Mary Fowler shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year gong
Australian star Mary Fowler is on the six-person shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association Women's Player of the Year award.
Voted for by fellow professional players, Fowler was included, along with teammate Yui Hasegawa, following her most productive Women's Super League season to date for Manchester City.
They are joined by Alessia Russo and Mariona Caldentey from European champions Arsenal, Erin Cuthbert from WSL champions Chelsea, and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Also in the running for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong, 22-year-old Fowler picked up six goals and seven assists in the campaign, and her two goal involvements in four successive WSL matches set a competition record in February.
Despite having her season cut short by injury in April, the Matildas star was the only City player to reach double figures in goals and assists in all competitions.
Japan international midfielder Hasegawa - who won City's Player of the Season award - completed the most dribbles in the WSL across the campaign and was involved in more shot-ending sequences than any other player in her position.
She also won possession more times than any other player in the top flight across the season.
Russo scored eight times in Arsenal's European success and was joint top scorer in the WSL with 12 goals.
Her teammate Caldentey managed nine goals and five assists in the WSL and added eight more in the Champions League.
The winner will be announced at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 19.
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The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Matildas already singing to the Montemurro tune
The Joe Montemurro era at the Matildas has officially begun, and the new game plan is music to the ears for midfielder Clare Wheeler. The Matildas have assembled in Perth ahead of two games against Slovenia and two games against Panama. The action kicks off on Thursday night when the Matildas host Slovenia at HBF Park, with the match marking Montemurro's first game in charge of the national side. The four games in Western Australia are an important building block for Montemurro ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, and the 2028 Olympics. Montemurro has already held meetings with his players, and Wheeler is liking the fluid and control-style game plan the former Arsenal, Lyon and Juventus coach is encouraging. "As a midfielder, you want to get on the ball," Wheeler said. "So it's great when a coach says that he wants you on the ball. I think that's music to our ears. "And it's also a challenge ... especially against, opposition where you're under pressure a lot. "But I think when you have that trust from your coach that believes in the team to be able to do that, it feels good. "I can't wait to get started." The Matildas will be without plenty of star power for the games in WA. Sam Kerr is still recovering from her ruptured ACL and also a more recent injury that required surgery. Fellow star attacker Mary Fowler (knee) is also out with her own long-term injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Cortnee Vine and Katrina Gorry are on leave. Tameka Yallop (leg) is another player who is absent. Wheeler is amongst nine players who will only be available for the first two matches of the four-game block. Nevertheless, Wheeler said the two-week camp will be critical in helping the squad prepare for next year's Asian Cup, which begins on March 1. "There's not many camps left before Asian Cup, so every camp matters," she said. "Joe's come in with a wealth of experience, and he has a certain ideology of how he wants to play going forward. "These first couple of days, it's about taking as much as we can in and with these games it's going to be really good for us to try and implement that. "It's going to take maybe a bit of time, and that's why we have these games. "Do I think it's going to be perfect straight off the bat? I don't know. We're going to try our best." Perth is a happy place for Wheeler, having scored her first international goal at Optus Stadium during the Matildas' 8-0 romp over the Philippines in 2023. "Honestly, just pure joy," Wheeler said of the goal. "Hopefully I can do it again." The Joe Montemurro era at the Matildas has officially begun, and the new game plan is music to the ears for midfielder Clare Wheeler. The Matildas have assembled in Perth ahead of two games against Slovenia and two games against Panama. The action kicks off on Thursday night when the Matildas host Slovenia at HBF Park, with the match marking Montemurro's first game in charge of the national