Brisbane Roar star winger Shea Connors was replaced at the end of a 1-all draw with Canberra United with heat exhaustion in an A-League Women clash played in oppressive conditions.
The temperature recorded on the pitch at Brisbane’s Perry Park was 35 degrees with players taking a break every 15 minutes.
Roar coach Garrath McPherson said Connors, one of the fittest players in the competition, was “physically exhausted” after she was substituted late in the game.
“I’d prefer to prepare to play at nine in the morning if we could,” McPherson said after the game kicked off at 2pm.
“Having to stop a game every fifteen minutes just to give them hydration so they don’t collapse probably suggests it might be too hot to be playing professional sport.”
A first-half goal by United’s New Zealand international Grace Jale was cancelled out by Roar’s Matilda star Larissa Crummer in the second stanza.
“Larissa is in a rich vein of form,” McPherson said.
“She’s got a goal in each of our game’s so far and it was a big goal for us today in what were very tough conditions for both teams.”
Crummer was a constant threat up front as was Jale on the left wing for the visitors.
United were under siege in the opening 20 minutes as Roar’s dangerous forwards Sharn Freier, Connors and Crummer all had chances.
Canadian international Kennedy Faulknor came from the clouds to save a shot by Freier.
Faulknor was there again in defence to save a strike by Connors before Crummer hit the woodwork with a curling left-footer.
That defensive resilience was rewarded in the 23rd minute when Jale scored for Canberra after Chengshu Wu had shown excellent control to head the ball twice into her path.
Wu clashed heads with Roar’s Kajsa Lind in the process. Wu left the field with what appeared to be an injured cheek.
United led 1-nil at the break but the Roar came out firing in the second stanza.
Freier found Connors in space, the latter’s shot well saved by Chloe Lincoln. However, Crummer was on hand to calmly slot the rebound to make it 1-all in the 54th minute.
Roar goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff handled outside the box and then saved the free kick taken by Grace Maher in the 78th minute.
Hancuff came up with a cracking save at the death to deny Grace Maher.
Canberra’s shrewd recruitment this season came to the fore.
Faulknor, who played for UCLA Bruins in the US for the past five seasons, debuted for Canada’s national team when she was just 16 and was a tower of strength in central defence.
The 23-year-old Jale, formerly with Wellington, signed with Canberra on a two-year deal. She debuted for New Zealand in 2018 and was all class.
