When Bev Priestman stands on the sidelines at AAMI Park on Saturday afternoon, she'll be focused on leading the Wellington Phoenix to a first-ever A-League Women championship.
In her way will be a Melbourne City team looking to win a first championship since 2020 and earn trophy No. 2 of the season before heading to South Korea for an AFC Women's Champions League semifinal four days later in their quest for an unprecedented Treble.
Priestman will have plenty on her mind: team selection, tactics, motivating her team, unlocking the opponents' weaknesses, trying to conjure a first victory against City at the ninth time of asking.
And while it might not be front of mind for the 40-year-old, plenty will be thinking about how she ended up in the dugout for an A-League Women Grand Final in the first place.
Back in July 2024, it was New Zealand stalwart and Melbourne City captain Rebekah Stott who noticed a drone above training as the Kiwi women's national team, the Football Ferns, prepared for their first match at the Paris Olympics against the reigning gold medallists, Canada.
The drone was reported to the police and traced back to the Canadian women's national team and, in the following days the drone operator, Joseph Lombardi, and an assistant coach, Jasmine Mander, were sent home. Priestman, as Canada head coach, removed herself from the dugout for the New Zealand match and apologised. She wouldn't coach for the rest of the tournament.
Both Canada Soccer and FIFA opened investigations. The latter saw the team docked six points at the tournament, meaning their three group-stage wins netted only three points. They progressed out of the group but lost to Germany on penalties in the quarterfinals.
The three coaching staff members were issued with one-year bans from FIFA and couldn't take part in any football activities.
Canada Soccer's investigation uncovered that this drone incident was not isolated and was part of a systemic culture that affected both the men's and women's teams.
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Officially fired by Canada Soccer in November 2024, Priestman and her family moved to New Zealand, where her wife is from, to escape the aftermath of the scandal.
At that same time, the Wellington Phoenix were beginning their fourth season in the A-League Women. Under the tutelage of Paul Temple, their third coach in their existence, Wellington would end the season ninth out of 12 teams. He was not offered a new contract after two seasons at the helm.
As July 2025 approached, New Zealand's only professional women's football team was in need of a coach. And a gold medal-winning coach, now based in New Zealand, was nearing the end of her year-long ban.
The timing was opportune and the deal was mutually beneficial. Priestman was unveiled as Wellington coach just days after her suspension ended.
And while there were questions about her appointment, considering the reasons she was available to coach in the first place, both parties understood what had happened and what needed to be done.
"We're really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football," Rob Morrison, Wellington Phoenix's chairman, said at her introductory press conference. "We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment."
For Priestman, who had previously worked in coach development in Wellington and at New Zealand Football, she described the 12-month ban as "very difficult" and acknowledged "everybody involved will certainly have regrets, for sure." She and her family moved to New Zealand after not feeling "safe" in Canada in the aftermath of the ban and said she was ready to try and do something special for both the city and the country.
Priestman's transformation of the Phoenix can't be understated.
The Nix were a young team that struggled near the foot of the table every single year of their existence. They always had the promise of turning into something special, but that potential has finally come good under Priestman's stewardship.
"There was a lot of excitement initially, obviously a bit of anticipation to see what she would bring," Wellington midfielder Manaia Elliott told ESPN's The Far Post podcast about Priestman's arrival at the club.
"I don't think anyone truly knew exactly what sort of coach she was until she came in and started working with the team and I think everyone was so pleasantly surprised.
"We've got not just an amazing coach, but she's got such a great personality and great staff beside her too that brings the whole vibe to the team, which when that starts from the top, it helps so much more than people realise."
It's not unfair to say that the lure of Priestman hasn't just brought players to Wellington -- like New Zealand internationals C.J. Bott and Victoria Esson -- but it is keeping them there.
"Working under Bev for another season was a big selling point," forward Grace Jale said upon penning a new contract.
Mackenzie Barry, who has been at the club since its inception and has experienced the difficult moments and low seasons as well as these new highs, was effusive in her praise for the coach.
"And we've got Bev of course, who has been amazing. She's the best coach I've ever had so that's a big win as well," she said upon re-signing with the Phoenix.
There's really no two ways about it. Priestman wouldn't be coaching the Wellington Phoenix if not for the drone scandal. In turn, the Wellington Phoenix wouldn't be in this season's Grand Final if not for the hiring of Priestman.
While the journey to get to this point isn't how anyone would have expected it, Priestman and the Phoenix are 90 minutes away from a remarkable ending to an unlikely story.