By Ben Gilby
For Sam Mathers, this has been a season where she has learned so much with the attacker adding a number of additional strings to her bow.
Reflecting on the season to date, she said: “For me personally 2025 has been a learning year. I’ve found myself playing in so many different positions that I’ve had to adapt my game to.
“Sometimes I have success and sometimes things don’t always work out but it’s all played such a big role in helping me find my strengths and weaknesses. I think for me this season I really want to keep pushing myself to be as consistent as I can in all games and just keep getting better.
“Collectively as a team I think 2025 has been incredible for us. To be having success with so many new players in the squad is amazing. I think we gelled really fast and this team has probably been my favourite to be a part of so far. I’m excited to see what the rest of 2025 can do for us.”
2025 has been a hugely exciting season for the Azzurri so far, with just the one league defeat, and it’s something that Mathers believes has seen the team shift their play to a new level.
“I think when we play as a whole unit we become virtually unstoppable and this definitely became evident against RedStar. Every single person was working super hard not only during the game but also throughout training in the lead up to the game.”
That victory over Perth RedStar just under a fortnight ago was a real demonstration of Perth’s potential. Coming back from the early concession of a goal to the defending champions, Mathers and her team-mates hit back with a vengeance to end RedStar’s run of seven straight wins and defeat them for the second time this season. Looking back at the game, Mathers said: “They have always been the team to beat, so we all knew it was going to be a challenging game.
“From the get-go, they looked intimidating and determined. After their first goal, we managed to get into the game and started playing our football and playing with our rhythm and style. The game was far from boring with lots of goals being scored in the 30 minutes.”
One of the integral aspects of the Azzurri’s development in 2025 has been the influence of new head coach Tom Glavovic, for the attacker, “Tommy coming in this year is something I believe has played such a huge role in the dynamic of this team.
“The culture in this team is next level, and it’s a huge credit to him. His energy and eagerness is always top tier, and he’s always driving us to do better. For me personally, Tommy has helped me grow my confidence again.
“He’s always encouraging me to do things and try things and to not be afraid to fail. He will always tell you where to improve and what you’re doing well and this has helped me so much to develop as both a player and a person. This year has definitely been the most motivated I’ve been to do well, and Tommy has played a huge part in that.”
Mathers’ 2025 season is the latest step in a journey that started back in 2017 when the attacker took the decision to take up the round ball game.
“I had actually been looking to play AFL but couldn’t find a team. My parents then enrolled me for an U12s mixed team and I’ve been playing since then. I played with boys for as long as I could, a thing I think benefited me massively.
“I was also lucky enough to go to John Curtin, a high school with a football program and excellent coaches. This allowed me to train more and play more, plus gave me more opportunities to push myself harder through training with the boys. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with coaches who have helped in pushing me for a variety of state and national opportunities in recent years. I moved to Perth Soccer Club and was surrounded with quality players, something that just inspired me to also want to be better and to reach their level and this season is no different.
“Playing alongside the talented players we have in the team is an honour. I get to learn so much from their game, and it inspires me to want to get to where they are. Seeing the intensity they train and play at triggers me to work harder as well. Each player within our team brings their own experience and personal touch to the game, and I think the creativity and spark that they deliver are key things for it all to work well.”
With the NPLW WA approaching its final third, it’s an extremely tight battle with the top four currently separated by just four points. For Mathers, it will all come down to whichever team is the most consistent.
“For such a young squad, the Football West Academy have been quite impressive, obviously they’re a group of young women competing in a league against some very experienced players so for me they are a standout and always a team to beat.
“I think to get that silverware back to DG we need to focus on staying consistent when we play. I think some games we show our true potential and really turn it on and it’s impressive to watch and some games we don’t quite get there. So a big thing for us will be trying to reach that maximum potential no matter the opposition and no matter the game.”