Melbourne Victory’s W-League head coach, Jeff Hopkins, has answered your questions.
Mark James asks: Are you going to take the Matildas job?
“No, it’s not up for grabs. I think our new head coach has a tough job but definitely the man for the job and I am 100% behind him.”
@EddieB_3 asks: Do you think Polly Doran’s long-term position will be at right-back?
“In the short-term I think it will be. Polly is a very talented player and I think she is equally as affective as a full-back as she is a winger. We’ll see how she develops.”
Paul Barb Holiday asks: Should De Vanna and Cooney-Cross be in the Matildas squad?
“I think they’ve both proven that they can be really valuable to the Matildas and I think the least that should happen is they should be given a chance.”
Edward Muh asks: What was the role you gave Lisa De Vanna within the squad?
“Lisa has quite a free role within the team. She plays right the way across the front line. In any position she plays, she works really hard as well as being a real motivator and role model for the rest of the team.”
Raghav Murthy asks: Are we aiming to go back-to-back next season?
“Most definitely. We don’t go out to lose every week, we go out to win every game. We’ll definitely be out for back-to-back.”
@victory_vikings asks: Which moment or performance are you most satisfied with?
“There’s probably too many to pick one out, but when you see someone as young as Kyra Cooney-Cross step up in the last minute of the game and be able to execute her skills like she did. That gave me a huge amount of satisfaction and really pleased me. She has been amazing this year and for a player as young as she is, moments like that give me a real buzz.”
@ReusSimon asks: What impact would an extended season have on your development?
“More games, more opportunities to coach. More opportunities to coach in moments of the game and more opportunities to test myself. More games make a better coach.”
@simdog8 asks: How does it feel to contribute to the growth of women’s football in Australia?
“I feel really proud that Victory and the programme at Victory is making a big contribution to the development of women’s football. I think it’s really important we’re not just about ourselves, we’re about the Matildas and growing the game in women’s football.”
