By Chris Curulli
Local rivals Manly Allambie and Manly Vale could not be split in a tense 1-1 draw at Millers as the MWFA Premier League Women’s returned on Sunday afternoon.
In a match where no one really knew what to expect, both sides were evenly matched throughout the contest.
All of the goals were registered in the first half of play as last season’s grand finalists opened the scoring before Vale equalised from the penalty spot.
The visitors pushed hard for an elusive winner but struggled to break down a resolute Manly Allambie defensive unit.
Manly Vale coach Roland Winter was satisfied overall by how his team performed, remaining confident that they will continue to grow as the season progresses.
“It was pretty even across the board against a physically strong side,” he said.
“There’s a lot of new faces so it’s going to take time to gel and for everyone to understand what the others can do.
“Despite the chances we had we couldn’t get the result we wanted but it wasn’t a bad start by any means.”
Around the grounds Brookvale and Wakehurst both opened their campaign with competitive 1-0 victories over Seaforth and Beacon Hill respectively, while Mosman put out an early statement with a 6-0 rout of Pittwater.
