Jack Snape takes a look at what Sydney FC’s title-winning group of rising stars means for women’s football in Australia:
Summary
Thank you for joining me this afternoon for another chapter in the Sydney FC success story. They’ve had to do it the hard way all season in the absence of skipper Nat Tobin, and this grand final was no different with Melbourne City dominating the ball for most of the game. But it was the Sydneysiders who prevailed and entered the record books in doing so.
It’s time for me to take my leave but stay tuned for plenty more from Joey Lynch and Jack Snape from AAMI Park.
Sydney FC are A-League Women Champions
The last to the podium is captain Princess Ibini. As quickly as possible she thanks the sponsors, commiserates Melbourne City, and congratulates her teammates, before taking the championship trophy over to them and holding it aloft as fireworks take flight and confetti rains down on the 2023-24 A-League Women Champions.
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Followed by a jubilant squad full of Sydneysiders.
City’s players and staff trudge up to collect their runner-up medallions.
Mackenzie Hawkesby Player of the Match
Sydney’s hardworking midfielder Mackenzie Hawkesby is named the player of the grand final. In fairness it could have been any of her side’s back four or midfield.
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Time for the presentations, on a dais in the middle of a sparsely populated, and now chilly AAMI Park.
Jada Whyman’s in tears (happy tears) while Indi dos Santos reflects on her second championship at the age of 16! Dos Santos delivered the most important moment of the match with her magnificent through-ball unlocking Melbourne City’s defence and allowing Connors the match-winning shooting chance.
On the pitch an exhausted Cortnee Vine speaks of heart and grit as the secret to Sydney’s success. Centre-half Charlotte Mclean is adamant this is the most satisfying of Sydney’s recent successes on the back of the injuries and adversity they have faced all season.
Connors, of course, was only just on as a substitute after being injected by Ante Juric. The Sydney coach deserves enormous credit for accepting the terms of this game as attack vs counterattack, and backing his speedsters up front to capitalise on the few opportunities they would receive, and his defenders to remain resolute against the barrage of City attacks.
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A record fifth Championship for Sydney FC, and this will be celebrated as fervently as any. Melbourne City bossed the game between the two penalty areas but it was only Sydney who found the back of the net. They defended from front to back doggedly, denying their hosts any time in their attacking third, and when the crucial opportunity arose Shea Connors was on the spot to take it.
Full-time: Melbourne City 0-1 Sydney FC
Sydney FC are A-League Women Champions!
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90+8 mins: Ray intercepts in midfield, Hawkesby quickly feeds Vine through 1-on-1 but she shoots early and blasts her effort over the bar.
90+7 mins: The XG has just been revealed as 1.7 v 0.56 in favour of Melbourne City. Along with their dominance of possession, City will sorely rue this defeat if they fail to come back from the dead.
90+6 mins: Nothing flash now from City, just helping the ball forward and hoping for the best. Galic profits down the right but her cross is claimed by the safe hands of Whyman.
90+5 mins: More chaos – this time in Melbourne’s half with Henry’s poor throw magnified by Otto’s fatigue allowing Sydney to nip in and invite Connors to chase a through ball. Barbieri rushes out and gets enough on her clearance to keep the game alive.
90+4 mins: Vine gets another opportunity to milk the clock on the break, and this time she jogs the ball into the right corner, and, with the support of Connors, earns a throw-in that allows her defence to reset.
90+3 mins: Chaos in Sydney’s box with bodies tumbling to the turf as Galic tries to bulldoze her way to goal. The ball doesn’t break kindly for City and Sydney clear.
90+2 mins: Sydney can really milk the clock – or score a second – with Vine on the burst, but City’s lone defender Stott stands firm and keeps her team alive.
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90+1 mins: The first minute begins with Whyman clutching a City corner from the left.
90 mins: Wow! Nine minutes of injury time to be played. Where have they come from? There’s barely been a stoppage all night – just one goal and three bookings. That’s incredible.
89 mins: City build again down the left but the player making the run is centre-back Otto, and Sydney are happy to see the ball run away for a goal kick.
