And then there were two! It’s Grand Final week in the Ninja A-League as Melbourne Victory prepare to face Central Coast Mariners in the showpiece event at AAMI Park.
As we count down to kick-off, aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of the big game including ticket information, stats, form guides and how to watch on TV.
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NINJA A-LEAGUE FINALS SERIES 2025
When is the Ninja A-League Grand Final?
Melbourne Victory will take on Central Coast Mariners at 3:15pm (AEST) on Sunday afternoon at AAMI Park.
As the highest-placed finishers during the regular season, Melbourne Victory (2nd) have earned the right to host the Mariners (4th) as they bid to seal what will be a third Ninja A-League Championship.
Meanwhile the Central Coast Mariners head to AAMI Park going in search of a maiden Championship crown and will be competing in a Grand Final for the very first time.
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How did we get here?
They may have finished runners up to Premiership winners Melbourne City during the regular season but Geoff Hopkins’ Melbourne Victory side will head into the Grand Final as fanceid favourites.
After wrapping up a top two finish, Victory sat back and watched the Elimination Finals with intrigue as the likes of Adelaide United, Central Coast, Western United and Canberra all slugged it out for a spot in the semis.
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Ultimately pitted against Adelaide in the semi-finals, Victory showcased their prowess in front of goal as they dispatched the Reds 6-2 on aggregate to book their place in the Grand Final.
Key to their semi-final masterclass were the likes of defender Claudia Bunge, who scored twice in their first leg 3-1 win over the Reds, while attacker Rachel Lowe bagged a double in the reverse fixture.
As for the Central Coast Mariners, well Emily Husband’s side were forced to go the long way round in order to reach the big stage at AAMI Park.
Finishing fourth in the regular season, the Mariners came from behind to defeat Canberra United 2-1 in their home Elimination Final at Industree Group Stadium before they then faced off against Premiers Melbourne City.
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However despite being big underdogs against the Premiership winners, the Mariners recorded a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg before ending City’s unbeaten season in the most dramatic of circumstance as midfielder Isabel Gomez scored with seconds left on the clock to seal a 3-2 aggregate win.
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Finals Series results
Elimination Finals:
Adelaide United 1-0 Western United
Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Canberra United
Semi-Final First Legs
Central Coast Mariners 2-2 Melbourne City
Adelaide United 1-3 Melbourne Victory
Semi-Final Second Legs
Melbourne Victory 3-1 Adelaide United (Victory win 6-2 on agg)
Melbourne City 0-1 Central Coast Mariners (AET – Mariners win 3-2 on agg)
Grand Final
Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners – Sunday May 18 – Kick Off 3:15pm (AEST)
Venue and Ticket Information
Tickets for Sunday’s Ninja A-League Women 2025 Grand Final are now on sale for club members of both Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners.
Members of the general public wishing to snap up tickets for the big game at AAMI Park can do so as off 1pm (AEST) on Tuesday 13 May.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE NINJA A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL
Key Players to look out for in the Grand Final
Melbourne Victory head into the game riding a club-record 15-game unbeaten streak in which they’ve recorded a whopping thirteen wins on the way to reaching a third Ninja A-League Grand Final in five years.
While she may have narrowly missed out on snapping up another Golden Boot, Victory striker Emily Gielnik is certainly one to watch heading into Sunday’s clash.
Finishing the regular season with 13 goals to her name, Gielnik scored the opening goal for Victory against Adelaide in the first leg of the semi-finals and will no doubt be being studied this week by the Mariners defence as they prepare to face her on Sunday.
Creator-in-chief amongst the Melbourne Victory attack is 2022-23 Julie Dolan Medalist Alex Chidiac who registered six assists and two goals this season while teammate Rachel Lowe will almost certainly have an impact on proceedings given she’s posted four goals and five assists in 25 matches.
But it’s not just in attack where Victory are dangerous as defensive duo Kayla Morrison and Claudia Bunge have proven to be formidable at both ends of the field this season.
Both Bunge and captain Morrison have scored four goals each this season but, crucially, they’ve formed a rock-solid partnership at the heart of Jeff Hopkins’ defence which saw them finish the regular season having conceded the fewest goals (21) in the league.
For Central Coast, this season has been all about the collective rather than having one individual standout player – although they do have plenty of names worthy of snatching the limelight.
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The hero from their semi-final second leg with Premiers Melbourne City, midfielder Isabel Gomez has been a giant for them this season, scoring six goals and grabbing three assists despite playing just 14 matches due to injury.
Called-up to the CommBank Matildas squad for the very first time, Gomez was then cruelly forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury but now fit again, is showing just how crucial she is to Husband’s side.
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Top scorer with seven goals for the Mariners during the regular season was English import Jade Pennock while academy graduate and inaugural signing Annalise Rasmussen was just behind her with six goals.
When it comes to goalkeeping, no keeper performed better in the Ninja A-League this season than Mariners shotstopper Sarah Langman.
Topping the charts when it comes to number of saves made (103), Langman finished the season with the highest save percentage (78.6%) as the Mariners conceded the third-fewest goals during the regular season.
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How to Follow A-League Finals 2025
The Ninja A-League 2025 Grand Final will be shown live on 10 Bold from 2:30pm AEST on Sunday May 18 and available to stream across 10 Play and Paramount+.
For New Zealand viewers, every match of the Ninja A-League Finals Series is available live on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now.
Keep up to date with everything you need to know ahead of the Ninja A-League Grand Final by following the A-Leagues on social media:
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To find out more about the A-Leagues, visit www.aleagues.com.au
