Brisbane Roar will be without Matildas midfielder Katrina Gorry for the rest of the A-League Women season after her early return to Swedish club Vittsjo GIK.
Gorry will miss the remaining three games of the regular season, starting with the Roar's ALW away clash with Western Sydney on Sunday night.
"Katrina Gorry has gone back to Sweden, which is a really big out for us," Roar coach Garrath McPherson told AAP.
"It was a bit of a tough one. We had Katrina contracted until the end of this month but a couple of weeks ago there was a request from the national team for her to get a 10-day rest at the other end of her Swedish season ahead of a World Cup camp.
"That was fine by us but her Swedish club said that wasn't going to happen unless they got her back 10 days early."
The Roar decided not to put their foot down and keep Gorry after all she had done for the club and with the upcoming home World Cup, starting in July, in mind.
"Katrina has given her all for our club and wanted to stay but the break prior to the camp is important for her to get in the best shape to go and win a World Cup," McPherson said.
"So we agreed to release her early."
Gorry's absence will give players including Zara Kruger and Aleeah Davern a chance to showcase their talents.
The Roar's finals hopes were all-but-extinguished when they were docked the three points for last week's 2-0 win over Western United, which was replaced by league officials with a 3-0 loss.
Captain Ayesha Norrie had earned a one-match suspension after picking up her fourth yellow card of the season on March 4 against the Wellington Phoenix, but played the full game against Western United regardless.
McPherson told AAP on Friday the club would be appealing against the decision, arguing they were not told by A-League officials before the game that Norrie was suspended.
He offered high praise for forward Shea Connors, who scored both goals last week and has been the team's outstanding player this month.
"Shea has been exceptional and seems to have found her goalscoring boots," the coach said.
"The shift (from the wing) into the middle has really helped her. She can attack down both flanks and centrally and is not as isolated out on that wing.
"She is in a really rich vein of form."
