Grace Maher to face former club Melbourne Victory as Canberra United intensify finals bid

Because there's more than just bragging rights over her former team on the cards for Maher when she returns to Epping Stadium on Sunday.

It's a chance for Canberra to force their way back into the W-League's top four, with the Victory result instrumental in shaping the business end of the season.

Vicki Linton's outfit fell to fifth on the ladder last week as they had a bye, leaving them to rue two successive losses to Sydney FC and Adelaide United.

Victory enter the clash on a three-match winning streak, but Maher is determined to deliver against her former club as the race to the top four heats up.

"Our focus this week has been on that Victory match because we know how important it is, it's one of those six points games," Maher said.

"They need the three [points] and so do we, if we can take it off them then that's going to put us in a really good path for the run home.

"We've worked really hard on refining the little things. We've talked about not being good enough for the last two games, but we're aware of what wasn't good enough.

"We should be better each game regardless of results and something away from each one, that will put us in good stead for the rest of the season."

MORE CANBERRA SPORT

Maher has been looking forward to playing Victory since before the season started, with border restrictions forcing officials to reschedule the clash twice.

"It was funny because we were meant to play them in a preseason friendly and then border restrictions meant we didn't get to play. Then we were meant to play them [in round eight]," Maher said.

"Now I've been back in Canberra, playing and loving it, I almost forgot that it was the team I was at for a few years.

"I think it's good, it's like any other game. I have a lot of good friends on the team and I'm as competitive as ever."

United will play five straight matches to close out the regular season, pending COVID-19 developments.

Linton said her team is ready for the challenge, with the bye week giving them a chance to reset and focus on the sprint towards finals.

"This group of players is really good, it has been a challenging season in a whole lot of ways," Linton said. "We're just in a good place, all we can do is put our best foot forward and see what happens.

"The bye fell mid-season, so it was a good opportunity to take a breather."

W-LEAGUE ROUND 10

Sunday: Melbourne Victory v Canberra United at Epping Stadium, 4.05pm

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: