Summary
With both sides on the losing side of the four previous W-League championship deciders it was always going to be a story of huge disappointment for one side, and huge relief for the other.
With their dominance in midfield and their pace and guile down the flanks, Sydney FC were arguably deserved winners - and despite the heroics of Sam Kerr up front, Perth will no doubt draw some solace from the fact that were beaten by an excellent team today.
Few disappointed in Sky Blue today, with Savannah McCaskill starring up front with a clever brace, aided by two excellent strikes from compatriot Sofia Huerta and Matilda Chloe Logarzo.
Kerr did manage her 17th goal of the season - albeit from the penalty spot - and Alyssa Mautz’s 68th minute goal did threaten to make for a lively finish at 3-2.
But Sydney FC ultimately with too much. A fine team effort and a well-earned third championship for the club that has been there or there abouts since the league’s establishment eleven season ago.
And from our eyes at the ground - here’s Martin Farrer’s match report:
Full-time: Sydney FC 4-2 Perth Glory
90 + 3 min: And there it is! A record-equalling third W-League championship for Sydney FC, and you’d have to say - on the balance of play, a result that was well-deserved for the home side.
A pump of the fist for coach Ante Juric. His players celebrate - they’ve seen off Sam Kerr and this brave Perth Glory outfit. Who for the third time in five years have made it to the Big Dance, but go home empty handed.
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90 min: So for all the miracles we’ve seen from her - not even Sam Kerr it appears can prevent this terrific team effort from Sydney FC today.
They’ve looked good for their lead, and surely - just surely - they’ve done enough here to secure this?
88 min: Bledsoe with a good claim in the Sydney goal. It’s not often two ‘keepers cop six goals between them in a final - but you’d have to say, there were plenty that they couldn’t have done much about, such have been the calibre of some of the strikes today.
86 min: Kerr still working hard, and she’s picked out Mautz at the far post, but she’s strayed marginally offside. Bledsoe scrambling well to save the header in any case. Still, a warning shot for a tiring Sydney FC defence.
83 min: De Vanna looks to spark something, but she loses her footing in the box, the veteran. Remarkably, she hasn’t scored this entire W-League campaign. Would a goal do her confidence a world of good, in this World Cup year?
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80 min: Owie! It’s a heavy contact from the substitute Moreno who catches Logarzo sharply on the ankle. This would be a horror blow to the talented Matildas if this proves serious. Hopefully she’s okay.
She heads to the sideline but in a fair degree of discomfort. Fingers crossed that doesn’t have any affect on her prospects for the forthcoming Cup of Nations tournament.
Amy Harrison comes on to replace Logarzo.
77 min: Kerr looks to twist and turn, and fashion something to spark her side. But once again Kennedy has her covered. The lanky defender steps in bravely, and she’s snuffed out the danger once again.
75 min: And if you thought the goal threat was over - Sydney FC have gone to the bench, and who else? It’s Lisa De Vanna who enters the fray!
This absolute legend of women’s football - can she add her stamp to Sydney’s dominance today?
72 min: So a crowd of over 6,000 in at Kogarah today - and what a feast they’ve been treated to. The highest goal tally in W-League grand final history, and we’ve still got 20-odd minutes to play in this one.
Don’t. Look. Away.
Goal! Sydney FC 4-2 Perth Glory (Logarzo)
70 min: My, oh my! We’ve scarcely had time for the restart and Sydney FC have restored their two-goal buffer.
It’s a belter from Logarzo - Campbell with no chance - that’s top bins!
Excellent work in the build up from McCaskill who whips a hopeful ball into the mix from an acute angle. It’s only partially cleared, and from outside the box, it’s fiercely whipped by Sydney FC midfielder.
She’s just signed a new WNSL contract this week - now a goal in the final! Take a bow, Chloe Logarzo.
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Goal! Sydney FC 3-2 Perth Glory (Mautz)
68 min: She’s been overshadowed by her compatriot Hill, but when it’s matter most it’s Mautz her stands up!
