In a Melbourne City outfit brimming with stars, it’s hard to find anyone who performed better than Football Ferns defender Rebekah Stott throughout City’s invincible 2019/20 Westfield W-League campaign.

City went undefeated through the season, drawing just one game and winning 13 – including a 1-0 win over Sydney FC in the grand final – while scoring 33 goals and conceding just five along the way.

Stott featured 12 times for City throughout the campaign, forging an uncompromising defensive combination in front of goalkeeper Lydia Williams and alongside Lauren Barnes and Emma Checker in a back three.

The only blemish on City's record – a 1-1 draw with the Newcastle Jets in the opening round – came before Stott’s arrival from Norwegian Toppserien outfit Avaldsnes. But from the second round of action onwards City never looked back, securing win after win as they romped to a Premiership/Championship double.

Stott scored two goals, assisted one and clocked eight key passes, six blocks, 23 tackles, 27 clearances, 27 interceptions, 17 dribbles and 759 passes (second-most in the league) at an accuracy of 85 per cent, whilst winning 20 fouls and conceding a measly two throughout the season.

These simply outstanding statistics helped Stott to five berths in the W-League Team of the Week throughout the season (Rounds 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10) and nominations for Player of the Month in December and January.

City kept nine clean sheets in the 12 games Stott played throughout the campaign as they waltzed their way to the Premiers Plate and ground out a 1-0 final win to clinch what was Stott’s fourth W-League Championship in City colours.

Amongst the abundance of Australian and international stars in the City squad, Stott not only shone brightest as their finest import of the season but as the key cog in the league’s best defence and one of the top performers in the league’s best-ever side.

Stott’s two goals came at very different stages of the season.

She headed home the first in a gritty 1-0 win over Perth Glory in Round 6,  the goal coming at a time when City were winning but winning ugly, grinding out one-goal victories seemingly every weekend.

And, just like her side's form, the goal wasn’t pretty, coming from a Steph Catley free kick which rattled the crossbar and was headed toward goal by Kyah Simon only for Stott to dive in on the line and get the ball over between a number of Perth bodies.

Stott then had to wait until City’s semi-final clash with Western Sydney Wanderers to score her second of the campaign.

The 26-year-old thumped home City’s third in their 5-1 win over the Wanderers, capitalising on a blunder from Abby Smith in goal to lash a volley from close range into the roof of the net.

Her outstanding efforts were recognised at the end of the season, Stott being named Players’ Player of the Year by her team mates in the club’s awards. 

After wrapping up the W-League season in triumphant manner, Stott’s thoughts were about to turn to the Tokyo Olympics but the event has now been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Article added: Monday 30 March 2020