Sydney FC have flexed their muscles to win a fifth A-League Women game in a row with a 4-1 crushing of Brisbane in Redcliffe.
The defending premiers beat the Roar 4-0 only three weeks ago and sounded another warning on Saturday to the rest of the competition that they are hungry to win a fifth title.
The victory has Sydney equal on 15 points with competition leaders Melbourne City, but just behind on goal difference, while Brisbane are sixth on 10 points.
The Roar lost regular goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff during the week with a back complaint and was replaced by Isabella Shuttleworth.
Shuttleworth soon had plenty of work to do. She was beaten by a fierce strike from Sky Blues winger Princess Ibini-Isei in the 13th minute.
Ibini-Isei, who scored for the Matildas against Portugal earlier this year, received possession wide out on the left but dribbled her way effortlessly into a scoring position before unleashing.
The visitors dominated the opening half hour with the Roar guilty of sloppy defending. That came to the fore when attacking midfielder Sarah Hunter scored with ease in the 23rd minute when she was unmarked in the box.
The Roar had a couple of first-half chances. Winger Shea Connors shot just wide and Hollie Palmer hit the woodwork with a 25m cracker.
Matildas star Katrina Gorry tried to lift the hosts leading into the break but Sydney struck again when captain Natalie Tobin scored with a curling free kick from just outside the box on 37 minutes. Gorry hit the post from 30m out on the stroke of halftime but Sydney deserved their 3-0 lead.
Striker Madison Haley, who scored twice in Sydney's win three weeks prior, snuck one through Shuttleworth's legs in the 52nd minute to snuff out any chance of an unlikely comeback.
Brisbane's Ayesha Norrie got one back with a darting run and clinical finish in the 69th. Gorry, incredibly, nearly scored with another dipping 30m shot that she was convinced crossed the line as the Roar showed fight in the second stanza.
