Melbourne Victory star midfielder Jess Fishlock and coach Dave Edmondson have hailed the home side’s performance after securing a deserved maiden Westfield W-League grand final win.
Goals late in the first half from Lisa De Vanna and Lauren Barnes proved enough for the Victory to earn a relatively comfortable win on home turf and overcome the disappointment of last year’s grand final loss.
Inspirational Victory midfielder Fishlock was named player of the match after setting up the first goal and providing a typical high-energy performance in the midfield.
“I thought we were outstanding, and put in one of the best performances of the season,” said Fishlock.
“To win a final 2-0, and what I would was quite comfortable in the end, is a great great achievement.
“The most important thing for me is that won. The player of the match is nice but completely secondary to winning the title. I’m really happy for the girls, they all really deserve this.
“I know what this means to the girls. And I’m really happy for Stephanie Catley to win as captain at such a young age, which is just brilliant.”
The match also proved a fitting finale for outgoing Melbourne coach Dave Edmondson who now returns to his native England to take the reins of leading English Super League outfit Bristol Academy.
“This was all about hard work, and we put hard work in all year, so it was about continuing that today,” said Edmondson.
“The goals made the second half relatively comfortable. I thought it was an all-round strong performance from us. I never really felt nervous and that was credit to the girls.
“A loss in a final is pretty devastating and they have probably learnt from it (last year’s defeat).
“There is plenty of growth in this team yet. Who is to say Melbourne can’t be a force for the next ten (years).”