SINGAPORE – National women’s footballer Danelle Tan insisted she has emerged “stronger than before”, despite seeing her stint at A-League Women side Brisbane Roar disrupted by a knee injury that has restricted her to just 45 minutes of action across three substitute appearances since January.
Having made a full recovery, the forward is determined to adapt to the quicker pace of the game in Australia and play a greater role in her team’s push to finish the season on a high note.
She said: “Going into the pre-season and getting that injury was not an ideal timing. Sitting out for eight games and struggling to find my feet in the squad, it’s been a whirlwind.
“This is the first time I’m playing in a season cut short because of injury. It’s just more motivation for me to keep improving, train more, stay calm, bide my time and take my opportunities,” the 20-year-old told journalists from Singapore on March 27, ahead of the Roar’s April 1-5 tour.
The highlight of the trip will be an exhibition match against a Women’s Premier League selection side at Bishan Stadium on April 4.
Tan, who signed her first professional contract with the Roar until the end of the 2024-25 season after moving from German side Borussia Dortmund, made her A-League Women debut on Jan 4 in the 2-1 loss to Canberra United.
She had a goal disallowed for offside in her second game on Feb 16, a 0-0 draw with Western United, before a 10-minute cameo in the 3-2 loss to Sydney FC on March 2.
Although her playing time has been limited, it has been an eye-opening experience as Tan discovered first-hand how the Australian top flight is on another level.
She said: “It gives me a proper taste of what professional football looks and feels like. How I view football is no longer just something I do as a passion, it’s now my job.
“I’ve learnt a lot from being able to share the dressing room, train and play alongside world-class players like (Australian internationals) Tameka Yallop, Sharn and Laini Freier, and Bulgarian Women Footballer of the Year Evdokiya Popadinova.”
Tan also admitted that she needed to adjust to the faster pace in Australia and make “a lot of my decisions faster”.
Her coach Alex Smith agreed with her assessment.
While proclaiming that Tan is a “wonderfully technically gifted player whose touch and finishing ability are probably one of the best on the team”, he said the Singaporean still has work to do.
“The speed of play is probably quicker here than anywhere in the world. It might not be the best technically, but the speed of play is definitely really, really high… everybody seems to be pressing us at 100 miles an hour lately,” he said.
“The speed of play is definitely faster than what Danelle anticipated… Once she develops that speed and awareness of when to play one- and two-touch football, she can thrive in a league like this.”
Smith added: “This year in the A-League can do a world of good for her development and improvement. Even though she might not see it right now or might not be enjoying it fully at the moment, I do think this is going to stand her in good stead for the rest of her career.”
While Tan is looking forward to meeting family and friends during the Roar’s visit to Singapore, she and Smith are very much focused on ending their season on a high, after a promising start of six wins in their first eight games was negated by nine losses in the following 12 matches.
With three games to go, they are sixth in the 12-team league, with the top half qualifying for the Finals series play-offs to determine the champions.
Refusing to speculate on her future with the club, Tan said: “Things change very quickly, very suddenly and unexpectedly. I’m just focused on the rest of the season now and making the Finals series, because a lot of things can happen.”
Smith added: “2025 has been a very, very tough year for us… it’s been a bit challenging with different injuries and suspensions. It’s just about getting back to what made us so successful in the first half of the season, which was dominating the ball and controlling the game, before that fell apart for whatever reason.
“The good news is our fate is still in our hands, and we hope we can turn it around this weekend (against Central Coast Mariners) and get a good result leading into a fantastic trip to Singapore.”
Meanwhile, the Singapore women’s team were drawn with Iran, Lebanon, Bhutan and hosts Jordan in Group A of the Asian Cup qualifiers from June 23 to July 5.
Only the winners from the eight groups, along with hosts Australia and the top three – China, South Korea and Japan – from the 2022 edition will progress to the showpiece in 2026.
Tan and the Lionesses can also look forward to playing in the Asean Women’s Championship, which reportedly will take place in June, and the SEA Games in December.
