By Kieran Yap and Ryan Imray 14/5/26
Above: Wellington Phoenix celebrate their semi final win. Photo: Wellington Phoenix
Impetus writers discuss the cases for Melbourne City and Wellington Phoenix to lift the championship trophy in the A-League Women Grand Final
Why Melbourne City will win
Melbourne City will win the A-League Women Grand Final because there are no obvious weaknesses in this team. City have depth, tactical flexibility and winning has become a habit for them, while it is still a rush for their opposition.
Wellington will no be beaten easily. Bev Priestman’s side have weapons in the form of Makalya Woods and the prodigious Pia Vlok, while Brooke Nunn has continued to be a revelation in this league. However, Melbourne City are a squad stacked with past, current and future Matildas, and although they have the league Golden Boot winner in Holly McNamara, they do not rely on her and can win the game through the likes of Leticia McKenna, Shelby McMahon, Bryleeh Henry and Aideen Keane, who is possibly the best out and out winger in the league.
City have a winning mentality. What that means in practice is that they do not need to play perfectly, to get the result. They can win pretty, and have the talent to entertain, but if this games turns into an arm wrestle, they have players who will relish that too.
Lead from the back by Rebekah Stott and Taylor Otto, they can also draw on the experience and consistency of Danielle Turner and Karly Roestbakken.
One of the interesting things about this game is that City have conceded more goals than Wellington over the season, and scored less yet finished above them. This underlines the point that City have just gotten the job done this season.
One of the things that goes against Melbourne City is the weight of recent history. Despite being the most consistent side of the past three seasons, they have faltered in finals. They lost to underdogs Central Coast in last season’s semi final, had the Asian Champions’ League taken from them by a harsh refereeing decision and were sucker punches by Sydney FC in 2024’s decider.
This is largely the same group, it feels like this is finally their time. Under Michael Matricianni they are a slightly more direct side than the one Dario Vidisoci lead to the Grand Final. Possession matters, but we are more likely to see surging runs from Henry, Keane of Danella Butrus than the death by a thousand passes method of previous eras.
The suspension of Chinazu Uchendu means that Holly McNamara is their only real number nine for this game and she needs to perform to her potential against the likes of Mackenzie Barry. But the two wins over Melbourne Victory show that even if the Matildas striker is contained, there are players who can step in and score.
McKenna and McMahon are both goal scoring midfielders, capable of long range rockets or working their way into the box. Currently , both are in contention as the best attacking midfielders in the country.
If this game turns into a tactical battle, all they need is a set piece or half an opening inside of 40 yards to change the game.
Wellington are in form, but City’s ruthless consistency over this season still make the Phoenix the underdog.
Whether this game turns into checker or chess, The championship is likely to reside in Melbourne.
Why Wellington Phoenix will win
While Melbourne City will be the favourites playing at home, defeating the Wellington Phoenix twice during the regular season and never tasting defeat against their opponents, the Wellington Phoenix will go into the game knowing they are in for a real chance of adding a trophy to their luggage for the flight home.
Not only do they deserve to be there after such a historic season already, but there are also so many reasons why the Wellington Phoenix and their fans can go into this game feeling excited and optimistic.
Having a gold medal winning coach in Bev Priestman at the helm is certainly a factor. Her wealth of experience on the big stage will come in handy as well as the belief she instils in each individual player and knowing what to say when it matters the most.
Makala Woods and Brooke Nunn, two import players bought in by Bev Priestman, on blistering form will play a huge role in getting the Phoenix that maiden trophy. Makala Woods made her Wellington Phoenix debut against Melbourne City back in January and even though they didn’t win the game, her debut goal in the last-minute game will give her the confidence knowing she can score against them. While not many of the Phoenix squad will have played a game of this scale before, we can’t forget that Brooke Nunn already has Grand Final experience after winning the 2024-2025 season with the Central Coast Mariners.
You then have the sentimental side of this occasion. Captain Mackenzie Barry and Player of the Year Grace Jale, two players who have been consistently brilliant all season will have an extra fire in their belly. Friday 3rd December 2021, the Wellington Phoenix played their first ever game in a 0-0 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers. Mackenzie and Grace both started that game, so to be playing in a Grand Final five years later for the same side will mean that little bit more.
If you believe in fate, destiny and stars aligning, then something you can’t look past is that this game will be the Wellington Phoenix Women’s 100th game. A first ever Grand Final for the 100th game in front of a strong contingent of travelling fans and fans based in Melbourne, the fairytale ending to this season is possible.
It is easy to go into detail about each individual player and just what they bring to the squad but there is one major factor that this team has that stands out above the rest. Something that Bev Priestman has talked about a lot through the season – Togetherness. The togetherness of this team, the bond they all have and the connection between them all feels unbreakable and genuine. A saying that gets used a lot in football is “playing for each other”. Sometimes when you hear that, it feels like a media trained sentence but with the Wellington Phoenix this season, it feels real.
With a combination of skill, passion, togetherness, knowledge, dedication and belief off the back of a semi final 2nd leg in front of a club record crow of 5,923, the Wellington Phoenix Women can well and truly be crowned 2025/2026 Nina A-League Champions.
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