There have been some truly remarkable feats of individual brilliance in Westfield W-League Grand Finals over the years.
Think about the names that stand out in some of the best sides to ever grace the pitch in Australia, be they Westfield Matildas or international superstars.
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We’ve gone through some of those names and picked out some of those feats of brilliance.
Most Grand Final appearances and victories
There are three players who have played in five Westfield W-League grand finals: Steph Catley, Tameka Butt, and Kyah Simon.
Tameka Butt was part of the dominating Brisbane Roar outfit which played in five of the first six ever Westfield W-League Grand Finals. Unfortunately for her, she won just two of those encounters.
Claire Polkinghorne was in the squad for all five of those grand finals too and played in four, but sat on the bench for the 2013-14 Grand Final.
With three wins from five attempts under her belt is Kyah Simon, who played in the winning Sydney FC teams of December 2009 and 2013, as well as the winning 2018 Melbourne City side.
Of the past seven grand finals played, Westfield Matildas stalwart Steph Catley has played in five of them. She’s also won four of those – the last three with Melbourne City, and the 2013-14 Championship with Melbourne Victory – which makes her the player with the most Grand Final wins under her belt.
Goals, goals, goals
In ten Westfield W-League Grand Finals, there have been a total of 34 goals scored.
The highest scoring final is a three-way tie: Sydney’s 3-2 win over Brisbane in 2009, Canberra’s 3-2 win over Brisbane in 2012, and Melbourne City’s 4-1 win over Sydney.
Tameka Butt is the woman with the most goals in Grand Final appearances, with four goals across her five big dances. In the first four Westfield W-League deciders, she scored a goal in each.
The first woman to score a brace in a Grand Final was Michelle Heyman, in Canberra United’s 2012 win over Brisbane Roar.
Ashleigh Sykes was the second, in Canberra’s 3-1 win over Perth Glory in December 2014.
Best Grand Final performances
There are so many stories to tell from Westfield W-League Grand Finals over the years, so we’ve picked just three of the best ever performances.
Michelle Heyman – 2012
In a season where she’d already won the Golden Boot with 12 goals in the regular season, all eyes were on Michelle Heyman in the 2012 decider.
It took just 11 minutes for the prolific striker to find the back of the net, sliding a shot past Brisbane ‘keeper Casey Dumont.
Minutes later, Heyman was unleashed inside the penalty box and squared up to put fellow forward Ashleigh Sykes into a position where she couldn’t miss – and she didn’t.
Ten minutes into the second half, and Heyman was at it again. Rising highest, she used her head to bury a ball which had been floated in by Grace Gill.
Two goals, and an assist. Not too shabby at all.
Sam Kerr – 2013
After beginning her career out west with hometown club Perth Glory, Sam Kerr headed east in search of trophies in 2012.
It didn’t take long with the Sydney FC side she played a huge role in across the 2012/13 season.
With the scores locked at 1-1 between the Sky Blues and Melbourne Victory shortly after half-time, up stepped Sam Kerr to break the deadlock.
If her diving header to put Sydney ahead 2-1 in the decider wasn’t memorable enough, then the flip celebration immediately after was.
Jess Fishlock – 2018
After a player of the match performance in the 2017 decider for Melbourne City, there were big things expected of Jess Fishlock the following year.
And the Welsh international star stepped up.
She opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a superb chip over Sydney goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe, and from then on was at the heart of everything that City did.
When Fishlock whipped in a superb free kick with 15 minutes left on the clock, which Jodie Taylor cleaned up and put City two goals ahead, Fishlock’s name was written into history.
It was her third championship win in as many years.
