Brisbane Roar 2-1 Newcastle Jets
By Johnathan Stack (19/11/22)
Above: Jamilla Rankin brings the ball away for Brisbane Roar. Photo: Sofascore.
Brisbane Roar and the Newcastle Jets got the 2022/23 Liberty A-League Women season underway in a fiery affair at Perry Park.
Roar had the better of the opening exchanges of the game with Shea Connors firing wide while the Jets had chances with a Murphy Agnew free-kick tipped over by Hensley Hancuff and Sarah Griffith went close.
Larissa Crummer got the better of her former team as she scored the first goal of the match, as Roar broke the deadlock 15 minutes before halftime with the Jets defence at sixes and sevens, allowing the Australian international to slot into an empty net.
Brisbane did have a goal disallowed for a foul in the box from a corner kick, which denied Crummer her second of the game. But they were not to be denied as a cross in from Connors saw Sharn Freier grab her first goal of the season.
Into the second half, it was a slow start after the break with both teams struggling to get going – not aided by the stop-start nature caused by 19 fouls committed and five yellow cards being handed out by the 55-minute mark.
Connors had a great chance to make it 3-0 as she was played in behind by a sublime pass from Margot Robinne but she hit her shot at Georgina Worth in the Newcastle goal.
Ashlee Brodigan had a big chance of pulling a goal back for the Jets from point-blank range, but Brisbane’s shot-stopper Hancuff did well to get down to it.
The Jets were pressing and pushing to get back into the game with 20 minutes to go but to no avail, with Agnew’s strike on goal was saved comfortably.
But she had better luck and grabbed a debut goal from the penalty spot, after Hensley Hancuff very lucky to stay on the pitch after fouling Adriana Konjarski. The Roar keeper was the last player but only received a yellow.
That shifted a change of atmosphere in the last 15 minutes, with Newcastle now pushing to get the equaliser and nick a point from what was a two-goal deficit.
The visitors thought they got the equaliser five minutes from time as Agnew’s corner was headed home by Tara Andrews, but it was ruled out as Konjarski, who was deemed in an offside position, tangled with Hancuff on the goal line.
So, Brisbane Roar pick up an opening day win as they kick off their 2022/23 campaign with a victory, meanwhile, the Newcastle Jets are now without an opening day win for six years with their last coming at the start of the 2017/18 season.
Up next in Round Two for the Brisbane Roar are Canberra United who travels to Perry Park, while the Newcastle Jets host the Western Sydney Wanderers in Tamworth at Scully Park.
Teams: BRISBANE ROAR (4-3-3): Hancuff, Connors, Crummer, Freier, Haffenden, Hecher, Levin, Lind, Norrie, Palmer, Rankin. Substitiutes: Davern, Rasschaert, Robinne, Shuttleworth, Stephenson.
Scorers: Crummer 31′, Freier 39′.
NEWCASTLE JETS (4-3-3): Worth, Agnew, Allan, Allen, Brodigan, Clough, Davis, Garnier, Griffith, Johnson, Tamplin. Substitutes: Andrews, Coehlo, Konjarski, Puxty, Stapleford.
Scorer: Agnew (pen) 75′.
Referee: Kate Jacewicz.
Attendance: 1,327.
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