Melbourne Victory visit Central Coast Mariners in Round 9 of the Ninja A-League on Saturday, December 27, kick-off 5pm AEDT.
Topping the standings going into the final action of 2025, Jeff Hopkins’ team are targeting a second win of the season over the Mariners, who they lead by five points going into the weekend’s game.
A Rhianna Pollicina goal separated the two sides at the Home of the Matildas in November, with the midfielder also on the scoresheet in Victory’s latest outing versus Melbourne City.
The Christmas Derby was eventually edged 2-1 by City at AAMI Park, snapping the A-League Women’s team’s winning run as they lost a third away game of the campaign.
The Girls in Blue
Another sharp turnaround may well be the perfect tonic for a group of players looking to rid the bitter aftertaste of a late Melbourne Derby defeat on Tuesday afternoon.
Melbourne Victory were 25 minutes away from beating their city rivals, having gained real control of the contest after taking the lead half an hour in thanks to Rhianna Pollicina’s fifth goal of the season. This was the team’s ninth first-half counter this term, the ALW’s best return by a margin of three.
However, unlike against Newcastle Jets, the momentum did not yield further goals, and Pollicina’s expertly taken effort past her former club was not enough to secure the points. City, playing for the first time in more than a week, finished strongly to complete a comeback. Victory also had to deal with the late withdrawals of Nicki Flannery and Grace Maher from the match day squad.
Now, just five days later, they travel to Gosford for a 12th meeting with Central Coast Mariners, hunting what would be a sixth win in the fixture’s history, and the fourth on the bounce in regular season competition.
Round 9 squad: 1. Courtney NEWBON, 3. Claudia BUNGE, 4. Chelsea BLISSETT, 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 6. Taylor RAY, 7. Ella O’GRADY, 8. Sienna SAVESKA, 9. Holly FURPHY, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 11. Nicki FLANNERY, 16. Kennedy WHITE, 18. Kayla MORRISON, 23. Rachel LOWE, 24. Laura PICKETT, 27. Rosie CURTIS, 30. Payton WOODWARD, 41. Jessica YOUNG, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 81. Grace MAHER
Ins: 4. Chelsea BLISSETT
Outs: 14. Fiorina Iaria, 20. Leyla HUSSEIN
Unavailable: 17. Poppy O’KEEFFE (concussion protocol), 19. Zoe MCMEEKEN (injured)
Central Coast catch-up
Defending Champions Central Coast Mariners, after losing thrice in November, including 1-0 away to Melbourne Victory, head into Saturday’s clash enjoying their best period of form this season.
Currently, three matches unbeaten, they have taken seven points so far this month to reach third on the ladder, with two more matches before the end of 2025 to increase this tally. After facing Victory, they host Brisbane Roar on New Year’s Eve.
They started the month by taking maximum points in the F3 Derby. Despite going behind in the first half, the Mariners ran out 4-1 winners over Newcastle Jets, who they have since overtaken on the ladder.
A week after claiming the bragging rights, another success was picked up away at Western Sydney Wanderers, where Isabella Coco-Di Sipio and Isabel Gomez were on target in the first half to secure a 1-2 win.
Kory Babington’s side then brought Canberra United’s four-game winning streak to an end. At McKellar Park, Central Coast were on course for victory until Sasha Grove’s 90th-minute equaliser split the points.
Never shy of the fight, Mariners are the least disciplined side in the competition, having accumulated 13 yellow cards in seven matches.
Run it back
The re-run of 2025’s Grand Final went the way of Melbourne Victory at the Home of the Matildas in October.
Jeff Hopkins’ side, on home soil for the first time in 2025/26, had to be patient against a stubborn Mariners outfit, with half-chances for Alana Jancevski and Kennedy White the best of a tightly-contested opening 45.
It would, though, take just 10 minutes of second-half action for the deadlock to be broken. Rachel Lowe had a close-range effort saved, but Rhianna Pollicina arrived quickly to dispatch the rebound.
Last time out
The conceding of two second-half goals stung Melbourne Victory in their final outing before Christmas.
Alana Jancevski’s inch-perfect pass, followed by some tricky footwork and a razor-sharp finish from Rhianna Pollicina, had put Victory on course for three points against Melbourne City.
But the derby bragging rights would slip away after the interval, with matters levelled when the unlucky Claudia Bunge scored in her own net before Holly McNamara won it for City in the 84th minute.
Central Coast Mariners were just moments from beating in-form Canberra United away from home before Christmas.
Leading scorer Annalise Rasmussen raced onto an Isabel Gomez forward pass and, instead of taking a touch to set herself, unleashed a surprise near-post finish to outfox goalkeeper Sally James and put the visitors in front after 66 minutes.
Rasmussen’s third of the campaign was, however, cancelled out in the last minute of regulation time when Sasha Grove added the final touch to a well-worked move as the spoils were shared.
