Described by Paul DeVitis as being able to "almost do it all", Alesha Clifford is the kind of player any coach would love to have at their disposal.
The Newcastle Olympic mentor was instantly struck by the former national league player's skill when she turned up to pre-season training after a two-campaign absence.
"At one of the first sessions, I thought, 'Wow'," DeVitis said. "Her technique is incredible.
"Then as we've got to play the season, her leadership is very under-rated. She's not that really loud, vocal player but she is in constant communication with the girls around her and she provides a lot of calmness and composure, more than probably any player I've seen in the women's game in the last five years.
"Football-wise she can play centre-back, centre-mid, striker. She can play anywhere. She's so versatile. We've used her as a centre-back this year but I know if we needed her somewhere else that she could adjust very easily."
The 30-year-old also has an eye for goal, as shown on the weekend when she scored the first three goals in Olympic's 6-0 win over Mid Coast.
They were all from the set piece - the first a well-timed header in the box off a corner and the other two direct free kicks from just outside the 18-yard box.
Clifford, who is from the Blue Mountains, played in the first seven seasons of W-League, six with Sydney FC (2008-11 and 2013-15) and one for Western Sydney (2012-13).
She had stints with South Wallsend and Wallsend after moving to Newcastle for work then was set to play for Olympic in 2020 before taking time off from football.
"When COVID hit I just decided to work on weekends and lay low, not seeing as many people and having to bring it back to high-risk people at work," Clifford, who is a disability support worker, said.
"I had never had a full winter comp off. I'd been playing since I was eight, and even back-to-back seasons with W-League sometimes, so it was nice just to have time to do other things."
It has also been good to be back.
"It's nice to step away and miss it, but I wanted to come back and get fit again and have a bit of work-life balance," Clifford said. "I missed being around the team environment."
Her return caught the eye of Jets A-League Women's coach Ash Wilson but Clifford is "undecided" whether she wants to pursue football at the next level again.
At the moment she is focused on helping Olympic cement a top-four finish then finals success in NPLW Northern NSW.
"Ash reached out to train with the Jets so I've been to a couple of those sessions," Clifford said. "We'll see how the rest of this season goes and then decide from there.
"But it's been really nice to train with her and that high-intensity environment again. I'd forgotten how much I do enjoy it after being away from it for so long."
