Kayla Morrison is relishing Melbourne Victory’s busy schedule of festive football.
Jeff Hopkins’ side play three more matches before the end of 2025, including fixtures against Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners two days before and two days after Christmas, respectively.
But before those crunch clashes against local rivals and last season’s Championship winners, Victory face the team currently placed directly behind them on the ladder.
Newcastle Jets have won three of their five matches to date this season, and appear to have a new lease of life under Stephen Hoyle, who was appointed to the dugout during the off-season.
Speaking during her pre-match press conference, Morrison stated how she wants her Victory teammates to embrace the calendar, with the Captain urging everyone to use this next run of fixtures as an opportunity to keep building.
“If it goes well, it will accelerate, but if it doesn’t, it puts a damper on things, because there are a lot of points to be won here. You hope everyone’s in good spirits, you hope that it’s more exciting to be playing this amount of games than it is daunting.
“I look at it and think, it’s a good turnaround. If you feel, ‘Oh, I should have scored that goal,’ well, you can do it in three days. So, I think it will be an exciting period for us.”
Victory go into the Jets clash boosted by a 1-0 win over Adelaide United at AAMI Park last weekend, with Rachel Lowe’s 50th-minute goal enough for all three points in the Original Rivalry.
Morrison believes the hard-fought nature of that success, and the important lessons in game management this provided, can be transferred to the team’s next outing.
“We’ve felt what it is to kind of grind out a match. We can take that into the next match, hopefully, get goals and then not let them score.
“I do think they’re a good team this year, but I think we’re a great team. Hopefully, we can get the win there, and then prep for the next quick turnaround.”
Watch Morrison’s full press conference below.