87 mins: City are pushing so hard now. Pollicina has a shot charged down on the edge of the box, then Galic dinks over a cross that doesn’t find another light blue jersey. Sydney are digging deep.
85 mins: Still City come, but another cross from the right has only Ekic to aim for now that Wilkinson is off the field. Henry then has a pop from range but Whyman is equal to it. Davidson is then withdrawn for Caitlin Karic in City’s second sub of the night.
84 mins: How have City not equalised!? First McKenna, now Pollicina. The cross from the right is only pawed out by Whyman as far as Pollicina 10 yards from goal but she can’t control her volley and smashes high when it looked easier to score.
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82 mins: Ekic swings over the resulting free-kick but it’s all Sydney in the air. City recover the second ball, it reaches McKenna in the six-yard box, and she has to score – but somehow it’s deflected over the bar! City’s best chance of the night! Credit to Hollman for defending her line, not turning her back, and glancing a header wide. Huge moment.
81 mins: Ekic is repelled by Tumeth, then Galic, the latter earning the Sydney defender a yellow card. City’s players have been unimpressed by Tumeth’s physicality all match.
80 mins: City try to build down their left but Sydney are winning all the 1-on-1 duels with boots and bodies getting in the way at every crucial moment.
79 mins: Pollicina wins possession near Sydney’s box. Ekic feeds Hughes within shooting range, but the midfielder’s effort is always slicing over the bar.
77 mins: Finally a change for the hosts with the disappointing Wilkinson replaced by Leticia McKenna. A match to forget for the veteran Kiwi. City have lacked a link between midfield and attack all day, perhaps McKenna will provide that attacking cohesion?
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76 mins: Since the goal everything has become more frantic and anxious with City trying to too hard to force the issue and Sydney happy to throw bodies on the line to keep the ball out of their penalty area.
74 mins: Dario Vidosic is running out of time to impact this grand final.
7671 is the crowd at the A-League Women grand final. #MCYvSYD
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) May 4, 2024
73 mins: Henry and Galic drive forward down the right but Sydney are committed in the tackle and Thompson’s strong challenge halts City in full flight.
72 mins: Sydney haven’t lost from a winning position this season. Only once has a grand final been won coming from behind. City have it all to do.
71 mins: City try to hit back immediately but Sydney get bodies around the ball near the byline and then Whyman deals with the corner.
70 mins: Ante Juric must think he’s a genius. What a substitution.
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GOAL! Melbourne City 0-1 Sydney FC (Connors, 69)
Would you believe it!? Sydney FC take the lead against the run of play. Classic counterattacking goal for the visitors, and it’s all about Indi dos Santos. The youngster takes possession in midfield, looks up, spots the substitute Connors on the shoulder of the last defender and lofts an inch perfect pass into her teammate’s stride. Barbieri tries to come out to narrow the gap but ends up stranded as Connors easily slots home her first goal in Sydney colours.
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67 mins: That will be the final action of the day for Princess Ibini, who is replaced by Shea Connors. Juric hoping the extra pace might capitalise on his side’s rare counterattacks.
66 mins: A rare stoppage in play as Ibini and Otto dust themselves down following a collision in midfield.
65 mins: Sydney demonstrate their inability to clear their lines once more. Ibini was briefly in possession but she was immediately closed down, allowing City fullbacks Grosso and Henry to exchange passes in midfield. Grosso charged towards the box and expected a free-kick when she went to ground, but Reibelt was unmoved.
64 mins: Otto’s turn to drive forward from the back, carrying the ball to the edge of the box and unleashing a low drive that is always curling wide of Whyman’s far post. City are turning the screw.
63 mins: Now Galic slides Pollicina in behind in the left channel, but the ball just skids over the dead ball line before the cross is delivered.
62 mins: The momentum remains with City. A beautiful long ball finds Ekic on the left. She cuts inside, rides her luck, and drifts the width of the penalty box before she’s eventually closed down. So much probing, so little end product for the hosts.
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60 mins: Sydney cannot escape, and City keep the ball alive so long there’s barely a break in play for the visitors to catch their breath. Ante Juric senses the danger and goes to his bench, brining on Taylor Ray for Margaux Chauvet to freshen things up in midfield.
