Despite the return of international forwards Danelle Tan and Edvokia Popadinova from injury, Brisbane Roar have been challenged to build their team around Sharn and Laini Freier as the twin sisters continue to dominate the Ninja A-League.
Tan made her first appearance for the club in Round 10; the Singapore international missed the opening of the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season with a knee injury. Head coach Alex Smith also welcomed Evdokia Popadinova back from a hamstring injury sustained in Round 5 as the Bulgaria international played from the start in Brisbane’s 2-1 loss to Canberra United.
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In the absence of both Popadinova and Tan, the Freier twins have shone for Brisbane and have been pivotal to the Roar’s surge up to second on the Ninja A-League table.
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Laini Freier became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the Ninja A-League in December, in just her second and third appearance in the league, and added her seventh goal of the season in her sixth appearance as Brisbane fell to a surprise loss to Canberra in Round 10.
Her sister Sharn, meanwhile, has also excelled through the 2024-25 Ninja A-League season to date. The CommBank Matildas winger has two goals and four assists to her name through nine games. Both players were nominated for December’s Shark Player of the Month award, with Laini Freier finishing third in the fan vote.
READ MORE: Matildas star Tameka Yallop named December Shark Player of the Month
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On this week’s episode of Dub Zone, A-Leagues commentator Teo Pellizzeri and Sydney FC legend Teresa Polias lauded Laini Freier’s impact since her debut against Wellington Phoenix, after she missed the first four rounds with a leg injury.
“She’s so exciting,” Polias said. “She puts herself in the right areas, she gets out there aggressively and her finishing, I mean, back-to-back hat-tricks and her seventh goal in sixth, that speaks for itself.”
“There’s something to be said about the confidence of breaking through at age 23,” Pellizzeri added.
“Sharn and Laini Freier won an NPL (title) for the QAS (Football Queensland Academy) when they were teenagers. They’ve both since had ACLs (anterior cruciate ligament injuries). Sharn’s comeback was a bit quicker – Sharn’s a more physical type of player, Laini is more cerebral and plays in a central position, and Sharn is more of a traditional winger.
“It’s great to see they’ve got such a great understanding, assisting each other though, the connection.
“Putting Popadinova and Tan and other players back into this, the team should be getting built around the sister act here.”
“Now that Laini has become a regular, I think going forward that’s what Alex Smith has to do,” Polias concluded.
Brisbane are next in action on Wednesday, January 8 when they take on Melbourne Victory at Perry Park.
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