Scott Jamieson is loving life right now, and that’s not just because he has the chance to become the first A-Leagues player to ever captain a team to back-to-back Premiership and Championship doubles.
That’s because alongside his partner, the Melbourne City captain welcomed a new addition to his family on Saturday, just hours before his side’s dramatic defeat of Adelaide United in extra time to reach the grand final.
The new arrival means the defender, in some ways, is already one of the big winners of this year’s A-League Men finals series, even before Sunday’s showpiece. Yet for Jamieson – whose ability to get under the skins of his opponents and rile their fan bases has become a league staple – the impending addition to his household has meant that he’s been forced to confront some uncomfortable moments of his own in recent weeks.
Initially, the latest bundle of joy was expected to arrive on Thursday, which meant that Jamieson faced the prospect of needing to make a quick getaway to Melbourne following, or even during, the first, away leg of his side’s semi-final meeting with Adelaide on Wednesday evening.
Joking ahead of the finals, he had suggested that City owners City Football Group might need to get him on a private plane just to make it sure he’d be back in time.
But crisis averted, Jamieson was able to play out his side’s 0-0 draw with the Reds, and on Saturday a sibling for his son Cooper duly arrived at a perfect point in the schedule.
“She’d spoken to me about how I was there for my first son Cooper’s birth, so she’d given me permission (to miss the birth if required),” Jamieson grinned.
Indeed, this isn’t the first time Jamieson has faced the awkward prospect of juggling an impending arrival and the challenges of finals football.
Unable to get back to Victoria and then clear New South Wales quarantine in time to take part, the defender missed City’s hub-based finals campaign in 2019-20 – a run that ended in a heartbreaking Grand Final to Sydney FC – due to the birth of Cooper.
With no regrets, he traded in tactical sessions under Erick Mombaerts for late nights and early mornings watching Champions and Europa Leagues while looking after his newborn.
“I don’t know what it is about me and finals games and babies!” he laughed. “I don’t know what it is. But obviously, off the field, it’s a very exciting time and it just coincides with what is an exciting time on the field.
“We’re pretty good at juggling things, I’ve got my mother in law here from Europe so she’s holding the fort, which is great. I’m a kind of think on my toes kind of guy and I’m sure I’ll be alright.”
The safe arrival of his second child leaves Jamieson clear to focus on the Grand Final, confident that semi-final goalscorer and Golden Boot Jamie Maclaren will be a key man once more.
“You have to appreciate what he does,” said Jamieson. “For some reason, I think he gets applauded on a domestic level, but when it gets to Socceroos – talking about who’s going the be the number nine – people quickly forget him.
“I think that’s a bit disrespectful. I’m not saying you have to use domestic form always but this guy’s repeatedly scored goals and golden boots.I think when it comes to the national team and the talk around him he probably doesn’t get the respect he probably deserves.
“You would never hear him say that, he’s a humble guy, a hard worker and someone our team looks at and for when it comes to big moments in games. He’s repeatedly, year on year, scored goals.
“Missing last year (through international duty) itches him, so he’s going to do everything he can to try and get that opportunity to be here for a grand final win.”
