In the afterglow of a glimmering occasion on the surface of AAMI Park, Melbourne City head coach Patrick Kisnorbo assembled his charges away from the shining lights.
Before his players could begin celebrating their 3-1 Grand Final triumph over Sydney FC in the change rooms, an inspiring coach gave a heartfelt plea to the team he took to ultimate glory in 2020/21: don’t let this feeling go.
The moments captured by FOX Sports perfectly displayed the laser-focus and hunger for success Kisnorbo has used all season to inspire his team to greatness.
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“First day of pre-season, we promised ourselves we never wanted to feel this again. We never wanted to feel what we felt after that Grand Final,” Kisnorbo said to the huddled City squad, reflecting on their Grand Final defeat to Sydney FC in 2019/20.
“But sometimes in life, and we’ve said all week, sometimes you need to get some s*** to get to the top. You need to do it.
“And that’s losing. It could be once, twice… through all the hurt guys, without even knowing, you build something.
“What I love about it the most, is day one of pre-season we wrote down what we wanted to achieve.
“I didn’t write it, you guys wrote it, and you delivered.
“Not because you’re good players… because you’re willing to work, you’re willing to sacrifice, you’re willing to be the good teammate.
“A good teammate isn’t always the one that plays 90 minutes. A good teammate is one that isn’t playing and says ‘lads, well done’. Or pushing each other. That’s what that is, that’s what you build, that’s what you build.
“I want you to enjoy tonight, and I’m sure you will. But listen, understand something: after tomorrow, it’s finished.
Understand, for (us) to kick on, and we want this feeling, we’ve got to promise ourselves we won’t let this feeling go.
So next year, you’re going to have to work twice as hard, because we were the hunter, now we’re the hunted.
“And to stay at the maximum levels, you boys need to keep pushing… always. Never forget that.
“We want long term, we want the future, and the way to your future is to keep going, and going, and going.”
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https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6261232643001
Before delivering his unforgettable message to the City squad, Kisnorbo took the time to bask in the occasion in the moments after the final whistle blew on his side’s 3-1 Grand Final win over Sydney.
Going through the majority of his first A-League campaign as a head coach with a stone-cold demeanour, Kisnorbo let the emotions of a magnificent night in Melbourne wash over his face as the post-match celebrations played out on the AAMI Park surface.
Speaking to FOX Sports with Michael Zappone, Kisnorbo took the time to thank all those who operate behind the scenes at Melbourne City for contributing to the club’s ground-breaking A-League campaign.
Reflective, open and honest, Kisnorbo told Zappone what he would go on to tell his players in his change room huddle: that he does not intend City’s crowning moment in 2020/21 to be the club’s last.
“I think it’s just crazy, to be honest,” Kisnorbo said.
“Who would have thought a boy from Moonee Ponds would have an opportunity like this?
“I’m very humble and grateful for what I’ve been given, what I’ve learned. But it’s all the players, at the end of the day I’m the one standing on the sidelines but the players do all the work, which is fantastic to see.
“I think it’s foundations. As you know, Sydney have built foundations for years, and they’ve been fantastic.
“We need to start doing that as well. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice, but that’s what it takes.”
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6261237116001
“I think everyone has contributed, not just myself,” he continued.
“There’s a lot of work you don’t see, the player’s wives, the staff, the medical staff, the assistant coaches, the goalkeeper coaches, I could name everyone.
“Everyone plays a part in this team and what we’ve done this year.
“I think we’re a club that wants to attract the right people, and they’ve got to be good people to start with.
“It’s not just always about football, it’s the person that comes here that is humble, that’s willing to learn, willing to sacrifice, and that’s the club that I think we should start building.”
