Season Review: Melbourne Victory

A great season ended in a first grand final appearance | (Credit: Getty Images)

Though many of you have already read or heard about Melbourne Victory’s coaching challenges this season, I couldn’t summarise the season without mentioning it again.

The team was left disorganised and underprepared following the sudden departure of Vicki Linton shortly before the season start. Enter Mike Mulvey, just prior to kick off, who took Melbourne on an impressive journey (5:3:1 record) and set them up as finals contenders.

Mulvey then flew north after Round 9 leaving Fabrizio Soncin at the helm. Best bet is to stay tuned for more news next season! As a player, this must be enough to swing your confidence to and fro at least a little, but to their great credit, the team were strong on self belief and let it worry them very little.

I also couldn’t comment on the season without mentioning the loss of key players early on. Louisa Bisby and Ash Brown managed only a game and a half each before synthetic turf took them from the competition. Jackie Vogt also joined the ACL crew and we can only hope Season 6 brings them all back stronger than ever.

Melbourne’s internationals were a strong addition to the team and league. Who could imagine the big V stepping out without Larsson, McDonald and Fishlock? Of the three, Fishlock was last to arrive and quickest to depart, but Fishy also had the biggest impact in her condensed six week visit following which Larsson and McDonald almost seemed to relish the opportunity to step up as big gamers.

MVPs

Davey led an excellent Melbourne defence | (Credit: Getty Images)

Brianna Davey and the defenders (great name for a band!)

Literally the whole defensive team worked brilliantly throughout the season. Bri Davey has a huge game and is the best goalkeeper in the league. Everyone should be happy about this because Bri slots particularly well into the Matildas line up and with her youth, our future is strong. Ruyter-Hooley, Stott and Johnson were magnificent throughout the season and with them all, Victory was the strongest defence in the league. Beat it, and you deserve to win!

Jessica Fishlock

The impact of Jess Fishlock in only six games was immense. Such was her stamina and flair, everyone stepped up a notch because if you didn’t, you would look like you’re walking. Reports certainly indicate that Fishlock had a great time here too and we can only hope that means a return next season, hopefully in more than a guest capacity.

Petra Larsson

Hardest of all is to pick between Larsson and Catley. Catley, renowned for cutting runs along the left flank, picking up balls from Larsson and Fishlock; and Larsson, cool in the centre, dangerous on the corners and penalty kicks. After much typing and deleting, I choose Larsson, who finishes just a little bit neater … but beware of Catley even more next year, which I’m picking will be her breakout year if that dastardly car holds out (check twitter for updates).

Room for Improvement

With the lowest goal tally of the final four, this is the biggest area for improvement. For as much as Melbourne controlled the ball and had the strongest defence in the league, that doesn’t always win games and it was proven to not win Championships. Melbourne had 57% of the ball in the final against Sydney, yet still lost 3-1.

Offensive improvement isn’t entirely surprising given the new lineup of McDonald and Spiranovic. Spiranovic was a late inclusion to the team in Round 3 after injuries to Brown and Bisby, and with limited preparation, she quickly showcased her raw talent and strength. There’s one to watch for next year.

Final Word

Teamwork, belief and professionalism come to mind when I think about Melbourne’s season. Whilst I believe Melbourne’s strength was their defence, without the bond of the team, success would have been further away. Crowds become genuine fans and responded in kind with loyalty and numbers, exactly what the women’s game needs.

Next year of course we hope to go one better but for the moment, Melbourne Victory should be incredibly proud.