Canberra United return to McKellar Park as the Ninja A-League 2024/25 gets underway with the visit of Brisbane Roar for the first match under the leadership of Antoni Jagarinec heralding a new era for the football club.
After the weeks of uncertainty around the future of the team, Jagarinec was appointed and able to build an exciting looking squad to take the field, with a cluster of new signings eager to join some returning heroes for their first taste of the iconic McKellar Park atmosphere.
Brisbane Roar arrive with a plethora of new arrivals themselves and will hope for better fortune than their last foray South to the Australian Capital Territory, a 5-1 hammering by a fired-up United in a Round 7 clash played in early December 2023, a result that included a hat-trick for Vesna Milivojevic.
The hosts have warmed up for the new season with a goalless draw against Melbourne Victory in Albury last week, a highly credible result considering Jagarinec selected just three substitutes to preserve the fitness of some of the squad ahead of the season-opener this Saturday.
Prior to that United had given the McKellar Park faithful a glimpse of what might be this year with an accomplished 6-0 defeat of the National Premier League All-Stars following the Season Launch, Maja Markovski and Heyman scoring twice each.
Off the back of that match a trio of local talent was snapped up by the Ninja A-League outfit as All-Stars goalkeeper Janet King, defender Ivana Galic, and winger Tianah Miro followed in the footsteps of joint NPLW Player of the Year Jaya Bowman in putting pen to paper on scholarship deals.
Bowman was introduced into the fray against the Victory last week, playing in the middle of the back-four alongside Hayley Taylor-Young, Alex McKenzie, and Sofia Christopherson, after replacing Tegan Bertolissio in the 52nd minute. That meant the entire defensive structure had graduated from the Canberra United Academy.
The Roar are often tough opponents for Canberra, the shellacking handed out last season the exception rather than the norm, and the home side will be hoping for a large and boisterous crowd to see them off to a winning start in 2024/25.
MATCH DETAILS
Saturday 2 November 2024
Canberra United v Brisbane Roar
(McKellar Park), 16:00)
Gates Open: 15:00
