Isabelle Campbell 16/05/2025
Above: Kayla Morrison. Photo: A-League Women.
As Melbourne Victory prepares to face the Central Coast Mariners in the Grand Final this Sunday, captain Kayla Morrison is relishing the chance to lead her team on the pitch after missing the club’s last final through injury.
“Really excited,” Morrison told the media. “It’s just another game, though, and it does kind of feel that way. It’s a headspace I’m trying to stay in.”
The sense of calm heading into such a high-stakes match has been consistent across the Victory squad.
“I actually think it’s a really calm environment at the moment, and just keeping to a normal week, we’ve not done anything differently, and the girls seem to all be on the same page.”
Having played in multiple grand finals, Morrison knows how to maintain her composure.
“I don’t necessarily think that I let the pressure get to me too much, which maybe just shows some mental strength in that area. I just think it’s a privilege to have that pressure and to be in that situation. So I don’t take it as a negative, but just as a positive.”
And when the moment comes to visualise lifting the trophy, she doesn’t hold back.
“No, I think it’s good to have some positive manifestation and to visualise positive things and it would be really exciting to do that. So it’s not something I stray from. If it pops in my head, it puts a smile on my face.”
”She’s been my comfort…”
Victory’s journey to the final has been marked by strong performances and most notably a defensive line that’s been dubbed the best in the league.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense, not only the defenders, but from the nine all the way back. Everyone knows their shape defensively, and it’s something that we really focus on.”
Though it’s a team effort, much of that defensive strength can be credited to her centre back partnership with Claudia Bunge.
“She’s one of my best friends off the field as well as on the field. So it’s a calming presence next to me. She’s a calm person off the field as well, she’s got that personality that just everyone gets along with. So it’s really easy to play next to someone like that, and she’s just been my comfort my whole time at Victory.”
This year’s final will be against the Central Coast Mariners, though a surprise opponent to many, not an underestimated one.
“I think they’re a great team. I think they have a good game plan against us. In saying that I think we play well against them. So I think they’ll bring the best out of us.”
The two sides met in last year’s elimination final, which ended in a penalty shootout win for the Mariners. On preparing for the possibility of a repeat in events, Morrison assured they were ready.
“Ever since we knew we were going to be in the finals we’ve had penalty shootouts at the end of every training session. So I don’t think it’s a nerve-wracking thing if that’s what the game leads to. It will be what it will be, but I think we’re ready for it.”
The journey back to this moment has been a long one for Morrison, who is determined to make it count.
“It would mean everything. I think it would not just be the hard work from this year, but for me personally, the hard work from coming back from that injury all the way through up to this weekend, it would mean everything to me. And to do it with this group of girls, that puts an extra emphasis on it because it’s a special team and I just think that it would be the cherry on top of a good season.”
”I feel valued here”
It’s that connection to the team that makes the moment even more meaningful. It’s also why she recently extended her contract with Victory, a place she proudly calls home.
“I feel valued here. I feel like I belong. Jeff [Hopkins] takes my opinions and makes me feel like he’s truly listening to me. I just feel like a really valued part of the puzzle here. The girls are like my sisters, some like my daughters. It’s a really comfortable place for me and that’s a special feeling.”
Morrison also reflected on her time during the offseason at Bulleen Lions in the NPLW and early pre-season training as key to Victory’s readiness.
“There were a lot of us working in that off-season. I also think we were already starting to play together earlier than a lot of teams, there were only a few of us there, but it did kind of bring excitement, starting to understand each other better, and we just had more fitness, more gym and more touches on the ball. So I think that has played a really important role.”
As captain, her role extends to helping her teammates manage the mental side of such a high-stakes game.
“I think just talking to the girls about it as just another game. There will be a lot of outside influence on the game and there’ll be more people there, but it is just another game if you go out and follow the game plan. Once the whistle goes, you kind of forget the surroundings and you just know that you have to win this game, just like we felt in the league. So just reminding the girls to feel your emotions, but when you go out there, there’s a job to be done.”
And on the growing calls for VAR to be implemented in key A-League Women’s fixtures following the controversial goal that sent the Mariners through to the final?
“No comment.”
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