City beat Sydney FC to become the first club to win four championships and a club celebration at a private bar that followed left Dobson in a mad scramble ahead of the most hectic drive of her life.

Hours earlier, the federal government announced imminent state border closures to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

She madly packed the car, and with a newly-won W-League championship medal tucked safely in her suitcase began the adrenalin-fuelled race against the clock to escape Victoria.

"I hadn't done any packing because I'm an emotional person at the best of times," Dobson said.

"I got upset when I started to pack up my life down there, so I stopped."

In the W-League, the uncertainty from one year to the next is what sets the competition apart - you don't know whether you'll be back at the same club again the following season.

So party they did.

"We were able to celebrate (after the grand final) and most of us got in around 2am or 3am and were feeling sorry for ourselves," Dobson recalled.

"I rolled out of bed that morning and had several messages from friends about borders potentially closing and we knew we had to get across the border just in case."

The former Wauchope junior admitted the packing process was somewhat shambolic although partner Matt managed to keep a relatively calm head.

"I was just shoving things in suitcases and forcing them to close... I had to sit on a couple and thought to myself I'll just drink my Berocca and it'll all be fine," Dobson said.

Nearly two weeks down the track, the enormity of the achievement was only now just sinking in.

"Sydney were probably the better team on the day, but we finished the one opportunity and that's the thing with big teams, you can grind out a win when it's needed," Dobson said.

"We battled it out all season, so to get that final cherry on the top was a big thing."

The Melbourne City forward finds herself in a fortunate position - being able to return to an occupational therapist consultant job after her football commitments finish each season.

With many professional athletes facing an uncertain future financially, the former Matilda is thankful her parent's placed a heavy emphasis on education growing up.

"In times like this it makes me appreciate mum and dad ensuring my education came before sport growing up even though we did butt heads a lot," she said.

"It's not like I'm stressing that my sport is not going ahead where so many of my friends are in a position where they don't know where the next pay cheque is going to come from."

Dobson isn't unaffected by the current measures the federal and state governments have put in place surrounding social gatherings.

It means a Skype party with her family in Wauchope will be the closest she gets to celebrating youngest sister Hannah's 18^th birthday.

"She's the baby of the family," Rhali said.

"Not being able to see her celebrate her 18^th birthday soon and not being able to see the family in Wauchope is a bit tough, but my other sisters have taught mum and dad Skype.

"It's a weird world at the moment."

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