It’s a day like no other, says Rhali Dobson, but the best players know how to channel the emotion and come out a winner
I don’t particularly enjoy having nerves for breakfast, but sometimes you don’t have any choice. When the day dawns to play in a Liberty A-League grand final, you know something is different as soon as you wake up.
Call it nervous anticipation or just excitement, the prospect of what’s before you as a player – and the exclusive club you’re becoming part of – sharpens the senses like few other games.
For Sydney FC there will be a degree of familiarity as they will wake in their own beds on Sunday, follow their usual morning routines and have some control over what their day looks like.
I remember Yukari Kinga, my old teammate at Melbourne City, would be cooked a luscious breakfast by her partner and get messages of inspiration. Others will sleep, or find some other way to pass the time… and then at some point the players will jump into cars together and make their way to Commbank Stadium.
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For Western United it’s a different vibe, waking up in a hotel, having breakfast together and going on the team walks that the coaching staff organise, whether you like it or not. The interesting thing is that the same number of “away” teams have won the Liberty Grand Final as “home” teams.
By the time you get to the stadium, that’s where the leaders of the team will start to make their influence told, especially those who have played in big games before and are actively looking to control the occasion. It might sound trite but it starts in the dressing room where – in my days at Melbourne City – someone like Lydia Williams is in charge of the music, setting the tempo and curating a list to make everyone feel energised.
In the warm-ups, woe betide anyone whose attention drifts to the occasion and their chances of scoring the winning goal. Characters like Steph Catley or Jess Fishlock drive the intensity, demanding sharpness in the drills and maximum effort in the warm-ups.
For those players, the message Is clear that this is just another game, that your focus is the same as all the others to get you to this point and that it is an occasion to be owned, not intimidated by. Most of all you will be told to do the things that have made the season successful, and emulate the high points.
That can be done in a simple but really effective way; Melissa Barbieri, fantastic at rallying team spirit, printed out photos of each player during the season at pivotal moments, or moments of happiness, pictures of teammates and their quotes, to remind you of the power of the collective you’re lucky enough to be part of.
There’s no time for nerves now; the emotion has to be channelled productively. You may well find that one of your key players goes in hard on one of the opposition, a tackle to show that as a team we’re going nowhere. That early challenge can be the spark to turn your energy and excitement into output.
The experience of so many games takes over and the contest flies past. You’re kind of aware of the clock, and then suddenly it’s the last few minutes and you’re winning. You hear the coaches on the bench shouting to run the ball into the far corners.
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One year I remember Sydney FC’s captain Teresa Polias looming in my way as I tried to do that, and for one moment time stood still. I have so much respect for “T”, and years later we’re panelists together on the DubZone, but I knew I had to meet her challenge in that moment. We clashed, I won the foul, and we were a step closer to the final whistle.
When you hear that whistle, the emotions are all over the place; relief, joy, exhaustion all compete. It’s as if that’s the point you realise how much work has gone into the whole season, like you’ve been holding your breath in total focus for months. And then you release that breath, you see the value in every sacrifice and extra training session, and your body doesn’t quite know how to cope.
And then the party starts…
