The result means Canberra have now gone through the regular season undefeated – becoming the first team in the short history of the competition to do so – and have wrapped up the minor premiership with a round to go.
They now have the bye and a week off to prepare for a home semi-final against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
It was the first appearance in green for both New Zealand internationals, although the scenarios surrounding their respective debuts were somewhat different.
Goalkeeper Clansey has been with the club all season but the form of Australian No 1 Lydia Williams has meant she has had to be content with a place on the bench.
In contrast, Kete signed with Canberra only days before the Adelaide clash and did not have to wait long to get a taste of the action, joining the fray as a second-half substitute.
“It was pretty exciting,” Kete says.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to come on or not so it was good to get a run around and it’s an honour to have the opportunity to play for this team. I was a bit nervous but more excited than anything else because I just wanted to get on.”
Kete could have made a significant impact on her debut but failed to find the net with the one opportunity that came her way in her short time on the pitch.
Despite taking part for the full 90 minutes, Clansey did not touch much more of the ball than Kete and was reduced largely to a spectator’s role as the minor premiers dominated proceedings.
But the 25-year-old enjoyed her first spell between the sticks and was pleased to finally put her hard work into practice.
“I was feeling pretty confident but I was also nervous with it being my first game out there,” Clansey says.
“I was just happy to get on the field and show everyone how hard I’ve been working. I have to be ready again in case something happens to Lydia because you never know in football.”
Clansey says the Canberra camp is delighted to have secured the minor premiership but is quick to stress the mission is not yet complete.
“It’s great, we’ve been working really hard all season and this is what we’ve been aiming for. We’ve achieved it now but we’ve still got more steps to go. We want to get through the semi-finals and then win the league obviously.”
Kete, 24, is surprised to be in a position to be able to do so after being released by Perth Glory in early December but is relishing the unexpected opportunity.
Clansey played a key role in Kete signing for Canberra by putting her international colleague in touch with coach Jitka Klimkova. Kete admits she did not expect anything to come from the talks but, after a brief trial period, put pen to paper on a short-term deal.
She is now hoping to play a role as Canberra look to continue their unbeaten run and earn the title.
“I’m just going to train hard and maybe push my way towards getting some more game time,” she says.

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