Shepparton soccer sensation Sophie Papalia trades colours in the state top flight

Now, as Papalia proudly proclaims, she’s in her “comeback year”.

The 24-year-old inked her signature to a deal in which she will trade National Premier League Women’s colours and join Brunswick Juventus from powerhouse Heidelberg United, where she’s spent the past three seasons.

Juventus has entered the state’s top flight for the first time in its 76-year history, and as the transfer window opened last week, so did the door for Papalia.

“One of my old coaches from Heidelberg moved over to Brunswick and we were just talking,” Papalia said.

“The Brunswick coach was interested, so I talked with him and two weekends ago, he called me.

“It was like a breath of fresh air ... it was an offer too good to refuse. It was a difficult and hard decision; it was a hard change but a good change.

“Brunswick have such a great environment and such a great culture, and that’s what really sold me.

“Josip (Loncaric) the coach was amazing; one of my old coaches has actually coached with him and I know he’s such a great coach. I’m very excited to be a part of their history.”

Moving from Heidelberg United to Brunswick Juventus was a brave call on Papalia’s behalf.

For one, her new club sits at the bottom of the NPLW table with five points from eight games in contrast to United’s ninth place, with seven from seven.

And who does Papalia’s Juventus debut come against this Saturday?

Her old club, Heidelberg.

While she can see the morsel of comedic irony attached to this weekend’s fate-fuelled meeting, back in the early phases of last year, there was little to laugh about for the pacey forward.

Papalia rolled her ankle during the final preseason game before the 2023 NPLW campaign.

Eager to play on, she brushed it off and continued to run but soon the pain forced her to the sidelines where she’d stay for just one week.

She was gripped by white line fever and returned without a proper rest period, and in her next match, a knock to her ankle brought about a shuddering crack.

Like last time, she hobbled off the park but didn’t think much of it.

Following a series of scans, x-rays and ultrasounds, her injury was deemed by the medical professionals as a sprain — again, nothing serious.

When Papalia returned to training two weeks later, however, she knew something was seriously wrong when she could barely even walk, let alone run.

“The surgeon called me and said, look, if you ever want to play again and at the level you do, surgery is non-negotiable,” she said.

“I asked all about it, I said ‘how long’ and they said four months usually, sometimes it takes longer. If your team makes finals you’ll be able to play.

“I was in a lot of distress because I’d never had a major injury like that before; it was very new to me.

“It was a very, very hard year. I spent two weeks in a cast, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything.

“I was in a moon boot for four to six weeks, and just learning to walk, let alone run again, was extremely hard.”

Papalia didn’t make it back on the park for the rest of the 2023 season.

Rehabilitation woes stymied her recovery process, but she was a woman possessed to return in time for preseason in November, and through pure determination, she got there.

“There were a few times where I thought ‘can I really get through all this rehab, should I just stop playing, is it really worth it?’,” Papalia said.

“For me now, a personal goal is to consistently play and find a love for the game again.

“I’ve been at Brunswick for just over a week now, and I already feel so much more confident in playing and a bit more confident in myself.

“For the team, our overall goal is to start winning games and stay in the NPL.

“With the likes of me and a few other girls coming in, I think that we will start to win and start to build, which will be great.”

So far, Papalia has been in top form in her comeback season.

She’s scored three goals in six games for Heidelberg and hopes to recapture the kind of form for Brunswick that put her on United’s radar all those years ago.

Famously, the winger netted 57 times in 20 games for Shepparton United during the 2019 Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, landing her the best-and-fairest and young women’s player of the year trophies at just 19.

Farewelling the Blues, Papalia joined Bundoora United in the Women’s State League One North-West.

That was a mammoth leap in itself, but when Papalia’s coach Matt Kiriakopoulos saw her explosiveness and power at training one night, he knew she had more to give.

“He said to my dad and me ‘you are in fine form, I think you can go that step further and I have a connection at Heidelberg’. Without me knowing, my dad said set it up,” she said.

“He told me about it and I said there’s no way I’m going, I’m not ready for NPL — I can’t do this.

“I missed training the next night, but then the Heidelberg coach reached out and went to training the following week.

“So really, I have my dad to thank for the NPL as well as the coach that pushed me over there. Honestly, without him, I wouldn’t have taken that step at all.”

While technically 200km from home in her new state colours, Papalia won’t be alone.

She joins ex-Shepparton South player Holly Boldiston at Brunswick Juventus, and they'll play against former Goulburn Valley Suns Fiorina Iaria (FV Emerging) and Leia Varley (South Melbourne) who form part of the local diaspora kicking goals in the big smoke.

And for that, she’s thankful.

“There is some great talent to come out of Shepparton, and the fact that we’re all in the same league, playing against each other and with other, it’s so surreal,” she said.

“It’s one little big Shepp community over in Melbourne. It’s great — it’s like a taste of home away from home.”