A tasty weekend of football continues for Brisbane Roar fans with the Westfield W-League kicking off in what promises to be an exciting and free-flowing Grand Final re-match against Sydney FC this weekend.
A tasty weekend of football continues for Brisbane Roar fans with the Westfield W-League kicking off in what promises to be an exciting and free-flowing Grand Final re-match against Sydney FC this weekend.
Less than 24 hours after their Hyundai A-League counterparts face off against Gold Coast United in the highly-anticipated M1 Derby, Brisbane Roar Women tackle their own formidable opponents in the Sky Blues at Leichhardt Oval, which will be shown live and exclusively on ABC1 from 2pm AEST.
While much was made of the lengthy Hyundai A-League off-season, the Westfield W-League hasn-t been in action since the Roar-s 2-1 triumph over Sydney FC in the competition decider on February 12.
Captain Clare Polkinghorne said she speaks for the team when saying excitement within the Brisbane camp is at an all-time high ahead of Saturday afternoon-s blockbuster.
“It-s been a long time between seasons and there are only ten games and twelve weeks in our season but we train day in day out for the Westfield W-League and it-s exciting that it-s underway again,” she said.
“Any time Brisbane come up against Sydney there-s always that rivalry there and it-s always a competitive game.
“They usually come out all guns blazing, they-ve got some quality players who are hard to beat down so it-ll be an interesting game but hopefully we can come away with the win”.
Head Coach Jeff Hopkins has had more than eight months to prepare for the start of the season but has had to contend with various disruptions to his plans including the FIFA Women-s World Cup in Germany, overseas club commitments for many of his star players and his own duties as coach of the Westfield Young Matildas.
Polkinghorne dismissed claims that the interruptions would hinder the side as they attempt to successfully defend their championship despite mainstays Aivi Luik, Elise Kellond-Knight and Kim Carroll missing the first three rounds of the Westfield W-League because of their European club fixtures.
“I think the big game experience in the squad and the level of football we-ve had to play at will only help to improve the levels we-ve got here,” she said.
Another mouth-watering prospect is new striker Catherine Cannulli making her Brisbane debut against her former club after just recently making the switch north.
“It-ll be a massive game for her,” Polkinghorne admitted.
“She always made a huge difference to their team when she came on, she-ll have her family and friends down there and will be playing against some of her closest friends.
“At the end of the day, she-s part of the Roar team now and she-ll want to do her best for the Roar”.
