Asensational finish to the A-League Women regular season has set the scene for the first six-team finals series, which promises to be a litmus test for women’s football less than a year after the success of the Women’s World Cup as one club teeters on the brink of collapse. Melbourne City’s dramatic final day, snatching of the premiership ahead of Sydney FC, ended three years of regular season dominance by the northerners. And it was thanks to a shock 4-0 victory over the Sky Blues by City’s local rivals Melbourne Victory. The 2023-24 season has delivered the second straight year three teams from Victoria have finished in the top four, lending merit to claims of Melbourne being the country’s footballing capital. The Victory attacker Rachel Lowe, who hails from Sydney and has played for both her home town clubs Sydney FC and as a 15-year-old Western Sydney Wanderers debutant, says Melbourne’s pedigree as a football city, and the passion of the local fans, was impossible to ignore. “Sydney FC has a great history of winning premierships and trophies and they attract great talent, but I’d say Melbourne overall has a really strong football culture,” she says. “I just feel the passion is even stronger than Sydney.” Last year’s Women’s World Cup provided a springboard for the ALW, driving a record number of memberships and a bump in crowds. But that goodwill is being tested by Canberra United’s situation, with its operators, Capital Football, facing a $500,000 shortfall for next season. Lowe says it would be “a real shame” if the club folded, particularly so soon after the highs of the World Cup. “It’s frustrating when the World Cup was such a success, and we had big crowds and lots of media attention, but then it doesn’t necessarily translate into the A-League,” she says. Crowds have averaged more than 2,100 a match this season, according to Austadiums.com. The figure is up almost 800 on the previous campaign but it’s a long way from the draw of the Matildas and their run of 13 consecutive home sellouts. ALW players are advocates of the league’s product. The US defender Julia Grosso, who won City’s player of the year in her first season as a professional last year, says fans won’t be disappointed if these finals are anything like the season. “It’s going to be amazing, it’s definitely going to be eventful,” she says. City took home their third premiership, and first in four seasons, by beating Perth Glory in their final match. Grosso says the whole day was “crazy”, after they had to rely on Victory’s dramatic win over defending champions Sydney, played immediately before City’s game on the other side of the country. She says she values equally the regular season premiership and the championship, which is awarded to the grand final winner, even if a run in the finals is more exhilarating. “Grand finals are more ‘elimination, do or die’ – you have to make sure that you win, which is just a different type of hunger because you go into the game knowing that it could be your last.” This weekend Western United host Newcastle, and Melbourne Victory play Central Coast Mariners. The two winners will progress to the two-legged semi-finals against Melbourne City and Sydney FC the following weekend. Although they suffered three losses in March, Western United held on to third position following their grand final appearance last year, delivering impressive back-to-back achievements over their first two seasons in the competition. In recent weeks they have suffered key injuries, including a ruptured ACL to midfielder Adriana Taranto, and a hip complaint for co-captain and Matildas player Chloe Logarzo which she is hoping to overcome for the finals. The forward Catherine Zimmerman, who has recovered from a stress fracture in her foot, says the season has been a “rollercoaster” for her and the team. “The last two seasons have been just like injury after injury, so that’s beenkind of shit,” she says. “But I’ve worked my way back into the starting lineup and I think I can make an impact in that way.” In her first season with Victory Lowe has been finding her way back from chronic fatigue, and still feels her fitness hasn’t fully returned. The former No 10 is also adjusting to a role further forward but says she and the team are becoming more comfortable. “Winning 4-0 against Sydney is not an easy thing to do, and we’re really using that as kind of momentum building for the finals,” she says. While Lowe has one eye on silverware, the 23-year-old – who was capped once for the Matildas in 2018 – is also passionate about the state of the Australian game. “If you’re a fan of the Matildas, there are so many good quality players in the league that are on the verge of that squad and you have the opportunity to come watch them play every week,” she says. “There’s a lot of underrated players and it is a good league, and people should just come watch more and support us.”