A season-ending ACL injury in the opening game has given Melbourne Victory captain Kayla Morrison a unique vantage point to observe her team on their way to Sunday’s Liberty A-League Preliminary Final.
To anyone on the outside looking in – fans, opponents, coaches – Melbourne Victory Women is a Championship-winning team full of professionals with experience from all over of the world.
But let me tell you something: until you are waking up with these girls every day at 6am, seeing them for 40+ hours a week… YOU. DO. NOT. KNOW. THESE. GIRLS.
That is why, as we head into a huge derby Preliminary Final this Sunday against Melbourne City, I will give you the inside scoop on the girls that make up the reigning champions. Sit down, cozy up, and get ready to join us in the change room.
If you were to walk in there before any match, the first thing you would hear is music blaring. Melissa Maizels or Claudia Bunge would be sitting next to the speaker, skipping through songs and trying to find something that everyone likes and agrees on. In those split seconds of silence between songs, you will hear Melina Ayres complaining because the music of this generation just doesn’t do it for her… put on some ACDC for Mel’s sake! She’s ready to get the band back together with Tiffany Eliadis.
Another thing that you might start to hear is the rhythmic beat of a bouncing ball. That would be Alex Chidiac, passing it against the wall. That may be the shower wall, the bathroom stall door, the lockers, anything with a flat surface will suffice as she gets her first touches before the game.
You turn the corner to see the “Braid Bunch”, consisting of Courtney Nevin and Amy “AJ” Jackson, making sure their hair is game day ready, because they live by the motto “look good, play good”. But don’t forget the resident hairdresser Polly Doran, warming up her fingers, making sure she plaits better than she ever has before.
TikTok songs and laughs come from our number 16 and 17 lockers, where Paige Zois and Maja Markovski are trying to figure out what they’re going to TikTok next. It is a very important role on the team for these two girls because they keep us “boomers” young and up to date on what’s “cool” now-a-days.
As we head out for warm-up, there’s just one thing missing… a guest appearance from Justin Bieber! Oh wait – that’s just Mindy Barbieri, even better. You thought she was good with the ball at her feet? Just wait until you see how quickly she can break it down to literally any song from the Beibs. The performance is exactly what we need to loosen the nerves and get some smiles on the girl’s faces – even our team grinch, Kyra Cooney Cross – as we head out to warm up.
But once those girls head out the doors, through the tunnel and onto the field, they transform right in front of your eyes. The true professional comes out in every single player. They are focused. They are determined. They are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
So where do I fit into all of this? I mean, I was only captain on the field for 30 minutes! But, honestly, I am whatever the girls need me to be on that day. A best friend, a bad cop, someone to console in, or just someone they need to fade into the background so they can focus on the game ahead.
But every girl on this team is so much more to me. They are my light, they are my happiness, they are my hope. They are what motivate me to wake up at 6am to watch training. Because as I sit there, taking in everyone’s different personalities and quirks, I get to see them change from their goofy selves to badass women right before my eyes. They step onto that field as one unit, one family, with one thing in mind… defending our title.
