South Melbourne WFC boss Socrates Nicolaidis revealed the secret behind unlocking his side’s full potential in the immediate build-up to the their WPL Grand Final success.
The hallowed halls of the Veneto Club was the canvas for an inspired pre-game speech involving a black marker, an arm and plenty of emotion.
“They found it within themselves to take [their game] to another level,” Nicolaidis said of his players who triumphed over Boroondara Eagles in an epic penalty shootout encounter.
“We said inside the dressing room, whatever happens, work out who you’re playing for. We all put a name across our forearm, who we wanted to play for today and I told them, ‘When the times get tough, look who you’re playing for’.
“Look around at your teammates, because it could be the last time you play as a club together. They did it and I’m very proud.”
Nicolaidis admitted the triumph came as somewhat of a surprise in a season where their main focus had been on player progression and showcasing the club as a side that plays football “to be proud of”.
“It’s been a challenge all year. I think it was more important to encourage the girls to play a style of football that we want to be proud of and that we want to bring here in Victoria,” he said.
“Our goal was always to play the last game of the season and we achieved that. It’s a little bit sad that we had to play to penalty kicks; both teams had a comedy of errors, but we’ll take the win.”
The build-up to the contest throughout the week was a low-key one for South Melbourne, with their head coach stating their focus was on treating the contest as a “one-off” affair, and matching their output in the engine room.
“I think the key was to focus on it being one game; it was just one event. I think our preparation has always been to think of one game and this was a one-off game,” Nicolaidis said.
“We just focused on our strengths; we didn’t worry about them too much. We wanted to play our football with four in the midfield, versus their three.
“Like I said, it was a comedy of errors in terms of the goals that were scored, but in the end, penalty kicks, we end up winning.”