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58 mins: Stott beats one, then another, and reaches the edge of the box before she’s closed down. City’s defence is camped 30m out from Sydney’s goal. This is a proper squeeze from the hosts.
56 mins: Sydney are so focussed on defending they have nobody to receive the ball when it’s cleared downfield. City come again with Hughes, Davidson and Galic busy in midfield. They look the most likely right now, but can they find the moment of brilliance?
55 mins: It’s all City at the moment, with 21 players in Sydney’s half and the hosts probing around the edges looking for an opening. Ekic almost fashions one with Grosso but the latter’s square ball doesn’t find Pollicina.
54 mins: Henry and Grosso, City’s fullbacks are much more prominent this half, stretching the field from touchline to touchline, creating room to play through Sydney’s midfield. Davidson does just that, but Wilkinson – who has looked way off the pace so far – fails again to make anything of the growing opportunity.
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52 mins: City look much more purposeful in possession this half with individuals running at their opposite number, looking to get in behind instead of constantly checking back. The result is to squeeze Sydney deeper and deeper towards their own box.
50 mins: Galic does well down the right, not for the first time tonight, but her cross is not attacked at the near post and Whyman dives low to intercept.
48 mins: Dario Vidosic appears to have given his defenders license to carry the ball forward in a bid to break the first line of Sydney’s press. It has worked twice down the right – the first leading to Ekic’s opening. The flipside of course is it leaves the door open for Sydney and the visitors almost fashion a couple of chances of their own picking City’s pocket.
47 mins: City are back in possession straight after the break, and they have an early sight of goal through Ekic on the left edge of the penalty area, but Sydney close doen the shooting opportunity with a pair of committed blocks.
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46 mins: Can either side find a breakthrough, or are we destined for penalties?
The teams are back out for the second half.
It might take a belter like this to break the deadlock today.
This absolute STUNNER from @NewcastleJetsFC skipper Cass Davis is officially your Liberty Goal of the Year!🏅🤩#ALeagueLibertyGF pic.twitter.com/I1FMTNtSFs
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) May 4, 2024
The A-League have been announcing some of their end-of-season awards today, and the big one – The Julie Dolan Medal – has just ben revealed at AAMI Park during the interval. And the winner is Sophie Harding of the Western Sydney Wanderers. She finished comfortably ahead of Chloe Logarzo, Cortnee Vine, and Michelle Heyman.
SOPHIE HARDING WINS THE 2023-24 JULIE DOLAN MEDAL! 🏅👏
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) May 4, 2024
The Western Sydney Wanderers star joins a roll call of legends as she claims the Liberty A-League’s highest individual honour after a breakout campaign.
Full details, final leaderboard: https://t.co/OHGXRHY9zV pic.twitter.com/6bh62VqmAr
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Half-time: Melbourne City 0-0 Sydney FC
For ten minutes we looked set for a classic grand final, but they proved an illusion with the following 35 minutes taking place almost exclusively in the middle third. Plenty for both coaches to ponder at the break.
44 mins: City’s obsession with retaining possession is becoming maddening. So often a player in possession around halfway looks forward only to check back and begin another rebuild. Sydney are happy with that state of affairs, knowing that they will be given opportunities to capitalise on errors, such as one by Stott looking to play out from the back but Hawkesby and Ibini are on different wavelengths.
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42 mins: Another scrappy passage for both sides, with each demonstrating their own shortcomings; City failing to work hard enough off the ball to offer the player in possession a forward option, and Sydney not committing enough bodies forward on the counter.
40 mins: Sydney, despite seeing far less of the ball, have much likelier options for goal, either on a conventional counter attack utilising the pace of Vine, or by robbing City in possession in a dangerous area. Hollman does just that to Hughes but her teammates cannot make any more of the opportunity.
38 mins: City are back in their groove through defence and midfield, pushing Sydney deeper, but as soon as the ball reaches their forward line it comes straight back, either via an interception, or the limited options available to their strikers. Against such a hardworking, well-organised opponent, it’s hard to see how City make a breakthrough.
