Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory will face off in the first Preliminary Final of the A-League Women’s history. City are looking to rebound from a 4-2 defeat to Sydney while Victory have the momentum of a 2-1 win on the road against Adelaide. Kick360 takes a look at the players who could decide a place in the Grand Final.
Kyra Cooney-Cross (Melbourne Victory)
Cooney-Cross missed the trip to Adelaide through suspension. Despite her absence, Victory won the midfield battle against Adelaide United, serendipitously helped by a more defensive structure.
The Matildas midfielder has been in more subdued form compared to last season. She was given a free-wheeling box to box role in 2020/21. The nearly flawless back four gave her the foundations to express her full array of skills.
This season, with Victory’s line up in a near constant state of re-shuffling, she has been used in a variety of more defined roles. Cooney-Cross has often been deployed as a holding midfielder with Amy Jackson forced into centre back.
She returns to a team, seemingly at full strength. Jackson is back in the number six role, Brooke Hendrix has provided structure in defence and Melina Ayres is the spearhead. Victory has a familiar structure again, and Kyra Cooney-Cross is well placed to unleash her full potential.
At her best, she is a player who can carry the ball down either flank or through the middle. She is difficult to stop one-on-one and dangerous from any range. She is just as likely to try her luck from 30 yards as she is to go around the goalkeeper for a tap-in.
Cooney-Cross has signed to Swedish club Hammarby FC and will depart Australia following the season’s conclusion. She will want to add to her already impressive highlight reel before she joins the Damallsvenskan.
Sally James (Melbourne City)
James was an exciting acquisition by Melbourne City in a pre-season signing spree.
She made an impact at Canberra United and was on the radar of the national team. The 19 year old goalkeeper was seen as the successor to Teagan Micah and Lydia Williams at City under the mentorship of Melissa Barbieri.
A broken thumb before round one re-elevated Barbieri to the starting spot between the sticks and she has been one of the leagues best players as City finished second on the table.
With Barbieri unavailable following a red card in the semi final, James’ moment may have arrived.
City will face a Victory attack featuring Ayres, Catherine Zimmerman, Alex Chidiac and Cooney-Cross. James will still have an experienced, talented defence in front of her, but her shot-stopping ability will be pivotal to stopping the resurgent Victory.
James is regarded as one of Australia’s best young goalkeepers, now is her opportunity to remind everybody what she can do.
Rhianna Pollicina (Melbourne City)
When the Dolan awards are announced, we should not be surprised if City’s number 10 is ranked very highly or even wins the award.
Rhianna Pollicina is in career best form. She has seven goals and three assists as an attacking midfielder, many of them in spectacular fashion.
Pollicina’s individual skills make her a nightmare for defenders. Her close control, quick feet and inventive style mean that she can create chances out of nothing. She can drift into attack from deep positions of link up play from deeper positions.
City have been without Holly McNamara and Hannah Wilkinson at various times this season. Regardless of who she is playing along side, Pollicina has flourished.
She is one of the most talented and effective players in the A-League Women this season. With City missing the creativity of Tyla-Jay Vlajnic from fullback and in the absence of Mcnamara, Pollicina will be vital to City’s attack.
Claudia Bunge (Melbourne Victory)
The New Zealand defender formed part of a defensive partnership that won the championship last season. Alongside Kayla Morrison they recorded eight clean sheets including the Grand Final.
Re-uniting the two centre backs was a priority for Victory in the pre-season but in round one, Morrison’s season was over after suffering an ACL injury.
In her absence, Bunge has been the only experienced central defender for much of the season. She has been partnered with Amy Jackson and Tiffany Eliadis at various times. Both are much more effective and comfortable in midfield.
With the arrival of Brooke Hendrix and her return from national team duty, Bunge once gain is part of a back four that will need to be at their best to stop Hannah Wilkinson and Pollicina in the Preliminary Final.
Hendrix has been excellent for Victory, but Bunge has trophy winning experience. She is an international teammate of Wilkinson and will be crucial to stopping the City striker from scoring.
If Claudia Bunge has a good game, It will go a long way to determining the result.
Alex Chidiac (Melbourne Victory)
Alex Chidiac is one of the most talented and entertaining footballers in the country. She looks to move the ball forward at every opportunity, creates space out of nothing and can chip in with the occasional goal.
Chidiac was part of the City squad that won the championship in 2015/16 but this is her first finals campaign as a senior player. She is a player that many hope will force her way into the Matildas squad, and another good performance in a knockout game will certainly help those chances.
Chidiac can change a game in an instant as we saw with her headed goal against Canberra United. She is not mere impact player. The Victory number 10 stays constantly involved across the park and occupies multiple players when she has the ball.
She is a player with the ability and confidence to decide games. Chidiac has big game experience with the national team, but this will be her biggest game as a A-League Women’s player.
Kaitlyn Torpey (Melbourne City)
One of Melbourne City’s biggest strengths this season has been their wing backs. On the left, Vlajnic has been tireless and creative, she has set up goals with her crossing, dribbling and set pieces.
On the other, Kaitlyn Torpey has grown into one of the most important players in the squad.
She has scored with her powerful right foot and has the license to get forward to cross the ball with support from Tori Tumeth behind her.
Melbourne City was 2-0 up when Torpey was substituted alongside Rebekah Stott. She had played the game heavily strapped and may have been in some discomfort. However her influence was huge as it has been all season.
Torpey’s importance is magnified without Vlajnic who will be missing after a red card and an injury.
If she can play anywhere near her best, Hannah Wilkinson will have chances and City will be more likely to score.
An in-form Torpey will also keep Courney Nevin occupied and reduce the amount of attacking the Matildas left back can do.
The Semi final demonstrated the impact Torpey can have. Her fitness will be a concern for City fans but if she takes the field, it will be a determining factor in this knockout match.
