Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 22, thanks to Mitre.
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‘You’re welcome, Canberra!’
Western Sydney Wanderers’ striker Sophie Harding’s first Ninja A-League goal since January 5 wasn’t just a drought-breaking strike.
It was a Goal of the Week contender, a stoppage-time stunner – and the goal that sealed Canberra United’s place in the Finals Series.
Western Sydney were trailing Brisbane Roar 4-3 heading into the second minute of extra time in a Perry Park epic, and with the final whistle just moments away, Brisbane were within seconds of collecting the three points that would have kept their season alive.
But Harding had other ideas.
MATCH REPORT: 8 goals, 2 reds, hat-trick & stoppage-time equaliser: Roar ousted from finals race in wild draw
SPECIAL MOMENT: Matildas star debuts new surname in heartwarming surprise: ‘A big moment for me’
The reigning Julie Dolan Medalist’s left-foot cracker earned the Wanderers a point in Brisbane, and ensured Canberra – who had just beaten Wellington Phoenix at McKellar Park on Sunday afternoon – moved four points clear of the Roar in seventh to clinch their spot in the Finals Series.
“You’re welcome, Canberra!” Harding said post-game.
“I actually didn’t think for once, which was nice. I took a touch and saw the keeper and just shot with my left foot, so I was pretty happy with that. I think the best thing as a striker is when you don’t think and it just comes naturally.”
Harding’s long-range wondergoal was the incredible conclusion to a 4-4 draw that had it all. Momo Hayashi scored a banger for Brisbane Roar and Tameka Yallop scored a hat-trick to move to within two goals of Holly McNamara at the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard.
Brisbane striker Laini Freier and Wanderers keeper Sham Khamis were both sent off within seconds after exchanging blows in a fiery moment at Perry Park.
“We were honestly just saying that would’ve been a great game to watch form home,” Harding said.
“It had everything, red cards, back-and-forth action. It was definitely a very exhilarating game, that’s for sure. Going on, I was a bit nervous, I wanted to make an impact but very resilient from our side, and very proud of the girls for our effort.”
GOAL OF THE WEEK: Isuzu UTE Goal of the Week nominees, Round 22 Ninja A-League: Pick your winner TODAY!
Legend notches game 200 on ‘truly special day’
Canberra United and Ninja A-League legend Michelle Heyman became the first player to reach 200 games in the competition’s history on Sunday night, and it was only fitting the special occasion was marked by a 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix as Canberra sealed their place in the Finals Series.
MATCH REPORT: Michelle Heyman’s history-making game ends with Canberra United securing finals football
The competition’s all-time leading goalscorer and appearance maker couldn’t add to her career scoring tally of 117 against the Phoenix but a 25th-minute goal from Madison Ayson ensured Canberra took three points from Heyman’s milestone match.
In incredible scenes, the Canberra squad lingered on the pitch at McKellar Park to watch the conclusion of Brisbane’s 4-4 draw with Western Sydney, and celebrated as they realised their place in the top six had been secured.
Post-game, Heyman reflected on the special nature of the 1-0 win on the day she became the Ninja A-League’s first-ever double centurion appearance maker.
“This is a truly special day,” she said.
“To be here, to have it at home, to play my 200th – something I never thought I was ever going to achieve, especially with the rate that it took so long.
“Someone said it took me 17 years to get here, so it’s an impressive achievement just to show the loyalty I have to this club and to this league.”
When asked what it meant to the Canberra squad to have sealed a Finals Series place in dramatic circumstances, Heyman said: “It’s everything. This is something we were working towards from day one of pre-season.
“We started out of the blocks a little slow, but we’ve managed to continue the winning streak right at the end when we really needed to push for finals spots. It doesn’t matter if you come first or sixth, we’re in the finals so we’re just trying to continue winning and build confidence.”
Dark horse sets up epic finish to Golden Boot race
Brisbane Roar and CommBank Matildas great Tameka Yallop moved to within two goals of Holly McNamara at the top of the Golden Boot leaderboard on Sunday afternoon with a hat-trick against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Out of nowhere, Yallop has drawn level on 12 goals with Melbourne Victory striker Emily Gielnik, with the Matildas pair two goals shy of their international teammate Holly McNamara who put separation between herself and Gielnik with a brace against Newcastle on Friday night.
But despite making a late charge for the Golden Boot on an individually brilliant day, Yallop and the Roar saw their Finals Hopes vanquished in a 4-4 draw with Western Sydney. The result dampened Yallop’s spirits as she was asked to summarise her emotions following a hat-trick performance in a devastating draw.
