by Alice de Koster-Kitto (14/5/25)
Above: Annalise Rasmussen celebrates – the forward is positive that her and her team mates will have a lot more to enjoy on Sunday at the A-League Women Grand Final. Photo: Central Coast News.
Days after defeating ‘invincible’ Melbourne City in a thrilling semi-final showdown, the Central Coast Mariners have returned to Gosford, in preparation for the 2024/25 Ninja A-League Grand Final against Melbourne Victory.
“I’ve just been thinking of it as another game, and I think just trying to play the game, not the occasion,” says Mariners forward Annalise Rasmussen.
The upset, which put the Mariners in their first-ever grand final, has left the squad full of confidence as they head into Sunday’s showdown, with Rasmussen saying “100% like, I think our goals from this season as a team, like obviously one of the top four finishers we got, and then I think our ultimate goal was to make the grand final”
Head coach Emily Husband doesn’t feel a need to change up her team’s tactics or mindset as she carries them into the biggest game of their campaign.
“Yeah, obviously, I think all of the preparation that we’ve done up until this point will all go into this game. I don’t think there’s too much you’re going to change within a week.”
“It’s just down to the little tweaks that we can make tactically and to overcome some of their strengths and to make sure that we expose some of their weaknesses.”
Whilst the Mariners are entering the match as the underdogs, with Melbourne Victory the favourites to win at their home ground of AAMI Park, the perceived disadvantage hasn’t fazed the Mariners, but has in fact given them even further motivation to bring the trophy home.
“We’ve always been classified as the underdog everywhere we’ve gone, you know, even after how well we did last year, I don’t think anybody anticipated us to do as well as what we have again.”
“We kind of used that to give us a little bit of fire in our bellies, so we’ll continue to use that, let it help us.”
The sense of assurance that has been instilled in the squad this campaign was further cemented, as they became the first team to beat Melbourne City this season, while Husband has always had the belief that her team has what it takes to take the title.
“I always had the belief in the players that I’ve picked that they can do something extraordinary, and they have done that, ” the Mariners head coach said, adding, “I was so determined the last two weeks that we had weren’t going to be our last.”
It’s a particularly sweet moment for Rasmussen, the first player signed upon the team’s reinstatement, after leaving the league in 2009. “ I feel like it hasn’t really hit me yet, but like once I’m in the stadium and I see the crowd and my parents and everyone there, like I think that’s when it’s really gonna sink in.”
“Everyone’s unbeaten record has to come to an end at some point, as we found out this weekend,” says Husband, reflecting on the success streak of her opponents, Melbourne Victory. “We went through a poor patch of form – we didn’t win a game in five; we came out of that patch, and there was a lot of concentration for us around our mentality in that area.”
In terms of preparations, the squad is as expected following a 120+ minute showdown this past week, Emily Husband says, “There’s been a high emphasis on recovery and making sure that players are rested and ready to go for the game.”
“I think obviously we’re super excited to play Victory. That last game we played against them, we did lose that game, but I think as a collective, that was one of the best games we’ve played as a team.”
Central Coast’s history against Victory has been a tumultuous one, losing their past three meetings, but never without a fight, and they are not willing to back down now.
“To score off a set piece, obviously it’s disappointing, but I think that just shows how much we limited their chances.”
Heading to a grand final is nothing short of a dream come true for the Mariners at the tail end of a successful campaign, and they are confident that their strength as a squad can carry them through to the win.
“I think they struggled to break us down defensively, and I think that’s a big credit to us, our defensive discipline, but you know, full confidence going in there, and there’s no doubt we can beat them.”
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