it.
Mickalad has starred with three goals in her first two games but the New Zealand-born West Australian has also been busy off the pitch, keeping a close eye on the action from the grandstands of The Home of the Matildas in Bundoora, Victoria.
In the free time players get in between the games, the promising midfielder has been getting plenty of inspiration and tips and tricks from watching her counterparts in action.
“We all come from different states so you might be good in your state but then when you come here, it’s kind of humbling, you start switching on a little bit,” she said.
“So definitely seeing other girls play, you learn a few things because there’s some good wingers and midfielders here.
“These could be people that I could grow up and play against or with so it’s always good to have a look because you never know who you will play with in the future.”
Mickalad particularly remembers when a player from Capital “flicked the ball over someone’s head” in a move that she now wants to add to her game.
Mickalad moved west when she was five years old and joined NPL WA junior club Cockburn City as a seven-year-old.
The top goal scorer from the start of the tournament played a combination of U9’s boys and mixed juniors until she joined the WA NTC last season.
Mickalad, who has five older brothers, said it felt good to score on the national stage.
“I wasn’t really expecting to score much but I have already scored three in two games which is pretty good,” she said.
“And they weren’t bad goals, they were pretty good goals which is good.”
Mickalad scored a brace against the Invitational XI on the opening day of the tournament on Wednesday before a goal less than 24 hours later against Capital.
A rest on Friday ensued against NSW Metro as other players were rotated in for game time.
The winger who also plays in midfield is known for having good feet in addition to being able to find space and take it excellently.
When it comes to players Mickalad aspires to play like, she mentioned Luka Modrić and Martin Ødegaard.
Adopted city slicker remains country girl at heart
NSW Country captain Alethea Levy spends most of her year at Pymble Ladies’ College on Sydney’s upper north shore, but, at heart, she is a girl from Wagga Wagga.
The talented junior moved to the big city at age 14 to put her soccer abilities to the test at the next level, representing NSW NPL club Northern Tigers.
She was snapped up by the FNSW Institute soon after arriving, where she has since taken her game to new heights.
Levy is now playing her fourth tournament at the national level and is taking on the role of captain of the NSW Country U16 side.
She said the move to the metro region provided new challenges to develop her game while representing her country origins.
“I am definitely used to it now,” she said.
“It was a big step up in the football world per say, big step up in the intensity and training load, but I think it’s all for the better, especially if you have the opportunity to go to a metro environment.”
NSW Country coach Michael Babic, who also comes from Wagga, has known Levy since 2018 through his role steering the Talent Support Program (TSP) in the area and said she has a bright future.
“It’s great for the country coaches to have the opportunity to come be a part of this and bring together a country team with that real country spirit,” he said.
“With Alethea, I started working with her when she was very young and you saw that drive that passion, that commitment and you always knew that one day she would be on that stage doing this.
“You just knew from an early age that this is a girl that, hopefully one day, is going to be a Matilda.”
The team also features left winger Millie Peterson, who is the only girl in the side to come from Orange.
Peterson said Matilda defender Ellie Carpenter was one of her inspirations, as she comes from Cowra, a country town 90km away from Orange.
She said her goal was to “go pro” and was appreciative of the support her coaches at her local club Waratahs were giving her.
Allyssa Ng Saad, from Bathurst, plays on the wing or in attack.
She said her two older brothers, Jackson and Ethan, helped get her into the game at a young age.
“My brothers used to play and I would just hang around them when they trained. I would kick the ball behind them,” she said.
Babic said it was nice to see the NSW country regions being represented at the national tournament.
“It’s very nice to work with players at this level,” he said.
“It’s even nicer that we give girls from the country the opportunity.
“We don’t get to train weekly, we just get together for camps every now and again, or a training day, we will bring the squad together and do some stuff.
“It’s great to be able to give them the opportunity to play on this stage.”
