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Last Season...
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| Credit: Brisbane Roar |
They'll Win The League Because...
...they’ve got that winning feeling and you can be certain A-League Coach of the Year Ange Postecoglou won’t want to let that go. They’ve proven that it doesn’t take champion players but a champion team to take the crown. A shake up in the roster won’t change that attitude. Also, don’t be fooled by their modest 3842 members. If 50,000 Queenslanders at Suncorp in March proved anything it’s that this team has a lot of support in Brisbane. Going into the 2011/2012 season as Champions you can rest assured the crowds will be there to roar for their team once again.
They'll Be Cellar Dwellers Because...
...the mass exodus from Ballymore in the off-season saw them lose their influential captain Matt McKay as well as the powerful goal-scoring duo of Kosta Barbarouses and Jean Carlos Solorzano. Forwards Besart Berisha, Kofi Danning and Issey Nakajima-Farran were brought in to replace this void but a series of disappointing pre-season losses to Melbourne Victory (2-0) and Adelaide United (3-0) might suggest this is not the clinical, attacking force we saw last year. The losses featured some worrying signs at the back too with Matt Smith hardly putting in confident performances since taking the captain’s armband.
The physical toll of competing in the AFC Champions League for the first time will also test the stamina of the squad this season.
Talk Around The Watercooler... Look smart in front of your colleagues with this valuable piece of information.
...thanks to new recruits Sayed Mohamed Adnan (Bahrain), Besart Berisha (Albania), and Issey Nakajima-Farran (Canada), within the A-League Brisbane Roar now have the most players who currently play in their respective national teams (excluding Socceroos and All Whites).
The Extended Off-Season Brought...
...a new CEO. Ex-Brisbane Lions CEO Michael Bowers will fill the role left behind by FFA appointed Eugenie Buckley. Buckley was an important part in reviving the club off the field, successfully doubling membership numbers and building a solid sponsorship base. Bowers will be CEO in an interim capacity while continuing his quest on behalf of the club to find new owners (rumoured to be an Indonesian conglomerate).
The off season also saw the new kit colours revealed. Gone are the days of maroon and orange. The Puma kit is now a sleek orange and black combo with the away kit showcasing more of the latter.
Key Player...
Thomas Broich - The signing of Albanian striker Besart Berisha (well worth watching in his own right) will see the ever-dangerous German moved from left wing into a more central attacking position where he is sure to see even more of the ball. Considering how much impact he already has every game, this should get Roar fans excited for what lies ahead.
One To Watch...
James Meyer - Having come down with injury toward the end of last season, Meyer has regained his mojo in a big way. He’s been one of the Roar’s shining stars in the pre-season friendlies. In the team’s last friendly before the Hyundai A-League kicks off, Meyer showed he’s in good touch, chalking up a hat-trick in their 3-0 win over University of Queensland. Meyer also netted two goals in the Roar’s 5-1 victory over Wellington Phoenix in another friendly in Dunedin last month. Expect him to get more than a few this season.
Full Squad List
THEOKLITOS, Michael. SMITH, Matt (C). JURMAN, Matthew. STEFANUTTO, Shane (VC). FRANJIC, Ivan. PAARTALU, Eric. MURDOCCA, Massimo. HENRIQUE. MUNDY, Matt. VISCONTE, Rocky. BOWLES, Daniel. NICHOLS, Mitch. BRATTAN, Luke. BUSH, Chris. REDMAYNE, Andrew. MEYER, James. BROICH, Thomas. DANNING, Kofi. HINGERT, Jack. ADNAN, Sayed Mohamed. BERISHA, Besart. NAKAJIMA-FARRAN, Issey.