Melbourne Victory host Canberra United in Round 6 of the Ninja A-League on Friday, December 5, kick-off 7pm AEDT at the Home of the Matildas.
Jeff Hopkins’ players have a 100% home record to maintain, having beaten both Central Coast Mariners and Perth Glory to nil at the Home of the Matildas at the start of the 2025/26 season.
Celebrating a win in Dub Round last weekend ascended the A-League Women’s team to the top of the ladder, and history suggests they will stay there, with the four most recent matches against Canberra all going Victory’s way.
The Girls in Blue
A fired-up Melbourne Victory showed tremendous bouncebackability to steamroll Perth Glory 3-0 in Bundoora after losing by a single goal away to Wellington Phoenix the previous week.
Victory’s first-half dominance, during which they scored three times in the space of 19 minutes, was coupled with a second 45 minutes brimming with plus points.
After the restart, the hosts kept the pressure on, being unfortunate not to add to their tally, and remained rock solid at the back to make sure of a second clean sheet in as many home outings.
There was also a cheer almost as loud as a goal when Taylor Ray made her Club debut. The 24-year-old midfielder, who joined during the off-season fresh from winning the Championship with Central Coast Mariners, entered the field in the 72nd minute to rapturous applause and is another weapon now available in Jeff Hopkins’ arsenal.
This will be bolstered further for the Canberra United clash, with Claudia Bunge and Poppy O’Keeffe available again after their national team duties, adding to the competition for places.
One player whose form will make her tricky to dislodge from the starting XI and catch in the Golden Boot race is Kennedy White. Her remarkable start to life in Australia continued versus the Glory, as the American striker made it five net-busters in five games.
Another individual rapidly becoming a mainstay of Victory’s line-up is midfielder Rhianna Pollicina. She has missed just five minutes of ALW action and has three goals to her credit, including strikes in both home fixtures.
Round 6 Squad: 1. Courtney NEWBON, 3. Claudia BUNGE, 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 6. Taylor RAY, 7. Ella O’GRADY, 9. Holly FURPHY, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 14. Fiorina IARIA, 16. Kennedy WHITE, 17. Poppy O’KEEFFE, 18. Kayla MORRISON, 19. Zoe McMEEKEN, 23. Rachel LOWE, 24. Laura PICKETT, 27. Rosie CURTIS, 30. Payton WOODWARD, 41. Jessica YOUNG, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 81. Grace MAHER
Ins: 3. Claudia BUNGE (return from national team), 17. Poppy O’KEEFFE (return from national team)
Outs: 20. Leyla HUSSEIN
Unavailable: 4. Chelsea BLISSETT (back), 8. Sienna SAVESKA (medical), 11. Nickoletta FLANNERY (leg)
Canberra catch-up
Canberra United are slowly finding their feet after a rocky opening to their 18th A-League Women’s campaign saw them go winless until a Round 4 victory over Perth Glory.
Although any momentum hoping to be garnered from this win has been put on ice, with their scheduled Round 5 hosting of Sydney FC postponed due to injuries and international call-ups for the Sky Blues.
Prior to beating the Glory 3-0, it had been a case of lost leads for United, having opened the scoring in the first half of every game only to drop seven points from these winning positions.
In Round 1, Michelle Heyman’s 109th goal for the club was wiped out by a Newcastle Jets comeback completed in the 89th minute, before the draw with Wellington Phoenix a week later started with midfielder Josie Aulicino netting from outside the penalty box.
Then Canberra’s flying start away to Adelaide United, when Kiara De Domizio scored in the first minute, was not the launchpad it could have been, as the Reds came back to snatch the points.
It would, though, be a case of lesson learnt by the time Perth travelled to ACT. Emma Robers’ first of the season followed up another early Heyman strike to put them two ahead inside 10 minutes before a third was added ahead of the hour mark.
And it is this level of performance that Antoni Jagarinec’s players will need to produce more often than not if they are to match last season’s fifth-place finish, which secured Finals football for the first time in four years, only for Central Coast Mariners to edge them in the Elinimator.
Run it back
Two second-half goals took Melbourne Victory to three points against Canberra United at the Home of the Matildas in March.
The Round 18 clash was locked in a stalemate at the interval, with chances at a premium despite the hosts controlling possession. Thankfully, this all changed in the second period.
Holly Furphy broke the deadlock, winning possession in an advanced position to finish, before Emily Gielnik headed in her 10th of the season from an Alana Murphy corner.
Last time out
Melbourne Victory’s ruthless opening 45 took apart Perth Glory to make it back-to-back home wins for the Girls in Blue.
On Sunday afternoon, there was simply no stopping Victory. Kennedy White struck first, sweeping home Zoe McMeeken’s accurate pick out and another cross from the right, this time delivered by Holly Furphy, gave Sofia Sakalis a tap-in to make it two.
Midfield maestro Rhianna Pollicina then wrapped up the win as half-time approached, finding the corner with a long-range attempt, aided by a deflection.
Canberra United also scored three without reply to beat Perth in a Round 4 contest at McKellar Park.
The ALW’s all-time record goalscorer, Michelle Heyman, got the ball rolling early on by converting an inviting Josie Aulicino cross, and the advantage was doubled by just the eighth minute, when Emma Robers’ looping header crashed in off the crossbar.
Number three, and the pick of the bunch, was slammed home inside an hour. Heyman laid it back, and Bethany Gordon’s finish beat the diving Alyssa Dall’Oste from 25 yards out.
