Article: Matt Nicoletti & Jeremy Magan
Photo: Anthony Caffery Photography

The most heard comment from Deakin Stadium this season has been the infamous “we can do better”. Despite winning their nine games in 2020, NPLW coach Nik Brozinic and captain Grace Gill are proud to say their team has improved all year.

“We are getting better week in, week out,” Brozinic said. “The most important thing for us was to keep improving. I hold high expectations for the team, I know what they can do individually and as a squad.”

“We are coming in good form now,” Gill added. “We were able to grow each week, it’s a very good place to be in. We are hitting our stride at the most important time of the season.”

The Semi-Final performance against Canberra Olympic on Sunday was another show of strength and experience for Canberra Croatia.

"There were a few patches where we made it difficult for ourselves,” the captain admits, “but we are very happy with the result. To score four goals in a semi-final is really pleasing.”

This Saturday. both coach and captain know what they are up against - a team that knows how to win NPLW Grand Finals. 

“They are a formidable side,” Gill admits. “Ten straight Grand Finals speaks to their strength and experience. They have got players who have been on every single of these 10 Grand Finals too. We know it’s always going to be a tough game.”

The “Canberra Classico” will be the NPLW Grand Final for the sixth time in a row, but this year it feels different.

“The rivalry is really rich, we are mindful of it but it is probably different this year," Gill said. "They have got the quality, but we have had different seasons. We have nine wins, a first for us, while Belconnen had uncharacteristic results.”

Brozinic predicts a disputed Grand Final, maybe without a lot of goals. “It is going to be a tough, physical battle, a tightly contested match of football. Hopefully, we can come up with the win to cap off a really good season for us.”

Canberra Croatia won the trophy once, in 2017, thanks to their keeper Chantel Jones, the hero of the penalty shoot-out that day. Three years later, they believe their time has come once again.

“We do believe it is achievable this season,” assures Gill. “We have been building for a few years now. We are a team that is able to win the Grand Final. We know we can."