A couple of her teammates stole the show with spectacular goals but it was a regulation tap-in from Larissa Crummer that most excited Brisbane Roar players, coaches and fans alike on Sunday night.
Crummer scored the final goal of the match as Roar cruised to a 4-0 drubbing of Perth Glory to increase their Westfield W-League winning streak to five matches.
While it was one of the easiest goals of Crummer’s career, she has never scored one as sweet.
It’s because it’s been a long and arduous road back to the pitch for the 25-year-old, who suffered a sickening broken leg while playing for Newcastle Jets back in January 2019.
Crummer shattered the tibia and fibula bones in her left leg in a heavy collision with Adelaide goalkeeper Sarah Willacy.
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Since then she has endured five surgeries, countless setbacks and plenty of hours in the treatment room to get back on the Westfield W-League stage for the first time in 758 days.
“I was happy just to get on the field but to get a goal as well was unbelievable,” an ecstatic Crummer told Fox Sports after the match.
“I felt pretty good considering everything I have been through.
“I never once thought about [not] going into a tackle. It’s just good to be back.”
The return of Crummer – a former Westfield W-League Golden Boot winner and 20-cap Westfield Matilda – underlines the incredible depth of talent at Jake Goodship’s disposal.
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Roar again showed they look the team to beat, scoring some incredible goals on their way to a fifth straight win.
Olivia Chance kick-started the rout with a stunner for her first Westfield W-League goal before Emily Gielnik took control with a double.
Gielnik’s first strike – a goal of the season contender - came from just a couple of metres inside Glory territory, before notching her eight of the campaign early in the second half.
Asked about her jaw-dropping first goal, Gielnik said: “It’s a striker’s dream to score a long goal like that.
“I saw my moment, the keeper was off her line and I just had one thought, ‘hit it’.
“I hit and well and managed to get it just over the fingertips [of the keeper]…I’m pretty stoked about that.”
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The only sour note for Roar was a late injury to Gielnik, that saw her limp from the field with a groin problem.
“I wish it was a cramp, that’s what I thought it was initially. I felt my groin just go,” Gielnik explained.
“For a minute I didn’t think I could take another step, so better to be safe than sorry…hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
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