“I think, to be honest, I’m still trying to process what happened in that 90 minutes,” she said.
“It won’t be until I get a moment to myself that I’ll look back on the season. Obviously devastated we’re not going through, but at the moment I’m going to be around the team and make sure we get through this next little while, because we’ve still got one more game. We want to give a good performance in that game.”
Locked on 12 goals apiece, Yallop and Gielnik will go head-to-head in the final round of the season as Victory host the Roar at the Home of the Matildas.
Depite roaring into Golden Boot contention, Yallop put her individual aspirations aside to put sole focus on finishing the season on a high.
“Gielnik can score some worldies,” Yallop said, when asked about the head-to-head matchup with her Matildas teammate.
“I think it our main focus will be to come out next week with a clean sheet.
“To be honest, I’m not too focused on the individual stuff. As a whole, we’d just like to finish the season on a win.”
MATCH REPORT: 8 goals, 2 reds, hat-trick & stoppage-time equaliser: Roar ousted from finals race in wild draw
‘We went in blind’: Victory star’s insight into team’s approach to Premiership chase
A 1-0 win over Central Coast Mariners kept Melbourne Victory’s Premiership hopes alive on Friday night, a result sealed in the hours after Melbourne City’s 4-1 triumph over Newcastle Jets – a result that kept Victory’s Melbourne Derby rivals ahead in the race to the Premiers Plate.
If City had drawn with the Jets, Victory would have moved level on 52 points with the current leaders, while a City loss would have seen Victory jump to the top of the table with one round to play.
MATCH REPORT: Victory take Premiership race to final day after nail-biting win over Mariners
As revealed by goalscorer and star centre-back Claudia Bunge after the 1-0 win over the Mariners, Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins elected not to alert his players about the result between City and the Jets at AAMI Park prior to kick-off in Gosford, to keep his side focused on the task at hand.
“We went in blind,” Bunge revealed post-game.
“Someone actually just told me now that there were two red cards. It sounds like it was an interesting game, I’ll definitely watch the highlights for sure.
“But we just wanted to focus on ourselves tonight, so that’s what we did and I think it paid off.”
Victory’s 1-0 win over the Mariners ensured the Premiership race would go all the way to the final round of the season; City play first in Round 23, and can clinch the Premiers Plate with a win over Perth Glory at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Friday night.
Should City draw with Perth, they’ll move three points clear with a goal difference of +30 compared to Victory’s +11, all but securing the Premiership title.
But, if Perth manage a major upset in their final game of the season, it will open the door for Victory to snatch top spot on Saturday when they host Brisbane Roar.
Bunge and Victory lost 2-0 to Brisbane in Round 10 and are eager to settle the score on Saturday afternoon.
“I guess we’re wanting a bit of revenge after our last outing with them,” Bunge said.
“It was a tough day for us so we want to right that wrong, take things away from this game.
“Obviously, it (Friday’s win over Central Coast) was a bit ugly, and we can be a bit better on the ball, and our pressure on the field can also be a bit better. We’re just going to focus on those things heading into the game against Brisbane.”
“We’re just focusing on ourselves,” Bunge added. “Tonight was just about us, we didn’t want to speak about City, so yeah, we’re going to keep that mindset heading into the next game and into finals as well.”
‘Excitement and relief’ for Mariners captain after 460-day injury absence
Central Coast Mariners are bound for the 2024-25 Finals Series, and the timely return of club captain Taren King from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has come as a timely boost for Emily Husband’s side in pursuit of the Ninja A-League Championship.
King tore her ACL in January, 2024 and, after 460 days on the sidelines, the experienced defender made her long-awaited return to the Ninja A-League on Friday night.
MATCH REPORT: Victory take Premiership race to final day after nail-biting win over Mariners
King came off the bench in the 86th minute of her side’s 1-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory to mark her comeback; post-game, she expressed her excitement and relief having persevered through more than a year of rehabilitation, to return at a pivotal time for the Mariners.
“Lots of excitement, and probably a little bit of relief just to get the first one off the bat,” she said.
“It’s been a long time coming, I’ve just been waiting for it. Really excited and happy to finally be back.
“A few thoughts running through the head but it’s feeling good. I’ve had lots of ups and downs throughout my rehab, so it’s just nice to finally have boots on and to be on the field, and just try not to think about it too much and go with the flow.
“I wouldn’t have stepped out on the field unless I was ready to go and confident in what I can do.
“I’m not one to push my body, I’m obviously getting a little bit older now so it doesn’t take as many knocks as it used to. I’m more confident in it than I was when I hit 12 months. I’m feeling good now.”
