Brisbane Roar and CommBank Matildas winger Sharn Freier tells aleagues.com.au how a challenging period at German giants VfL Wolfsburg has left her eager to rediscover her best form back on loan at Brisbane Roar this season.
January 21: Sharn Freier signs a three-and-a-half-year contract with German giants VfL Wolfsburg, netting Brisbane Roar a club-record outbound transfer fee for a female footballer.
January 26: The CommBank Matildas winger suffers a season-ending ankle injury.
The two moments, just five days apart, kickstarted a “whirlwind” six-month period that saw the 24-year-old go from Brisbane to Europe and back again in an experience that has left the electric winger desperate to recapture her spark in the Ninja A-League.
“I think calling it a whirlwind is 100% accurate,” Freier tells aleagues.com.au, reflecting on her move to Wolfsburg and subsequent loan back to the Roar.
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“The main thing for me is I haven’t really been playing consistently or had many minutes. So I think going into Round 1, the main focus for me is honestly just getting back to playing and being consistent with the Roar and going from there.
“I’m just trying to use what happened in the last three-to-six months as a learning experience for me in my career, and use that to keep enjoying the game and get more consistent minutes.
“I think football is very unpredictable, and I’ve seen that things happen very quickly. I’ve experienced a lot in such a short period of time. And obviously, there were some good things to take out of it, but there were also a lot of learning curves.”
Freier signed for Wolfsburg in January but the plan was for the exciting young forward to complete the Ninja A-League 2024-25 season in Brisbane before an off-season move to the German Frauen-Bundesliga.
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But the ankle injury suffered less than a week after the club-record move saw Freier sit out the final four months of the campaign. By July, Freier had finished her rehabilitation and was ready to hit the ground running in Germany before an injury setback suffered in Matildas camp in Perth.
It was another bump in the road that, coupled with living abroad, away from family for the very first time, left Freier struggling to find her feet at Wolfsburg.
“I got the stint in Germany, gave it a go, and found out quickly that it wasn’t where I wanted to play my football, to keep it as simple as possible,” Freier said.
“Football throws a lot at you, and I think I’ve learned that only I know what makes me perform, and I just have to stick to what I think is best for me, and that’s what I’ve done moving back to Brisbane.
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“The biggest thing for me was realising that I know I’m not the only one. When we are comfortable and when we feel like we’re being supported, and we feel like we’re in an environment where we can be ourselves and be creative, I think that’s when we all play our best football.
“Having everything I need, being supported and not having any external pressures that kind of don’t need to be there, I think that absolutely will allow me to hopefully play freely.
“And I think when you play that and you enjoy it, then that’s when you perform. And I’m hoping that that’s what I could get back to doing – that was probably the biggest thing to be fair.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t realise how much it would impact my actual football, my mentality to play football, being away from family, being in a completely different culture, completely different country, trying to learn the ropes of that. It’s all things that I knew I’d have to adjust to, but I just didn’t think of the impact it would have overall for my football.
“In terms of confidence, honestly – and not in a bad way – but I’m not sure it (the move) did wonders for me going there. I think that’s something I’m going to get back, and the A-League and the Roar is a very good place to do that.
“A lot has happened, and it’s taken away from playing the actual game, so all I’m focusing on and want to get back to is playing with no pressure, not adding anything extra, going back to what’s simple, so hopefully I can perform and get where I want to be.
“I’m not against going overseas, that’s not at all what any of this is. Germany was a great opportunity for me, it didn’t work out for me personally. That’s all there is to it.”
Back at the Roar on loan, Freier is part of an exciting Brisbane squad that, under head coach Alex Smith, boasts four CommBank Matildas: goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln, exciting teenage forward Grace Kuilamu and Roar and Australia legend Tameka Yallop.
It’s within Brisbane’s Ninja A-League attack where Freier has felt the most comfortable throughout her brief yet blistering career; it was at the Roar where her exceptional domestic form led to a Matildas debut in 2024, followed by selection for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
And it’s at the Roar where Freier intends to rediscover that form as the 2025-26 campaign gets underway.
“The Matildas have done a good job checking in and showing support for their players, and where we want to play and what our situation is,” Freier said.
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“I had a conversation with Joe (Matildas head coach Joe Montemurro) and basically and the message was honestly exactly what I want to do: just get back to playing.
“I haven’t played in I’m not sure how long, it hasn’t been consistent, and that’s what I need to get back to see what happens.
“Hopefully I’m performing. My goal is to be available for selection in the camps and upcoming friendlies and things like that but for now, it’s just getting back to playing
“I think the A-League is great. It’s a great league to get recognised. There’s a lot of young players and Matildas playing in the league, so i think the competition is there and it’s at a level where you can show what you can do.”
Freier and the Roar kick off the Ninja A-League 2025-26 season with a home clash against title contenders Melbourne Victory at Spencer Park on Saturday, November 1.
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