Brisbane Roar have re-signed key midfielder Zara Kruger ahead of the 2026/27 Ninja A-League Women season.
Kruger returned to Brisbane in 2024 after helping Sydney FC win the Championship and has since established herself as a key part of the club’s midfield.
The 20-year-old came through the Queensland NPL with Lions FC and has represented Australia at Young Matildas level, including at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.
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“I’m really excited to be wearing the Roar jersey for another season,” Kruger said, after putting pen-to-paper on her new deal.
“I’m looking forward to playing in front of all our fans again and another season of working hard towards finals football.”
New Roar head coach Johnathan Clemente welcomed Kruger’s return, highlighting the midfielder’s composure in possession.
“Zara has been one of the best young talents in the country for many years now and her quality and composure in possession will be a big asset to the squad.”
Kruger’s re-signing comes as Clemente continues to shape his new Brisbane squad ahead of his first season in charge.
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The Roar have also retained young Queensland forward Grace Kuilamu, who is set to return after an ACL injury cut short her 2025/26 campaign.
Kuilamu made history on her Ninja A-League Women debut in 2023 when she became the competition’s youngest-ever goalscorer and has scored nine goals in 26 appearances for Brisbane.
“Grace is an outstanding young talent with a huge ceiling and keeping her at the club is a great sign of what we’re building for the future,” Clemente said following Kuilamu’s re-signing.
The Roar have also undergone a degree of change this off-season, with Matildas ace Tameka Yallop and Bente Jansen among the big names to have departed the club.
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Meanwhile Kiera Meyers, Aimee Medwin, Alicia Woods, Marianna Seidl and Ashlyn Miller have also all left the club.
Meyers and Medwin joined Brisbane ahead of last season and featured regularly, while Seidl, Miller and Woods also played significant roles during the Roar’s run to the Semi-Finals.
Kruger’s return, alongside Kuilamu’s impending comeback, gives Clemente two more pieces of a squad that finished third last season as Brisbane look to build on their finals appearance.
The Roar will need to bring in more quality ahead of the new season though, with Dutch ace Bente Jansen among those to have departed during the off-season.
The Roar will begin their 2026/27 Ninja A-League campaign at home against Central Coast Mariners on Saturday, October 17.
