ROUND 22 OF THE A-LEAGUE WOMEN COMPETITION AT A GLANCE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cometh the moment, cometh the woman. Sydney FC’s slip-up against Victory meant Melbourne City would be premiers if they beat Perth. What a time then for Rhianna Pollicina to blast a worldie from outside the box, giving City a lead they wouldn’t give up.
KEY STAT: Shelby McMahon joined an exclusive club of 15-year-old A-League Women goalscorers – headlined by Sam Kerr, naturally – when she struck Melbourne City’s second at Macedonia Park, clinching the premiership for the visitors.
TALKING POINT: Does Melbourne Victory have it over Sydney FC when it counts? Their last Big Blue win was their 2022 grand final, when they claimed the championship from fourth. On Sunday they did it again, needing a win over first-placed Sydney FC to play finals, and they produced the goods with a 4-0 rout. Where did they finish? Fourth.
UNDER PRESSURE: The whole Sydney FC outfit need to dig deep after throwing away a near-certain title with two defeats in five days; 1-0 to Canberra United on Wednesday and then their Big Blue no-show. Against Victory, Jada Whyman – who ankle-tapped Alex Chidiac to gift Victory a second from the penalty spot – and Princess Ibini were especially off-colour.
BEAT THAT: Wellington’s Emma Main notched a career-first double against Western Sydney as the Nix finished short of a maiden finals appearance but in their best position of eighth. Main scored a diving header in the first half before winning a one-on-one to land the second, celebrating that goal with a “choo-choo” celebration in honour of her nickname, the Main Train.
THEY SAID IT: “We will be on the plane (during the Sydney-Victory game) … so when we land, if we turn the phone on and there’s 1000 text messages, that means we’re in. If there’s nobody loving us, then we’re not going to be. It is what it is,” – Wanderers coach Robbie Hooker and his charges, who needed a Sydney FC win to for his side to make the finals. Sadly for Robbie, it was the latter.
WHAT’S NEXT: An international weekend – including a Matildas match-up with Mexico – means a week off for the A-League before the elimination finals begin. Western United (3rd) play Newcastle Jets (6th) while Melbourne Victory (4th) host Central Coast Mariners (5th). The winners progress to two-legged semi-finals with Melbourne City and Sydney FC.
