It was another brilliant round of action in the Ninja A-League, and as such, there were plenty of talking points for the Dub Zone crew to discuss.
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On this week’s episode, Amy Duggan and A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri are joined by Central Coast Mariners Championship winner Annabel Martin to break down all the biggest talking points from Round 4.
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Are the Jets the team to beat this season?
Friday night’s 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers was special for Newcastle Jets in more ways than one.
Not only did club legend Lauren Allan bag the winning goal on what was her 100th Ninja A-League appearance, but the win for Stephen Hoyle’s side also means they’ve now recorded their best ever start to a season.
So the question is: Can the Jets go all the way this season? The Dub Zone panel had their say.
“It’s hard to say, because this is their best ever start,” said A-Leagues commentator Pellizzeri.
“They have never gone three games unbeaten to start an A-League season before, seven points on the board. And it’s the best team they’ve had since the season where they agonisingly lost the semi-final to Sydney FC that year.
“They had Emily Van Egmond, Katie Stengel, Brit Eckerstrom in goal, Erin Gilliland, now known as Erin Wright, and of course, Cortnee Vine was in the team then as well.
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“So we’ve seen the Jets make the semi-finals and get beaten by Melbourne City 6-0 on aggregate.”
He continued: “There is a great yearning for a successful Newcastle; the weather, the crowd, the feeling was awesome at the weekend.
“And we know that Number Two Sportsground, if they play there, or whether they head out to Maitland, they draw. The Jets are a draw when they’re up and about.
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“So it’s exciting to see them sell some hope with their best-ever start to a season.”
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Central Coast Mariners player who would have been happy with the Jets beating the Wanderers in Round 4.
However, rivalries aside, Mariners defender Martin conceded it was a special moment for Jets legend Allen to have scored the winner in her milestone match.
“We actually played together in Newcastle (in) her first season,” said the Mariners defender.
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“I was there for that year, and I remember not knowing too much about her. She’d come back from the States, from college, and yeah, first thing I noticed was her speed, and just not only her speed, but repeated speed.
“She could run all day, and at a really top-notch it was hard to keep up with her and always good to come up against her in training.
“I think she’s just gone from strength to strength in this team, adding something else to her game every season, but she’s such a threat for them.
She added: “Her versatility, being able to play a bit deeper, either wing, really, where the team has needed her, and her speed’s always been the asset.”
Loan rangers and Asian Cup bolters
With less than 100 days to go until the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, players are now doing all they can to impress CommBank Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro ahead of his final squad selection.
Many players are locks for the squad, but there will also be members of the current squad as well as those players who are knocking on the door when it comes to re-selection who will be lacking in match minutes.
So could a loan move back to the Ninja A-League be beneficial for the likes of Amy Sayer, Remy Siemsen and Alex Chidiac? The panel had their say.
“Every team could use an Amy Sayer and every team wants a natural goal scorer like Remy Siemsen,” said Pellizzeri.
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Amy Sayer of Australia (R)
“I think the A-League is a competition that if you come back to it, you know you’ll be not only your team’s highest profile player, you’ll be straight into the 11.
“No real questions about game time, and you need the sharpness. If you take December off and wait until the transfer window to open, roll the dice on Italy, where a number of players have gone.
“It hasn’t worked out for a few; Alex Chidiac, Chloe Berryhill, they’re not getting the game time. So I think when it comes to the players who are free agents, that’ll be fascinating.
“But what about say, a Kahli Johnson or maybe a Kaitlyn Torpey?” Pellizzeri asked of Dub Zone host and former CommBank Matilda Duggan.
“The Canadian season doesn’t start until April. The American season doesn’t start until March, so they need some competitive game time in order to build into the Asian Cup?”
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Duggan said: “Well, I think it’s game time (that) is really important. Like you said, staying sharp, but also getting minutes under the belt, playing quality opposition, but also just a chance to be home with your family ahead of that home tournament.
“Because you might be playing at home and have a wonderful crowd around you, but it’s really tough to see your family during those tournaments.
“So to be able to have that time now over summer and put minutes in the bank and prove that you’re still the best in Australia. What a wonderful thing to do come back and play in the Ninja A-League.”
The Ninja A-Leagues’ latest unsung hero?
Every season an unsung hero emerges in the Ninja A-League and the 2025-26 season is no different, with A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri putting forward this season’s top candidate.
“Bethany Gordon was back in the team after missing the loss to Adelaide with illness,” said Pellizzeri on this week’s episode of Dub Zone.
“Just the fight to win the ball, but her ability to also set the speedy players and the creative players away.
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Bethany Gordon of Canberra United (L)
“She gets the assist here for Emma Robers’ goal, and then rounds it out with a goal of her own. This is one of the best individual performances of the season from any one player in an individual game so far, and coming back from illness, she hadn’t missed a beat.
Mariners defender Martin added: “Yeah, I think she’s a player that just wears her heart on her sleeve. I think she’s so aggressive in the way that she plays. In the battle, she’s so physical and she’s so passionate, and she really is just a real competitor and just wants to win.”
Pellizzeri added: “If we keep speaking about her every week on Dub Zone, all of a sudden she’ll become properly rated instead of underrated, and then we have to move the focus somewhere else.
“But I mean, Canberra’s midfield is interesting because they’ve got Sasaki at the base of the midfield. Darcy Malone is a great circulator of the ball and can pick a pass.
“And one thing that has impressed you, I understand Annabel, is their speed, because Josie Aulicino coming in as a new recruit. Sienna Dale, the youngster, got her starting debut.
“They’re a quick team, and I imagine the week you guys play them, you’ll have to do a lot of preparation for them.”
Martin replied: “I’ve been impressed with the way that they’ve started this year, and kind of surprised that that was their first win on the weekend.
“But yeah, Aulicino, she’s quality up top. And then when you got Michelle Heyman sitting at the top of the starting 11, I think, yeah, always dangerous whenever that ball is in the box.”
