Above: Kayla Morrison speaks to the media. Image: Melbourne Victory.
By Isabelle Campbell (17/12/25)
Melbourne Victory captain Kayla Morrison says her side must use last week’s gritty win over Adelaide as a platform for consistency as they prepare to face the Newcastle Jets in Newcastle on Friday night.
Victory bounced back from a disappointing loss to Canberra with a hard-fought Original Derby win, and Morrison said the response across the group had been encouraging.
“I think we had, obviously not our best game against Canberra, but that led into one of our better weeks of training, which in turn led to maybe not our best performance against Adelaide. But what I said to the girls was it was a performance that we’re known for, get a goal and then hold on to the lead, do what needed to be done to win. So we walked away pretty happy.”
The challenge now, according to the skipper, is ensuring that performance becomes the standard rather than an exception.
“It is going to be hard with the short turnaround to the game, but I think now that we’ve kind of felt what it is to kind of grind out a match, we can take that into the next match, hopefully get goals and then not let them score. I do think they’re a good team this year, but I think we’re a great team, so hopefully we can get the win there and then prep for the next quick turnaround.”
Despite a season marked by fluctuating form, Victory remain toward the top end of the table, a position Morrison believes reflects how tight the competition has been.
“I think everyone’s kind of been up and down, which helps us. It’ll be what team can find that consistency and who can find it the quickest, and hopefully that will be us.”
Victory have recently been boosted by the return of key players, including Nicki Flannery and, earlier, Taylor Ray, something Morrison feels will be an important factor in their attacking play.
“We were struggling to find goals. So I think getting in as many attackers, or people who want to play the ball forward, get forward, like Taylor, like Nicki, I think that will really help take the pressure off the other girls up there. So it will be great, if anything, it just kind of drives competition as well.”
That internal competition, Morrison says, can also help refine decision-making in front of goal, an area where Victory have created chances but not consistently capitalised.
“I think that is a mentality thing from us. It’s hard to get those opportunities, but then who’s going to have the hunger to put it in the back of the net? I think competition will make people think, ‘I want to be the one scoring the goals. I want to be the one assisting.’
I thought Holly kind of showed that on the weekend with Adelaide. She was up and down the line, she was getting crosses in and maybe, knowing that other people are coming back in the squad, it’s like, ‘Okay, I’m going to be the one that’s playing 90 minutes. I will not be the one to get subbed’”
Morrison had nothing but praise for young winger Holly Furphy, who has been a standout player for the side so far this season.
“I’ve known Holly for a long time, and I’ve always thought she was an incredible player. She went away to America, and she came back a great player. I think she struggled maybe a bit mentally before, but she gained a lot of strength and dealt with adversity while she was over there. So I think we’re seeing Holly really try to kind of find herself now. I think she knows what works for her, and I think the people around her need to help amplify that and help play to her game, because she is someone who will win those games.”
With significant changes to the squad over the offseason, including numerous departures in attack and midfield, Morrison acknowledged the side is still refining its on-field chemistry.
“There’s been a really big change with the starting 11. So we are still learning what each other needs, but I think it’s been long enough now we should know, and it’s got to start clicking for us.”
The upcoming fixture list leaves little room for error, with short turnarounds, the Melbourne Derby and the busy Christmas period all looming.
“If it goes well, it will accelerate us, but if it doesn’t, it puts a damper on things, because there’s a lot of points to be won here. You just hope everyone’s in good spirits, you hope that it’s more exciting to be playing this amount of games than it is daunting. I look at it and think, it’s a good turnaround.
If you feel, ‘Oh I should have scored that goal’, well you can do it in three days. So I think it will be an exciting period for us. We’re a fit team, we have a great S&C and they’ll make sure that we’re fit and we’re ready and we’re recovered. We’ll be raring to go.”
Friday’s opponents, the Newcastle Jets, have impressed Morrison at this stage in the campaign, who expects a tough contest away from home. When asked what has made the Jets a much-improved opponent compared to last season, the captain shared,
“I don’t know why. Obviously, I want to say because my friend Melina [Ayres] is there, and she’s such a great goal scorer. I think they’re just a hungry team. New coach, maybe he’s kind of sorted out a good way for them to play. But we play better against good teams, you know you have to bring it. You can’t be in the mindset of ‘it’ll be easy’, because this is a good team, it’s going to be hard. So everyone will be mentally switched on from the whistle.”
Stopping former Victory striker Melina Ayres, who spent several seasons with the club and is an opponent the squad knows well, will be a major focus for Victory’s defence. Ayres has long been one of the league’s most dangerous attacking players, with her experience and instinct in front of goal making her a player to watch.
“I don’t know if it’s saying, ‘we’re gonna stop her every single time’. I think it’s just putting her in the worst position possible to shoot. She is known for shooting from anywhere, and always really hungry.
You talk about hunger, she is someone who will score the ugliest goal in the world because she’s just willing to do the ugly stuff. So it will be hard to stop her completely, but we’ll do the best we can to just put her in the worst positions possible.”
As Victory look to turn resilience into rhythm, Morrison believes the coming weeks will define their season. With confidence restored, competition for squad places intensifying and a demanding run of fixtures ahead, the captain is backing her side to rise to the challenge and take another step toward the consistency needed to remain firmly in the running for silverware.
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