Ahead of yesterday’s Grand Final Sydney FC Captain Teresa Polias opened up to Neos Kosmos about a W-League campaign that was rocked by the sacking of Matildas coach Alen Stacjic.
The permutations of Matildas coach Alen Stacjic’s sacking is still being felt through Australian football a month on from the shock announcement.
Sydney FC’s W-League team in particular was affected as the squad contained a number of Matildas players.
Greek Australian Teresa Polias played under Stajcic at Sydney FC for several seasons and he made her captain the same year Sydney FC won their last W-League title.
Polias also made her debut for the Australian national team under Stacjic and she feels the timing of the coach’s sacking by FFA was poor.
“It wasn’t handled in a very good way,” she told Neos Kosmos.
“There were W-League games on that week, with Matildas playing for spots. I thought that was odd they would announce it before all of the games. When a team is preparing and you hear such big news of course it’s going to distract people. Our girls were shocked, they were shell shocked. So that was hard to deal with.”
Despite the unwanted distraction, Sydney FC still managed to defeat Brisbane Roar that weekend and Polias believes that determination to succeed is why they’re facing Perth Glory in the decider.
“We have managed to get to the Grand final in quite a tumultuous season, the closest season ever, and we want to take this opportunity,” she said.
“Football is our escape. We go into that zone and we love it, when we go out on that field nothing else really matters. We got through that game, so thankfully the girls put it aside and they were able to perform and I don’t except anything less from them.”
Sydney FC W-League coach Ante Juric, is also the General Manager of Greek backed club Sydney Olympic. He told Neos Kosmos that Polias will be a key player for Sydney FC in the W-League Grand Final.
“She for me is the glue of the team,” he said. “When things are tough she is fighting and when things are good she is there leading. I can’t do without her and we’ve needed her as we have had some tough times this year. I’m glad for her that we have made another Grand Final and with her being the captain of the team, she is a fantastic player.”