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Melbourne City celebrating a goal against Taichung Blue Whale in the AFC Champions League Quarter-Finals. Photo supplied by Melbourne City FC.

Following their thrilling 2-1 win against Canberra United in the elimination finals, Central Coast Mariners locked in their semi-finals’ opponent, the thus-far invincible Melbourne City.

The two sides will now compete in a two-legged semi-final series with the winner on aggregate to progress to the Grand Final.

The first of these two games will be played on Saturday, May 3rd, kicking off at 2:15pm AEST at Industree Group Stadium, while the second game will be played the following Saturday, May 10th, with locations and times to still be confirmed.

Key Players

Isabel Gomez

A pillar of the midfield, Isabel Gomez has had a career-best season even with a serious knee injury ruling her out for three months and stealing her opportunity for an Australian National Team call up.

Gomez has been awarded Player of the Month by the PFA not once, but twice this season, in November and again in March, proving that the time she spent out of the game had less than no impact on her ability.

She tops the statistics for the Mariners both in tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes and has increased her attacking involvement compared to last season too making her one to watch out for in any area on the pitch.

Jade Pennock

Jade Pennock arrived at Central Coast Mariners at the start of this season on a loan from Birmingham City and it looks as though the English International is picking exactly the right time to find her form for her side.

Pennock has been an attacking threat throughout the regular season, racking up a number of shots, but her conversion rate has thus far been fairly poor. Thankfully she seems to have chosen now to get her shots over the line as it was her two spectacular goals in the elimination final against Canberra that sealed the win for her side.

If she decides to continue scoring at the rate she did on Monday night, Melbourne City had better be ready.

Taylor Ray

It was initially unclear if Taylor Ray would make it to this game after exiting the elimination final injured and showing up on the sidelines later with ice strapped to her ankle, but Ray has avoided being cut from Emily Husband’s side.

Ray has made a number of changes this season in her footballing career, moving to Central Coast from Sydney, and moving from midfield to defence to shore up an injury stricken back-line. Both moves had paid dividends for Ray as she’s become an indispensable member of a team that’s playing finals football.

Holly McNamara

Despite only playing 17 games out of a possible 23, and being on the return from her third ACL injury, Holly McNamara scored 15 goals, proving that she’s exactly the player everyone thought she was going to be.

Scoring on average at once every 57.2 minutes, McNamara is inevitable and undeniable. She can be shut out of games as seen in City’s Asian Women’s Champion League quarter-final, but seemingly never in a way that actually manages to impact the team’s results on the scoreboard.

Good luck to the Central Coast Mariners’ back-line who have to deal with her for two games in a row.

Rebekah Stott

Melbourne City’s captain and three-time invincible player, Rebekah Stott has seen and done it all for the club.

An intrepid defender, who collected her first ever yellow for the club in the final round of this season, despite having previously played five seasons with City, Stott is the level-headed leader who up until two weeks ago, had literally never put a foot (or arm) wrong.

Stott does her work as a central defender with an ease that looks almost unnatural and still finds the opportunity to take the ball on marauding runs into attack.

Rebekah Stott in action for Melbourne City against Sydney FC in Round 16 of the 2024/25 A-League Women season. Photo: Marcus Robertson/Round Ball Australia

Laura Hughes

Laura Hughes is perhaps one of the more overlooked stars of this Melbourne City side. The defensive midfielder joined City for the 2023/24 season and has been a mainstay in the starting line-up ever since.

Hughes is a clever player both on and off the ball and more than willing to sacrifice her own personal success as a player to ensure her side’s success.

Hughes played every minute of the 2024/25 ALW season in a way that her absence would likely make this City side completely different and honestly, probably not as successful as it has been.

How the Central Coast Mariners Win

To win these games and make it to the Grand Final, Central Coast Mariners are going to have to do what has been done by no other team so far, and that is beat Melbourne City.

To do so they’re going to have to keep McNamara at bay for as long as they can, which is no easy feat.

Their back-line will have to hold incredibly strong and Gomez will probably have to have two of the biggest games of her career so far to secure their place in the Grand Final.

How Melbourne City Win

Melbourne City succeed in these games by continuing to do what they’ve done best all season. Win.

They can do it a number of ways too, going ahead early and staying ahead, making a late charge to rescue a draw, coming back from a deficit, they’ve done it all.

While the knowledge that they haven’t lost a single game so far in all competitions may be a weight on their shoulders, it’s not one they don’t know how to carry, and if anything, it may just propel them further.

Neutralising the threat of Gomez and taking shots that are threatening to the Mariners’ keeper Sarah Langman will be crucial for them to ensure they leave Gosford with nothing less than a point either way.

Prediction

Considering all the available information, these games are most likely going to end in City’s favour but an argument can be drawn for Central Coast managing to hang onto a draw in their home fixture. Melbourne will progress after the end of the two legs, ending at least 3-1 on aggregate.

Listen to the latest episode of The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube, with new episodes every Wednesday.

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