Ahead of the start to the 2014/15 campaign, Brisbane Roar Head Coach Belinda Wilson has announced her squad to contest the seventh season of the Westfield W-League.
Following on from Friday’s re-signing of FIFA Ballon d’Or winner Nadine Angerer, Wilson today confirmed a similar squad to the playing group that qualified for last season’s Westfield W-League Grand Final.
The influential Clare Polkinghorne, who spent her off-season plying her trade for Japanese club INAC Kobe Leonessa, will captain the side for the sixth season in a row.
Elise Kellond Knight, who also played in Japan but for Iga FC alongside last season’s Julie Dolan medallist Tameka Butt in the off-season, and Kim Carroll are vice-captains while Katrina Gorry, fresh from last week’s FC Kansas City’s National Women’s Soccer League-winning squad, has also returned to Brisbane.
Impressively, the 2014/15 squad contains five players who will play their seventh consecutive season for the Roar – Polkinghorne, Brooke Spence, Kim Carroll, Kellond-Knight and Butt.
“This is another season where the majority of the playing group are Queenslanders, which is important to us as a squad and to us as a club,” Wilson said.
“It’s exciting to know some of our foundation players have gone overseas to experience other cultures and other leagues and I’m excited to see how that influences our training environment.
“There’s a good mix of experience and youth in our squad as well as plenty of passion, drive and determination to do well this W-League season.”
Queensland Academy of Sport youngsters Teagan Micah, named Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the recent NTC Challenge, and left-back Angela Beard have been added to the squad by Wilson with the only omissions being Joanne Burgess (retired) and Erika Elze (released).
Another new face is Wilson’s recently-appointed assistant Craig Pilon, formerly of the Scottish Football Federation.
“Craig has come in with a wealth of knowledge from his time with elite youth women’s football in Scotland,” Wilson said.
“We’ve already seen at training that his approach compliments my coaching style and also a level of professionalism to lift our standards on and off the pitch.”
Brisbane Roar kick off their Westfield W-League 2014/15 campaign away to Perth Glory this Sunday, 14 September before their first home match of the season on Sunday, 21 September against Sydney FC at Queensland Sports & Athletics Centre.
Brisbane Roar W-League 2014/15 squad
1. Nadine ANGERER (gk), 2. Laura ALLEWAY, 3. Amy CHAPMAN, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE (c), 5. Brooke SPENCE, 6. Hayley RASO, 7. Kim CARROLL, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 9. Larissa CRUMMER, 10. Katrina GORRY, 11. Vedrana POPOVIC, 13. Tameka BUTT, 14. Natasha WHEELER, 15. Brooke GOODRICH, 16. Angela BEARD, 17. Emily GIELNIK, 18. Sunny FRANCO, 19. Ayesha NORRIE, 20. Kate STEWART (gk), 21. Teagan MICAH (gk)
