Brisbane Roar are delighted to announce the return of Mariel Hecher to the squad as its Liberty A-League Vice-Captain ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Mariel Hecher returns to the Roar for her fourth Liberty A-League season, after overcoming an ACL injury that she acquired in December 2022 in Brisbane Roar’s clash against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Since joining the Roar for the 2020/2021 campaign, the Brazilian has made 29 appearances and scored six goals in that time, looking for more in her return to the field this season.
Hecher is excited to be returning for another season, taking on the Vice-Captain role for the first time alongside Captain Ayesha Norrie.
Though being Norrie’s third time as captain, Hecher looks forward to showcasing her leadership by fulfilling the role that Matilda’s star Katrina Gorry previously filled for two seasons prior.
“I’m pretty excited, I’m always happy to play at home and represent the state again and play for the Roar,” Hecher said.
“I feel like there’s big shoes to fill, replacing Katrina. Not big in size, but definitely big in experience. It’s going to be a great challenge, I’m excited to share the role with Ayesha, I’m going to learn a lot and hopefully we can help each other be better for the team,” she added.
Coming back from injury, the 30-year-old will be determined to bounce back to the fine form she was in prior to her ACL rupture.
“I want to return to sport as soon as possible, coming back from my ACL, my main goal is to be back on the field helping the team,” she said.
“I think most of us have been playing together for one or two seasons now, I think we can go for a more successful season this year.”
Hecher has high hopes for the season ahead and wants to bring the only A-League club in Queensland back to where it belongs, particularly as we watch the Women’s World Cup and see the number of Queenslanders present in the Matilda’s squad.
“As a team, we want to do better. We want to make finals; we want to bring Queensland back on the national stage and represent this state that has such good talent,” she said.
“You see in the Matilda’s, there’s so many Queenslanders, we just want to make Queensland the powerhouse of football again.”
Head Coach Garrath McPherson is looking forward to Hecher bringing her energy and enthusiasm to the squad again this season.
“Mariel has been a tremendous player for the club for the past three seasons now and we were devastated to lose her in the early stages of the last campaign,” McPherson said.
“She brings so much energy and enthusiasm to everything she does, and she should be proud of the role she played in the background last season after her injury. The whole team is looking forward to having her back on the pitch, creating and scoring goals!”
McPherson believes together, Norrie and Hecher will be role models for the younger players as they look to lead their squad through a successful season.
“They both have had incredibly different journeys to this point of their careers and their experiences so far are invaluable for the group. For the younger players on our roster, they are role models and a support network to help them navigate life as a professional footballer.”
