Above: Rhianna Pollicina talks to the media. Image: Melbourne Victory.
By Isabelle Campbell (27/03/26)
Melbourne Victory midfielder Rhianna Pollicina says her side need to embrace the pressure and “go for the win” as they prepare for a decisive ‘Big Blue’ clash with Sydney FC this Saturday at Leichhardt Oval.
With just two games remaining in the regular A-League Women season, Victory sit sixth and are clinging to a finals spot, making this weekend’s rivalry fixture a must-win in the battle for the top six.
The squad returns from the international break following the Asian Cup, with Pollicina describing the tournament as an inspiring backdrop while Victory used the time to reset and fine-tune their own preparations.
“The Asian Cup was definitely motivating. The girls put up a good performance against Japan. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the win, but the stats show they did dominate the game, which was nice, and as a spectator, it was nice to watch. Unfortunate for them not to go all the way but they did really well to get to the final.”
“On the Victory girls, we’ve had a good week and a half off. We still worked hard in the break, had an internal game, which was really effective. We’re looking forward to Saturday’s game, we just need to go for the win.”
Pollicina also provided an update on her wrist injury, which she sustained earlier in the season, saying she is now fully recovered following a successful rehab process.
“My wrist is all good, I’m out of the splint now full time. The recovery was all well, I saw the surgeon not long ago and that was all smooth, just strapping it up to play now. Credit to the staff as well. They’ve put me through rehab, and it’s feeling fine now,” she said.
Her determination to return quickly after the injury saw her miss minimal time, something she attributed to both her own mindset and the club’s swift handling of her recovery.
“I’m not someone that likes to miss football. So the 10 days that I was off my feet, I was very annoying, and the staff had to definitely hold me back. I had the determination to get back on the field ASAP. Only missed the one game, and then straight back in, starting against Newcastle, which was nice. But it’s all down to, obviously, the surgery process and that the club got the ball rolling fast and got me in the recovery mode as quick as possible.”
Victory will also be looking to refine aspects of their performance following their recent win over the Western Sydney Wanderers, particularly in possession and in front of goal. Pollicina said the team has used the break to review and address those areas, with a clear focus on converting chances this weekend.
“It obviously wasn’t our best performance with the ball. We know that we could be better, and we’ve looked at that, and we’ve obviously got great staff when it comes to reviewing the game, and we know where we need to be better, and we know we need to put some goals away. We focused on that in the last two weeks, and hopefully that comes this weekend. We need it to come, because we do need the win. The girls are definitely feeling confident, which is nice.”
Despite Sydney FC enduring an inconsistent season that sees them currently sat at the foot of the table, Pollicina is wary of the challenge ahead, particularly in a league where results have proven unpredictable and ladder position offers little guarantee.
“Obviously, with this league, it doesn’t matter where you are on the table, and it’s been proven the last few weeks, bottom teams can beat the top teams. So we know that it’s going to be a tough game no matter what. They’ve got some quality individuals that we need to look out for as well. They’ve got a new coach, so that coach is going to be motivated to get his wins going. We know it’s going to be a tough game and we need to be our best, and if we’re at our best, we can beat anyone on that day.”
With finals football within reach but yet to be secured, Victory’s approach remains grounded in controlling the controllables. Pollicina emphasised the importance of focusing inward and maintaining a game-by-game mindset as the season reaches a critical stage.
“We just take every game as it comes. We focus on us and what we can do to win the game. We don’t focus on other teams and other results. We’ve just got to focus on us, and we’ve done that the last couple of games. Getting that 1-0 win against Wanderers felt like the old Victory again. And that’s what we’ll look to do this week against Sydney as well, just take it one game at a time not look at any results and we know that we have to win so we’re going to do everything it takes to win.”
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