Above: Holly Furphy speaks to the media. Image: Melbourne Victory.
By Alice de Koster-Kitto and Isabelle Campbell (30/1/26)
Melbourne Victory will head to McKellar Park this weekend to take on Canberra United. The meeting follows a disappointing draw with Sydney FC last round, although Victory forward Holly Furphy is headed into this match with a drive to win and is confident the squad is ready to put on their best performance in an effort to turn the season around.
”There’s been a huge focus this week, just in the attacking, and putting that game behind us, and I think as a group pretty proud of the way we played, and we held a clean sheet, which was good,” said Furphy.
Victory was defeated 3-1 in their last meeting with Canberra United. It wasn’t through lack of opportunity that Victory were not able to break through, but rather an inability to capitalise on chances created, which has naturally been a main focus in the weeks leading up to the match.
“That was an interesting game. They had three chances and three goals, so we had a lot of chances and one goal, I think, as I said before, just converting our chances is a huge part of what we’re trying to create,” said Furphy.
“I think it’s just really converting those chances, probably one of the highest chances created in the league, but it’s just that final action, and we’ve just been really trying to focus on that and just that intent to put it away.”
With Canberra’s combative and physical style of football, which they have been using to their advantage throughout the season, Victory have been taking opportunities since their initial loss to practice maintaining composure during moments of intensity, and learning to capitalise on that pressure, with Furphy stating that mindset has played an important role in this element of preparation.
“I think for me, I would say it’s mindset, but as a group, it’s just repetition and, you know, practising those intense moments where the ball drops down and trying to get those chances away.”
Currently leading the team in assists, Furphy has been an integral part of the chances created in recent games. Her connection with the rest of the forward line, particularly with Kennedy White and Sofia Sakalis, is likely to be the key to finishing those chances and coming away with a win.
“It’s been good. I think Kennedy and I are pretty close off the field, so that helps, obviously, and understanding just her movement and Sofia’s movement as well as the 10s, but it’s been enjoyable.”
While the upcoming match against Canberra may be one that comes with great pressure, as Victory fight to secure their place in the top six as finals approach, Furphy says the squad as a collective have a “super positive attitude for everyone. I think we’re just trying to all come together after a few draws and a loss,” as they are “just trying to get through the Canberra game and not really focus on the ladder at all, and just trying to get an outcome each game and each training move forward as well.”
Although Furphy and the Victory squad are taking things game by game, and turning their focus internally, rather than becoming distracted by a bigger picture, there is an extra drive to bring home a win against Canberra, following one of the biggest upsets of the season, at their last meeting, and Furphy is hoping that that drive, will be what the squad needs to turn this fixture around return to Melbourne with 3 points to their name.
Despite the frustration of not turning chances into three points, Jeff Hopkins said the response from his players in the days following the 0-0 draw to Sydney FC has reinforced his belief that the group is edging closer to the next step.
“I think the performance we put in was what we asked for, what we agreed on. I was really proud of the effort the girls put in.”
Rather than dwelling on the result itself, Hopkins pointed to the emotional reaction inside the group as the most telling indicator of progress.
“We had to kind of manage the narrative after the game, because for me, I was very, very positive and the thing that really made me happy was how unhappy the players were. We got into the huddle after the game and I looked around and I could see that on the faces of everybody, they’d given everything they had, and they were so upset that we hadn’t won the game, and that showed me that we’re ready to take the next step now.”
“We just need to learn from the game, there’s two or three areas I thought we could have been better in different areas of the field. We’ve worked on fixing them and getting them right for the weekend.”
With the league standings as tight as ever, Hopkins and his squad know there is little margin for error.
“Every game’s a really tough game in this league. There’s not much between the top and the bottom sides and it’s going to be a tough game for us this week.”
From a squad perspective, Victory have largely come through the week in good shape.
“I’m not sure if we’re gonna get Mini [Pollicina] back. She was the specialist yesterday, she’s just trained today, but not fully. You never know, she might surprise us and be available for the weekend but I don’t think so.”
“Everyone else has pulled up well, we got Grace [Maher] back last week, so she’s got another week’s training under her belt which will do her a world of good and a fit and healthy Grace is great for our team.”
Turning attention to Canberra, Hopkins expects a contest that will demand physicality and intent from both sides.
“I think what you see is what you get with them. They’re a very physical side, they go out and they try to win games.”
“We know that going there is going to be tough, they’re going to come at us. Which sometimes might leave them a little bit open, but I think it’s gonna be a physical game against them as well.”
Recent performances have set the standard for what will be required.
“If we look at last week’s game, I thought that was the thing for me, we were prepared to roll our sleeves up and get down and get dirty and get physical and I think it’s going to be a similar type of game this week.”
Hopkins believes the result will come down to which side manages key moments best.
“I think there’ll be two teams going pretty hard at each other, and the team that deals with the opposition’s front line and the transition lines will come out on top.”
One of the positives to emerge in last week’s draw was the performance of Rosie Curtis, who stepped into the starting lineup for the first time this season and impressed in a challenging role.
“I’ve got a huge amount of time for Rosie. She’s been unlucky not to be in the starting 11. She’s been training really well. Look at the way the games have gone, she hasn’t got off the bench too often, because we’ve been chasing games recently.”
As Victory continue to create chances, Hopkins also addressed the challenge of pushing for improvement without damaging confidence.
“It’s a real balance, that’s one of the tough things about coaching, you can jump in there with two feet and say it as it is and ruin the confidence of your players, but you can’t look away from it either.”
“That’s been a real good thing over the last few weeks is that we have kind of looked at everything very clinically, and there’s no point of fingers, but this is what’s happening. This is what needs to be together.”
“And it’s not just that we haven’t been putting chances away, there are areas of our game that we haven’t been good enough that we’ve had to look at.”
For Hopkins, those conversations, even when difficult, are essential to continued improvement.
“Sometimes it’s pretty hard and that’s why they’re professional athletes. We can’t hide things from them. We have to be honest, they have to know that we’re saying these things and highlighting these things for one reason, to make us better, to get us winning the following week.”
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