Brisbane Roar Head Coach Johnathan Clemente says his side is moving in the right direction, despite a 1-0 loss to Sydney FC at Gioca Stadium on Saturday, as the Roar turn their attention to Melbourne Victory at home this weekend.
After conceding several goals across the opening two rounds, the Roar kept Sydney to a single goal, and Clemente said the improvement in defence was the clearest sign of where the group is heading.
“It’s all part of the process. As I said to the girls, we’ve got to remain positive, and I can see the end goal of that process,” he said.
“We defended much better. We obviously conceded lots of goals in the first two rounds, and I thought we limited Sydney’s chances and our defenders were excellent in the box, which is what we’ve been working on. We’ve got to be better from an attacking point of view and in possession, but where I see the growth in this team is that we keep building. It was much better than the last two weeks. Obviously we want the result, but it’s coming.”
He said the progress has come slower than he would like, but stressed the bigger picture.
“For me there’s very, very clear progression in the team. It’s happening a little bit slower than we’d like. Of course we want the three points, but I can see where this team’s heading and the growth we’re having week in, week out. Ultimately it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish, and no one’s won a trophy in round three.”
“We need to be on the front foot and we need to be better with the ball. That’s the most important thing. A learning for us in this growth period was that in the first two games we pressed probably too aggressively, and from a fitness point of view we probably weren’t there yet. So we had to scale back, be a bit more compact, and press in the right moments.
Fitness building, options growing
Goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln returned to the side against Sydney, and Clemente said leadership is shared across the group.
“She was excellent. She’s one of the best goalkeepers in the competition and she’s always going to provide value for us. But it’s not just up to her to lead the team. It’s up to me, it’s up to everyone. To be honest, I don’t think we have a leadership problem. We’ve just got to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Several players, including Daisy Brown, are still building toward full fitness.
“There’s a few of them still coming to full fitness, but we’ve got a clear plan in place. From a fitness, attitude and accountability point of view, everyone’s getting better week to week, and Daisy’s included in that.”
Brisbane local Lily Punch made an impact off the bench, and Clemente sees a role for her as the Roar look for goals.
“We’ve got a quality squad. It’s about finding the right formula so we can, one, defend better, which I think we did today, and now it’s about going forward and putting balls in the back of the net, which I think Punchy could be a big part of.”
Match details
Ninja A-League Women 2026/27, Matchweek 4: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
Gioca Stadium, Newmarket
Saturday 7 November, 4pm AEST kick-off
Tickets at brisbaneroar.com.au/tickets
