Clare Polkinghorne: Round Eleven

Coming off wins against Canberra and then Sydney on New Years Day, the equation for us was simple and our destiny was in our own hands: two wins from our last two games and the premiership would be ours, we would finish the season top of the ladder. After our round one loss and round two draw, many thought it would not be possible.

Last weekend we came up against a confident Melbourne side who needed anything but a loss and in the end a draw for Melbourne felt like a win for them. And we couldn’t help but feel like we had lost the game, even though it ended in an anticlimactic 0-0 draw. As a result, we now have to make sure we get three points from our game on Saturday against Newcastle at Ballymore in Brisbane as well as rely on other results to go our way. But first we need to make sure that we finish our season on a high, better then the way we started the season.

We were very disappointed with the way we played against Melbourne, but it is so often true that you learn more from the games that you don’t win then from those that you do win. It is a timely reminder for us that we need to go into every game being desperate to win and to work hard as a team to pull through. It is probably a blessing in disguise for us, to have a game that reignites our desires to win.

We have one game remaining before our bye in the last round of the Westfield's W-League. This weekend we face a Newcastle side that not long ago kicked 7 goals in one game. They will be confident and have nothing to lose. In saying that we will be desperate to win this game in order to give ourselves at least a slight chance to finish top. We cannot control other results, which is why we need to make sure we can do what is in our control.

One Newcastle player that has come out of the woodwork is the young Tara Andrews. She bagged 4 against Adelaide in their 7-1 win as well as their only goal last weekend. She is in good form and will be someone we will need to be aware of on Saturday.

After a disrupted training week last week due to the floods in Brisbane, we are looking for a solid week of training. We have recovered from our bruising battle against Melbourne and look forward to the challenge this weekend.

On and off the field we are all facing challenges, none more so then the challenge all of Brisbane is facing in recovering from the floods. As a team, the Roar women players have donated to the appeal and we are hoping that others out there will also generously donate to those who have lost everything in this disaster. The community spirit is beyond comprehendible and I am proud to be a Queenslander. You can donate by calling 1800 219 028, by visiting http://telethon.smartservice.qld.gov.au/ .

Clare is a girl with a strong passion for football and the womens game in particular. Captain of W-League side Brisbane Roar, Clare is also a current Matilda. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground, or if you cant make the game live on ABC1. To read Clare's other columns for The Football Sack, click here!