Stanton with a clever ball from the corner, it curls away from the defenders and Mautz chips it brilliantly. It just evades the fingertips of Bledsoe - and do we have a game on again?!
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65 min: It’s a terrific combination between Hill and Kerr - the US forward drops deep to spark the transition attack, and but for a better final ball from Kerr and that could have ended in a goal!
Still, they’ve earned the corner. What can they make from it?
63 min: More excellent work from Huerta, she’s really running the show from right back. She jinks round her marker and fires a fierce ball across the face of goal - but no-one anticipates the ball and it flashes into touch. Lovely stuff.
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Goal! Sydney FC 3-1 Perth Glory (McCaskill)
59 min: Eek. Perth failing to clear their lines and it’s the false nine McCaskill who’s first to react. She pounces and hits a smart shot across Campbell - and inside an hour, they’ve hit three!
Big test of character for Kerr and her chargers. Can they come back from this?
56 min: Sydney FC with a corner - they’re enjoying another spell of ascendancy here, the hosts and they probe with a corner. Nobody on the end of it, but they’re ratcheting the pressure over the past 5-10 minutes or so.
54 min: Freekick to Sydney FC, it’s almost miss-hit but Logarzo adjusts well with a clever backheel and almost conjures something from nothing. The Glory defence scrambles well to block though.
51 min: Tremendous work from Ibini who has a teammate pull away a defender with a clever run. And the wide forward jinks inside and curls an effort that sees Campbell scrambling.
Great strike, great save. Great football.
48 min: Lovely build up here from Sydney FC. Kennedy is harried by Kerr but she plays calmly back to her ‘keeper and the play out well. Polias starts a move, Huerta pushes forward and McCaskill drops well to receive. So fluid and they’re pulling the Glory all over the park.
Second half!
45 min: And it’s Sydney FC’s turn to get us underway.
And they straight away begin to torment Gale at left back, and a spinning ball almost finds its way through to Foord in the box but Campbell is swiftly off her line to pounce and claim the loose ball.
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A great crowd in here, in Sydney’s south. Many families taking this one in from the hill, blanket and picnic basket style - great to see.
We’re not too far away, as the players return to the pitch.
So, your thoughts on that half? Who impressed in particular? Where was it shaded? And what changes can either coach make to swing this contest towards their side?
Shoot me an email or tweet to join the conversation.
Half-time: Sydney FC 2-1 Perth Glory
45 min: So, one last chance for the visitors, as Glory win a freekick in a handy area. It’s a bit too deep for the direct shot so Stanton looks to find a teammate. Mautz looks to get on the end of it, but she can’t generate the power.
And there’s the whistle. A frenetic first forty-five, blink and you’d miss it, and how about some of those strikes!
An exciting opening stanza - what more awaits after the break?
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43 min: Fine work from Kennedy once again, as she stands strong in a one-on-one with Kerr. What a battle that is between the two Matilda stars. Perth looking to strike straight back just before the break, but the FC centre back anticipates the danger.
Goal! Sydney FC 2-1 Perth Glory (McCaskill)
40 min: They are not interesting in scoring rubbish goals today, Sydney FC - how bout that!
It’s a cross from Foord who hits her target perfectly - McCaskill from just outside the 18 yard box cranes the neck and adds just a bit of heat to the ball - and she guides a superb looping header over Campbell in the Perth goal! Terrific goal - what intelligence, what finesse.
39 min: Ally Green enjoying a few runs down the left - we were expecting she’d have her hands full marshaling Hill and/or Mautz, but the fullback is also enjoying some big forward runs with the ball. She gets past two, but her cross evades a teammate.
35 min: Terrific tackle from Kennedy! She’s watching Kerr like a hawk, and it was a clever run from the Glory talisman, but the Sydney stopper didn’t give her an inch.
It’s swung round this one, with Perth enjoying a few moments on transition to threaten the FC goal.
33 min: Sharp save from Bledsoe from the boot of Kerr. Perth take the direct approach with Hill nodding a well-cushioned ball back to her strike partner. The Fremantle Flyer controls well with the chest before snapping a shot, but it’s well-held.
