Newcastle Jets 1-6 Brisbane Roar
By Kieran Yap 21/12/24
Above: Brisbane celebrate one of their six goals against Newcastle. Photo: Brisbane Roar.
Brisbane Roar have produced a statement win with a 6-1 result away to the Newcastle Jets.
Laini Freier scored her first goal and first hattrick in the A-League Women while the Roar also contributed two possibilities for goal of the round.
This was a potentially tricky trip for Brisbane. Alex Smith’s team had been playing well, but much of their winning form has been attributed to Tameka Yallop. The captain was missing from the lineup and the Jets would have been optimistic following their dramatic win against Sydney FC in Round Six.
The afternoon started brightly for Brisbane. Grace Kuilamu ran onto a long pass from Chelsea Blissett, brushed off the challenge from Tash Prior and raced in on goal. The finish matched the effort as the 17-year old rifled the ball into the roof of the net. It was a pure strikers goal, confident, explosive and composed all at once.
Newcastle levelled the scores in the 32nd minute. Ryan Campbell’s side had set up to press Brisbane and although the Roar were mostly able to play through or over it, on this occasion is paid off.
Cass Davis hooked in the eventual shot after the ball was turned over deep in the Brisbane half due to the efforts of Sheridan Gallagher and India Breier to set her up.
That equaliser would be as good as the afternoon got for the home side, and it was undone almost immediately. Tamar Levin headed home from a corner two minutes later. She was unmarked in front of goal by a defence that was unrecognizable from the week before.
Laini Freier’s first A-League Women’s goal sent the visitors into half time 3-1 ahead. She was set up by a typically storming run from her twin sister Sharn who cut the ball back infront of goal for an easy finish on Laini’s first start for the Roar.
Momo Hayashi made it four after the break with a 40 yard missile. The Japanese midfielder signed on with a reputation for the spectacular and delivered her second goal of the year contender with an unstoppable shot in the 49th minute.
The floodgates were well and truly open and Newcastle were unlikely to find any success with the counterattacking style that had won the day against Sydney FC. The gaps opened up even more at the back and Laini Freier added two more goals to her tally.
The first was another close range finish after substitute Tanaye Morris crossed low into the box. Tiahna Robertson was left with no chance as the unopposed Freier made it 5-1.
Her third and final goal of the day was once against set up by her sister. Sharn Freier was given way too much time and space when she needs neither on a good day. The cut back was met by Laini’s curling left foot finish to make it 6-1.
The win sends Brisbane into second on the table, behind only Melbourne City by two points, but to win without Yallop is one thing, to win 6-1 away without the league’s in-form player and Dolan Medal favourite is another thing completely.
Alex Smith’s team is built around local youth and is producing terrific football. They are playing with clarity and confidence not really seen in this team in the last three seasons.
This feels like a bit of an anomaly for The Jets. Nothing was working for them while everything was working for their opposition. It was a nightmare performance, but despite the scoreline it was not a total collapse.
They will expect to move past this quickly and will have a chance to return to the winners list against Canberra United next week.
Teams: NEWCASTLE JETS (3-5-1-1): Robertson, Cicco, Prior, Baumann, Hoban, Jackson, Davis, Dundas, Breier, Copus-Brown, Gallagher. Substitutes: Wilson, L Allan, J Allan, Collins, Boertje
Scorer: Davis 32’.
BRISBANE ROAR (4-3-2-1): Sekany, de la Harpe, McQueen, Varley, Blissett, Hayashi, Woods, S Freier, Levin, L Freier, Kuilamu. Substitutes: Kruger, Pringle, Morris, Hoyos, Richards.
Scorers: Kuilamu 2’, Levin 34’, Hayashi 49’, L Freier 42’, 69’, 72’.
Referee: Georgia Ghirardello
Attendance: 1,616.
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