Despite showing strong signs of a return to form, Brisbane Roar had to be content with a 1-1 draw when they met Melbourne Victory in a hard-fought Grand Final rematch on Sunday.

Amy Jackson opened the scoring for Melbourne Victory midway through the second half, but a strong finish from Sunny Franco in the 82nd minute meant the teams were forced to share the points.

Melbourne Victory headed into the game with confidence after a resounding 4-0 win over Adelaide United last week extended their unbeaten streak to four games. Following on from a disappointing loss to Western Sydney Wanderers last week, Brisbane Roar were keen to find their feet in what has been a difficult season for them thus far.

Led by strong attacking performances from Katrina Gorry and Hayley Raso, the determination of the Roar to gain a result was clear from the outset. Although playing with purpose and dominating the possession for large passages of the game, the Roar once again struggled to convert the chances they created.

The hard pressing tactics employed by the Roar made it difficult for Melbourne Victory to find their rhythm in the first half. However, their ability to rapidly transition and attack with pace, usually through the ever present threat of Lisa De Vanna, allowed them to create a number of chances against the run of play.

At the end of a physical first half, it was the courageous performance from Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Brianna Davey that was instrumental in denying Brisbane Roar the lead.

Davey showed no fear as she smothered shots from Larissa Crummer and Raso at close-range, and later illustrated her aerial ability as she saved a long-range attempt from Gorry. The culmination of a number of physical clashes left Davey unable to continue after the break due to injury, with the Victory being forced to bring on substitute keeper Cassandra Dimovski.

The second period saw Victory midfielders Christine Nairn and Ella Mastrantonio begin to exert some control over the game but it took until the 69th minute for the Victory to find the opening they needed to break the deadlock.

A first-time pass from Jackson enabled De Vanna to show her class as she held the ball up and committed Roar defenders Laura Alleway and Clare Polkinghorne, before slipping a neat ball through for Jackson to receive on the edge of the box. Jackson’s composed first touch set her up to neatly slot the ball home for her fifth goal in six matches.

Brisbane Roar remained patient after conceding but, as has regularly been the case for the Roar this season, their commendable build up play often lacked the dangerous last ball needed to create clear-cut chances in their attacking third.

The Roar’s persistence paid off in the 82nd minute as substitute Sunny Franco pounced on a mistake at the back from the Victory’s Emma Checker.

Franco utilised her deft touch to take the ball away from a scrambling Checker, affording her time to effortlessly place the ball and score the equaliser.

Although both teams continued to threaten in the dying minutes, the game remained 1-1 at the final whistle.

The result has left Melbourne Victory sitting comfortably in third position on the league ladder, putting them in good stead for a finals berth.

Brisbane Roar can take home a number of positives from the match but will need to strengthen their efforts in front of goal if they are to truly return to form.