Scouting Report: Three A-League Women Rising Stars To Watch In 2024/25

Whilst most of the Northern Hemisphere is settling in for the long winter months, those who reside below the Equator are currently embracing the arrival of summer and the prospect of an opportunity to get out and catch some rays.

In Australia, the warm weather also signals the return of the A-League Women.

The 2024/25 campaign got underway three weeks ago and is already providing fans and analysts with a plethora of storylines to explore.

One of the things that has stood out during the season’s early stages is the wide array of individual talent that the league boasts.

The Australian women’s game is capable of not only producing players but also attracting them from abroad.

This tactical analysis will focus on three players (an attacker, a midfielder, and a defender) who could be worth monitoring over the coming months.

The scout report will indicate how each fits into their teams’ tactics and why their continued presence could be vital if their sides’ are to have any hope of achieving their pre-season aims.

Mariana Speckmaier Scouting Report

Turning first to the attacking side of things, there is certainly no shortage of names that could have been selected in this analysis, with a number of forwards of all different ages and experience levels currently plying their trade in the A-League Women.

However, one player who has made a bright start to the proceedings is Mariana Speckmaier, who netted 10 times for Wellington Phoenix Women last season (after some time in the NWSL with Washington Spirit) but who left them in the close season to join the defending Premiers Melbourne City Women.

When watching the Venezuelan international in action, her natural speed and awareness of what is happening around her become abundantly clear.

Melbourne would have been especially keen on adding these to its squad as it sought to replace the now-retired former New Zealand striker Hannah Wilkinson.

The early signs in that regard have been very positive, with Speckmaier netting on two occasions this season to date and demonstrating a willingness to break behind opposing defensive lines and give her team a focal point whenever there is an opportunity.

In this case, she has noticed how her team is in transition and that there is enough space between Melbourne Victory Women’s New Zealand defender Claudia Bunge and her teammate Sara D’Appolonia for her to access the open territory behind.

The way she starts her run before Leticia McKenna raises her head to look for a pass shows how well she has fitted into her new surroundings.

On this occasion, the pass from McKenna was precise and well-timed, enabling Speckmaier to punish Melbourne Victory’s inability to track back on time.

The fact that she has averaged 4.44 touches inside the penalty area so far this season indicates that movement like this will become the norm as the campaign continues.

However, this is only if she is handed a start in those positions, and that has not always been the case.

New manager Michael Mattriciani (who replaced Dario Vidošić after the latter left for WSL outfit Brighton and Hove Albion Women) has also opted to use her speed and awareness for other aspects of their games.

To that end, it has been more common to see Speckmaier deployed on the wings than it has been to see her leading the line, as she has been here against Perth Glory Women.

This is not to say that her potential has been hindered, though.

There is a good reason for her being utilised in this way.

As can be seen, Perth have looked to build from the back in their typical manner here and have invited Melbourne to press the ball from the front.

Captain Rhianna Pollicina has obliged in that regard, which now forces centre-back Natalie Tathem to move the ball out of danger in a bid to prevent the home team from regaining the ball in a dangerous area of the field.

Her options are limited, but one that she does have is Grace Johnston, situated on the near side of the field.

This is where Speckmaier comes into the equation.

As can be seen, she has noticed this potential pass and is glancing across towards Johnston in a bid to react when the ball is sent in her direction.

This anticipation allows her to intercept the pass here and get Melbourne back in control, piling pressure back on a Perth side that has already conceded a league-high 10 goals.

This shows how Melbourne has sought to use Speckmaier in ways other than purely as a target player.

Mariana Speckmaier’s High Regains Map For 2024/25 A-League Women

When looking at this graphic, her ability to disrupt play from the front becomes even clearer, with her making six counter-pressing recoveries, three high regains, and two dangerous recoveries (at the time of writing).

Notably, those times she has won the ball higher up the pitch have resulted in a shot on the opposing goal within 20 seconds.

Therefore, Speckmaier is undoubtedly a player who can test opposing back lines in a multitude of ways, and having her on the field could make the difference between Melbourne securing more silverware this time around and ending it empty-handed.

Hana Lowry Scouting Report

Once again, many names could have been selected in this analysis for the midfield, all of whom can be backed to have productive campaigns.

However, a player that could be considered underrated at the best of times is Hana Lowry.

Like Speckmaier, she also switched inter-league teams during the close season, departing Perth and joining defending Champions Sydney Women.

There are many reasons that Ante Juric’s team would have been keen to add Lowry to their ranks.

Still, the most obvious is what she offers in the way of central third enforcement, an ability to float between the defensive and forward areas, and willingly aiding both aspects of her team’s play.

This is a perfect example of that, with her waiting for Central Coast Mariners Women’s Isabel Gomez to take the ball into her vicinity before biting and removing the momentum Central Coast had built up until now.

The result was that Gomez had to turn back and look for a pass behind her to retain the ball, which only allowed Sydney to track back and make another attempt to move up the field, which was more challenging to execute.

Sydney may have needed this player profile for a while, and it could give them more tactical balance as the campaign goes on.

This is because they have

a playmaker who can connect the dots, Mackenzie Hawkesby.

However, there is always the risk that they all pile forward and leave gaps open behind them.

