A-League Women finals a tale of tragedy, resilience and anti-romance

Stories are an integral part of the human condition. Through the power of narrative, humanity is able to organise and contextualise its experiences, allow meaning to be assigned to what is important, and, potentially, change its perceptions of what has come before.

The symbiotic relationship between storytelling and sport, therefore, is obvious. It is through the avenue of stories that we chronicle not only what happened in a contest but also why it happened and, more importantly, why we should care. And after a challenging season, this weekend’s A-League Women’s finals certainly delivered a much-needed shot in the arm on the folklore front.

Related: Chelsea’s Sam Kerr breaks Aston Villa at the last to boost WSL title tilt

Looking at Friday evening’s semi-final between Sydney FC and Melbourne City, for instance, the most basic descriptor is that the Sky Blues defeated City 4-2 to book a place in the ALW grand final in a fortnight’s time.

But dive a little deeper and a tale of resilience, heartbreak, excellence, and overwhelming joy reveals itself.

Initially, it appeared a parable on hubris: the Sky Blues altering their pre-game routine to stage a presentation for their newly won premiers’ plate only to find themselves down 2-0 after an hour thanks to Hannah Wilkinson’s brace. But buoyed by half-time addition Cortnee Vine, Sydney rallied, halving the deficit through their Matildas attacker in the 73rd minute before snatching a heart-stopping late equaliser through María José Rojas in the 91st.

Down to 10 players thanks to Tyla-Jay Vlajnic’s 88th-minute red card, the wilting visitors had no answer as Sarah Hunter and Vine powered their side home in extra-time. Salt was then poured onto wounds when goalkeeper Melissa