How playing boys has fast-tracked young gun’s career
Many girls at the Football Australia National Youth Championships have grown up playing with the boys.
It is a pathway option that many coaches encourage as a way of fast-tracking development.
South Australia U16 midfielder Sienna Calvanese is one of countless talents at The Home of the Matildas in Melbourne this week who has reaped the rewards from taking on the boys early in their football journeys.
Before Calvanese moved to Football South Australia’s NTC senior team, she spent hundreds of hours at West Adelaide competing as a junior in the boys’ teams.
And once arriving at the state program full-time in 2022, the 14-year-old has continued to go up against the boys to further enhance her game.
“It has helped me with my skills because they are really quick,” Calvanese said.
“It was challenging because they are really fast, but it did help me a lot.”
The exciting prospect initially began her football journey playing with girls, but then transitioned to a boys team in her second season, partly thanks to her twin brother.
“I started playing at West Adelaide when I was nine, I played with the girls but then at the age of 10, I played with the boys with my twin brother, Allesandro,” she said.
“He has helped me a lot and playing with the boys has improved my skills and speed.”
Calvanese is alongside current SA U16 teammates Maeve Nicholas and Ellena Vega, and goalkeepers Mary Dalpiaz and Ilona Melegh in the SA NTC senior side.
The state’s entire junior NTC teams, except U18s, compete in boys’ competitions in a strategic move that has paid dividends to their player development.
“Sienna is one of these players who have come from a boys’ club, we have other players as well and you can see the huge advantage when they come into the program,” Football SA player development lead and U16 coach Cristiano Dos Santos Rodrigues said.
“For individual development, we believe the girls should stay and play with the boys as much as possible.”
And since Calvanese arrived at the NTC, Dos Santos Rodrigues has been impressed with her development.
“She has developed hugely,” he said.
“She is already with the U18 age group training and playing with them.
“Every year, we have been developing her in different positions so she doesn’t get used to playing in one position.
“Because if she gets identified to go play for the national team, they like players to be able to play in different positions.”
Dos Santos Rodrigues said Calvanese could “go very far” with the ingredients she has developed as a footballer on and off the field early in her career.
Celebration time as Tassie make some noise at NYC
The Tasmania U16 girls have endured a tough start to the Football Australia National Youth Championships, but they had plenty to cheer about when their first goal rolled into the net on Friday.
Beaten 5-0 and 7-0 in their opening two games, it was forward Hollie Jones scoring for Tassie to end the scoreless drought.
The Launceston United young gun latched onto a loose ball deep in attack against NSW Country and shot for glory to spark incredible scenes on pitch 5 at The Home of the Matildas in Melbourne.
They lost the game 3-1, but at least they won’t leave Melbourne with a blank in the goals for.
Jones, who previously played at Launceston City moved to United this year to challenge herself in the Tasmania Women’s Super League, said it was a thrill to score for her state.
“It felt pretty good, it was an adrenaline rush,” she said.
“It’s been a long time coming, the last couple of years I have been here and haven’t had that opportunity, but it was really good (this time).”
This was Jones’ third year representing Tasmania and she said the goal “backed up all the hard work that the team has been putting in”.
“It felt pretty good, I know the team were pretty happy, we are all pretty happy and it showed at the end of the game, we really wanted to fight for what we thought we had,” she said.
“It was such a strong side that we were playing, so to be able to score against them was awesome.”
Tassie’s growth at the tournament has been impressive considering their short timeframe preparing for the tournament.
Coach Mark Broadbent was proud of their development and ability to rise to the next level.
“For them, to stand up in this sort of environment was magnificent,” he said.
“It’s very daunting for them every single night, they come home and it’s a bit of a reality check that they are actually here.
“A lot of these girls never even dreamt about playing for the state.
“To have the opportunity to collate with Football Tasmania and put together a state under-16s side… there was minimal players sitting there already, so to have those girls handed out their top was unbelievable; it was like a Christmas present.
