Melbourne City goalkeeper Lydia Williams is preparing with withstand a Sydney FC onslaught and then fight for the Matildas No. 1 job as she prepares for a hectic three months of non-stop action.
Williams will be chasing her third W-League crown when City clashes against Sydney at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
But the Canberra junior also has one eye on impending Matildas duties at the Algarve Cup in Portugal and the Asian Cup, which will double as a World Cup qualifier.
Williams has been Australia's first-choice shot-stopper in recent years but is being challenged my Mackenzie Arnold and Eliza Campbell.
The first step will be stopping Sydney's all-star attack, boasting Lisa de Vanna and former Canberra teammate Georgia Yeoman-Dale.
Sydney was potent in attack this season, scoring 26 goals in 12 games, led by de Vanna and Kyle Ledbrook who bagged five each in the regular season.
"That will definitely keep me on my toes … you've just got to make sure everyone is reading the situation before it gets too dangerous," Williams said.
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"They'll be missing Caitlin Foord though, and you can't replace her. She's been massive and she's got a lot of support from around the league [after injuring her foot].
"You've got to have Matildas at the back of your mind. You want to be healthy for those games and the national team. I had to bide my time for six years waiting just to get a crack at being the Matildas No. 1.
"It's good to have healthy competition, it pushes and drives you. And I'm not giving up [the No. 1 spot] without a fight. But at the same time I'm getting to a stage where I have to look after my body."
Williams, 29, has been a part of the Matildas set up for the past 13 years and is bursting with excitement after the rise of Australian women's soccer in the past 12 months.
The Matildas are enjoying a golden period and there will be a distinct national-team flavour in the grand final showdown.
Melbourne City boasts five players – Steph Catley, Larissa Crummer, Alanna Kennedy, Kyah Simon and Williams – in the Matildas' 25-strong squad.
Sydney have four; Caitlin Cooper, Lisa De Vanna, Chloe Logarzo and Georgia Yeoman-Dale – with another in the stands.
It will give Australian coach Alen Stajcic the perfect chance to make selection decisions with big internationals looming.
"If you can produce in these circumstances there's no reason why you couldn't reproduce it at international level. The match has a lot of meaning for us," Stajcic said.
"Their earlier round match was probably the best W-League match I've seen this year.
"Sydney won 3-2 after being down a goal twice. A great match, and it turned Sydney's season around as they were 0-3."
City has won the last two W-League championships and Williams also won a grand final when playing for Canberra United in the 2011-12 season.
"It doesn't get easier, but it is familiar," Williams said.
"As a team we know we've got to keep grinding and keep going. That gives you experience, familiarity and confidence.
"When you have things go wrong and people write you off like they did this year … we can pull ourselves out of the scraps and that's exciting."
– with AAP
W-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL
Sunday: Sydney FC v Melbourne City at Allianz Stadium, 5pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1 and SBS Viceland.
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SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
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