Defending W-League champions Melbourne City are determined to make it a three-peat of titles and have snapped up two Matildas stars for the new season to ensure they will be serious championship contenders once more.
The Bundoora-based club is understood to have clinched deals with Sydney FC pair Kyah Simon, a striker, and defender Alanna Kennedy.
City are keeping tight-lipped, but are expected to announce clinching the players' signatures next week.
Kennedy, a 1.77m defender, has played 57 times for the national team and despite her youth - she is still only 22 - has a vast amount of experience in club and international football.
The Campbelltown-born defender has played for Sydney, Newcastle, Western Sydney and Perth in the W-League and for Western New York Flash and Orlando Pride in the US, winning premierships and championships in both countries.
Simon is one of the best-known players in the Matildas team, having been part of the national team set up since making her debut as a 16-year-old in 2007.
The NSW-born forward has played for Central Coast, Western Sydney and Sydney in the W-League as well as for Boston Breakers in the United States NWSL.
She scored the winning penalty for Australia to win the 2010 Asian Cup, and became the first Indigenous Australian to score at the World Cup when she scored scored both of Australia's goals in a 2-1 win over Norway to ensure qualification for the quarter finals at the 2011 Women's World Cup.