“Let alone it was a reality check when they came here and they realise they are at the Home of the Matildas, it was a bit like a dream.”
Among the players making their state debuts was central defender Hannah Graham-Smith, who Broadbent said he was particularly impressed with.
“She has been excelling every single game, if there’s any girl out there that needs to be identified, someone like Hannah Graham-Smith, she has stood up and been a very good leader,” he said.
“She has been really rock solid back there for someone who has never been looked at.
“She has been the one that has stood up this tournament.”
Many of the parents have made the trip for the tournament.
This included the parents of midfielder Grace Sims, Kellie and Grant, who saw the epic goal only a few hours after landing in Melbourne from Tasmania on Friday morning.
“It’s great to see them get their first goal of the tournament, it was a big team effort,” Kellie said.
“They have had pretty good patches of play, but haven’t had a lot of luck scoring. It’s been coming this first goal,” Grant said.
Junior Matildas driving Queensland nationals push
Queensland Maroon rising stars Isabela Hoyos and Rosie McMahon are among some of the brightest talents rolling around at the National Youth Championship in Melbourne this week.
The pair have both previously represented the Junior Matildas, showcasing just how talented the Queensland academy representatives are to be able to reach those top heights.
Hoyos, 16, was born in Melbourne and came over to Brisbane when she was six years old. It was at this point that she first kicked the soccer ball around at the local parks.
Before progressing her game to Springfield United in Greater Brisbane and then University of Queensland and Queensland Lions for a few seasons, it was a friendly invite at the park that sparked it all.
“It all started at the local park, me and my dad were playing and I got picked up by two girls who recommended me to go to my local club and it all started from there,” Hoyos said.
From that day, Hoyos has developed to become one of the most promising junior central defenders in the country.
Hoyos says she is proud of her journey so far and wants it to continue to evolve.
“I definitely wanted to always play for the Matildas and a professional club,” she said.
“Representing my state is always a big thing for me and I didn’t think I would have come this far so I am really proud of it.”
Meanwhile, McMahon hails from the Sunshine Coast where she too has also spent the last few seasons playing for the FQ Academy QAS.
The midfielder with Indigenous background has been playing since she was five years old.
“I was always the girl that was running on and playing with the boys at primary school and just having fun at lunchtime,” she said.
After playing a season at the Sunshine Coast Fire, McMahon was selected to play for the FQ Academy QAS.
Alongside Hoyos, McMahon was highly complementary of the program delivered by Football Queensland.
“I love it, the girls I have been playing with for four are great, we all love each other and get along good,” she said.
Tillies legend lighting the path for next generation
A lot has changed in women’s football since Matildas great Anissa Tann last represented Australia more than two decades ago.
The Football Australia Hall of Famer, who had a 14-year international career in the green and gold, believes the opportunities available to young females players are endless now.
Tann would know, she has been one of the people providing them in her work with the Football NSW Institute as a coach and mentor for the next generation of Tillies.
A lot has changed in women’s football since Matildas great Anissa Tann last represented Australia more than two decades ago.
The Football Australia Hall of Famer, who had a 14-year international career in the green and gold, believes the opportunities available to young females players are endless now.
Tann would know, she has been one of the people providing them in her work with the Football NSW Institute as a coach and mentor for the next generation of Tillies.
“The opportunities now for girls are amazing,” Tann said.
“Pretty much every single one wants to play for the Matildas or have a professional career overseas.”
The former Matilda has taken the reins of the NSW Metro Under-15s side at the National Youth Championships at the Home of the Matildas this week.
Tann’s national team career spanned 14 years and 123 appearances, from her debut against China in 1988 to when she called time in 2002.
She said opportunities for girls who wanted to pursue football professionally just weren’t available when she started playing.
“In my time, it was very, very rare to get a contract overseas,” Tann said.
“The money just wasn’t available.
