Brisbane Roar W-League star Clare Polkinghorne to be player-coach

Brisbane Roar W-League stalwart Clare Polkinghorne is preparing for the new season without her greatest supporter.

Brisbane Roar Womens captain Clare Polkinghorne at Suncorp Stadium ahead of the women's season-opener on Sunday. Pics Adam Head

• Arnie’s strikeforce taking shape
• Key issues Socceroos need to address

Football will never be quite the same again for Brisbane Roar and Matildas stalwart Clare Polkinghorne following the passing of her father and number one supporter Tony.

Aged 63, Tony Polkinghorne died in August after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Clare, who cut short her stint with American club Houston Dash to be with her dad in his final days, admits it will be a different feeling lining up for the Roar and Australia without Tony there.

“It’s something you never really get over,” she said.

“He was one of the biggest influences in my football career, and he was the biggest support for me through my development.

Stream every game of The 2019/20 Hyundai A-League season LIVE & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Brisbane Roar stalwart Clare Polkinghorne will be a player-coach this A-League season. Picture: Adam Head

“He always travelled to our tournaments overseas and just loved watching me play, and watching the Roar and Matildas play. He was always proud of what I achieved.

“It’s going to different without him in the stands, that’s for sure, but while he’s not there in the stands, I know he’s always had an impact on my career and he’s always going to be out there on the field with me a little bit.

“It’ll be hard not to have him there watching but it won’t change the way I go about the game.”

Polkinghorne, 30, has re-signed for a 12th W-League season with the Roar, and will add coaching to her duties after being named as an assistant to Brisbane’s new mentor, Jake Goodship.

“It’s a nice little challenge for me. It was a little bit unexpected but after a little bit of thought, I decided it would be something I’d like to give a go,” the veteran centre-back said.

“Coaching is something that I hadn’t thought about doing early on in my career, but the last three or four years I thought about coaching and what I’d be able to give back to the game, and it’s something I have been interested in recently.

Clare Polkinghorne with her father Tony after arriving back in Brisbane following the 2016 Rio Olympics. Pic Peter Wallis

“I’d love to help the next generation of players and when the opportunity came up it was one I was really excited to take.”

Polkinghorne is confident the Roar can build on last season’s semi-final exit when the new campaign starts next month.

“We’re building a strong team here with plenty of experienced players which will be massive for us to improve on what we achieved last year,” she said.

“We’ve definitely put together a strong team. A lot of the girls who got game time last season, especially the younger girls … will be better for it this season.

“We’re taking it one step at a time but we’ve got that bigger picture and end goal in mind.”