Photo: Sportsgraphy/Frank Khamees
While it was the combination of Brydie Siryj and Enza Barilla that stole the headlines for their Championship winning exploits in extra time, there was another pair that had even more of a say in the outcome of the Grand Final.
For large parts of Calder United’s match-up against Galaxy United, they were the second best team on the park.
Galaxy deployed a four pronged attack from wide areas with goalscorer Caitlin Pickett, spirited Kariah White, dependable Sadie Murphy and official best-on-ground Annabel Martin all causing trouble and putting plenty of nervy deliveries into the box and troubling with their pace and direct running.
In their path however was the the formidable figures of Rachel Binning and Kasha Meyer posted in the 18-yard-box, who were ferocious in the challenge and posed a rare combination of mobility and aerial prowess.
“From a Calder perspective, I think our two central defenders were pretty special and you couldn’t really separate either of them, said coach Mark Torcaso in the aftermath of the Grand Final triumph.
“Rachel Binning and Kasha Meyer were as solid as a rock all game and they kept everything out as best as they could.”
Binning was proud of the way the whole defensive unit worked together, especially under the pressure of performing in a Grand Final, but found special praise for her American central defensive partner.
“Me and Kash work really well together, I couldn’t think of a better player to have by my side,” said Binning.
“We knew it was a game that mattered the most so we had to do everything we could to help our team. We did our job and did it really well.
“I think there’s always that extra pressure on you when you’re playing in a Grand Final, knowing your family, other players, other coaches are there watching you as well as your coaches and players relying on you to perform is always on your mind. I think it helped us perform at our best.”
The one blip on an otherwise faultless afternoon’s work was Galaxy’s opening goal, which saw Galaxy’s White pick the ball up from an Annabel Martin pass and swing a perfectly weighted cross to an unmarked Caitlin Pickett.
The 19-year-old spoke on the mental challenge of going down a goal, especially when Galaxy threatened to push further on, but was proud of Calder’s response and efforts at the ball thereon out.
“It’s always a challenging moment mentally when you go a goal down, especially in a final and against a side that was performing better than us at the time,” she said.
We didn’t let that keep us down and give up; we had to fight and give it all we could to win. We didn’t hold anything back and that fight enabled us to pull of a great win.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better competition than Galaxy, they definitely performed on the day and gave us a hard contest. I thought we played a good game, we were hard at it and wouldn’t let losing be an option.
“I definitely think we deserved to win, we won the Minor Premiership finishing first on the ladder, and that just shows we’ve been the best side all year round.
“So to finish it off by winning the Championship was even better because we knew we deserved it.”
It marks a meteoric rise for the imposing centre-half, who has realised a lot of the potential pencilled alongside her name since her days breaking through as a 15-year-old at Casey Comets.
Her last season with the Cranbourne-based outfit was an incredibly tough season on the park, as the club finished third last and just four points off the bottom of the ladder.
She admits it was easy to slide into a club enjoying better fortunes on the park, and was delighted to have had former coach Ian Williamson there for the journey with her.
“Adjusting to that winning feeling couldn’t have been easier, there’s nothing better than coming from a side who had a rough season to a side who won the league,” Binning said.
“It was more adjusting to a new team and the new environment, I loved Casey regardless of our results and those girls will always be family to me, now I just have a bigger family added on with Calder.
“I think that being in a winning environment and around players who have more experience has enabled me to develop me as a player. I’ve learnt a lot from the quality of players and coaching staff around me and I believe that is why this year I’ve been noticed more than the last four years.
“I’ve learnt so much being at Calder, being here has improved my skill level by a heap, and it’s given me the confidence to take chances in games.
“When I found out Ian was going to be here, I was over the moon. I loved having him as a coach at Casey and knowing he’d be there helping me develop at Calder was great.
“I owe him so much with everything he’s done for me, I couldn’t be more grateful for having someone like Ian as my coach.”
One other factor that has fast-tracked the development of the precocious talent is her elevation into a senior leadership role, which she believes has put a good level of pressure on her to perform week-in, week-out for her side.
That expectation has seen her scrutinise her own performances at stages this season, giving herself a target for improvement next season, which is more consistency in her top-tier performances.
“Being co-captain automatically puts pressure on you to perform not only on the pitch but off it as well.
“It’s made me feel and want to perform better each week for my team and the coaches who have trusted me with that title.
“I can’t say that I’ve had the perfect season, there’s been many games where I haven’t performed at all and there’s been times where I have, I think I’ve been a lot more inconsistent then I would have liked.
The centre-half is currently still in trialling ahead of the W-League season, but is hoping this is the year that she can break through on the national stage.
“W-League is definitely something I aim for,” she told.
“To be able to get an opportunity at a W-League side is all I’ve wanted for years, so let’s hope this year I can get to that extra step.”