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36 mins: City make a rare incursion with Galic exchanging passes with Hughes on the right, but she can’t find a target with her cross.
34 mins: Plenty of endeavour, commitment, and discipline from both sides, but a distinct lack of inspiration going forward.
32 mins: That tenacious Sydney midfield again does its job, allowing Vine to burst through the middle of the park. She tries to slide in Tumeth but the ball runs towards the corner flag and City clear.
30 mins: City may be dominating possession but they are increasingly struggling to break through Sydney’s midfield. Even when they do the ball is inevitably fed back with neither of the strikers able to turn and face goal such is the pressure on them from behind.
28 mins: After two Sydney players seemed certain to receive yellow cards, it’s actually City’s Grosso that’s first into the book for a late lunge after miscontroling the ball. You can imagine how the home bench feel about that. Barbieri deals with the resulting free-kick with ease.
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26 mins: The frantic opening 10 minutes or so have given way to a tactical battle played out between the two penalty areas.
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24 mins: City continue to dominate possession, always happy to play the ball backward to retain control, backing their defenders to keep the flow. The killer ball forward remains absent with Sydney continuing to look to pick them off on the counter. Twice in quick succession the ball reaches Ibini in promising situations but on both occasions there’s no end product.
22 mins: City, by contrast, are all about the structure and patterns of play, continuing to invite risk in their own penalty area. They almost execute this strategy to perfection but after a series of one-touch passes progresses them into Sydney’s half down the left there’s no final ball.
20 mins: Dos Santos thumps a volley high and wide from the edge of the box after Ibini’s excellent work in the left corner to rob Otto. Sydney are playing in bursts, but they have looked dangerous on their quick breaks.
18 mins: A scrappy couple of minutes for both sides ends with Hughes keeping things simple in midfield for City. The 22-year-old is growing into the key figure in this match, proving her defence with a screen when Sydney drive forward and offering the vision when City take possession.
15 mins: City’s control of the ball in defence and midfield is starting to grow, forcing Sydney to defend deeper. In classic CFG fashion this means any hurried clearance falls straight to another City player as they squeeze the available space. So far, Wilkinson has failed to find her footing further forward with a series of vertical passes rebounding off the Kiwi.
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13 mins: The match has yet to settle into a rhythm, which suits Sydney, who are pressing aggressively in midfield to deny City room to play out from the back. The home side are not allowing that to put them off, drawing the blue shirts onto them in their own box in a bid to expose space downfield. It is high-risk high-reward stuff.
11 mins: Lovely long diagonal ball from Stott to release Galic on the right. She exchanges passes with Ekic and has a clear view of goal just eight yards out, only to tamely sidefoot straight at Whyman.
9 mins: Sydney again find the dangerous Vine on the counter with space to run into. She reaches the box, jinks inside, but City have enough bodies around the ball to clear. An eventful start at AAMI Park.
8 mins: Excellent driving run from Pollicina earns City a corner on the right. It should have also earned Chauvet a yellow card for repeatedly trying to pull her opponent down, but the advantage was played and Sydney survive. The corner isn’t dealt with initially but again City fail to take command of broken play in Sydney’s box.
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6 mins: From an innocuous position the ball is allowed to travel a long way into the box and reach Wilkinson at the back post but the angle is narrow and Whyman gets her angles right to repel the chance. The ball rebounds into the danger area but nobody in light blue shirt grasps the opportunity and Sydney survive. Both keepers in the action early.
5 mins: Hughes does well in midfield to buy City a free-kick and give them chance to settle things down.
3 mins: City are struggling to retain possession as they regroup from Sydney’s bright start.
1 min: Barbieri with a brilliant save! The free-kick from wide is swung in, City deal with the initial header but after the second ball is lobbed in it finds Jordan Thompson unmarked in point-blank range but her clean strike is tipped around the post by the diving veteran. Barbieri then dominates her box to claim the resulting corner.
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1 min: Sydney immediately on the front foot from the kick-off, freeing the speedy Vine down the right. She jinks inside and quickly earns a dangerous free-kick.
