Capping off their third successive finals appearance with an elusive W-League championship, Melbourne Victory’s past five years represent a remarkable journey - one that should inspire those inside their own building.
Kyra Cooney-Cross glances nervously into the barrel of the camera. The headphones she has been given are comically large, cupping her ears like woollen muffs as the chill of winter descends over Jubilee Stadium in Sydney. She allows herself to crack a small grin as her teammate and mentor, Lisa De Vanna, ghosts in behind her, tapping her protégé on the shoulder before drifting away into the night. Cooney-Cross turns to the microphone and takes a.
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On that March afternoon - the stands emptied of all but friends and family as the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic began to become apparent - Steph Catley’s 15th-minute strike powered City over Sydney and to its fourth W-League title in five seasons; the Matildas’ star captaining an XI that featured ten senior internationals and had set new records for domination in the proceeding season.
Thursday was the first meeting between the two foes since and, with the last-minute determination that the surface of Frank Holohan Soccer Complex was unsafe, proceedings once again took place behind-closed-doors at AAMI Park.