RHALI Dobson has only spent 48 hours in her new home in Newcastle in the past six months. In September, she sacrificed what she’d known for a decade in the Hunter for a fresh start in Melbourne.
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Now, the Wauchope junior will appear in the W-League grand final for Melbourne City in Sydney on Sunday. It makes the tears, phone calls and countless airport goodbyes with partner Matt Stonham worth it as the most successful W-League club in history aim to complete three-straight premiership triumphs.
“When I moved to Melbourne I decided I was going to chuck it all away and build myself back from the ground up. I sacrificed a lot of time with my family, friends and with Matt and we’ve done exceptionally well the last six months to see each other as much as we have,” she said.
“I managed to fly home at Christmas, but he was doing a lot of the travel for me.”
Sunday’s W-League decider will have a distinct Wauchope flavour with Sydney FC centre back Caitlin Cooper, also a Wauchope junior, set to line up in defence for the Sky Blues.
You sacrifice a lot of yourself in a move like this.
- Rhali Dobson
“Caitlin is a bit older than me and she’d moved on and was playing in the Sydney comp so I never played against her at home. I played against her sisters in Wauchope when we had the women’s competition,” she said.
Dobson sees Sunday’s match as a win for regional and grassroots football.
“What is so important is remembering where your roots are because they’ve essentially been a major part of where we’ve both gotten to today,” she said.
“It’s a little victory for all the rural parts of Australia that two very rural-based girls from the same town have made a grand final. I hope it reinforces to coaches across the competition that you shouldn’t rely on your urban areas to provide you with players.”
She says many players never get a chance because they’re never discovered.
It’s a little victory for all the rural parts of Australia that two very rural-based girls from the same town have made a grand final.
- Rhali Dobson
“Wauchope has now provided three Matildas and to have two Wauchope players in a grand final will be special in itself,” she said.
Dobson enjoyed grand final week and looks forward to the 5pm kick-off on Sunday at Allianz Stadium.
“To make a W-League grand final is the ultimate; there are players that go their entire careers not making a national grand final so to do that is special in itself,” she said.
The 25-year-old said she would look forward to stepping up to the spot with a premiership on the line.
“The aim is to have it all done and dusted in 90 minutes, but I’d happily put up my hand to take a penalty,” she said.
The W-League grand final will be broadcast on Fox Sports from 5pm on Sunday.