Good defensive work from Huerta who shadowed the run and pushed Kerr a little wide.
30 min: A shout from the visiting fans for a second penalty - Hill going to ground after a shove, but it’s perhaps just outside the box, and the American striker was a touch light on her feet.
Big task for the Glory three in midfield - against Polias, Colaprico and Logarzo, they’ll have a huge challenge getting their foot on the ball and trying to dictate the tempo.
27 min: So a nerve-settler for the women from the West, who having been largely on the back foot for a third of this contest, find themselves once again at parity.
They drop a touch deeper and look to hit FC on the counter. Sydney will have to be careful not to push too far forward - if anyone can hit fast it’s Rachel Hill and Sam Kerr.
Penalty! Sydney FC 1-1 Perth Glory (Kerr)
23 min: A brave effort from Aubrey Bledsoe in the Sydney goal, but she can’t stop the strike from Kerr.
From nothing, they’ve got a lifeline. That’s the danger of Kerr - just the smallest whisker of an opportunity, and she’s drawn her team level! Game on.
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21 min: My oh my - we’ve got a penalty!!
It’s a loose ball in a dangerous area, Kerr is first in to nip it off the toes of Polias, and her Chicago teammate, the American Colaprico, has caught the star striker in the box!
It’s as clear a pen as you’ll see anywhere - Kerr just too quick!
18 min: Kennedy strikes it okay - but it sails high over the bar!
Let off for the visitors. Can they build into this match from here? They’re on the back foot, the Glory. It’s a very impressive start from the home side.
17 min: Caitlin Foord now wriggling and weaving to the delight of the home crowd.
Sydney FC with a fortuitous freekick - right in “Alanna Kennedy territory” for a tackle from Rigby on Colaprico that on second view could have perhaps gone either way.
What can the centre back / set piece wizard conjure here?
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12 min: It’s a big, and a vocal crowd, in at Kogarah in Sydney’s south, and they’d be very pleased with what they’ve seen so far.
Ibini once again is able to isolate her fullback and fires in a cross - but this time it’s too big for the late-arriving Huerta at the far post.
10 min: So. Not the start Bobby Despotovski and her chargers would have wanted, but you’ll recall they did fall behind very early on against the Victory in the semi-final and managed to find their way back (and how).
It’s that odd dilemma in football sometimes, but have Sydney FC scored too early? Surely, they won’t risk taking the foot off the pedal. Surely.
Goal! Sydney FC 1-0 Perth Glory (Huerta)
6 min: Ooooph! She’s got a foot like a traction engine! What an absolute belter of a strike from the US international, Sofia Huerta!
She made the topscorer list in the WNSL last season, but lines up in the less familiar position of right back for Sydney. But she’s finished like a striker there - that’s surely one of the goals of the season; and on the biggest stage of them all! What a goal.
Clever lay-off from McCaskill, and the right back strikes it sweetly from about 25m out, and it goes like a tracer bullet into the top righthand corner. Magic.
😱😱😱
— Westfield W-League (@WLeague) February 16, 2019
SENSATIONAL from @schuerta! A brilliant start for @SydneyFC in the #WLeagueGF. #FeelTheFinals
🎥 @FOXFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/cczOMlBDXU
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4 min: A first look at Sam Kerr in full flight as she darts forward with intent, looking to combine with her partner in crime Rachel Hill.
It doesn’t end in a shot, but a first warning sign that they will attack with pace and purpose on the transition, the Glory.
2 min: Crossbar!! A flying start from the home side - Ibini does well to beat her marker down the left and looks to fire a cross in.
The Glory defence looked odd-on to clear but Savannah McCaskill steals in on the blind side of her marker, Jamie-Lee Gale, but she thumps her first-time volley against the crossbar!
Eliza Campbell between the sticks no chance - what a near thing for the hosts!
Kick off!
1 min: And we’re away! The youngster Leticia McKenna kicks us off for the Glory and they look to attack from the get-go.
Our players are out on the pitch, as we observe the national anthem.
