Essendon Royals striker Kelli McGroarty has been named the New Balance NPLW Victoria Player of the Month for April after receiving the most votes from the commentary team across Rounds 8–10.
The 24-year-old arrived at the Royals ahead of the 2026 season following a standout NCAA Division I career, where she led the University of Iowa in goals and goal contributions, earned Offensive MVP honours, and helped guide the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The American forward has made an immediate impact in Victoria, leading the Golden Boot race after 10 rounds with 14 goals, helping Essendon surge into third place - just one win shy of top spot.
McGroarty said it was “pretty awesome” to receive the recognition and that it was a reward for all her hard work.
“I’ve honestly just been having a lot of fun playing and I’m really enjoying it right now,” she said.
“I think being able to bring the joy, excitement and passion of soccer to the game means things just go the way they’re supposed to go, that’s the mentality I have.
“Our team has been doing really well over the past month. At the start of the season, we weren’t happy with how many goals we were scoring, so a group of us came together and have been putting in extra work and since then it’s really started to click.
“We’re creating more opportunities across the pitch, not just for me but our midfielders and wingers are getting more involved, and hopefully we can keep building on that.”
Despite scoring four goals against Bentleigh Greens in Round 9, McGroarty said the most pleasing aspect of the 7–0 victory was seeing her teammates on the scoresheet.
“I had four goals in that game, but I also had a couple of chances I didn’t finish, so I was a bit frustrated with myself during the week,” she said.
“That’s just the standard I hold myself to, and the people around me expect that too.
“My job is to score and I love scoring but I love when my teammates can be rewarded for their hard work.I genuinely get excited for them. The matches where I’m able to share the scoreline with my teammates are definitely my favourites.
“I’m excited to see how many more we can put away as the season goes on.”
Interestingly, McGroarty’s favourite match so far this season came in a game where she didn’t score.
“The Spring Hills match was probably my favourite win,” she said.
“I didn’t score or assist, but it was a really physical game, and it meant a lot to come away with the three points.
“And then beating Box Hill in Round 1, the reigning Champions that was a big moment in my debut. As the season’s gone on, I’ve realised just how important that win was.”
Looking ahead, Essendon face Preston Lions this Saturday at Cross Keys Reserve, with McGroarty not underestimating her opponents despite the eight-place difference on the table.
“I try not to look too much into the team we’re playing,” she said.
“That’s just how football works, you can be the best team facing the worst and there can still be an upset. It could be 100 shots to one, and that one goes in.
“I look at general tendencies and maybe if there’s one player who stands out, I just go into each match with the least amount of knowledge I can because I don’t want to overthink it too much.
“This weekend against Presto, my focus is on how many goals we can score, getting the dub, and coming away with three points.”