Western Sydney Wanderers 1 Brisbane Roar 3: Maclaren at the double as Roar start in style

Jamie Maclaren netted a brace on his A-League debut for Brisbane Roar, helping his new side to get their campaign up and running with a 3-1 win at Western Sydney Wanderers in Thursday’s season opener.

Striker Maclaren – who joined Brisbane from Perth Glory in July – pounced on a poor backpass from Brendan Hamill to open the scoring inside 10 minutes.

Mitch Nichols restored parity with a well-taken 13th-minute strike, only for Daniel Bowles to put Brisbane back in front by meeting Corona’s corner with a thumping header 10 minutes later.

And Maclaren gave Brisbane breathing space with a second that ultimately proved decisive 11 minutes before half-time.

Maclaren poked home from close range at the end of a goal-mouth scramble following another Corona corner to ensure a winning start for new coach John Aloisi.