Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City Player Ratings

The Newcastle Jets picked up their first ever point against Melbourne City thanks to a marvellous strike by Teigan Collister, which cancelled out an equally stunning strike by former Jets captain Emily van Egmond in an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Having won all seven of their previous encounters, a Melbourne City side boasting five current Matildas were aiming to make it eight in a row, but a youthful, energetic Newcastle side buoyed by a vocal home crowd had other ideas in what was a great game to close the opening round of the 2019/20 W-League season.

NEWCASTLE JETS

Claire Coelho - 7

Could do little about van Egmond's strike and had the post to thank twice, but otherwise didn't have a great deal to do.

Tessa Tamplin - 7

The young Matilda burst onto the scene with a bang late last season, but was efficient without being magnificent tonight.

Cassidy Davis - 7.5

Did a great job of keeping City's attackers at bay and always plays well with her partner in crime Hannah Brewer.

Hannah Brewer - 7.5

The second half of an excellent defensive pairing, did a great job keeping the likes of Emslie and van Egmond quiet for large parts of the game.

Gema Simon - 8

Handed the armband tonight, did her team proud and worked hard to shut down the opportunities for Ellie Carpenter to overlap. Her set piece delivery was also top notch.

Libby Copus-Brown - 7.5

Did a fantastic job breaking up attacks and out-enthused the likes of Kinga, Catley and van Egmond. Went close on a few occasions to putting her name on the scoresheet too.

Claire Wheeler - 7.5

The definition of 'actions speak louder than words' as Wheeler always leads by example with her high tempo workhorse attitude. Formed an excellent midfield pairing with Copus-Brown which helped the Jets press high and stifle the way City wanted to play.

Jenna Kingsley - 7

Got into some great areas but just lacked the clinical final touch. Almost won the game late on but for a great save by Williams.

Teigan Collister - 7.5

Always trying her hardest and up until the 67th minute it was all to little avail, but her strike was of the highest quality and worthy of any highlight reel.

Tara Andrews - 7.5

Toiled away up front and did a lot of dirty work that goes largely unnoticed. Almost grabbed a winner when she chipped Williams, but unfortunately for the Jets, it landed the wrong side of the post.

Nikki Flannery - 7

Almost broke the post from close range in the 72nd minute, and was always a good outlet for hew new side. A promising debut by the 20-year-old.

SUBS

Lauren Allen - 6

Came on for the Colliester in the 74th minute, made a few incisive runs but struggled to get up to the pace of the game.

Paige Kingston-Hogg - N/A

Given a few minutes for her senior debut, had a half chance but otherwise not much opportunity to impress.

Pana Petratos - N/A

Came on for Kingsley, and then the final whistle went.

MELBOURNE CITY

Lydia Williams - 8.5

Showed why she's Australia's best with a string of quality saves to keep the Jets to just one goal. Could do little about Colliester's super strike.

Ellie Carpenter - 7

Carpenter plays like a veteran, but yet she's still just 19 years old. Always looked dangerous going forward and should have got an assist after her marauding run and cross was turned wide from point blank range by Mijatovic.

Lauren Barnes - 7

It's great to see the American return to our shores and she was her typical classy self once again. Enjoyed a great duel with Andrews all night and defended valiantly to keep the Jets from snatching all 3 points.

Emma Checker - 6.5

Despite not seeing much game time with the Matildas, Checker looked a yard off the pace at times as the Jets posed a constant threat on the counter.

Chelsea Blissett - 7

Defended well and her distribution was good, fitted in seamlessly to City's backline as they shifted Catley into midfield.

Yukari Kinga - 6

With Wheeler and Copus-Brown buzzing about, Kinga struggled to match their enthusiasm and hunger. By her own lofty standards, tonight was not her best performance.

Steph Catley - 6.5

Shifted into the central role next to Kinga, she too struggled to get a grip on the game. Almost doubled City's lead with a great strike that came back off the post shortly before the Jets equalised.

Emily van Egmond - 7

A fantastic strike to open the scoring, but she was largely a frustrated figure for the majority of the game as she struggled to get on the ball and dictate play like she usually does.

Milica Mijatovic - 6

The Serbian was rarely sighted at all prior to her glaring miss in the 72nd minute when she should have given City the lead after Carpenter's great work. Hardly an impressive debut, but there is plenty more to come from her.

Claire Emslie - 7.5

The Scottish international toiled hard up front and created some good opportunities for herself in the first half. Almost stole all three points late on when her headed bounced into the post and away to safety.

Rhali Dobson - 6.5

Rhali has a great record against her hometown club, however this was a rather quiet performance by her standards.