NSW Metro U18 girls talent to be showcased at Football Australia National Training Centre

Future Matildas stars and up-and-comers from New South Wales are set to go up against the best in the country at this year’s Training Centre Challenge. See who will feature in the teams.

The NSW U18 Metro team at the 2022 National Training Centre Challenge. Photo: Football NSW

The best young football talent NSW has to offer will do battle from Monday against Metro and Country teams from across the country as part of the National Training Centre U18 Challenge for girls.

The NSW Metro side is packed with already established stars, including Jynaya Dos Santos, Tahlia Franco, Sienna Saveska, Maya Lobo and Peta Trimis fresh off a successful U20s Asian Cup qualifying campaign with the Young Matildas.

Coach of the Metro team Lisa Warrener said she was spoiled for choice when picking a team to take to the NTC Challenge and the depth of talent within the squad will give them an advantage.

“They’re all players that have been doing well in their NPL clubs,” Warrener said.

“A lot of them have played together before, some of them were in the junior Matildas last year.

With such a stacked squad, Warrener said the team’s pace in attack and speed ‘is going to be a factor’ that puts them ahead of their competition.

“We’ve got a lot of speed in there,” she said.

“If you look at players like Peta Trimis and Indi Breier, they’ve been scoring lots of goals for their clubs so I expect them to be dangerous.

“I think that the depth that we have and the strengths that we have will be an advantage over some of the other states.”

Looking ahead to their competition, Warrener said she believes Queensland and Victoria will be ‘the two clubs to watch out for.’

“Most of the Queensland girls play together as a club,” she said.

“So that would be an advantage they have over us.

“I think 14 out of 18 players are in the same team, so that gives them a bit more preparation.”

However Warrener said despite the limited time training together as a squad, she has no doubt the girls will be playing for the win.

“My expectations are that we’re competitive in every game, and if we play our best we should be able to win,” she said.

Football NSW U18 Metro squad

Tahlia Franco - Football NSW Institute

Mary Stanic-Floody - NWS Spirit

Libby Morris - Football NSW Institute

Erin Gordon - Football NSW Institute

Alice Thompson - Football NSW Institute

Alessandra Valle - Football NSW Institute

Maya Lobo - Macarthur Rams

Jaime Beaufil - Sydney University SFC

Anneke Corry - Bulls FC Academy

Sienna Saveska - Football NSW Institute

Indi Breier - Macarthur Rams

Caley Tallon-Henniker - Football NSW Institute

Adelaide Wyrzynski - Football NSW Institute

Peta Trimis - Bulls FC Academy

Halle Callow - Illawarra Stingrays

Leah Burton - Manly United

Jynaya Dos Santos - Football NSW Institute

Jasmine Black - Football NSW Institute