City pays tribute to Rado Vidosic after breakthrough title
After breaking through for a first A-League Women title since he was in charge, Melbourne City players have paid tribute to their late former coach Rado Vidošić.
After breaking through for a first A-League Women title since he was in charge, Melbourne City players have paid tribute to their late former coach Rado Vidošić.
Propelled by a brace from Holly McNamara and a second-half blast from Leticia McKenna, City eased to a 3-1 victory over Wellington in Saturday’s grand final at AAMI Park – winning their first title since they won the 2020 decider with Vidošić in the dugout and the likes of Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter, Emily van Egmond on the park.
The changing face of the A-League Women meant that this Galácticos unit dispersed overseas in the years that followed, leaving the club to re-tool its women’s program with young talent such as McNamara, McKenna, and Leah Davidson as it adjusted to the new era.
Vidošić was entrusted with overseeing this generational changeover, and a seventh-place finish in 2020-21 was followed by a return to the finals the following campaign before he was then moved into the men’s program on the eve of the 2022-23 campaign, with his son Dario taking over.
Parting ways with City’s men’s side two weeks into the 2023-24 season, Vidošić passed away from cancer in January of this year — his last job in football working in the women’s program led by Dario at WSL side Brighton and Hove Albion.
And in the wake of Saturday’s grand final, McNamara, now a Matilda, reflected on the impact the coach, who gave her a professional debut in 2021, had on her career.
“Looking back, it’s my fifth year here now, and a lot of the girls were in the same boat when Rado kind of brought us in,” said the attacker. “He nurtured us a lot.
“I was reflecting a bit on that today, Bubs [Melissa Barbieri] and I had a little conversation about that, [on] Rado and kind of everything that he did for us. And that [grand final win] was kind of for him today.
“He helped us a lot, that’s where the kind of winning mentality came from.”
Signed from Perth Glory for the 2021-22 season, McKenna made her City debut under Vidošić and, by the end of her first campaign, was entrusted with starting both of her side’s finals matches. Like McNamara, the 23-year-old has gone on to become an Australian international in the years since.
“When you had that first Zoom call with him, I can still remember parts of the conversation, and just how excited I was to be under him and work with him,” McKenna said.
“I’ve learned so much, and still to this day, some of those things he would shout out to me are still back in my head. I’m like, “Oh, yep, got to get into the pocket’ kind of thing.
“He had left a massive legacy on us girls. and past girls [at the club] as well. We were able to hopefully play for him. Like Holly said, she did it for him today.”
For skipper Rebekah Stott, who was also a key part of the all-conquering City sides before the general change, Vidošić played a different role.
Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in early 2021, Vidošić helped the Kiwi return to football following her treatment, a process he described as being “the highlight of my coaching career.”
“Rado was so special for this club and for this team, especially,” Stott reflected post-game. “To have his input, and to have a lot of players who have been coached by him in the squad... he had a massive impact on us. We miss him a lot.”