A determined Canberra Olympic may have overcome Canberra Croatia last week in the Preliminary Final, but would need to find another gear coming into the Capital Football Grand Final against the undefeated Belconnen United on their home turf at McKellar Park.
For an alternate review, check out the Capital Football article from Sam Watson.
Grand Final: Belconnen United vs Canberra Croatia
With the benefit of a week off and the same starting lineup that got the job done in the Qualifying Final, the question on everyone’s lips was whether the Blue Devils could round out their season by claiming all trophies on offer.
Canberra Olympic would also kick off with the same starting eleven as their last match, but added Tehya Aspland to the bench for Nikita Perry. They came into the game knowing that they had beaten the Blue Devils in this very same fixture the last three seasons, even if the ladder leaders had won the 2025 competition by an imperious 17 points.
The early passages saw a strong tackle from Olympic captain Katrina Peric on Pascale La Hei – one of three flyers in the Blue Devils’ attack – in the Olympic area.
Peric would need to defend the first of several first-half corners not long after, a sign that the opposition was switched on early and better able to maintain possession.
It took only eight minutes for the speed in the Belconnen attack to bear fruit, when Talia Backhouse’s wide ball for La Hei was carried deep into the Olympic area despite the attention of Tayla Hampson. La Hei’s first inside ball was blocked, but the second off the rebound found the unattended Alina Roberts in the middle of the 6-yard box. Although the shot was at keeper Janet King, it was good enough to deflect over the line to open the scoring.
Midfield revelation Anneke Corry added to Olympic’s woes seconds later, perhaps still processing the first goal. A well-weighted ball from the outside of her foot through the centre of defence found Roberts on the move, and the finish this time was low into the bottom right corner. The shot was taken early in Roberts’ run from outside the penalty area, perhaps surprising King.
Two goals in a minute inside ten, and Olympic had it all to do.
The Blue Devils would continue their midfield dominance, with Roberts hitting the post in the 32nd minute, until the last five minutes of the half, when Olympic finally got some sustained time in and around the Belconnen area.
Olympic fullbacks Alyse Jensen and Hampson would follow their wingers – Bobbin and La Hei – whenever they switched flanks, under coach Franck Cachia’s instruction.
An Ailish McDonagh challenge on Maddy Cachia in the Belconnen area had the Olympic supporters in uproar, but nothing came of it, and the teams entered the sheds with a 2-0 scoreline.
Aspland came on for Hampson at the start of the second half, with Liana Alves dropping into the Olympic backline. Once again, it took just 8 minutes for the Blue Devils to reassert their dominance. Roberts burst onto a visionary Backhouse through ball, too quick for her defender, neatly tucking the ball into the bottom left corner for her hat-trick.
Substitutions began appearing near the hour mark for both teams. There was plenty of attacking firepower on the Olympic bench, with Maddy Whittall the first on for Jane Vanzino, hampered by a cork. At 3-0 down, there was no choice but for Olympic to get forward.
The combination of McDonagh’s through ball and Bobbin’s finish approaching King at speed in the 67th minute sealed the deal on the contest, however, and this would be the last goal of the 2025 season.
It was a bit of a mixed bag of a year for Canberra Olympic; they never quite had the aura and cohesion of their last three campaigns, despite the welcome returns of Tianah Miro and Janet King from their Canberra United experiences. Cachia and Aspland performed spectacularly well beyond their years. Player losses, injuries, and unavailability at various times didn’t help, and the team uncharacteristically struggled to find rhythm until the final third of the season.
It’s rare for a team to win at this level undefeated, and 2025 represents the culmination of Scott Conlon’s rebuild since taking the reins in 2022 after losing several senior players to Canberra Olympic. With some shrewd recruiting, the return of a couple of leaders, tactical nous, and an unwavering belief in the youthful talent in the squad, there can be no more satisfying day for the women’s arm of Belconnen United.
It will be interesting to see what 2026 has in store for both clubs; bring it on!
>>> Full match timeline and team line-ups can be found here <<<
Final score:
Belconnen United 4 (Alina Roberts 8′ 9′ 53′, Keira Bobbin 67′)
Canberra Olympic 0
