Westfield W-League 2019 Grand Final preview: Sydney FC v Perth Glory

After months of ups and downs, thrilling comebacks and sublime goals, the Westfield W-League 2019 Grand Final is nearly upon us.

And are there any other teams that could provide fireworks like Sydney FC and Perth Glory?

Incredibly, in the 19 times these two have faced off in the Westfield W-League, there has never been a draw. Sydney FC have won 10 times while Glory have prevailed in the other nine.

READ: The evolution of Princess Ibini, Sydney FC’s Grand Final wildcard
‘AMAZING’ YOUTH: The Perth young guns that drew plaudits from Kerr
INFO: How to watch Westfield W-League 2019 Grand Final

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If goals are your fancy, then Netstrata Jubilee Stadium may just be the place to be: There have been an average of 4.6 goals per game between these two.

Both sides tallied a league-high 28 goals over 12 games during the regular season and have lethal markswomen in the form of Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord.

The Westfield Matildas forwards need no introduction, making themselves household names thanks to their goalscoring exploits.

Sydney FC began the Westfield W-League 2018/19 Season in patchy form: An opening 3-0 win away to the Western Sydney Wanderers was followed by three consecutive losses before Ante Juric’s side turned it on with a scintillating 5-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

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A week later the Sky Blues put five past then-contenders Adelaide United.

Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon where Sydney’s 2-1 win against Brisbane Roar typified the football Juric has employed in the Harbour City.

Solid at the back and agile in the midfield, Sydney FC created chance after chance on Sunday night through their incisive forward passing and rotations in the final third.

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But one mustn’t forget the firepower of Perth Glory.

Their lethal trio of Kerr, Rachel Hill and Alyssa Mautz have contributed 26 out of Perth’s 32 goals throughout the season and were in full force against Melbourne Victory on Sunday afternoon where Kerr grabbed a hat-trick and Hill chipped in with a goal of her own.

That result is a culmination of their season’s exploits where heavy wins over the Wanderers and Melbourne City were a warning sign of things to come.

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Like Juric, Bobby Despotovski has balanced his side with enthusiastic youngsters who have more than stepped up throughout the campaign.

Leading the charge is Leticia McKenna, whose two goals and one assist in 12 games has set the standard for debut seasons in the Westfield W-League.

She, along with teenagers Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, Alexia Moreno and Jenna Onions have proven millennials are an industrious bunch in the least.

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A walk down memory lane

Interestingly, Kerr was on the scoresheet for the Sydney FC as the Sky Blues defeated Melbourne Victory 3-1 to claim their last Westfield W-League Championship.

Perth, meanwhile, are yet to win a Championship despite having two bites at the cherry in 2014 and 2017.

And how’s this for a piece of trivia? The last time Juric and Despotovski faced off in a grand final was as captains in 2003 in the National Soccer League, when Despotovski’s Perth Glory prevailed 2-0 over Juric’s Olympic Sharks.

Will history repeat itself on Sunday afternoon or can Juric get one back over his counterpart?

Opta stats

There have been 39 goals scored in Sydney FC’s last give home games against Perth Glory in the Westfield W-League, including a 1-0 triumph to the Sky Blues in their last such fixture.
Three of the four last Westfield W-League Grand Finals have been won by the away team on the day, including each of the last two.
Perth Glory duo Rachel Hill and Sam Kerr have provided 9 assists to each one another this season, more than twice as many as any other duo in the Westfield W-League 2018/19 Season.