When Melina Ayres announced she was taking a break from professional football in October 2024, she did not know if she would play in the NPL Women’s NNSW competition in 2025.
With support from Charlestown Azzurri, Ayres not only returned to the field in 2025, but her love for football also reignited, culminating in being awarded the Joey Peters Medal for the player of the NPLW NNSW grand final.
Ayres returned from a calf injury for Saturday’s decider against Maitland after missing Azzurri’s final two matches of the regular season and the qualifying final.
Ayres was injected into the game at half-time. And that was all she needed.
Teammate Chloe Cattley set up a free kick 25 metres out directly in front of goal midway through the second half. Cattley played the ball sideways to Ayres, who unleashed an unstoppable, dipping drive past Annabella Thornton and into the top right corner.
It was undoubtedly one of the goals of the season and enough to secure Azzurri’s second championship in as many years.
“I had a break with the [A-League Women’s competition] last year and Charlestown just worked with me. And I'm so grateful for them just getting me back into soccer,” Ayres said.
“I'm loving playing again, which is all that really matters.
“To win the final again with this team just shows what culture we have. I'm just so psyched to be part of it.
“I've moved up here from Melbourne and Newcastle's home now for me because I have just so many great people supporting me and pushing me.
“[Azzurri coach Heath Whyte] is always just like, ‘Mel, we want you back on the field’. I was doing running sessions by myself just to get back for this game. Now I'm ready to go again and play.
“When [the calf injury] happened I thought, I'm going to have to miss the last couple of games of the season. But I want to be right for finals.
“It wasn't ready for the qualifying final. I just chatted to Heath and we were like, we aren’t going to risk it for the grand final. He just backed our team in and they got the job done that day.
“It was always the plan to come back. The progression I was following was getting me back to this point. I was ready to go but just not to start.”
Azzurri went head-to-head with Maitland FC seven times in 2025 and five of those matches were separated by one goal.
Ayres and Cattley improvised the free kick in the moment, the rest is history, etched onto the NPLW NNSW champions trophy.
“When those ones go in for me, I don't really know. I just hit it and you don't feel it come off your boot. I just knew it was in off the boot because it came off like it does when those ones go in,” Ayres said.
“But it was such a good set up from Cattley too. We only really talked about it right then when we were standing on the ball. She did so well to just adapt with me and play a perfect ball.
“I was so glad it went in. It was one of my better kicks. I'm just so glad it went in.
“The girls did such hard work in the first half to set it up for that to be a one-goal game.”
Ayres will return to the Newcastle Jets for the 2025/26 A-League Women’s season.