With Lowry on the side and occupying that area of the field, that concern is no longer as prevalent.

The fact that she has already succeeded in 55% of her duels and has averaged 6.63 interceptions per outing shows how this is a key strength in her game.

Hana Lowry’s Pass Map For 2024/25 A-League Women

This is because her passing accuracy currently stands at 79.3%, compared to an impressive 82.1% last season.

Getting on the ball and making things happen is another positive that she will offer her new employers.

As this graphic shows, Sydney has leant on it plenty of times, with Lowry making a high number of passes as she tries to influence the game in her team’s favour.

However, what needs to be highlighted is that not all of them have seen the ball travel up the field; instead, many have been either horizontal or backwards.

That shows that Lowry understands when to take risks and be more conservative, which will also be key for Sydney as they try to recover from a slow start and continue ascending the A-League Women table.

Because of that, Sydney has also tended to use her to hold the ball up.

They often shift it into promising areas before they have had a chance to get numbers into them, so they need a way of protecting the ball and buying them time to do so.

This is one example of Lowry doing exactly that, with her in possession and not immediately having a clear passing option available to her because Central Coast is staying tight to those currently ahead of her.

As a result, she simply held onto the ball.

She slowed the tempo down, holding off the challenges of both Leia Puxty and former Sydney midfielder Taylor Ray before feeding the ball down the wing for substitute Caley Tallon-Henniker to run onto and deliver into the goal area.

It did not look incredibly complicated, but Lowry’s awareness and composure proved critical in its development.

Detail like this is what will make her an intrinsic player in Sydney’s ranks as they attempt to kickstart their season into life.

Grace Maher Scouting Report

The final player this analysis includes is Grace Maher, who currently features for Western United Women.

The west Melbourne-based outfit has been one of the league’s stronger sides since entering the A-League Women in 2022. Their squad is capable of challenging for honours year after year.

Maher might not be the most high-profile player on the side, but she is certainly one to whom they are regularly indebted.

Her importance to their style of play, both in and out of possession, should never be questioned.

She is best known for her distribution.

She is highly accurate when moving the ball across short and long distances and has already seen 66.3% of her passes this season find their intended destinations (78.3% of them did so last time out).

This precision means that she has been a key source for their attacks, with her ability to spot gaps and identify where her teammates can quickly get the ball into dangerous areas.

In this case, the ball is transferred aerially, allowing Chloe Logarzo, one of the league’s most dangerous midfielders, to break between Wellington’s Rebecca Lake and Lebanon defender Tiana Jaber and score a goal.

Western head coach Kat Smith has likely opted to shift her from the left-sided central defender role that she occupied throughout last season into the left-back position that she currently operates in because of her distribution.

This will give her the freedom to push up the pitch and connect with those ahead of her on a regular basis.

It is a tactical decision that has worked out well overall, with Maher constantly seen supporting attacks and making full use of her wide passing range.

It is something that they will continue to rely on as the weeks go by.

Maher has been just as important, though, whenever her team have been on the back foot, with this being one occasion when that has occurred.

As can be seen, Western have looked to play out from the back and the ball is now at Maher’s feet, with Central Coast applying pressure through Annalise Rasmussen.

It appears as though Western will be undone here as a result.

However, this is where Maher’s composure really stands out.

Most defenders in this position instinctively send the ball towards the goalkeeper or across the line to a teammate, which only leads to an interception and a cheap chance for the opposition to test their luck in front of the goal.

Maher doesn’t do either here and instead focuses on retaining the ball by putting her body between it and Rasmussen. This allows teammate Catherine Zimmerman to track back and offer the passing option that Maher was searching for.

The ball might have gone out of play before it could reach Zimmerman, but the fact that Maher didn’t fall into the same traps as others in this situation would have done is a testament to her quality and intelligence.

It is that makes her one to watch over the coming months.

Grace Maher’s Defensive Territory Map For 2024/25 A-League Women

Given that she is a defender by trade, it would be remiss to ignore what Maher does when teams do look to get into Western’s third.

As this graphic shows, fans should not be too concerned about this, as it indicates that she made several defensive contributions during the campaign’s early stages.

With her transitioning from centre-back to left-back, it perhaps comes as no surprise that most of her contributions have come on the left-hand side of the pitch.

However, some have occurred in more central areas, which is important as it shows that she is a team player and is happy to move into gaps and areas where her team needs her instead of simply leaving that task to those responsible for marshalling that pitch area.

This, and the fact that she has succeeded in 75% of her defensive duels so far in the current campaign, is what Western will benefit from as they try to go from the mid-table position they currently occupy to one that sees them competing for potential silverware.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this tactical analysis has highlighted three players with the potential to become star names as the 2024/25 A-League Women campaign goes on.

It focuses on their individual traits and highlights where that allows them to fit into their teams’ tactics at this moment in time.

With all three, it has become apparent that their teams would struggle to implement the same tactics without them being present, making them players to watch for fans and the media alike.

Others could have been included in this list, and the fact that there are so many that people might view as unfortunate to miss out is a testament to the wide array of talent currently in the division.

There have certainly been many high-quality performances during the first few weeks, and it is shaping up to be a season to remember for many at this moment.