You could not have asked for a better illustration of the resilience and willingness to rise to the occasion that has defined Melbourne Victory’s unlikely journey to back-to-back A-League Women’s titles.
In the 76th minute of Victory’s smash-and-grab win over Sydney FC in Sunday’s grand final, Charlize Rule launched herself at another Sydney corner. The teenager could not find the equaliser, but she did find Casey Dumont: crashing into the Victory goalkeeper’s ribs and sending her crashing to the turf. Trainers immediately rushed onto the field and on the sideline, back-up goalkeeper Melissa Maizels sprung to her feet.
