Lisa De Vanna, Teresa Polias set for W-League Grand Final showdown

He had a right to be upset. Tameka Yallop's phantom goal in the 10th minute, which seemed to hit the crossbar and bounce over the line before bouncing out again, likely would have changed the complexion of the match. Indeed, the two sides should have gone into the break at 1-1 had Catherine Zimmerman not been awarded a soft free kick for what seemed to be her slipping over on her own, which resulted in a second Victory goal.

And while the bizarre penalty decision didn't amount to anything after Melina Ayres' miss, it was the kind of symbolic gesture that told Brisbane that luck was not on their side -- a point hammered home when both Mariel Hecher and Yallop had goals disallowed in the final 10 minutes for questionable offside calls.

You can't really blame Goodship, then, for letting off some steam when the commentators invited him to. Had these calls gone other ways, the game likely would have been much closer than what it ended up being (that is, the most goals Brisbane Roar have ever conceded in the W-League).

And, while VAR is largely viewed as a blight on the game, there is still something to be said for goal-line technology and the use of video reviews for referee howlers like wrongly awarded penalties. Regardless, one thing is for sure: This semifinal will go down as a classic, and that "in my opinion" interview from Goodship will be remembered as one of the all-time Lynch-esque lines.

Michelle Heyman

You could sense the sigh of relief wash across the Sydney FC squad when, an hour before their game against Canberra on Monday afternoon, word spread that their semifinal opponents would be without their most lethal attacking player.

Michelle Heyman, it turns out, had picked up an injury during training mid-week and even though she had travelled to Sydney with her side, she wasn't passed fit in time to make the bench. Of course, these things happen in football, and Canberra United -- to their credit -- did not let on in the pre-game discourse that losing Heyman was a death sentence for their Championship hopes.

But, as Brisbane Roar experienced, losing your top goal scorer -- as well as a player with big-game experience -- right when you need them is a body-blow to any side, no matter how well-rounded or flexible they are across the rest of the field. Heyman had scored half of Canberra's 20 goals this season and assisted three more, as well as creating 22 major chances and taking the second-most shots across the league.

And while Canberra had time to adapt to a Heyman-less attacking side, bringing Demi Koulizakis into the No. 9 role, it was clear as the game unfolded that the natural chemistry and teamwork that had built up between Heyman, Nicki Flannery, Grace Maher and Laura Hughes over a number of years was missing -- particularly in those final-pass/final-touch moments in and around goal.

That's not to say Canberra didn't take it to Sydney FC, though -- they dominated possession, crosses, corners, passes and shots -- but in the key moments where United needed a finisher, the player who had done it for them all season was watching on from the sideline.

Sydney coach Ante Juric said post-match that, even though they had dealt with her in the past, Heyman "is a world-class player and you'd rather not play against them in terms of trying to get into a final."

So, while it may not have been the conclusion to the fairy-tale comeback story that Heyman (and we!) were after, it is hopefully not her final chapter -- just the turning of a new page.

Here's the tea

The 2020-21 season will be remembered for a lot of positive reasons: The emergence of the next generation of Matildas, historic crowds, viral love stories, inspirational veterans, sensational goals and saves, and edge-of-your-seat chaos.

But it will also be remembered -- perhaps even more strongly -- for the negative reasons. Unsuitable pitches, stadium-hopping, season-ending injuries and, most memorably of all, diabolical broadcasting issues.

This is, hopefully, the last time I will have to write about it. Because, after this season, the W-League will have found a broadcaster that will treat the players, the fans, and the game with the respect and professionalism it has always deserved.

As if the coffin wasn't already covered in nails, Wednesday night's Premiership decider between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory -- arguably the most important game of the season -- was yet another rusty shard hammered into the wooden casket that is Fox Sports and their W-League coverage this season.

And while the game's broadcast coverage was likely affected by the last-minute nature of the game's rescheduling (being moved to Cromer Park from Jubilee Oval after Sydney's wash-out round -- even though Cromer Park has hosted the full broadcast suite in the past), the issues none the less highlight the endemic issues the league continues to face.

On Wednesday, there were just two small to medium-sized cameras being used for the game's broadcast: one wide-lens camera in the grandstand, and one zoom lens on the sideline. Half an hour before kick-off, there were no screens set up in the commentary box to allow the broadcast commentators to watch vision and access replays (one suggestion from the crew, at one stage, was for someone to use their personal mobile phone to stream Kayo and call the game -- the live game -- off the delayed stream.

Then the Princess Ibini goal happened. Or didn't happen, as far as fans at home knew, because the stream cut out just as the Sydney winger struck the ball on the penalty spot. The footage shows the ball on the white dot and then, all of a sudden, in the back of the net, as if by magic.