PREVIEW: Women's Central League title and Nora Watkins Shield go on the line

By Warren Olson

Arch rivals Wellington United Diamonds and Waterside Karori will decide who takes the Women’s Central League title this weekend.

The sides meet in a rescheduled league fixture that will bring down the curtain on this year’s competition.

The Diamonds brought an abrupt end to Taradale’s five-game winning streak last weekend, thanks in the main to a hat-trick and two assists from Nat Olson that sent the ‘Dale back to the Hawkes Bay on the wrong end of a 6-1 score line.

The three points also lifted United to the top of the league, with a one-point lead over defending champions Waterside Karori.

*United forward Natalie Olson. Photo credit: Jeff Mein Smith.*

Karori are holders of the Nora Watkins Shield, which also goes on the line.

Main photo: Waterside Karori … will defend the Nora Watkins Shield on Saturday.

Saturday’s match was set to be transferred from Karori Park due to work on the undulating and often-boggy pitch, but the club have pulled out all the stops to ensure it remains a home fixture.

The matchday line-ups will be a key factor in deciding the outcome.

For United, the influential Futsal Fern Jemma Catherwood is still away and key attack player Hannah Pilley suffered a knock last week and is under an injury cloud.

Karori have been carefully monitoring the game minutes of class players Sara Morton, Tori Shiltgen and Kennedy Bryant but it will be no surprise to see them all feature on Saturday.

This is sure to be a close and fiercely fought affair where the respective centre backs Jess Shilton (Karori) and Zoe Barrott (United) will be fully tested by the Golden Boot leaders Nikki Furukawa (Karori) and Nat Olson (United).

Both sides have other players capable of finding the net, and goals might come from any part of the park.

Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the rivalry between the clubs will continue when they represent Capital Football in the 10-team Women’s National League, due to start in late September.

Prediction

The game can have three outcomes:

A win to Wellington United gives them the title and the Nora Watkins Shield.
A win to Waterside Karori makes them back-to-back champions and they’ll retain the shield.
A draw will give United the league crown but the shield will stay at Karori Park.

A score draw seems likely, but I have a feeling United may just edge this one, by a 2-1 margin.

Golden Boot

12 — Nikki Furukawa (Waterside Karori)
10 — Natalie Olson (Wellington United)
8 — Hope Gilchrist (Wellington United), Ruby-Aroha Gurnick (Palmerston North Marist), Kya Solomon (Taradale)
7 — Danielle Ohlsson (Petone)
6 — Maddison Hughes (Taradale), Pepi Oliver-Bell (Petone), Sasha Rasmussen (Moturoa)
5 — Renee Bacon (Waterside Karori), Kennedy Bryant (Waterside Karori), Hannah Pilley (Wellington United), Kendall Pollock (Waterside Karori), Fernanda Toscani (Moturoa), Megan Thomas (Taradale)
4 — Bella Cartman (Wellington United), Tessa Brownlie (Victoria University), Nicole Baird (Victoria University), Phoebe Gray (Petone), Isabella Yarwood (Palmerston North Marist)
3 — Libby Boobyer (Petone), Rihanna Houghton (Waterside Karori), Misha Koyari (Wellington United), Millie Lynskey (Victoria University), Kate Marra (Petone), Melissa McKenna (Palmerston North Marist), Caelin Patterson (Petone), Jemma Robertson (Wellington United), Grace Smith (Palmerston North Marist), Sydnie Williams (Petone)