Melbourne City have announced the signing of 25-year-old Matildas defender Laura Alleway, their second official player announcement in the lead-up to their debut W-League season.
The former Melbourne Victory player – whose stint in blue lasted 17 appearances between 2008-2010 – was an integral part of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign, playing in all five games in their run to the Quarter-Finals.
She has spent her last five years with the Brisbane Roar, totalling 40 games and one goal in her time further north, including the 2012-13 Premiership.
Alleway also spent time in the English Top-Flight with Notts County LFC in 2012, where she played three games before returning to Brisbane.
The centre-half arrives back in her home state to embark on a season of the unexplored under Joe Montemurro and his newly formed Melbourne City team.
“We haven’t yet played together and it’s a fresh team, but there is a lot of optimism and excitement around this season, our team and the Club,” Alleway revealed in a Melbourne City press release.
“As the team builds, we are really looking forward to working together and hopefully create something special with City.”
Montemurro was equally thrilled to have captured the experienced defender and believes her presence will help shape his defence in the coming months.
“We are very excited to have Laura join Melbourne City FC in our inaugural season,” Montemurro said.
“Laura is an extremely talented defender who has a lot of domestic and international experience.
“To have Laura on board helps establish the foundations of our defence as we continue to build a competitive squad this season.”
She becomes the second former Melbourne Victory player to have been signed by the club following the announcement of Matildas skipper Lisa De Vanna as a City player.