In June, Jeff Hopkins was named W-League Coach of the Year at the Dolan Warren Awards, becoming the first coach to win this award three times. Two days later, Melbourne Victory rewarded him with a two year contract extension.
Hopkins has now been at Victory for five years and in the W-League for nine of its 13 seasons. His individual accolades have generally come off the back of team success.
His first award came when he led the then Queensland Roar over a decade ago. A side consisting entirely of Australian talent etched its name into the history books by winning the double in 2008-09, the W-League’s inaugural season.
His second came after he guided Melbourne Victory to a top of the table finish in 2018-19. It was a remarkable turnaround considering the team were wooden spooners only two seasons earlier.
However, this third award came after a season like no other.
“You had to go through roadblocks and going through roadblocks and things like that, it was quite – I actually forgot what it was like until the other day. I think back, it was quite different times,” Hopkins recalled when we spoke in April 2021.
The roadblocks he’s referring to are the physical border created between metropolitan and regional Victoria during the depths of the state’s lockdown in 2020.
In order to travel between the two, you needed a permit as police and defence personnel were checking in with every car.
View this post on Instagram
There were only four reasons to leave your house, and when you did, you couldn’t travel further than five kilometres. Among the many, many things you couldn’t do, playing football was one of them. While other states were able to run condensed seasons, Victorian football in 2020 was largely a blank space.
“It is funny, because that just seems such a long time ago now. And you kind of soon forget, but when you sit back and you reflect on what it was like back then, I wasn’t sure what type of a squad that we’d be able to assemble this year,” Hopkins admitted.
So how do you go about building a squad under these conditions?
“I think luckily, I’m reasonably active in the local competitions. I’ve got a good eye on the talent in the local competition, keep in touch with a few other coaches as well. So I kind of knew who was about. There was a few good stories around as well.”
Those stories couldn’t have been more varied. There was Kayla Morrison, an American centre back who had been playing for Bulleen Lions in NPLW Victoria since 2018. A two time Media Player of the Year, she secured a move to Sweden for season 2020.
Club captain Angie Beard was quarantining in Iceland more than she was playing actual football. Claudia Bunge and Annalie Longo were in New Zealand. Amy Jackson and Kyra Cooney-Cross were in Queensland and New South Wales respectively.
On the opposite end of the spectrum were players like Catherine Zimmerman and Gaby Garton.
Zimmerman had been playing for Calder United in the NPLW for two seasons and couldn’t leave Melbourne. Garton, an American-born Argentinian who was in La Albiceleste’s squad for the 2019 World Cup in France, moved to Melbourne with her partner. She planned to play the 2020 season with Essendon Royals – a team in the third tier of Victorian football.
“It was interesting. But we had to work hard to work out what our options were but we had a bit of luck as well. We were just lucky that Kayla was on her way back from Sweden, we were lucky that Zimm couldn’t get out and Gaby as well, who had an amazing season for us, got better and better each game.”
The difference in considerations and conversations for players not in Melbourne versus those in Melbourne was stark. Hopkins knew those playing overseas and interstate were indeed playing. Something needed to be done for those in Melbourne. Victory needed exemptions.
“Before the preseason, we worked on getting permits and exemptions for the players to come in and train. That was a really important time that we had, seven weeks of training leading into preseason, where we got the players back training in small groups and bigger groups and used to being part of a team again,” Hopkins explained.
Around half of Victory’s squad was able to take part in this pre-preseason, which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of club administration. Those seven weeks were vital for Hopkins and the team.
“It gave me a little bit more confidence after a few weeks that there was enough talent in the group that we were working with to put together a good side. Especially if we could recruit the girls that we were talking with that were overseas.”
“It was a little bit different, the process was obviously a lot different than we did normally. But it’s worked out pretty well.”
Covid affected the whole league in various ways. It was an elephant that couldn’t and wouldn’t be ignored.
“We addressed Covid right from the start. I think that was one of the first things we did in the meeting was say, right, look, this is going to be a season like no other. And there’s going to be things that go on this year that we’re just going to have to deal with. And there’s going to be times where you’re gonna have to make a decision to just get on with things and deal with what’s in front of us or make a fuss and let things upset us.
“And we kind of made a bit of a pledge at that time to say, right, we’re just gonna get on with things, deal with things and almost laugh things off when they happen.”
