The next starlet on Brisbane’s youth production line is already making waves
Kevan Sangster 
Daisy Brown in action for Brisbane Roar. Photo supplied by Brisbane Roar.
It’s been a big week for Brisbane Roar striker Daisy Brown, who is starting to make waves at both national and international level as a result of her exploits in this season’s A-League Women.
The 19-year-old had a performance to remember last Friday night, bagging three second-half goals and an assist to fire her Roar side to a vital 4-2 victory over Newcastle Jets.
It was a first A-League hat-trick for the young striker, resulting in a maiden call-up to the Young Matildas just 3 days later.
Round Ball Australia caught up with Daisy this week to find out more about Brisbane’s latest youth success story.
Ticking off goals
One of the most surprising aspects of this youngster’s rise to prominence in recent months is that she wasn’t even earmarked for a starting berth when the season started back in November.
With the Roar women embarking on a significant rebuild under head coach Alex Smith in the off season – bringing in experienced Dutch forward Bente Jensen and American winger Ashlyn Miller – the plan was for these two play-makers to provide the ammunition for young Matilda striker Grace Kuilamu.
Things haven’t quite worked out that way, with Kuilamu suffering an ACL injury in late December, creating an unexpected opportunity for Brown.
“I wasn’t expecting to play so much this season, but due to Grace’s injury the pieces kind of fell into place. I’ve been trying to build my confidence, play with freedom and trust that hopefully the goals would come,” she said.
And the goals have come, with seven goals in twelve consecutive starts since breaking into the team in early January catapulting her to national recognition.
Her first appearance in the match day squad came only a few weeks earlier, with a bench spot – once again against Newcastle – in mid-December.
It was the first step in a meteoric rise, and she recalled the day she found out her debut was on the cards.
“In training our prep is often the starting team against the rest of the squad. When Alex said “Daisy, go 9”, I sort of knew I was in the [match day] squad for the game against Newcastle. I just thought thank goodness, let’s go!” Brown enthuses.
She goes on to explain that she had set several goals with Smith before the season – the first one being to make her first start. The fact that her second was to score eight goals in the season and then make the Young Matildas squad speaks volumes for her confidence.
Remarkably, she is on the verge of achieving all three in just 3 months.
Youth to the fore in Brisbane
Unsurprisingly, the club hierarchy are thrilled with their young striker’s progress since the turn of the year, with Roar Chief Operating Officer Zac Anderson discussing Brown’s journey and explaining what he believes to be behind her success.
“Daisy has been on our radar for some time through the academy pathway, but what really sets her apart is her mindset, attitude and willingness to learn and improve every day. These are the traits that gave us confidence she could step into the first team environment and make an impact,” he stated.
It’s no secret that Queensland’s only A-Leagues club has experienced a challenging financial scenario in the last few years, and their recent investment in youth has been as much out of necessity as design.
It seems to be working, with their academy having produced recent Socceroos call-up Lucas Herrington for the men’s team in the last 18 months, before his recent transfer to Colorado Rapids in the MSL.
The aforementioned Kuilamu is another example of a Brisbane youth prospect go on to gain international honours, with the 18-year-old making her Matildas debut in June last year.
As Anderson outlines, it’s a deliberate policy that now Brown has benefitted from.
“Daisy’s progression is a strong reflection of the quality of talent coming through Queensland. There is a genuine pathway here and we’re starting to see more players transition confidently into the professional environment. It reinforces our belief that investing in local talent is the right approach for the club moving forward.”
On the women’s side of their program, the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) has been instrumental, with several current players – including Brown and Kuilamu – having both come through this route to the professional ranks.
Yet for Daisy, the journey started even before QAS came knocking.
True Queenslander
Having spent her early years in Sydney and Singapore due to her father’s work, Brown’s first steps towards footballing success came at Sydney University FC, where she learned the game until the age of 11.
With her parents originally from Queensland, the family moved back to their home state when the young striker was 12, with a young Daisy securing a spot in Brisbane City’s boys academy due to the early promise she showed on the field.
It wasn’t long before QAS signed her to join their highly rated program, where she played regularly with her now team-mate Kuilamu.
And as she tells us of her back story, another remarkable event comes to light. Despite being brought up in Sydney, Brown was actually born in Brisbane.
“My family were living in Sydney at the time, but my parents drove to Brisbane so I could be born a Queenslander!” she tells us enthusiastically.
Such dedication to the Queensland cause clearly runs in the family, and it’s this level of commitment that the Roar are hoping can help fire them to finals success – if they make it that far.
With just two games of the home and away season left, Brisbane’s women are locked in a four-way battle for the last two finals spots, with this Friday’s game at home to Perth being pivotal to their chances.
So how is the mood in the squad ahead of such a big game?
“The vibes are really high, and we gained confidence from last weekend. We know if we play with passion, heart, and belief, we can match anyone in the league. Finals are our goal.”
Ironically, they will have to do so without Brown and her team-mate Zara Kruger, who also made the Young Matildas squad this week.
Both youngsters will travel to Thailand this weekend to compete for their country in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, ruling them out this Friday’s key match-up as well as the A-League Women game in Canberra the following weekend.
Yet, given the determination and confidence Brown has shown to get this far – not to mention her recent goal-scoring record – you couldn’t bet against this proud young Queenslander having an impact on the finals series if she gets the opportunity.
And that may just be the start of things to come for both Brisbane and their new young starlet.
Listen to the latest episode of The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube, with new episodes every Wednesday.