If there were any doubts about Melbourne City’s squad depth, they were quashed on Sunday as the ‘ring-ins’ seamlessly slipped in for the missing Matildas in a 2-1 derby win against Melbourne Victory.
Four players made their first appearances for Melbourne City – two making their W-League debuts – with former Victory duo Hannah Brewer and Racheal Quigley lining up against their former side, with FC Bulleen Lions skipper Tessa Sernio making an appearance in the 89th minute.
The other player brought in on a short-term deal was Bundoora United left-back Tyla-Jay Vlajnic, who’d been training with the squad since the beginning of pre-season.
That showed as well, as she put in a fine display on the left of defence, providing an outlet on transition to the rotating Alex Chidiac and Beattie Goad in front of her.
Not only did her attacking efforts earn the plaudits of those watching, but so did her defensive work, as the short-statured Vlajnic powered through the air to clear Melindaj Barbieri’s shot off the goal line of AAMI Park.
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“These quads come in handy,” Vlajnic said in jest after the Melbourne Derby.
“I’m speechless, I honestly have nothing to say, just had to do what I had to do to get it off the line and do the team proud. All I saw was ball, and I thought ‘I’ve got to get to that’. So that’s all I thought and saw.”
That chance fell with the scores still level at 0-0, and was major in the context of the result.
While they headed into the break still deadlocked, Vlajnic relayed the rousing message given by her coach Joe Montemurro at half-time, who pointed at the occasion of the first Women’s Derby as the inspiration for the turnaround.
“Making history. It’s a huge game for the club, huge game for both clubs in fact and that’s all we had in the back of our mind,” she said.
“Obviously playing the game to the best of our abilities, doing what we’ve been doing at training and implementing it and then the will and the want, I think that showed in the second half.”
On her own performance, Vlajnic admitted she wasn’t as nervous as the backdrop and occasion set her up to be, and was grateful for the opportunity to make her maiden W-League bow.
“Honestly, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be. The girls are amazing and a great group, an amazing stage and experience, and as I said, I can’t be thankful enough.”
“[It was] an amazing experience and I cannot be thankful enough. I take each day, each game, each training session as it comes and thank City for letting me be a part of it.
“I’m just going to rock up to each training and take it each game as it comes and im sure Joe [Montemurro] does the same. I expect to be a part of the team, try my best and that’s all really.”
It may just prove to be her last performance in the W-League this season, with all of City’s star names set to return to action next week, but her vibrant display showed she’s more than capable of playing at a top-flight level.