There’s plenty to play for in Thursday afternoon’s Liberty A-League Big Blue – and it’s not just points on offer for the two top-four sides.
Yes, a win would send either Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC to within one point of second-placed Melbourne City. But the midweek A-League Women epic (not to mention grand final rematch) holds significance not just at club level for each team’s collective push to collect trophies in three consecutive seasons.
But Thursday night’s Big Blue at AAMI Park is equally important for the many players on either side of the divide looking to break into the Matildas squad either now, or in time for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in July-August.
Read on as KEEPUP shines a light on 10 of Australia’s World Cup aspirants from either side of the Big Blue, ahead of what promises to be a classic encounter between two championship contenders on Thursday afternoon.
MELBOURNE VICTORY
Honourable mentions
Jessika Nash, Melina Ayres
Kayla Morrison
Yes, that’s right.
Kicking the list off with a bang is Kayla Morrison who, in the process of applying for Australian citizenship, should come into the thinking of Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson if that process is completed between now and the World Cup.
Morrison, born in California, United States, is Victory’s esteemed leader. The 26-year-old was one of the league’s top defenders prior to an ACL tear which sidelined her for all but half an hour of the 2021-22 A-League Women campaign.
That statement still rings true today, with Morrison returning with a vengeance in 2022-23.
It’s an area of the Matildas’ squad in desperate need of reinforcement, and much like Jason Cummings, Harry Souttar and Martin Boyle have shown with the Socceroos, the recruitment of players born overseas to become Australian internationals is a phenomenon that has served the national setup well in recent years.
Alex Chidiac
A player on an outstanding run of form. Is there any stopping Alex Chidiac on her way to the World Cup squad?
It appears, at least, a lock that Chidiac will receive a call-up for the Matildas’ Cup of Nations fixtures against Czech Republic, Spain and Jamaica in February as she produces performances out of the top draw game after game for Melbourne Victory.
Chidiac comes into Thursday’s Big Blue after a dominant display against Adelaide United, in which she scored one goal, assisted another, and shaved the underside of the crossbar with a solo attempt which would have gone own as one of the great A-League Women goals had it crossed the line.
Beattie Goad
Slowly, but surely, Beattie Goad is playing herself into Matildas form.
Victory head coach Jeff Hopkins defined Goad’s performance last time out as “amazing” – both Goad and Chidiac, in fact, with the former assisting the latter for Victory’s opening goal in the triumph over Adelaide.
Natalie Tathem’s return from injury to the starting XI across the last two games has opened the door for Goad to push further forward, and both player and club are reaping the rewards. Goad is building perfectly toward the back end of the season and will feature in the thoughts of many for a Matildas recall in the future should her form continue.
Casey Dumont
Victory keeper Casey Dumont’s name has featured regularly throughout the first half of the Liberty A-League campaign in conversations surrounding the Matildas squad.
Sydney FC’s Jada Whyman has been sidelined since Christmas Eve with a fractured finger. Widely considered the fourth player up in the Matildas goalkeeping union behind Teagan Micah, Lydia Williams and Mackenzie Arnold, Whyman’s recent injury absence has coincided with a magnificent start to the current season from the in-form Dumont, featuring four clean sheets, 40 saves and just four goals against.
Dumont missed her side’s clash with Adelaide through illness but will push to contend Thursday night’s Big Blue.
Elise Kellond-Knight
Two-and-a-half years was far too long to go without seeing Elise Kellond-Knight in a Matildas kit.
But, returning to national team action in November against Thailand to collect her 114th cap put the veteran midfielder right back in the conversation for the World Cup squad.
The 32-year-old signed for Victory in the off-season, and without setting the world alight throughout the first half of the campaign, has made considerable steps toward regaining match fitness through regular minutes.
Kellond-Knight has featured in midfield for Hopkins, and at full-back – a sight long-time Matildas fans will know all too well.
SYDNEY FC
Honourable mentions
Charlotte Mclean, Kirsty Fenton
Cortnee Vine
Currently a fixture in the Matildas first XI, Cortnee Vine has taken her chance since Gustavsson’s switch to a 4-4-2, making a spot on down the right wing her own.
But despite starting in five consecutive Matildas games, a flat start to the Liberty A-League campaign has led some to question whether the winger’s current run of form will warrant a continuation in the Matildas XI for February’s Cup of Nations.
Vine has just one goal and assist to her name through eight games this season. A statement performance in Thursday’s Big Blue will go a long way to putting a sub-standard run of form in the rear view mirror.
Mackenzie Hawkesby
Like Vine, Mackenzie Hawkesby had a quiet start to the season – but after four games without a goal or assist, the Sky Blues attacking midfielder has caught fire.
Five score involvements (two goals, three assists) in four games has led Hawkesby back to the standard she produced on a consistent basis last season, in which she produce league-highs in assists (10) and chances created (48).
Princess Ibini
The youngest ever player to 100 Liberty A-League appearances, Princess Ibini is a legend of the league at just 22 years of age.
And the winger is putting together yet another exceptional season in Sky Blue, with a strong run of form building toward Thursday’s Big Blue.
Ibini scored in back-to-back games against Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets, in the fourth and fifth games of a give-game run which included two goals and three assists.
Her trademark movement in off the left flank to cause damage with her favoured right foot has terrorised defenders aplenty across the league. Ibini was recalled to the Matildas mix after a three-year absence in June of 2022, and rewarded Gustavsson’s faith with her maiden goal in green and gold against Portugal.
Ibini was in the national squad for two fixtures against Canada in September, and will never be too far away from the Matildas mix as long as her excellent domestic form continues.
Jada Whyman
Injury will keep Jada Whyman sidelined from Thursday night’s Big Blue, but when the 23-year-old goalkeeper recovers from a fractured finger, her relentless pursuit of a spot in the Matildas squad will resume.
Whyman, when fit, is arguably the best shot-stopper in the Liberty A-League. In 2021-22, Whyman surpassed Lydia Williams’ league record of seven consecutive clean sheets after recording nine shutouts in succession as Sydney FC cruised to the premiership. She picked up where she left off at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, conceding just one goal in Round 1 before collecting four clean sheets on the bounce prior to her injury.
Katie Offer will continue in between the sticks for Sydney in Thursday’s Big Blue. Having conceded five goals in four games since coming into the starting XI highlights the vital role Whyman plays in the Sky Blues’ rearguard.
Sarah Hunter
One of the most enjoyable players to watch in the Liberty A-League – and one of the best young prospects, too. Sarah Hunter has taken her game to the next level in 2022-23, scoring three goals from central midfield to become a key contributor to Sydney FC’s collection of six wins from eight games.
Hunter was a vital part of the Young Matildas’ 2022 U20 Women’s World Cup campaign in Costa Rica, and if you watched the nation’s progress through the tournament you would have seen a talented youngster maturing before your eyes. Hunter is on an upward trajectory in the 2022-23 Liberty A-League campaign, and Thursday’s Big Blue is yet another high-stakes clash for her to impose herself on.