Your predictions? On paper, Sydney FC might just shade it position by position across the XI. But then you’d have said the same last weekend for Melbourne Victory.
Sam Kerr is of course the biggest X-factor of the lot, but in Caitlin Foord, Princess Ibini and Lisa De Vanna the Sky Blues aren’t short of firepower themselves.
Canberra United’s coach Heather Garriock has a simple prediction:
All the best to @SydneyFC & @PerthGloryFC nothing better than @WLeague finals football💪 my prediction GOALS GOALS GOALS ⚽️
— HeatherGarriock (@HeatherGarriock) February 16, 2019
GOALS GOALS GOALS! It’s like Norman May has turned his hand to women’s football.
So, to team news - and there’s only one change for both the squads that won their respective semi-finals: young Julie Vignes is the unlucky one to miss out as she gives way to the returning Lisa De Vanna for Sydney FC.
Here’s how the home side will line up:
LINEUP | Here’s how your Sky Blues shape up for today’s @WLeague decider!@lisadevanna11 returns in place of @juliavignes_ in an otherwise unchanged side, what do you make of the squad?#SydneyIsSkyBlue #ComeWithUs #WLeagueGF pic.twitter.com/zYCoYjv3xt
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) February 16, 2019
And the visiting side:
It's time. Despotovski names an unchanged line-up for the @WLeague Grand Final.
— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) February 16, 2019
C'mon Glory!#FeeltheFinals #OneGlory pic.twitter.com/Ckkpb9JjpH
And not one to revel in the mistakes of other media outlets, this from Channel 9 was one hell of a scoop - with Sydney FC’s coach Ante Juric being mistaken linked with the vacant Matildas head coach role - a position The Australian’s Ray Gatt has reported has been offered to former Socceroos assistant, Ante Milicic.
Ah what..... #wleague #WLeagueGF pic.twitter.com/aa8gH3B6rG
— Adam Santarossa (@adamsantarossa) February 15, 2019
As they say, if my Ante was my uncle..
He’s a good natured man, hopefully the Sydney FC boss has seen the lighter side of it all.
And if you missed that dramatic semi-final match between Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory, do yourself a favour a whizz through our liveblog, here:
I’m honestly struggling to remember a more exciting W-League clash; especially in a finals series.
And while players like Shannon May, Leticia McKenna and Rachel Hill played more than their part for the Glory, it really was all about one woman - the irrepressible Samantha Kerr:
Preamble
“It’s the premier fixture in the women’s domestic football calendar, but a casual internet search would return scant details about this Saturday night’s W-League final, amid the thousands of thunderous column inches and general vitriol engulfing the women’s game right now.”
So started my column yesterday previewing today’s W-League championship decider, and while that has lamentably been the case amid the continued fallout from the sacking of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic, today - finally - is all about the football.
Today’s teams Sydney FC and Perth Glory share the remarkable distinction of having been on the losing end of the last four championship deciders - necessarily that sequence ends for one club today.
In one of the tightest competitions in recent memory, both sides technically only qualified for the final series on goal difference - but the performance Perth put in to vanquish premiers Melbourne Victory in a remarkable 4-2 semi-final win makes the side from the West very worthy participants.
Sydney too were good value despite a late scare up in Queensland to down premiership runners-up Brisbane Roar 2-1, so we should be set for a cracker today.
Remarkable match ups all over the pitch will be the feature today, as Matildas teammates turn rivals - none better than Sam Kerr v Alanna Kennedy, where one of the world’s best defenders is tasked with marking one of the world’s top strikers.
At the other end the experienced former Matildas Kim Carroll will need to marshall her forces well to keep Caitlin Foord quiet; and if that’s not daunting enough, throw in the lively Princess Ibini as well as the late news that Lisa De Vanna has passed a fitness test and could take some part, and it makes for a nervy day for the Glory backline.
Socceroos teammates Bobby Despotovski and Ante Juric have both tasted defeat in a W-League final, but the former friends turn adversaries today, knowing to the victor, the spoils.
A tantalising prospect awaits therefore - don’t miss a beat, here, on our W-League final liveblog!
