Daisy McAllister is Azzurri through and through. From playing with the U6s team to her current position as a key member of the senior squad pushing for yet more silverware, the young midfielder is thriving and loving her role at the club.
Yet it hasn’t always been that way. McAllister stepped away from football in 2022 to “reset”. It was a decision that she recognises as being one of the most important ones in her footballing journey.
“It allowed me to come back with a new sense of enjoyment and playing style. Since then, I’ve been happier than ever to be able to play this game.”
McAllister describes herself as “a technical player. I’ve never been the fastest or strongest on the pitch, so I have always had to adapt the game to my strengths. It definitely helps to be able to read and anticipate the game effectively.
“I really enjoy getting into pockets and working as a playmaker in the middle of the field, and it’s always nice to be able to score some goals in the meantime.”
The path towards becoming that technical player began as an U6 player at the club – and the midfielder remembers those days well.
“Ever since that first session, I remember falling involve with the game. I continued through Perth juniors before joining the NTC when I was 11. I spent my whole teenage years in the NTC program with a really great group of players and coaches which allowed me to develop in the way I did.”
After making that major decision to take some time out from the game, the midfielder returned to Perth SC for the 2024 season, and rapidly became a vital member of a squad who won the State Cup, and pushed for NPLW WA honours once more. It was a year that she looks back fondly on.
“Being my first season back playing competitively, I really didn’t have any expectations coming into the season. The main point for me was how much I enjoyed it. It was great to have the opportunity to play alongside some amazing players, and really nice to see them be able to move to the next step into Glory. Winning the State Cup 4-1 against RedStar was one of the highlights of my footballing career, and I really hope we will be able to recreate that win this year.”
After the huge achievements of 2024, there were big changes at the club with a new head coach and large number of new players coming in. At many clubs, that would have led to a long bedding-in period and inconsistent results – that has been far from the case at Dorrien Gardens.
Looking back at the pre-season period, McAllister observed: “There were a lot of uncertainties coming into this campaign, we had such strong presences that were now vacant – the big question was how we were going to replace these roles.
“I think the process of overcoming this is what gave us the drive to work so hard to find our cohesion. It’s always going to take some time to learn how to play with a new team, but I am so proud of how we have been able to do that. It’s nothing but an understatement to the quality of the players we have, and the way we have managed to gel both on and off the pitch.
“Tom Glavovic has been a great coach for this new group. I think the main thing is the trust he puts in us to be able to be creative in the final third and play a real attacking style of play.”
With the team a third of the way through the NPLW WA season, the Azzurri are the only unbeaten team in the competition, and that’s a statistic that McAllister believes is a rich reward for all the hard work put in.
“I honestly think the key to our success in the opening third purely lies within our ethos as a team. I’ve never been a part of an environment that is so positive and driven in the way this team is.
“It’s so rewarding to have the immense hard work we have put in since preseason reflect in results, but most importantly in our performances. I think the best example of that was the recent game against NTC. Every single one of the girls put in everything and I think that inspires each of us to play at our best.”
That game against the NTC was a battle of two teams who came into the match without having lost all season. The outcome was a comprehensive 3-0 win for Perth after a quite magnificent performance which began with a superb goal from the midfielder.
“My goal against NTC was the perfect start, both personally and for the girls. An early goal was exactly what we wanted to quickly establish our momentum, and being able to provide that for the team is always a great feeling, especially in a high stakes game.”
As the squad return their focus on the NPLW WA after last week’s first game in their defence of the State Cup, McAllister is laser driven to ensure that she and her teammates maintain high standards. Consistent high levels of performance is what the young midfielder knows will bring NPLW WA and Top Four Cup honours to the club for the first time.
“Not winning those two pieces of silverware last year was definitely very disappointing. We ended up being so close at the top, and it really goes to show how important every point becomes towards the end of the season.
“I think the main thing we need to focus on to bring it home this year will be remaining consistent. We had our first shock in the draw against Subiaco, and that came from us underestimating them. I’m actually glad that happened because it gave us an important wakeup call. I think it reminded us that that we need to come in every week building on the previous game.
“We need to do that to ensure we can finish the season and enter the top four cup at our peak and hopefully rewrite the loss from last year. I’m just focusing on playing the best I can and the recognition that comes with that is a great addition.”