W-League: Sam Kerr’s hat-trick fires Perth Glory into grand final

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has fired Perth into the W-League grand final, scoring a hat-trick and setting up another goal.

Sam Kerr of Perth Glory dinks the ball over Victory defender Laura Alleway and goalkeeper Bethany Mason-Jones to score in extra-time. Picture: AAP

Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has fired Perth into the W-League grand final, scoring a hat-trick and setting up another goal as the Glory came from behind to beat Melbourne Victory 4-2 in a semi-final stunner.

The Glory will face Sydney FC in next week’s decider after the Sky Blues produced a road trip masterclass to defeat Brisbane 2-1.

Kerr struck twice for the Glory in extra time as the West Australians denied the premiers a place in the decider with an effervescent display.

Victory, who led after an early Christine Nairn strike and equalised in second-half stoppage time through Grace Maher, finished with 10 women after Sam Johnson’s red card.

And while Jeff Hopkins’s side were clearly the best team through the regular season, they were outplayed yesterday by the fourth-placed finishers Perth. Kerr was the difference, both on the scoreboard and on the pitch. The hard-running 25-year-old set the tone for Glory’s comeback after falling behind in freak circumstances.

Nairn fired an arrow from a tight angle to catch Eliza Campbell unawares, shaping to cross the ball but instead striking an unassailable shot inside the front post.

Perth set about recovering their lead. The task got tougher for Victory when goalkeeper Casey Dumont failed a halftime concussion test and was replaced by Bethany Mason-Jones.

Kerr was tormenting markers Johnson and Teigen Allen, and ­finally left her mark when she got between the two to bury Rachel Hill’s cross on 72 minutes.

Hill then appeared to win it for Glory in the 86th minute, heading home Kerr’s cross as Perth cashed in on their momentum and coasted towards the grand final.

That was until Maher’s late intervention, which turned the match on its head again.

Kerr always loomed as a likely matchwinner, and thus it proved when she dinked the ball over Mason-Jones to return Glory to the lead.

With Johnson dismissed for one too many fouls on the Matilda, Kerr struck again from Leticia McKenna’s cutback in the 107th minute, celebrating with her trademark backflip. Kerr delighted in leading her hometown club into its third grand final.

“I don’t normally score in finals so it’s pretty special for me,” she said.

“Once it went to extra time … I knew we were going to win it.”

In Brisbane, after a cagey opening period , the Sky Blues took the lead in the 33rd minute when Danielle Colaprico’s clever pass opened up the Roar defence and Foord swept the ball home with her right foot.

Huerta doubled the lead for Sydney in the 68th minute and Sydney appeared destined for the grand final when Roar fullback Natalie Tathem was sent off for pulling back Princess Ibini just outside the penalty area in the 79th minute. The Roar, however, mustered a late rally, with Japanese World Cup winner Yuki Nagasato finding the net in the 90th minute to set up a tense finish.

AAP