In-form Westfield W-League striker Kyah Simon believes Sydney FC’s on-going rivalry with Brisbane Roar will help motivate the Sky Blues when the two heavyweights clash in the semi finals in Brisbane on Sunday.
In-form Westfield W-League striker Kyah Simon believes Sydney FC-s on-going rivalry with Brisbane Roar will help motivate the Sky Blues when the two heavyweights clash in the semi finals in Brisbane on Sunday.
Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar have been the two stand-out Clubs since the inception of the Westfield W-League but find themselves facing off in the semi finals after Canberra United took out the Minor Premiership.
Simon, who has only returned to the starting line up in the last two weeks following a long injury lay-off, talked up the rivalry ahead of the match, which will be played at the Queensland Sports and Athletic Centre on Sunday.
“We have a great rivalry with the Roar and I-m sure this match will be close as there is not much separating our two teams,” Simon said. “It-s going to be tough having the Roar crowd there but I guess it-s what we have to deal with and we just have to play good football and block out the distractions off the pitch.
Simon-s Brisbane Roar counterpart Tameka Butt steered away from any talk of rivalry, stating the Westfield W-League teams had improved this season, catching the likes of Brisbane and Sydney FC.
“The season-s definitely changed this year for us, there are a lot more competitive teams out there this year,” Butt said. “Playing this week against Sydney is going to be as much a mental game as a physical one, I think the ones with more experience will be more prepared for it.”
The teams clashed last weekend in the final match of the regular season with Brisbane Roar scoring a 1-0 win in a tense and tightly-contested match.
Canberra United takes on Melbourne Victory in the other semi final on Saturday. One hour highlight packages of both matches will to be screened on ABC1 at 6pm the evening of the match.
Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC
Sunday 22 January, 2012
Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre, Brisbane
Local kick-off: 2pm (Sydney time)
