Glory women aim to break drought

A decade on from WA soccer's last national league grand final success, Perth Glory women are aiming to claim their first W-League championship when they take on Canberra United at nib Stadium tomorrow.

Glory women's coach Jamie Harnwell knows how it feels to win a title as a player, having been involved in Glory men's 2004 National Soccer League triumph.

Since then, the club has reached just one grand final, which the men's side lost in heartbreaking circumstances in 2012.

But Glory women have taken all before them this season and are primed to end the barren run on home soil.

Harnwell's team claimed the regular season premiership with a record points haul and swept aside Sydney FC in the semifinal to reach its first decider.

"Our confidence is good," Harnwell said. "It's a one-off, it's a grand final, so no one knows what's going to happen.

"But all I've asked our players is to make sure they've got no regrets when they walk off the ground on Sunday. They're going to try and take it on themselves to bring some silverware back to Glory."

But to do so, Glory women will have to knock off a Canberra side which beat them 2-1 in the final game of the regular season.

It was one of just two defeats all year for Glory women.

"They're probably the team that I knew we'd have to beat if we wanted to lift the trophy," Harnwell said.

"They're very well organised and structured, and they've got three or four attacking players that can really hurt you."

Harnwell hurt an ankle early in that 2004 NSL grand final, but battled through to the end as Glory claimed a famous extra-time win over Parramatta Power.

Having turned his hand to coaching, Harnwell is as determined as ever to achieve success and felt a W-League championship could help drive his new career forward.

"To achieve something like that in my fourth year of coaching would be huge," he said.

Glory will be without injured Matildas star Sam Kerr (knee), but will boast national team players Caitlin Foord, Kate Gill, Alanna Kennedy, Collette McCallum and Mackenzie Arnold.