Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images

Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC ended Round 6 with a fitting 1-1 draw at Goodwin Park, Brisbane.

This was a typical Brisbane / Sydney encounter with both teams stepping up in hot and humid conditions. End to end football was on display with every opposing player matched in ability, skill and fitness.

The game's pace never wavered as each team capitalised on lost possession and hastened to quickly counter attack.

Sydney gained the upper hand early when in the 4th minute a corner and a goal mouth scramble had Nadine Angerer searching for clean possession but Renee Rollason made a clean connection to put the Sky Blues up 1-0.

Sydney then took control of the midfield battle as the visitor's Teresa Polias, Chloe Logarzo and Nicole Bolger worked to time and again deliver service to their forwards.  However Clare Polkinghorne was once again in position to break down any plays through the central channel to deny Jodie Taylor, Emma Kete and Leena Khamis.

When the trio did find their way through, good 'keeping and a lack of clinical finishing let the Roar off the hook.

The return of Tameka Butt gave Roar the flexibility needed to play their unpredictable style of offensive football.  Butt, in tandem with Katrina Gorry, worked ardently in assisting the Roar's new look strike duo Larissa Crummer and Hayley Raso's efforts towards goal.

In the 55th minute they were rewarded as a searching pass was fired from Crummer to Raso, who beat Casey Dumont at her far left post.

The back half of the encounter saw both defensive units play a big role in keeping the scoreline level.  Angerer and Dumont were adept at reading the play and comfortably stopping a flurry of shots.

Rollason worked tirelessly with Alesha Clifford, Anna Green and Caitlin Foord to keep the Roar at bay in the first half.  In the second half their workload increased significantly as the Roar committed to their flank runs, drawing the Sydney defence wide and exposing Dumont to a pacy Brisbane attack.

Down the other end Kim Carroll and Brooke Spence were typically clinical and calm.  Their ability to repossess and then play the ball out through their back line is something that arguably the Roar defence do better than any other back line in the W-League.

Meanwhile Vedrana Popovic did a remarkable job on keeping striker, Sam Kerr well contained; not the easiest of tasks.

As expected, the physicality of these two rivals was relentless as no love was lost with players challenging every ball and often finding themselves horizontal with the turf.

Based on the standard of play of this match, both teams would be heavily tipped to meet in the finals series of Season 6.