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2008 Tour
Schoolgirls Kick Off Busy Year In Women's Football
by Jeremy Ruane
The busiest year ever in the history of New Zealand women's football kicks off this week with the NZ Secondary Schoolgirls squad heading to Australia for a two-match series against their Australian counterparts.
The schoolgirls will be looking to clinch the symbol of Trans-Tasman Secondary Schoolgirls supremacy, the Deane Low Trophy, for the first time ever, at the start of a year in which New Zealand's foremost female footballers will:
 Aim to qualify for and - NZ Olympic & Commonwealth Games Committee's approval pending - shake a few trees at the Beijing Olympics;Bid to qualify for and prove highly competitive at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Chile;Capture the nation's interest by hosting the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals, which will take place in New Zealand between October 30 and November 16.With such a heavy representative schedule in place, and a number of fixtures planned to support these prime objectives, the Schoolgirls' clashes could easily slip under the radar.
Yet they are every bit as important as the Under-17 International Tournament which will be taking place on North Harbour Stadium's outer oval at the end of the month, given they offer those chosen the opportunity to stake claims for a place in the Young Ferns squad which will play host to the world towards the end of the year.
With members of New Zealand's U17 and U20 squads not considered for selection for the Secondary Schoolgirls squad, the sixteen players chosen have a tremendous opportunity to force their way into the calculations of U17s coach, Paul Temple, who doubles as the Secondary Schoolgirls mentor.
“This squad might be lacking in international experience but they all have a point to prove, will want to do well and impress for future international selections. This is their chance to shine and show they can play at the next level.
“The players selected in the squad have been identified as having future potential”, Temple continued. “We have watched some of these players for up to three years now, so they all deserve their opportunity to test themselves at international level. It's an exciting challenge for us all and one I'm really looking forward to”.
The developmental nature of the squad - only Poppy Binning and Jessie Verdon, of those chosen, have represented their country at schoolgirl level - means they will head west with nothing to lose, and all to gain.
To that end, there are plenty of plus points to take from last year's three-match series, one which saw New Zealand score their first win over their trans-tasman rivals since December 1994.
That 2-1 triumph was due reward for the Kiwi squad's performances in a series which saw them match and often out-play their Australian counterparts, and Temple is keen for this year's squad to follow the example of their predecessors.
“We proved last year that if we believe in ourselves and refuse to be intimidated by the Australians, then we can start the game on an even playing field, after which it comes down to team organisation and a bit of quality.
“My message to the squad will be to respect Australia but don't fear them. We need to show belief and work hard before anything else. I have a good idea of how they play, so if we maximise our shape we'll be in with a shot”.
Temple, who is well versed in Australia's style of play after encountering it on regular excursions across the Tasman for schoolgirl and State Youth Championship fixtures in recent years, knows that the holders of the Deane Low Trophy will be hard to beat.
“It's going to be tough, and they'll be clear favourites, but that puts us in a good situation”.
Temple heads a management team comprising some new faces at international level, as the opportunity is taken to promote coaches from within the school system. With Rowena Fulham taking a break to concentrate on U17 duties, the assistant coaching role is filled by Trevor Osten, who has masterminded Wellington East Girls' College's three-peat of national secondary schools titles since 2005.
Heather Hepburn is the new team manager following the retirement of Grant Jarvis, to whom Temple pays due tribute. “Grant will be really missed.
“He has been the mainstay and brains behind the whole Schoolgirls operation for the past decade and his service to the game shouldn't be overlooked. He is thoroughly professional and very dedicated to helping the game, and I'm sad to see him retire”.
The squad will be captained by lively Western Springs midfielder Annabelle Bramwell, who, with Binning and Verdon, picked up winners' medals in the 2007 National Knockout Cup Final.
Bramwell is one of a number of players in the squad whose playing experience includes game-time in last year's Lion Foundation National Women's League. All told, the Auckland and Wellington regions provide six players apiece in the sixteen-strong squad, with the two Waikato representatives supplemented by one from Manawatu and the squad's only South Island-based representative, Marlborough's Natalie Johnston.
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 Annabelle Bramwell (captain)
Schoolgirls Poised To End
Trophy Famine
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand is poised to end Australia's domination of the Deane Low Trophy for the first time ever following the conclusion of the first of two matches between the teams this week.
Monday's 1-1 draw between the trans-tasman rivals at MacQuarie University means the NZ Secondary Schoolgirls are just ninety minutes away from providing the best possible kick-start to the biggest year ever in the history of New Zealand women's football.
Victory in Wednesday's second and final clash of the series will see Paul Temple's charges return home with a very welcome piece of excess baggage, in the form of a trophy which has never before been in the hands of a NZ Secondary Schoolgirls team.
Since the first matches for the Deane Low Trophy took place in 1993, Australia has had its paws on the prize, and their grip has proved to be vice-like. But a win in the last game of a three-match series last year, allied to this draw, hints that at long last, New Zealand is close to prising the prize from the West Islanders' grasp.