Kick-off!
We’re underway at AAMI Park…
Expect City to line up in something resembling a 4-4-2 with the powerful Hannah Wilkinson the target up front. Sydney are more likely to adopt a 4-3-3 shape with Cortnee Vine, Princess Ibini-Isei, and 16-year-old Indiana Shae dos Santos forming a dynamic forward line.
Casey Reibelt is today’s referee, taking charge for her third grand final. The Queenslander was recently named the A-League Women Referee of the Year.
The teams are out in the middle of AAMI Park for the pregame formalities. City are in their home strip of light blue, Sydney are in their change uniform of dark blue.
It is a perfect autumnal afternoon in Melbourne. The sun is shining brightly, there’s a chill in the air, and neither wind nor rain are anywhere to be seen.
The GF Stage 🏟️#SydneyIsSkyBlue pic.twitter.com/v1q1adXSfD
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) May 4, 2024
SHE'S 24 YEARS OLD 🤯🤯 An extraordinary achievement.
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) May 4, 2024
Ibini goes past Aivi Luik and Teresa Polias (7 each) to set a ridiculous new A-Leagues record on Grand Final day.
Watch live on 10Bold, 10Play and Paramount+ from 3:30pm AEST. pic.twitter.com/BdvPkRoQp2
Sydney FC XI
The visitors are unchanged from their semi-final triumph.
𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑿𝑰 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒂 📋
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) May 4, 2024
♻️ Unchanged XI
👑 Princess Ibini starts her record breaking 8th Grand Final#SydneyIsSkyBlue | #LibertyALeagueGF | #MCYvSYD pic.twitter.com/1dUqtB3i3n
Melbourne City XI
The hosts have been forced into one change with Brazilian shot-stopper Bárbara failing a fitness test. In her place comes Matildas veteran and club coach, the indefatigable Melissa Barbieri. Emergency signing Emily Shields takes her place on the bench. It would be some story if the 44-year-old won a championship, some 27 years after first being recognised by the national team set up… as an outfielder.
📋 Dario makes one forced change to his XI for today's decider.
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) May 4, 2024
Melissa Barbieri comes into the line-up for her first Grand Final in place of Bárbara who misses with a quad injury.#MCYvSYD pic.twitter.com/Nt4f0lgdIL
Jack Snape explores the perennial challenge of Australian football – transferring the popularity of national teams to the club sides that supply the players.
“If it was up to me, I’d let everyone in for free,” Dario Vidosic said on Sunday night at Aami Park after just 2,000 fans had watched his team secure their place in, and hosting rights to, the showpiece of domestic women’s football.
Joey Lynch sets the scene from AAMI Park.
One of these two sides will become the first in Australian women’s football to win a fifth title on Saturday. Both are worthy of the honour, having forever changed women’s football in the country. Perhaps that’s what makes it mean something more. Saturday is not just about being great, it’s about being the best.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the A-League Women grand final between Melbourne City and Sydney FC. Kick-off at AAMI Park is 4.15pm.
Not for the first time in recent seasons it all comes down to at least one team in sky blue. One or both of these sides has featured in every grand final since 2016, collectively winning six of eight championships. Together they also share the past five premiers plates. The two operations have set the standards the rest of the competition must aspire to reach.
City ended the regular season on top of the ladder on the back of their potent forward line. Three separate City players bagged hat-tricks during the campaign, including 17-year-old Daniela Galic, recently crowned the Young Footballer of the Year. Newcastle Jets were hit for six across the two legs of their semi-final.
Sydney finished two points adrift on the back of a parsimonious defence that conceded less than a goal per game on average over the season. As recently as February they kept city scoreless at AAMI Park.
You’d like to think the context of this match is heightened by the upcoming Olympics, but with squads for Paris limited to just 18 players, and Tony Gustavsson having little time to experiment, there isn’t going to be much of consequence for the Matildas. The singular exception is Cortnee Vine with the Sydney speedster becoming an integral part of Gustavsson’s plans
I’ll leave it there for now, but if you’d like to get in touch while I’m on, please fire all communication to jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
