Sat alongside standout star Isabel Gomez and drenched in alcohol, the occasion was not lost on history-making Central Coast Mariners head coach Emily Husband.
Husband became just the fourth female coach to hoist the Ninja A-League Championship trophy aloft and first since 2017 after guiding the Mariners to their maiden title thanks to Sunday’s penalty shoot-out triumph over high-flying Melbourne Victory.
MATCH REPORT: Mariners win first Ninja A-League Championship after penalty shoot-out thriller
“I was definitely overcome with emotion,” she told reporters on Sunday night before Bianca Galic gatecrashed the press conference by placing the Championship trophy on the table before leaving the room with a big smile.
“I’m not a crier but I cried like a little baby.
“It’s meant so much to this entire group, the staff and the club. To see the girls get it over the line, it’s an incredible achievement.”
Penalties were needed after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra-time in Melbourne, where Gomez’s opener was cancelled out by Claudia Bunge with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
But the Mariners, who finished fourth in the regular season, defied the odds to sink the three-time champions on a momentous night at AAMI Park.
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For Husband and the Mariners, it capped a remarkable two-year journey. After a 14-year hiatus, Central Coast returned to the Ninja A-League in 2023-24.
On Sunday night, they etched their names in the history books as Husband followed in the footsteps of Jitka Klimkova (2012, Canberra United), Liesbeth Migchelsen (2014, Canberra United) and Jessica Fishlock (2016-17, Melbourne City – player/coach).
“Speechless,” the Mariners boss reflected.
“Coming into this job two years ago, I wasn’t too sure – I’d either sink or swim.
“I took the help when I needed it and leaned on really valuable people, my staff especially.
“When you only have one player recruited, myself and Matthew Hutchinson – both of us scoured the lengths of Australia to look for the right players to bring in.
“This season we really wanted to build on that. I knew after last season, as well as we did, I knew we could go one better. I was so confident in it. The players we signed reflected that. That intent for us to do better last season. We always wanted to do better.
“It’s the players, it really is. It’s been an incredible group.”
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It was not just Sunday night but Central Coast’s entire Finals Series that summed up the team.
In their Elimination Final, the Mariners trailed Canberra United before rallying for a 2-1 victory.
Then in the Semi-Finals, Central Coast shocked two-time reigning premiers Melbourne City courtesy of Isabel Gomez’s 121st-minute goal. Before that tie, City had not lost all season.
If that was not enough, the Mariners returned to Melbourne to conquer a Victory team who were in the midst of a club record 15-match unbeaten streak.
“Momentum is a funny thing,” said Husband. “Everyone talked about how well Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City were coming into the Finals Series.
“It’s great to have momentum in the league but unfortunately the Finals Series is a completely different kettle of fish.
“I truly believe our girls had more heart and desire and more collective energy between them that they could overcome anyone when they really wanted to.
“There was quite a few times this season when we went down but there was never any lack of belief in the change rooms, it was always ‘we will find a way back from this’. That’s the sort of belief you need to build on to come into finals and be successful.”
Where to now for the Mariners – how do they top 2024-25?
“Winning the league,” Husband replied swiftly.
A reporter followed up by asking, “doing the double?”, in which Husband responded: “Yep”.
The exchange finished with the reporter asking “then the treble the year after?”
“Yep,” Husband smiled.
