Kevan Sangster 
Spencer Park is the home ground of Brisbane Roar's A-League Women side this season. Photo supplied by Brisbane Roar.
As Brisbane Roar CEO Kaz Patafta said in a social media post last week, five years is a long time in football.
That’s how long Queensland’s only A-Leagues club has been waiting to return to finals football, with their last appearance – by either the men’s or women’s team – being way back in 2021.
Now that wait is over, with the A-League Women side earning a home elimination final against Adelaide United on April 25 after finishing their home and away season in fourth position on the Ninja A-League ladder.
Yet it wasn’t as straightforward as that sounds.
Overcoming adversity
Brisbane’s season started with wins in their opening two games, but a difficult December – which included a long-term injury to first-choice striker Grace Kuliamu – saw them sitting outside the top six at the turn of the year.
After going unbeaten in January, the squad was then rocked with the news that key defender Leia Varley had been sold to German giants FC Nürnberg for the second-highest fee for a female player in club history.
It was just another hurdle to overcome for Alex Smith’s resilient squad, and something that brought the group even closer together.
“I’m extremely proud of them given the adversity we’ve had to overcome, and I think this has made us what we’ve become,” Smith said.
“People forget we also had Momo (Hayashi) suspended for first 3 games of the season, as well as 3 of our 4 Matildas unavailable for big chunks of the year.”
In addition to the loss of Kuilamu, captain Tameka Yallop tore her hamstring in December and only returned in March, while her Matildas teammate Sharn Freier went down with a season-ending ACL injury in late January.
The ability of Smith – who is currently the second-longest tenured active coach in the A-League Women, having taken the reigns in 2023 – to navigate this adversity and come out with a finals berth is testament to his resilience.
While his squad depth has been tested, younger players have stood up when called upon, with 19-year-old striker Daisy Brown a shining example among many.
But finals football isn’t just about what the squad has achieved for this club.
Selection Dilemmas
Brisbane’s Chief Operating Officer Zac Anderson has been working towards this achievement since joining in mid-2023, shortly before being involved in the appointment of Smith.
He oversaw the aforementioned transfer of defender Varley and is clearly delighted that the squad was able to handle that loss to secure a finals berth.
“It’s enormous, and I don’t think we should undersell it,” Anderson said.
“This is Brisbane Roar’s first finals series berth in five years, and that extended wait has been felt right across the club – by our admin, coaching staff, players, and most importantly by our members and supporters.
“For the women’s program in particular, this is a statement that we are heading in the right direction, and there’s more to come.”
As alluded to by his manager Smith, the availability of key players has been an issue, with international call-ups also adding to the ins and outs.
Goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln missed games in March due to her selection for the Matildas’ Asian Cup squad, with youngsters Daisy Brown and Zara Kruger also missing the final two games of the season after being called up for the Young Matildas squad.
Yet the good news for Brisbane is that Smith will have a near full squad to select from against Adelaide.
“All three will be back in contention for the game, and that’s a big positive. At one stage we had to have two keepers on the bench, so it’s nice to have a selection dilemma for this game,” Smith said.
So, the scene seems to set for the Roar to have their moment in the sun, and the significance of playing in front of a Brisbane crowd after winning their last three league games to secure a home final isn’t lost on either Smith or Anderson.
Yet even that isn’t as straightforward as one may think.
Brisbane fans have spoken
With the Adelaide game scheduled to take place at Spencer Park – home of NPL club Brisbane City, and venue for all the Roar women’s home fixtures this season – the club announced last week that the game has already sold out.
While Spencer Park only holds 5,000 spectators, it’s still an impressive achievement given the Roar ladies’ average home attendance this season is just over 1,500.
And Smith is delighted with the response from the Roar faithful to his team’s achievement.
“Brisbane has some of the best fans in the country, and they’ve been crying out for one of their teams to make finals. I’m really proud to be the coach of the team that delivered this for them. Given we sold out the game in just over 24 hours, I’ll believe they’ve spoken,” he said.
And yet despite the scheduled full house for their big game, it won’t necessarily mean a financial windfall, as Anderson explains.
“In terms of direct net revenue, Spencer Park’s capacity means this won’t significantly move the needle financially. But that was never the primary consideration when choosing this venue. A packed Spencer Park for a finals game is incredibly valuable for our women’s program and club in ways that go well beyond the gate receipt,” he said.
The subject of a permanent home for the club – whose men’s team play mainly at a cavernous Suncorp but have also turned out at temporary venues in Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast this season – has been well documented.
Yet such deliberations are probably for another day, with Smith keen to return to the immediate future as we wrap up our conversation.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be setting our sights on a grand final and winning it. The girls believe in themselves and each other,” he enthuses.
So, does he have a message for the expected record crowd ahead of the game a week on Saturday?
“My message to them would be strap yourselves in and get ready. We’ll give it everything we have to bring it home.”
It’s a rallying cry that will hopefully resonate with the long-suffering Brisbane fans ahead of the club’s biggest game in five years.