Westfield W-League benchmark team Brisbane Roar have credited their male counterparts for infusing them with the same hunger and desire to chase titles playing pure football.
Westfield W-League benchmark team Brisbane Roar have credited their male counterparts for infusing them with the same hunger and desire to chase titles playing pure football.
The Queensland outfit took out both the women’s and men’s crowns in style last season and are heavily favoured to complete the double again this campaign.
The men have hit the ground running this year, winning their first two matches and playing a brand of football far superior to anything seen before at domestic level.
And, the girls welcome the challenge of trying to emulate their stablemates.
“They are looking really sharp and hopefully we can go the double with them again this year,” skipper Clare Polkinghorne said at the W-League launch in Sydney on Tuesday.
“One thing Brisbane do really well is trust in each and never give up.”
“You go into every game wanting to win and finding ways to win.”
“Hopefully we can also bring that into our season and get a few wins on the board.”
Brisbane’s attempt to claim back-to-back championships will be conducted against a backdrop of unprecedented strength across the competition.
All seven clubs have recruited strongly over the off-season, with two-time German World Cup winner Ariane Hingst heading the list of big name arrivals.
Celebrated American player Megan Rapinoe will join Sydney FC on a guest stint while former Qantas Socceroo Clayton Zane (Newcastle) and ex-Czech Republic international Jitka Klimkova (Canberra) bolster the coaching ranks.
Rapinoe has watched the W-League from afar and been impressed with the standard.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of football in Australia over the past three years as I’ve come over a lot when the W-League has been on,” she said.
“I think the standard of play in Australia has improved over the past few years along with the standard across women’s football in general internationally.”
“I’m really looking forward to play with Sydney for the first time. I’ve trained with them a lot recently and they are a great group of girls and are really improving.”
Polkinghorne said of the new season: “Looking across all the clubs, everyone is putting strong teams out so it’s going to be tough.”
“We know we are going to have our work cut out but it’s good for the game overall that the standard of the competition is growing all the time.”
Brisbane will meet Sydney FC in a grand final replay to kick off the season on Saturday.
Adelaide host Canberra United with Melbourne Victory taking on Perth Glory.
Newcastle have the first round bye.