“But now all the girls are better athletes, are technically better at a younger age and they can actually now have a career where they earn a lot of money doing what they love.”
The National Youth Championships have provided the platform for plenty of future national team players to represent their states over the years and Tann said the girls know it could be a big opportunity for their futures.
“The girls understand the importance of the tournament,” she said.
“For their futures and also for Football NSW.
“It’s a big tournament for all of them in terms of their age now, and trying to get to the bottom rung of the national team.”
Tann coached the Under-14 side to a silver medal at the 2023 championships. falling agonisingly short against rivals Victoria in the final.
The majority of that squad is back for the under-15 tournament and Tann said she expected to go one better this year.
The side kicked off its tournament with a great 3-0 win first up against Capital Football.
“I think we’ve grown since last year,” Tann said.
“We’ve touched on why we didn’t win and I think they’ve really learned from it.
“A lot of the girls this year have jumped up a couple of age groups and have actually played NPL1 and reserve grade, so they’re very experienced and a lot stronger this year.”
Indigenous Matilda leading next line of gems
The pedigree of talent at this year’s National Youth Championships has gone to new heights with the addition of former Matilda star Gema Simon as coach of the Invitational XI.
Simon, who made 11 appearances for the Matildas between 2014 and 2019, is coaching the U15 girls team made up of talented Indigenous players selected from across Australia.
It will be the second time the side is competing at the tournament and continues Football Australia’s strong support of growing Indigenous talent in the country.
And if last year’s side is anything to go by, the skills and attributes of these rising stars will be excellent.
Lacey Wynne, who featured in the team 12 months ago, has gone on to play in Madrid against top teams like FC Barcelona, Olympic Lyon FC, and Real Madrid FC with WomanGoal in the TXIMIST Cup (Women’s International Football Tournament).
This year’s side will be competing over six days in the U15 national tournament at the Home of the Matildas in Bundoora, Victoria from Wednesday through to Monday.
Simon, a Gumbainggir woman from northern NSW, said she was looking forward to inspiring a side stacked with Indigenous talent.
“It’s a privilege to be involved with such a special group and just all the work that has gone into it behind the scenes from everyone is huge,” she said ahead of the tournament.
“I’m just looking forward to the week with the girls. It’s a very special group and it’s a very special tournament to be involved in.
“Playing in it a long time ago, and then coming full circle, able to give back to the girls and help with their progress in football and being good humans as well.”
Simon will lead the side alongside Koori man and last year’s coach Tim Aitken, who will take on the role of technical director.
She said it was “really special” the players got the opportunity to represent their culture.
“It’s absolutely incredible, I would have loved to have played, I have never played in an Indigenous jersey myself, so it’s pretty special to be coaching a team that gets to do that.
“They get to represent their culture, themselves and their families.”
Ruby Bird, who is the daughter of former rugby league player Deon Bird, will wear painted boots with Aboriginal artwork in recognition of her Wakka Wakka heritage.
The Peninsula Power junior said she received the boots from her sister as a surprise. Bird also made sure she tapped into her father’s international sporting experience pre-tournament to support her preparations.
“He did train me during the holidays and gave me some advice for the tournament,” she said.
Grace Amidy, who travelled the furthest distance to meet the team, coming from the Top End where she plays for Darwin Olympic, said she had to make an adjustment to the colder weather in Melbourne.
“Temperatures has definitely been hard, going from 30 degrees to one, it’s a very big difference.
“They (Darwin Olympic) are basically like my family, I have been with them since I was very small, brought up with my dad who has been playing with them.
“They are very excited for me as well.”
Alisha Mays, who scored the first penalty of last year’s national tournament in Wollongong, said this year’s Invitational side had promising talent.
“It’s a little bit more different, there’s way more talent than last year with new players here, too,” the Leichhardt junior said.
Originally published as FA Girls National Youth Championships Insider: Former Matildas coach Greg brown hails hat-trick hero Kealah Boldery
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