Monday's encounter was played in a steady drizzle, which limited the quality of football produced by both teams. The Kiwis enjoyed the better of the first half exchanges, and were deserving leaders when Terri-Amber Carlson headed home a Ciara Slattery cross after 21 minutes.
The Australians gained the upper hand in the creativity stakes in the second spell, and levelled the scores in the 65th minute through Jordan Marsh, whose goals denied New Zealand the chance to take home the Deane Low Trophy last year.
“Both teams struggled to get out of second gear, to be honest”, reflected New Zealand's coach, Paul Temple, afterwards. “It was a below par game from both sides, with over-hit passes and poor touches arising from the greasy conditions.
“Certainly our performance can be a lot better - the girls have proved that already on this tour, and they know themselves they can improve significantly on today's efforts.
“Still, we can't be unhappy with the result - a draw with Australia in a match which saw eleven players make their international debuts. Plus we've caught up with our rivals in terms of standards. And with the draw we've given ourselves a really good chance of bringing the trophy home for the first time ever”.
A handful of players caught Temple's eye in the first of the internationals. “Erin Nayler is, at fourteen, the youngest in the team, and she made some good saves today in tough, greasy conditions which were challenging for goalkeepers.
“Katherine Robinson has been great on this tour, and is thriving in her new left-back role, coupling very good distribution with quality play and gutsy performances. Today saw another such display from her.
“Captain Annabelle Bramwell and goalscorer Terri-Amber Carlson also showed touches of class at times. Generally, the girls worked hard, and with a bit more confidence in themselves following this match, hopefully we'll get the win that everyone wants.
The final match of the tour takes place on Wednesday from 1pm NZ time, and Temple is keen to conclude the trip on a winning note. “We're really targeting the trophy, and it's good for the game that we're in with a chance to win it, particularly given how big a year this is for New Zealand women's football”.
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 Katherine Robinson
 Lisa Kemp
Schoolgirls Undone By
Aussie's Ace In The Hole
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand's Secondary Schoolgirls came within seventeen minutes of clinching the Deane Low Trophy for the first time ever on January 16, but wilted in the 35C heat at MacQuarie University as they were downed 2-1 by their Australian counterparts, who maintained their grip on the symbol of trans-tasman schoolgirl soccer supremacy thanks to a 1-0 series win.
But not before the hosts had been handed a massive boost courtesy an ace in the hole which our trans-tasman rivals somehow manage to call upon whenever they find themselves in a spot of bother against their Kiwi counterparts - a couple of mystifying refereeing decisions.
NZ Secondary Schoolgirls coach Paul Temple takes up the story. "We had just opened the scoring five minutes before half-time through Terri-Amber Carlson, who had steered home a low cross from Ciara Slattery.
"Two minutes later, Rhonda Bridges was through on goal with just the 'keeper to beat, when she was pulled back from behind - a professional foul. We were awarded a free-kick outside the area, and the offender wasn't even booked!
"It would have made a huge difference if they had gone down to ten players, given the searing heat in which we were playing. It's fair to say the referee's decisions had an impact on the game", declared an audibly disappointed Temple.
Note the use of the plural. For the referee's actions in the 42nd minute were supplemented in the second half by an incident which left the Kiwis mystified. Australia's equaliser, in the 73rd minute, came about from a free-kick awarded some twenty-five yards out from goal, for reasons unknown.
New Zealand's captain, Annabelle Bramwell, cleanly dispossessed her opponent, but the match official deemed otherwise - "We were very hard done by", grumbled Temple. Cue Cathy Ikokomon's equaliser, and, five minutes later, what proved to be the winning goal, a lapse in concentration allowing Caitlin Jarvie to ensure the Deane Low Trophy stayed on West Island once more.
There were plenty of plus-points for the Kiwis to take from a match which got away from them after the second half water break - the fluid stops a necessity given the heat.
"We did better in the first half today than in the entire first game, so there was a definite improvement there", said Temple afterwards. "We competed better, and generally surpassed expectations, given only two players returned from last year's squad, and we had no U17 or U20 internationals to call upon".
"But we didn't have enough in the tank to last the game - the girls' fitness levels told in the end. Over ninety minutes, we didn't have enough power, strength and - disappointingly from my perspective - desire at times to win. We had the chance to do so, but didn't take it.
"We learnt a lot of good lessons overall, and experienced a higher intensity of football than has been encountered previously. Hopefully the girls will be better for it, develop and push themselves into national team contention".
The likes of Renee Kawhe, a very athletic goalkeeper who has a strong aerial presence, and Katherine Robinson, who Temple considered New Zealand's most consistent player over the course of the four games with her solid play, good distribution and heart-on-sleeve playing manner, are among those the coach hopes to see knocking on the door of future age-grade and senior New Zealand squads after their performances in Sydney.
"We'll live to fight another day", he says. "Hopefully we'll be hosting Australia next year, and perhaps then we'll get our hands on the trophy. But we're all disappointed today".
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