side. The four games in Western Australia are an important building block for Montemurro ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, and the 2028 Olympics. Montemurro has already held meetings with his players, and Wheeler is liking the fluid and control-style game plan the former Arsenal, Lyon and Juventus coach is encouraging. "As a midfielder, you want to get on the ball," Wheeler said. "So it's great when a coach says that he wants you on the ball. I think that's music to our ears. "And it's also a challenge ... especially against, opposition where you're under pressure a lot. "But I think when you have that trust from your coach that believes in the team to be able to do that, it feels good. "I can't wait to get started." The Matildas will be without plenty of star power for the games in WA. Sam Kerr is still recovering from her ruptured ACL and also a more recent injury that required surgery. Fellow star attacker Mary Fowler (knee) is also out with her own long-term injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Cortnee Vine and Katrina Gorry are on leave. Tameka Yallop (leg) is another player who is absent. Wheeler is amongst nine players who will only be available for the first two matches of the four-game block. Nevertheless, Wheeler said the two-week camp will be critical in helping the squad prepare for next year's Asian Cup, which begins on March 1. "There's not many camps left before Asian Cup, so every camp matters," she said. "Joe's come in with a wealth of experience, and he has a certain ideology of how he wants to play going forward. "These first couple of days, it's about taking as much as we can in and with these games it's going to be really good for us to try and implement that. "It's going to take maybe a bit of time, and that's why we have these games. "Do I think it's going to be perfect straight off the bat? I don't know. We're going to try our best." Perth is a happy place for Wheeler, having scored her first international goal at Optus Stadium during the Matildas' 8-0 romp over the Philippines in 2023. "Honestly, just pure joy," Wheeler said of the goal. "Hopefully I can do it again." The Joe Montemurro era at the Matildas has officially begun, and the new game plan is music to the ears for midfielder Clare Wheeler. The Matildas have assembled in Perth ahead of two games against Slovenia and two games against Panama. The action kicks off on Thursday night when the Matildas host Slovenia at HBF Park, with the match marking Montemurro's first game in charge of the national side. The four games in Western Australia are an important building block for Montemurro ahead of the 2026 Asian Cup in Australia, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, and the 2028 Olympics. Montemurro has already held meetings with his players, and Wheeler is liking the fluid and control-style game plan the former Arsenal, Lyon and Juventus coach is encouraging. "As a midfielder, you want to get on the ball," Wheeler said. "So it's great when a coach says that he wants you on the ball. I think that's music to our ears. "And it's also a challenge ... especially against, opposition where you're under pressure a lot. "But I think when you have that trust from your coach that believes in the team to be able to do that, it feels good. "I can't wait to get started." The Matildas will be without plenty of star power for the games in WA. Sam Kerr is still recovering from her ruptured ACL and also a more recent injury that required surgery. Fellow star attacker Mary Fowler (knee) is also out with her own long-term injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Cortnee Vine and Katrina Gorry are on leave. Tameka Yallop (leg) is another player who is absent. Wheeler is amongst nine players who will only be available for the first two matches of the four-game block. Nevertheless, Wheeler said the two-week camp will be critical in helping the squad prepare for next year's Asian Cup, which begins on March 1. "There's not many camps left before Asian Cup, so every camp matters," she said. "Joe's come in with a wealth of experience, and he has a certain ideology of how he wants to play going forward. "These first couple of days, it's about taking as much as we can in and with these games it's going to be really good for us to try and implement that. "It's going to take maybe a bit of time, and that's why we have these games. "Do I think it's going to be perfect straight off the bat? I don't know. We're going to try our best." Perth is a happy place for Wheeler, having scored her first international goal at Optus Stadium during the Matildas' 8-0 romp over the Philippines in 2023. "Honestly, just pure joy," Wheeler said of the goal. "Hopefully I can do it again."
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Rugby Australia warned: Release your Wallabies, or else
The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet." The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet." The British and Irish Lions have put Rugby Australia on notice, declaring the governing body will be breaking an agreement if they don't release Wallabies players to oppose them in tour games. After touching down in Perth on Sunday night, the Lions attended a Welcome to Country ceremony at Kings Park on Monday ahead of the highly-anticipated three-match Test series against Australia. The first Test will take place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on July 19, but before that comes a concerted build-up for the tourists. More than 40,000 fans are expected to turn out to watch the Lions take on the Force at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. They will then play the Queensland Reds (July 2), the NSW Waratahs (July 5) and the ACT Brumbies (July 9) before facing a combined Australia and New Zealand outfit in Adelaide on July 12. The Force will unleash Wallabies squad members Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White against the Lions on Saturday. But complicating matters is the fact the Wallabies take on Fiji on July 6, meaning other Force squad members like Carlo Tizzano, Harry Potter, Jeremy Williams and Ben Donaldson are in camp with the Wallabies and will miss out on the first tour match against the Lions. Australian coach Joe Schmidt was initially keen to protect most of his squad from the tour games, but has since softened his stance somewhat. The Lions want Rugby Australia to make as many Wallabies players as possible available for the tour matches. "The agreement is very clear. It says that Test players have to be released to play in the fixtures leading into that Test series, and so that's our expectation," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said on Monday. "I think it's really important that these games are competitive. "And it's not just from a performance standpoint. The players do want to test themselves, and they do want to build towards the Test series. "It's also right for the fans and for the broadcasters and the partners and so forth, who are all expecting competitive fixtures, and for the rugby-loving public here in Australia, "We'll play the game at the weekend, and we'll carry on having discussions with Rugby Australia, with (RA chief executive) Phil Waugh and the rest of the executive team." The Lions are licking their wounds following a shock 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Though stung by the defeat, it opened the conversation of whether Argentina or even France deserved to be included on the current rotation of Lions tours. Currently, the Lions only tour every four years, alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. "We remain open to having discussions about what the future for the Lions may hold, but those conversations are for another time," Calveley said. "You can certainly understand why people will get excited about that sort of a concept (a series in France). "What's not to like about some of those wonderful clubs you could play against and some of those wonderful venues in the summer time as well? "I've seen the feedback over the last couple of weeks from various people ... and it was enormously positive. But we're focused now on this tour. "We haven't made any decisions to go in that direction yet."
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Man City, Juve continue to impress at Club World Cup
Ilkay Gundogan has scored a pair of goals, Erling Haaland netted a penalty and Manchester City locked up their spot in the knockout round of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 5-0 rout of Al Ain. Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki also scored for City, who are trying to put an encouraging capper on a disappointing season. The English powerhouse finished third in the Premier League after four straight titles and went down to Real Madrid in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. The time of possession on Sunday night in Atlanta was a staggering 74 per cent in favour of Pep Guardiloa's side, who outshot the Emirati club 21-5. Haaland buried a first-half spot kick for his 32nd goal of the season across all competitions while Cherki, one of City's recent high-profile signings, scored his first goal for his new club in the waning minutes. Juventus joined City, the reigning champions after winning the title in 2023 under the former seven-team format, in progressing from Group G with two wins from two thanks partly to Kenan Yildiz scoring twice in their 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The Serie A club took the lead on six minutes via a deflected Yildiz shot and ten minutes later in Philadelphia, the Turkey international doubled Juventus' lead with a powerful volley into the top right corner. The Moroccans made it 2-1 in the 25th, but Yildiz's second goal of the game in the 69th minute and an added-time Dusan Vlahovic penalty conversion ended the scoring. Wydad and Al Ain were both eliminated after consecutive defeats. Earlier on Sunday in Charlotte, Real Madrid bounced back from a disappointing performance in their tournament opener to beat Pachuca 3-1. Madrid defender Raul Asencio received a red card just seven minutes in, but Jude Bellingham got the Spanish giants on the board in the 35th when he belted a perfectly placed left-footed shot past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno. Eight minutes later, Arda Guler made it 2-0 and Federico Valverde put the final touches on the win in the second half. Elias Montiel ended Thibaut Courtois' bid for a shutout when he scored in the 80th minute for the Mexicans, who were eliminated. Madrid are joined on four points atop Group H by FC Salzburg after the Austrian club were held to a 0-0 draw by 2022 tournament runners up Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, in Washington. Ilkay Gundogan has scored a pair of goals, Erling Haaland netted a penalty and Manchester City locked up their spot in the knockout round of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 5-0 rout of Al Ain. Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki also scored for City, who are trying to put an encouraging capper on a disappointing season. The English powerhouse finished third in the Premier League after four straight titles and went down to Real Madrid in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. The time of possession on Sunday night in Atlanta was a staggering 74 per cent in favour of Pep Guardiloa's side, who outshot the Emirati club 21-5. Haaland buried a first-half spot kick for his 32nd goal of the season across all competitions while Cherki, one of City's recent high-profile signings, scored his first goal for his new club in the waning minutes. Juventus joined City, the reigning champions after winning the title in 2023 under the former seven-team format, in progressing from Group G with two wins from two thanks partly to Kenan Yildiz scoring twice in their 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The Serie A club took the lead on six minutes via a deflected Yildiz shot and ten minutes later in Philadelphia, the Turkey international doubled Juventus' lead with a powerful volley into the top right corner. The Moroccans made it 2-1 in the 25th, but Yildiz's second goal of the game in the 69th minute and an added-time Dusan Vlahovic penalty conversion ended the scoring. Wydad and Al Ain were both eliminated after consecutive defeats. Earlier on Sunday in Charlotte, Real Madrid bounced back from a disappointing performance in their tournament opener to beat Pachuca 3-1. Madrid defender Raul Asencio received a red card just seven minutes in, but Jude Bellingham got the Spanish giants on the board in the 35th when he belted a perfectly placed left-footed shot past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno. Eight minutes later, Arda Guler made it 2-0 and Federico Valverde put the final touches on the win in the second half. Elias Montiel ended Thibaut Courtois' bid for a shutout when he scored in the 80th minute for the Mexicans, who were eliminated. Madrid are joined on four points atop Group H by FC Salzburg after the Austrian club were held to a 0-0 draw by 2022 tournament runners up Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, in Washington. Ilkay Gundogan has scored a pair of goals, Erling Haaland netted a penalty and Manchester City locked up their spot in the knockout round of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 5-0 rout of Al Ain. Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki also scored for City, who are trying to put an encouraging capper on a disappointing season. The English powerhouse finished third in the Premier League after four straight titles and went down to Real Madrid in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. The time of possession on Sunday night in Atlanta was a staggering 74 per cent in favour of Pep Guardiloa's side, who outshot the Emirati club 21-5. Haaland buried a first-half spot kick for his 32nd goal of the season across all competitions while Cherki, one of City's recent high-profile signings, scored his first goal for his new club in the waning minutes. Juventus joined City, the reigning champions after winning the title in 2023 under the former seven-team format, in progressing from Group G with two wins from two thanks partly to Kenan Yildiz scoring twice in their 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The Serie A club took the lead on six minutes via a deflected Yildiz shot and ten minutes later in Philadelphia, the Turkey international doubled Juventus' lead with a powerful volley into the top right corner. The Moroccans made it 2-1 in the 25th, but Yildiz's second goal of the game in the 69th minute and an added-time Dusan Vlahovic penalty conversion ended the scoring. Wydad and Al Ain were both eliminated after consecutive defeats. Earlier on Sunday in Charlotte, Real Madrid bounced back from a disappointing performance in their tournament opener to beat Pachuca 3-1. Madrid defender Raul Asencio received a red card just seven minutes in, but Jude Bellingham got the Spanish giants on the board in the 35th when he belted a perfectly placed left-footed shot past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno. Eight minutes later, Arda Guler made it 2-0 and Federico Valverde put the final touches on the win in the second half. Elias Montiel ended Thibaut Courtois' bid for a shutout when he scored in the 80th minute for the Mexicans, who were eliminated. Madrid are joined on four points atop Group H by FC Salzburg after the Austrian club were held to a 0-0 draw by 2022 tournament runners up Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, in Washington.
