The Westfield W-League is in its 10th season and to celebrate we’ve gave fans the chance to vote for their Team of the Decade. And the votes are in!
Over the past week we’ve nominated the very best goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and attackers and given you the chance to pick the best XI in a 4-3-3 formation.
It was a difficult choice with so many world-class players to have played in the league over the last 10 years.
But here’s the XI the fans have come up with and it’s hard to argue, with team full of international experience, goals and quality.
GOALKEEPER
Lydia Williams
Williams was the clear winner as the best shot-stopper the competition has seen, picking up 36.7% of the vote to beat out Westfield Matildas teammate Mackenzie Arnold (21.2%) and Melissa Hudson (nee Barbieri) with 17.8%. Williams is the only player to have been named Goalkeeper of the Year on three occasions and has won titles with Canberra united and Melbourne City.
DEFENDERS
Clare Polkinghorne
The Brisbane Roar star picked up the most votes of any defender, with 23.4% of fans selecting her for a spot at the back. She’s the only defender to have won the Julie Dolan Medal in Westfield W-League history.
Steph Catley
Catley was next in with 20.9% of the vote. The Melbourne City skipper is a true wing-back, a confident and composed left-footer who has been integral to the establishment of Melbourne City's winning culture.
Alanna Kennedy
Fellow Westfield Matildas Alanna Kennedy also earns a spot in the back four with 18.6% of the vote.The model for a modern centre-back with her exceptional athleticism and world-class ability on the ball. Kennedy has already enjoyed success with both Sydney FC and Perth Glory.
Laura Alleway
Melbourne Victory’s Alleway makes up a quality backline, earning 10.3 % of the vote to finish in the side just ahead of Ellie Brush (8.2%). Alleway gets better season after season and seems to improve the players around her.
MIDFIELDERS
Katrina Gorry
This position was dominated by Brisbane Roar, with Gorry the top of the pops with 20% of the fan vote. She’s arguably the best exponent of the shot from distance the Westfield W-League has ever seen.
Tameka Butt
The box-to-box midfielder was just behind her Roar team-mate with 17.6% of fans picking her as one of the league’s best-ever midfield players. Can provide goals from midfield and nobody has scored more than Butt. On target in each of the first four Grand Finals.
Elise Kellond-Knight
“KK” completes the Roar trifecta with 14.9% of the vote, to just edge out Newcastle Jets’ Emily van Egmond (14.3%) and Melbourne City import Jess Fishlock (13.4%). Kellond-Knight made her name as a full-back but it's in midfield where the composed left-footer become an artful, deep-lying playmaker for Roar.
ATTACKERS
Sam Kerr
Should we really be surprised? Kerr was considered the competition’s standout striker, with 28.2% of the vote. Kerr is coming off an incredible 2017 – on and off the pitch – to be one of the best players in the world right now.
Lisa De Vanna
The ageless De Vanna simply demanded selection having dominated the Westfield W-League for a number of years. The current Sydney FC striker – who got 19.2% of the vote – has won championships at three different clubs.
Caitlin Foord
It was a tight race for the final attacking spot, with Foord (12.1%) just edging out Kyah Simon (10.4%) for a spot in the front three. Given her incredible versatility, Foord could have appeared in any position but she’s probably the most devastating in the front third. A show-stopper since her 2010 debut.
