Judging by the amount of game-time Wagga protege Jada Whyman has clocked up the Western Sydney Wanderers coach has full confidence in her abilities. She has played the full 90 minutes each game since her W-League debut in round three.
However, like many elite athletes, Whyman can be her own worst critic.
“I’m not sure on how I feel with my my performance, I feel challenged,” she said.
Most recently, a match against Melbourne Victory ended in disappointment for Whyman. Up 2-0 at half time, the Wanderers let in two quick goals, leading to a 2-2 draw.
“We let that one slip, we let our guard down and switched off,” Whyman said.
While the women have a bye this weekend, Whyman will be training harder than ever.
She’s on school holidays, and spending every spare moment with the team’s goalkeeping coach.
“My coach is giving me new things to work on in games,” she said.
She’s optimistic about the next game, where the Wanderers face the Newcastle Jets on Sunday December 27.
“We won last time, hopefully we go in hard after having a rest,” Whyman said.
The A-League boycott did not affect the W-League according to Whyman.
“Even after everyone left [the A League], there were probably more fans there than at the W-League games,” she said.
While some games are drawing healthy crowds, such as a recent Melbourne City home game, seeing a crowd of 3292, the less successful teams are not being supported to the same tune.
However crowd numbers have no bearing on the enjoyment factor for Whyman.
“I don’t really notice it,” she said.
