Melbourne Victory Women take on rivals Melbourne City in their Ninja A-League Final Series Semi-Final (Leg 1) at AAMI Park on Saturday, May 2, kick-off 5pm AEST.
The two-legged contest is for a place in the 2026 Grand Final, with Jeff Hopkins’ team striving to go one better than 12 months ago, when they lost out to Central Coast Mariners.
Victory enter the showdown high on the success of an Elimination Final hit-job on Canberra United last weekend, winning impressively 1-3 in ACT.
City, who jumped straight to the Semi-Final as Premiers, ended the regular season by beating Newcastle Jets away from home.
The Girls in Blue
Melbourne Victory paused for breath, flexed their muscles and put on a performance brimming with Finals pedigree to rip up the form book and defeat Canberra United, who had done the double over them.
A Jeff Hopkins mastermind, nullifying United’s major threats at McKellar Park and silencing the home crowd, progressed the Girls in Blue to the Semi-Final in an eighth-straight Finals campaign.
Grace Maher, making her first start of the year, partnered with Taylor Ray in the middle of the park to give Victory a solid base from which they built at a frightening rate.
Rachel Lowe, no stranger to striking in Finals, after netting twice in Leg 2 against Adelaide United 12 months ago, opened the scoring before a goal in either half from rising star Ella O’Grady meant Sasha Grove’s response was purely arithmetical.
Semi-Final (Leg 1) 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, 28. Sienna TECHERA, 30. Payton WOODWARD, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 81. Grace MAHER
Ins: N/A
Outs: N/A
Unavailable: 19. Zoe MCMEEKEN (injured)
Melbourne City
Once they assumed top spot midway through the campaign, Melbourne City refused to relinquish their position on route to a third Championship in a row and their second under the guidance of Michael Matricciani.
Unbeaten since their second outing of February, they have won five of their last seven matches, plus an AFC Women’s Champions League Quarter-Final tie against Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
The Semi-Final, to be played in South Korea versus Tokyo Verdy Beleza, is scheduled just a handful of days after the A-League Grand Final.
But if 2025 taught City anything, it will be that the Premiers Plate is not a surefire way to ensure a shot at the Championship, having suffered at the hands of Central Coast Mariners at this stage last May.
Run it back
The teams could not be split in Round 17 of the Isuzu UTE A-League as the points were shared at The Home of The Matildas.
A tightly-contested clash, following a 2-1 reverse for Melbourne Victory in December’s meeting, saw neither group of players establish real control of a genuine armwrestle.
Goalkeeper Courtney Newbon’s five-save display was vital in maintaining a clean sheet for Jeff Hopkins’ side, aided by a strong performance from the backline spearheaded by Captain, Kayla Morrison.
Last time out
Melbourne Victory turned the tables to knock Canberra United out of Finals, winning the do-or-die Elimination Final at McKellar Park last Saturday.
Despite finishing three positions behind their hosts on the ladder, Victory rose to the occasion and found themselves two goals up just after 24 minutes of action, thanks to Rachel Lowe and Ella O’Grady.
While Sasha Grove would get one back for United later in the first half, O’Grady would pop up just minutes after the restart to secure her brace with a brave headed effort, inspiring the Girls in Blue to hold strong and progress through to the Semi-Final stage.
Melbourne City’s last result was a late comeback win over Newcastle Jets on Sunday, April 5.
City found themselves behind in the Hunter Valley when former Melbourne Victory forward Melina Ayres opened the scoring in the 47th minute.
However, a goal from City’s Aideen Keane pulled the visitors level before a 97th-minute winner from English defender Danielle Turner gave the Premiers a final-day success.
