By Isabelle Campbell (14/03/26)
Melbourne Victory defender Chelsea Blissett believes the extended mid-season break may have come at the perfect time as Victory prepare for their final regular-season home match against Western Sydney Wanderers.
The pause in the A-League Women schedule during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup gave the squad three uninterrupted weeks on the training track before the final run of games.
“We spent a lot of time on the field, working on the things that we felt like we needed as a team coming into these last three games of the regular season,” Blissett said.
“I think we made the most of the opportunity that we had to really hone in on what we felt we were lacking as a squad. It was a really enjoyable three weeks.”
“We just spent a lot of time together as a team, really enjoyed each other’s company and just pushed each other on the training field.”
The team used that time to focus on areas they felt had been off the mark in recent matches, particularly the way the team attacked in the final third.
“We just really felt like we needed to be more aggressive when we’re going forward, how we went forward and our movement up top, we felt like we were lacking a little bit in our last couple of games,” she said.
“So we really started working on that. But we also just worked on enjoyment and how we play together as a squad as a whole.”
Victory have struggled at times to convert chances this season, but Blissett believes the side may be starting to find better cohesion at the right time.
“I think we’re starting to really find our rhythm and find our togetherness, not only as a team, but in that front third as well,” she said.
“So I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if those goals start flowing in these last couple games.”
While the opening half of the season may not have unfolded as they had hoped, Blissett said building chemistry within a squad can sometimes take longer than expected.
“I think sometimes, as a squad, you never really know how a team is going to gel together,” she said.
“You never really know when you put 11 people on the park how it’s going to go. Obviously, we’ve not had the season we’ve necessarily wanted so far, but I think as long as we all want to win and we all want to put our heads down. Unfortunately, sometimes it just takes longer than others.”
Despite the Wanderers sitting near the bottom of the table, Blissett said Victory are wary of the threat they pose in transition.
“I think it’s how we go forward, how we prepare for their quick transitions. We’ve been working on that all week. We know that they can be a dangerous team on the counter, so that’s probably what we’re going to try to nullify moving forward.”
With matches remaining against Western Sydney, Sydney FC and Perth Glory, Victory see the final three fixtures as a key opportunity to finish the regular season strongly.
“It definitely is an expectation on us moving forward, that we only want wins,” Blissett said.
“We don’t want draws. We don’t want to rely on other results to kind of get to where we want to go. If we want to make a really good run into finals and set ourselves up really well, we definitely need to collect those nine points.”
Saturday’s match will also be part of the league’s Female Football Round, celebrating the growth of the women’s game and the people within it.
“It means a lot to us,” Blissett said. “We’re seeing a change and a growth in the game that we haven’t really seen. We’re starting to really push for full time professionalism, and it means a lot to us to be able to celebrate the round and be able to push that open into our fans and into the A-league Women’s in general, that this is what we want out of our league, and this is what we see the future for our league.”
“For everyone to come down and support and show that not only do we all love football, but Australian fans love female football too.”
As Victory head into their final home game of the regular season, Blissett and her teammates know the stakes are clear: secure the wins needed to push into the finals. With confidence building and determination high, the defender is optimistic the team can deliver on the pitch and showcase the women’s game during Female Football Round.
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