Roar Women defeated a 10-woman Sydney FC 1-0 on New Year's Day to extend their W-League lead.
A second-half strike by Jo Burgess put Brisbane ahead and Sydney, hampered by the loss of Danielle Brogan and Kylie Ledbrook with a straight red card for a late tackle and knee injury respectively, couldn't level the score.
The grand final rematch, top of the table match, and state of origin clash, played out in soaring temperatures, and both teams traded strong build-up plays and solid defence.
Brisbane has only lost one game this season—the 4-1 pummelling they experienced at Sydney's feet in round one—and Sydney have a game in hand having already sat out their bye, so Brisbane were aware that this match was must-win for both points and pride. But having scored a league-leading 19 goals in total in the season to date, odds favoured Sydney to score first and perhaps most often throughout the match.
Sydney had the best few chances early in the game, including a poor clearance by Brisbane that Leena Khamis seized on. Pushed wide, she unselfishly offloaded the ball to give her teammates a better shot on goal, but the Brisbane defence swooped in and the opportunity was missed.
Then Lana Harch laid the ball back to Tameka Butt in the 21st and her shot, which initially looked to be heading out, dipped at the last second to hit the crossbar. Khamis and Elise Kellond-Knight both reeled after a nasty head clash when neither pulled out of a challenge. Kyah Simon had a brilliant chance 28 minutes in, but her efforts sailed just agonisingly past the upright and out, and the teams headed deadlocked into the sheds at the break.
Brisbane found the back of the net just five minutes into the second half. Sydney weren't able to clear the ball, and Clare Polkinghorne and Aivi Luik had a crack at scoring before Jo Burgess seized on the rebounding ball, lined up the shot, and delivered it through a sea of players and past Sydney goalkeeper Dimi Poulos.
Matildas teammates and this-time-on-opposite sides Heather Garriock and Lisa de Vanna subbed on 60 minutes in as both teams sought fresh legs and experience to see out the game. De Vanna's impact was felt immediately, when last defender Danielle Brogan couldn't contain her explosive speed and brought her down on the edge of the box.
Brogan earned herself a red card for the effort and de Vanna stepped up to take the penalty. But Poulos chose the right way and deflected de Vanna's shot and Sydney stayed in the hunt for an equaliser.
Kylie Ledbrook went down with a knee complaint seconds later after an awkward connection with the ball and the 10-woman Sydney temporarily went down to nine. De Vanna continued to trouble the Sydney defence throughout the half, but was denied three times by Poulos, whose saves increased in impressiveness each time.
These included a shot that rebounded off the upright and enabled Poulos to scoop the ball up to safety and one that forced Poulos into a diving one-on-one save. But it was her split-second, one-handed, near-post save in the 88th that pushed de Vanna's on-target shot up and over the crossbar and wowed the crowd.
Despite some last-ditch efforts by both teams, the match finished with just the one goal scored and Brisbane came away both the bragging rights and the league lead from the last time the teams will meet before the finals.
A hard-fought 1-0 match was the order of the day too in Newcastle, with Amy Jackson's second-half tap in proving the difference between the teams.
A late surge by Newcastle, though, which included a Kate Hensman header that ricocheted off the crossbar, kept the crowd on the edge of their seats as, right up until the final whistle, the match could have gone either way.
Youngster Tara Andrews, whose brace of goals helped Newcastle snatch victory from the then W-League leaders Sydney a few rounds back, was playing up front as the lone striker. She had two strong chances within a minute of each other midway through the first half, but her first shot skewed wide of the goal and her second was deflected out for a corner.
Ella Mastrantonio's shot for the Victory drifted wide while Newcastle's Melissa Feuerriegel's effort was saved by Melbourne and Matildas goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri to see both teams go into half time without a goal.
Jackson scored the match's sole goal just three minutes after the break to see the visitors walk away with the three points. She did so by tapping in the ball after goalkeeper Allison Lipsher could only parry Jodie Taylor's initial shot.
Newcastle was spurred into action as they tried to find an equaliser, but Melbourne kept their composure to deny the home team a goal and a point. The result means that Melbourne climbs to fifth on the Westfield W-League ladder.
