Team of the Week: Round 1

Each week Matt Collard will reveal The Football Sack's best eleven. Disagree with his choices? Let him know in the comments section below.

Goalkeeper

This was the week of the goalkeeper. It started fairly abysmally with Ben Kennedy and Nikola Roganovic letting in a total of five goals, but only got better from there. Ante Covic and Liam Reddy starred in their fixture before Matt Ryan put in an impressive showing next. Mark Paston also had a good game and did his best to keep the Gold Coast out before being beaten at the death.

My two options, though, were Covic and Reddy. Both made numerous terrific saves. Reddy perhaps had more to do, making quite a few important one on one saves, but Covic’s penalty stop was just too hard to go past.

Defence

Manny Muscat at right back was a no brainer for me. Ivan Franjic was the only other right back to have a notably impressive game – although Neville was good for Perth – but Muscat’s performance was stand out. His effort was exceptional and he was good in the assist for the goal.

Matt Smith and Bas Van den Brink pipped Michael Beauchamp and Matt Jurman for the two center back positions.  Smith was solid all game, was perfect in executing the offside trap and also swept well. He saved a certain goal with a brilliant goal line clearance. Van Den Brink won everything in the air in the first half. A clean sheet was a well deserved reward.

Todd Howarth won the left back place. Fabio was good, but Howarth was immovable on the left, particularly in the first half. The left was also the vital area of Perths attack, and although Andrezinho was the focal point, Howarth was important.

Midfield

Grant Brebner may not have been a stand out, but his performance from deep in the midfield can’t be underrated. His passing was crisp, work rate high and he closed down attacks through the center. Playing in the same role as Erik Paartalu, it’s no mean feat in eclipsing the Brisbane center half’s performance.

But another two Brisbane midfielders did make my team of the work. Issey Nakajima-Farran was on the left wing, but his movement all over the pitch was so extreme that I think it’s fair to put him in the left central midfield role. He was everywhere and a very important piece in Brisbane’s midfield.

Mitch Nichols takes the final midfield spot. Cracking game from him rounded off with the winning goal. He got forward well and was also good in his passing.

Attack

Ben Halloran and Ryan Griffiths take the wing spots while Billy Mehmet is the striker. Griffiths had a great game for Newcastle, scoring two goals. Halloran beat Mate Dugandzic into the other wing spot, but it was close. Dugandzic also scored two goals, but I thought Hallorans impact was stronger. He was instrumental into getting Gold Coast back into the game, and if it wasn’t for great keeping/poor finishing from team-mates  he would have been the most important figure in what would have been a win.

Mehmet takes the lone striker role. He was good in the air and also dropped deep to get possession and launch attacks on a few occasions. Chris Greenacre was my other consideration, but it wasn’t a great week for strikers.