Congratulations to Kaitlyn Torpey and Raquel Deralas on receiving the equal most votes by the NPLW commentators throughout the month of July to be crowned the Player/s of the Month.
Torpey seamlessly transitioned from defence to attack, scoring six goals to help Preston remain the finals race with two rounds remaining, while Deralas scored five goals as Calder United surged into the top four.
Deralas sits equal-fourth on the NPLW Golden Boot race with 11 goals from as many games, while Torpey has scored nine goals from only eight matches.
The Preston forward claimed she didn’t anticipate making the move up-front but explained it has been a welcomed move.
“Coming into the NPLW, I was kind I expected I would play full-back or wing-back after speaking to my coach Daniel (Foden),” she said.
“As the weeks went on, we realised I should probably be upfront with the speed I have.
“The first few weeks it took a bit longer to adjust as I wasn’t a natural forward, but it finally sunk in, and I got a few goals which was good fun.”
Fresh off a successful A-League season with Melbourne City, Torpey signed for the newly promoted side and hasn’t been disappointed.
“I chose Preston because I saw a few NPL clubs and I think when I went to chat to Dan (Foden) in person and he showed me the facilities in person, it was probably one of the best clubs,” she said.
“It is one of the best grass pitches in the NPL and it felt like a really homely club when I walked in, the environment was awesome and I love being the underdog.”
Raquel Deralas returned to Calder United in the mid-season transfer period following the conclusion of the A-League season with Western United and has played a role in her sides' rise up the table.
“We finally connected and now we slowly climbing the ladder,” Deralas said.
“There are still plenty of things to work on heading into finals, but I think we are doing pretty well.
“We are finally connecting, everyone is gelling together, I feel like we actually have a good chance going into finals.”
The dynamic forward said her form has been a product of playing injury-free and consistent game time.
“I probably haven’t played a full season in three years,” she explained.
“I think this is the first time I have been able to string this number of games together on the back of the A-League season.
“I needed to get my body right and now I am just really enjoying my football.
“It’s really good to be having fun without any niggles, been a couple of years of different injuries but I’m finally playing minutes and feeling pretty good.”