The anticipation building around Adelaide United’s maiden semi-final on Sunday against Melbourne Victory is palpable, and for Dylan Holmes she is incredibly excited ahead of the blockbuster match.
The clash at Coopers Stadium coincides with the Reds partnering the CFS Foundation to raise funds and awareness for the organisation, while dedicating the double header to volunteer firefighter and Reds fan, Louise Hincks.
Ms Hincks was tragically killed by a falling tree battling a bushfire at Coles, near Lucindale in the state’s south-east in January this year.
“For me I’m really excited that we’re partnering with the CFS Foundation for this game,” Holmes told reporters outside Coopers Stadium on Wednesday.
“I’ve lived in the Adelaide Hills for a fairly long time, so for me I think it’s extra special because I really understand the work that they do and the bravery that they show every day.”
Holmes has spent her entire A-League Women’s career with Adelaide, playing 52 matches and scoring four goals.
This season she has been an integral presence in United’s midfield, starting all 11 games she has featured in.
The 24-year-old described the upcoming match as “one of the biggest games of her career”.
“I’m so excited this will be one the biggest games of my career,” she admitted.
“It’s been such a long time coming. I think the fact that we have so many South Australian girls in our squad, we really understand the significance of this moment.
“And I think we’re going to go into this game with a lot of confidence and hopefully with a really good crowd there to support us as well.”
Despite the understandable excitement, Holmes admitted they cannot afford to be overcome by the magnitude of the occasion.
“We’re in a totally new situation with this final,” she said.
“None of us have ever played finals in the A-League women’s before, so it’s a new experience for us.
“But luckily we’ve played Melbourne Victory twice already this season so we know what to expect and know our position really well.
“I think having a home field advantage is really going to help us in that moment so we’re excited.”
Victory are winless in their past five matches which included United inflicting a 3-0 loss in the penultimate round of the campaign.
However, Holmes believed come finals time form becomes a bit redundant.
“I think come finals everything gets thrown out the window,” she continued.
“I think it’ll be a totally different game to what it was a couple of weeks ago.
“And I think we would be naïve to expect a similar game to the last time we played them.”
