As another Dub Week comes to a close, we take a look back at how it all unfolded.
Monday morning kicked Dub Week off with a bang!
An incredible 15 players returned from last season’s squad to once again take on the league for 2024/25.
Goalkeepers Lydia Williams and Courtney Newbon returned to the squad with defenders Kayla Morrison, Laura Pickett, and Rosie Curtis.
Midfielders Alex Chidiac, Rachel Lowe, Sara D’Appolonia, Alana Murphy and Paige Zois were joined by forwards Emily Gielnik, Ella O’Grady, Ava Briedis, Beattie Goad and Lia Privitelli.
Melbourne Victory Head Coach, Jeff Hopkins said he’s looking to take the squad to an even higher level in 2024/25.
“It’s great to be back for another season and working with this amazing group of players that I believe can achieve anything they set their minds to,” Hopkins said.
“We’ve retained the core of the squad that we feel as a coaching group will be able to push any team in the league and perform consistently, week-in, week-out.
“With this group and some further exciting additions and returning players we expect to have coming into the Club the lead up to the season, we’re confident we’ll be able to have a team that will be balanced, well-rounded and hungry for success this season.”
Tuesday saw the first new signing of Dub Week, with attacker Alana Jancevski making her return to Melbourne.
The 21-year-old joins the Club from Adelaide United where she spent the past season, making her name in the A-League Women’s at Perth Glory where she made 25 appearances and scored five times over two seasons.
The Victorian native has appeared for the Club once before, participating in Victory’s 2019 AFC Women’s Club Championship campaign but will make her A-League Women’s debut for the side this season.
Jancevski has also represented her country at the Junior Matildas level and has been a regular in Victorian football during the A-League Women’s off-season, most recently representing Heidelberg United.
Another star forward was announced on Wednesday, as Dub Week started to hit its strides.
Nickoletta Flannery joins from Canberra United where she made 87 appearances over eight seasons at the Club, scoring 15 goals over two stints in the capital.
Flannery is a quick, aggressive winger who has represented her country at the youth international level, representing the Young Matildas and making her A-League Women’s debut at the age of 16.
Flannery said she was thrilled to be making the move to Melbourne.
“I am very excited to be joining Melbourne Victory for the upcoming season and can’t wait to get started,” Flannery said.
“This is a new chapter and a pivotal move for me in my career. I’m incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to work towards lifting some silverware with Jeff and the team this season.”
“I’m looking forward to working hard and adding value to the already incredible team in the hope of achieving everything we set our minds to both collectively and individually this season.”
𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 ✍️
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) August 28, 2024
We are excited to announce the signing of forward Nickoletta Flannery for the 2024/25 @aleaguewomen season.
Welcome to Melbourne, Nicki 💙
Join us for 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎: https://t.co/CgBXnIFaii
Thursday saw the return of another Victorian native, with 22-year-old Sofia Sakalis joining the Club.
The midfielder joins the Club from Perth Glory where she made 41 appearances over three seasons in the A-League Women’s and also played the latest off-season with Box Hill United in the Victorian NPL.
The Victorian native has represented her country at Under 17 and Under 20 levels and was awarded Football Victoria’s Gold Medal Award for the best player in the NPL in 2022.
Friday ended Dub Week just like it started, with a bang!
First off, English defender Ellie Wilson joined the Club from English side Wolverhampton Wanderers where she spent the past season, making 12 appearances and scoring four goals.
The 27-year-old has played for Reading, Bristol City, London Bees and Sheffield United throughout her career, also representing her country at Under 19, 20 and 23 levels.
And then, Dub Week ended with the return of fan favourite and past championship winner, Claudia Bunge.
The 24-year-old returns to the Club from Danish Women’s Super League side HB Koge after spending the past season in Denmark.
A dual-Championship winner during her first stint at the Club, Bunge made 45 appearances over three seasons at Melbourne Victory, playing an important role at the heart of the side’s defence.
The Kiwi also featured for her nation at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup having 28 senior caps for the Football Ferns throughout her career.
