Heartbreakers

Round five of the W-League needs to be nicknamed as the heartbreaker if ever looked back on in history. Late winners and equalisers are together some of the greatest and most disappointing moments players, coaches and fans alike can experience.

Some weekends it’s merely impossible to watch all the matches you want to live. This was one such weekend. Thursday night, the Melbourne derby, or as I like to call it the Cafe derby. Busy with a couple of phone calls, I found myself on the couch with dinner around an hour after kick off. The game was dubious, City returning to their ‘patient’, anything but direct football, while Victory clung onto dear life, some tremendous work in the back but unable to really string enough possession together to be dangerous on attack.

Nearly ninety minutes of begging for a change. City refusing to play the long ball quickly after a Victory counter. Dumont doing everything in her power to deny multiple City opportunities in the box. The match was edging towards a goalless result. Then in came Yukari Kinga with two minutes on the clock. A rocket. Jubilant celebrations. Distraught for the opponents. 

Again Friday comes knocking. The Western Australian time zone on paper meant I should’ve had the time to drive down the Midlands highway to Hobart and still make kick off. However, a chocolate run and time spent chatting with mum left me behind the eight ball. Again, on the replay, I tune in. Canberra marks the match early through the thundering Simone Charley. Perth on the back foot, but determined. Neither really found themselves clicking the way they would’ve hoped. 

Desperate to pull something out of the bag, Perth again showed they’re a second half side. Digging deep, an unlikely hero steps to the plate in Kim Carroll. Heading home from a corner, beautiful. 

Saturday, it’s finally too much to watch the replay. Tired eyes and lots of driving simply too much to catch up on. I’ve still not watched the game, that’s a job for Monday, but WHAT A GAME TO MISS. Using Twitter and reactions from mates as a gauge, Adelaide were out for the count. Then the comeback, with Weber finally on the scoreboard, only to be denied a vital, sole point in the last ten minutes of play. Gutting and insane. I need to watch it, but nonetheless heartbreak for the South Australians.

Finally Sunday is the moment I can watch the match live. No Twitter jail, where I deny myself social media when I’m watching a replay match to not ruin the surprise. Sydney FC so often out of the gates early, kept it until a little later in the first half to draw first blood. The script of this season for the Sky Blues has been Remy Siemsen goals, this match was no different. A header from a swift cross. 

The Jets scrapped to stay in it. Sydney missed some clear cut chance, but the work of Clare Wheeler in the middle was tremendous. Unfortunately for the home side, a sniff of goal meant Siemsen wouldn’t be satisfied with just the one. The high press just too much, a difficult situation for the keeper, as the Sydney number 9 pounced on a loose ball to double her tally. Not quite the heartbreaker this game, but the second goal one, in a match where Claire Coelho was otherwise impeccable. 

There’s the wrap on round five. Next weekend is a blockbuster Sydney derby, which I have a special article dropping sometime next week to celebrate so stay tuned. (Also if anyone thinks of a cool nickname for the Sydney derby, let me know yeah)