Priestman - Pain of grand final to spur Phoenix onwards
Bev Priestman insists that the pain from Wellington Phoenix’s ALW grand final defeat to Melbourne City will help spur her group onto better things in the years ahead.
Bev Priestman insists that the pain from Wellington Phoenix’s A-League Women grand final defeat to Melbourne City will help spur her group onto better things in the years ahead.
Powered by a first-half brace from Holly McNamara and a second-half strike from Leticia McKenna, City eased to a fifth title in their history at AAMI Park on Saturday evening, with Makala Woods 52nd minute strike to bring it back to 3-1 ensuring that the Kiwi side wouldn’t fire a blank in their first-ever appearance in the decider.
For City, it sealed them a record-equalling fifth title, as well as matching Sydney FC’s overall trophy mark of ten, and gave them a jolt of momentum as they continue their pursuit of an unprecedented treble in an AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal with Tokyo Verdy Beleza on Wednesday evening.
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For the Phoenix, however, the disappointment of the result was only made possible by what had been a historically successful season preceding it: the club finishing second and reaching finals football for the first time under new coach Bev Priestman, all the while fielding the league’s best attack and best defence.
“It doesn’t define our season,” Priestman said post-game. “I think that’s the most important thing. We, the players and staff, have to hold our heads high. City have been here, they’ve lost some finals, and you bottle this up, and you come back stronger next year.”
With City able to jump on the Phoenix in the first-half and maneuver to a three-goal lead before her side could fire a shot in response, Priestman acknowledged that the sense of occasion may have played into a tepid opening, combined with a hangover from a 120-minute performance against Brisbane Roar in the prior week’s semifinal.
The victors, of course, were looking to exorcise the demons of back-to-back seasons in which they had won the Premiers’ Plate only to fail to lift the championship, falling 1-0 to Sydney FC in the 2024 final. But after Saturday, the coach was clear that this was a well of motivation that the Phoenix could now tap into, too.
“I’ve seen people be at their best when they’re hungry,” she said. “This leaves a little bit on us. And in many ways, it might help us next year to push to another level. I’ve got an ambitious club.
“I’m at my best in these moments; the hunger, the desire to push forward. I think everybody will channel that now. When we turn up in preseason, we’ll all know what could have been.
“What you learn about people in difficult moments is those who then grab it by the scruff of the neck and push forward. I’ve got a very dedicated, humble group of players who all wanted the best for the club that they put the shirt on. It wasn’t through a lack of effort; it was just on the day we weren’t at our best, and that’s finals football.
“[Defeats such as Saturday’s are] where you find another level in yourself. I had this occasion at this World Cup [a 4-0 loss to the Matildas at AAMI Park that eliminated Canada from the 2023 Women’s World Cup], but then after that, you go on a 15-game unbeaten run. Because you find another level in yourself, you ask yourself hard questions, and you push again.
“These are the moments that make players and make clubs, depending on how you respond. How you respond in life is the biggest thing. I’ve got no doubt that the dressing room will respond in the right way and push on, and we’re moving forward. People have got to come with us when we’re moving forward, and we’ll be better next season for this moment.”
Helping the Phoenix in their ambitions of going one better next season is that, heading into an offseason in which uncertainty over next year’s collective bargaining agreement will severely hamper the team’s ability to sign players, they have a large chunk of players already under contract.
One of the few sides in the competition that spend right up to the salary cap, the Phoenix already have 12 players inked to deals for the coming season, with the likes of Nepalese attacker Samba and CJ Bott set to bolster the squad when they return from an ACL injury and pregnancy, respectively.
“The players coming back, it’s nice to know that,” said Priestman. “They can, they can bottle this up, and then you inject a little bit of energy or maybe some added quality into the group. We’ve got that ability to do that.
“At this moment in time, [we don’t] have a lot to recruit. We’ve, we’ve got quite a lot of players on contract. I think every single player, if they had the choice tonight, will be back next season. There’s a real, true love in the [dressing] room; it’s a tight-knit group.
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“The group have a great time every single day, and they push each other, and I think every player has got better this season from each other pushing each other. So I hope to see a lot back, but there will be some new players coming in and injecting something different as well.”
And the success of the Phoenix this season, Priestman anticipates, will help with that.
“You sign one player, and everyone comes knocking on your door,” she said. “The biggest thing I’ve seen is Australian players [are] wanting to come and play in Wellington. I think that is rare. There’s some interest from Australian players to come and play at this club, and I would say that that’s been difficult previously for this team.
“That speaks volumes as well to what this club is providing for a player who maybe wants to go on and play for the national team or go on to bigger and better things, which again I’m super proud to work for this club.”