The league’s opening round fixtures were chopped and shifted several times. Changing restrictions and border closures wreaked havoc throughout the season.
On the field, Victory ran the full gamut of results, defeating Melbourne City 6-0 and losing to Brisbane Roar by the same score line.
Lisa De Vanna’s incredible run from her own half wins @WLeague Goal of the Year for 2020/21 🔥 #DWAwards #MVFC pic.twitter.com/CPeH1PWvHS
— Victory W-League (@victorywleague) June 23, 2021
The Roar loss proved to be a turning point. Following the thumping, the team would go on to concede only six goals for the rest of the season.
Victory simmered into the finals. The other three teams were: Sydney FC, who put together a strong, consistent season; a Brisbane side that utilised the strength of Matildas and local talent; and Canberra, who powered back into the finals led by the likes of Michelle Heyman and Kendall Fletcher.
The penultimate week of Victory’s season saw Hopkins’ charges play three games in quick succession. A 6-0 triumph over Perth was followed by a 2-1 loss to Sydney in the Premier’s Plate decider, then a 6-2 semi-final win over the Roar booked Victory’s spot in the Grand Final.
After semi final exits in each of the last two seasons, Victory made it to the Grand Final. The team in navy created chance after chance in a tough and tense affair. Jada Whyman’s player of the match performance in Sydney’s goal told the tale.
It took the last minute of extra time and something as spectacular and rare as an Olimpico – a goal scored directly from a corner kick – from Cooney-Cross to secure Victory its second W-League Championship.
However, this win wasn’t just remarkable in the context of the Covid season. It was the culmination of five years of work from Hopkins and Victory.
Jeff Hopkins took over the reins at Melbourne Victory a season after Melbourne City entered the competition. City swept the league in 2015-16 with a squad featuring numerous former Victory players.
In that season and the one following it, Melbourne Victory finished dead last.
“I think when you come into something like that, there were things that just needed to change. Obviously, we needed to gradually improve playing squads. We needed to build a culture,” Hopkins said.
“We needed to get players that wanted to be at the club for the right reasons. And I don’t think it was anything really terrible there. I just think it needed a little bit of direction, a little bit of guidance and an end goal as well.”
The coach credits Victory with giving him the necessary time to build things and get them right.
In 2017-18, Hopkins signed 20 year old Angie Beard, 18 year old Melina Ayres and Cooney-Cross, who was 15 at the time. Four seasons later, those three players would become Victory’s captain, golden boot and grand final winner.
They joined the likes of Mindy Barbieri and Lia Privitelli, who had been at the club for years.
“For me, that was one of the special things, going through this championship with those players that I’ve been there with from almost day one. And seeing it didn’t happen overnight. We finished bottom in our first season. So it wasn’t a real quick turnaround, it’s been a five year journey to get to this.
“They’re the things that really pleased me and give me the most satisfaction because that’s what it’s all about. We want people to enjoy being here, and to be part of our family. And they’ve proved that they want to be here.
“They’ve stuck with us. I’m so pleased for all of those players that have been through a lot of tough times with us. They’ve really deserved the accolades that they’ve got this year because they’ve worked hard over the years.
“I think they’re all setting them up to have long, long careers in the game. If you can come through a bit of adversity when you’re younger, it just sets you up for the rest of your football life.”
Hopkins’ Coach of the Year award isn’t just a testament to Victory’s Championship win or its five year climb up the ladder. This season saw Hopkins become the first person to coach 100 W-League games, meaning the award is a mark not only of his success (two Premier’s Plates and three Championships), but of his longevity as well.
View this post on Instagram
Back in April, Hopkins said with a laugh that he hadn’t really reflected on his 100 game milestone or the success that he had achieved.
“It was quite funny actually because I didn’t realise it was my 100th game until somebody told me in an interview at halftime in the game. No look, I think you get caught up in the team and in just making sure everything’s right with the team. I think that’s the kind of life of a coach and that’s kind of where I am at moment.
“I’m obviously just really happy with the way things went this year. And to be honest, it doesn’t really bother me that much. For me, it’s all about the team. And I’m a part of that team. So I’m talking about myself, the backroom staff, or the team that supports us. And the players, we’re all one.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if this latest award was also one that he put down to the success of the team. It is success he will want to maintain after signing a two year contract extension, just with fewer roadblocks.
