Goal-fest as Brisbane Roar into finals
BRISBANE Roar have lifted their first piece of W-League silverware since 2013, sealing the premiership with a 4-1 win over Canberra United at Suncorp Stadium yesterday.
The Roar needed a point to guarantee themselves top spot on the ladder after Sydney FC beat Western Sydney by the same scoreline in yesterday’s earlier game.
But rather than be satisfied with a draw, the Roar finished the regular season in style.
Brisbane took control from the outset, with Matildas star Hayley Raso giving the hosts the lead in just the 11th minute.
Attacker Emily Gielnik doubled the Roar’s advantage in the 40th minute.
Brisbane sealed their win in the 72nd minute through substitute Abbey Lloyd.
Elise Thorsnes got Canberra on the scoreboard two minutes later but it meant nothing, with Lloyd completing the rout with her second of the afternoon in the 90th minute.
Roar skipper Clare Polkinghorne was thrilled with the Roar’s turnaround after finishing seventh last season.
“One of the key differences from last season was consistency and hanging in those close games and coming away with three points when it usually would have been a loss or a draw,” Polkinghorne said.
“I’m just really proud of the way we showed up (against Canberra) and we scored a few goals which is always nice.”
The Roar now switch their focus to the finals series.
They host fourth-placed Melbourne City on Sunday, with the other sudden-death semi on Saturday between Sydney and Newcastle.