Roar may flood; indicators show depth

If anyone could deal with a flood it should be those sea-faring Mariners of Gosford town, but even they looked out of their depth for the briefest of moments at in Brisbane on Friday night.

Sure, the floodgates didn’t exactly burst open for Roar in their 2-2 draw with Central Coast, but their second half surge against the competition’s stand-out team suggests the gushes aren't too far away for Mike Mulvey’s side.

Taking a page from the Wivenhoe Dam Operations Manual, what Roar displayed in the first twenty minutes of the second half was more akin to a controlled release – a take-charge response to a situation that had the potential to spill over.

Despite only taking a single goal lead in to half-time, for the first forty-five minutes of the match Graham Arnold’s game plan was proceeding swimmingly.

Like any practical visiting team the Mariners were hard into the challenges, quick on the attack and well under the skin of their hosts, who earned four yellow cards and were lucky not to see new signing Jade North dismissed for a clumsy bring-down of goal-scorer Michael McGlinchey in the 14^th minute.

Then, with their half-time oranges barely consumed, the Mariners found themselves in it up to their salt-flecked necks.

Brisbane’s second half resurgence, which saw Roar net an equaliser only 90 seconds after the restart and then proceed to lap relentlessly at the Mariners penalty area for the next twenty minutes, was a stark reminder of the team’s capabilities.

Reminders of Roar’s frailties, however, were obvious too  – the first goal conceded proving that Matt Jurman remains cursed in central defence, the second suggesting that fixing Roar’s defensive lapses isn’t as simple as subbing the accursed Jurman either.

Brisbane town’s never-ending flood narrative – which incidentally spans centuries, features in books found at your local library and is hence fair game for literary allusion – remains analogous following this week’s heavy rainfall and flooding.

Roar are statistically unlikely to return to the surreal heights of 2011 any time soon. Record-breaking feats of that kind, like the alluded and juxtaposing flood disaster, are generational.

However, much like the turgid brown vein that stains the heart of this city, this week the club has set a new high water mark for 2013 – a small feat, but a feat nonetheless.

The result may not look that impressive on paper, but the performance in the second half was a marked improvement and – based on the steady home debuts of North, Stefan Neijland and Steven Lustica – indicative of the side Mike Mulvey intends to build.

At times, it was darn near reminiscent of the free-flowing football that not so long ago brought a tidal wave of success to the club. Although a glimpse at the scoreboard, like a glance at a flood marker, clearly puts things in perspective.

Still, while all of the bad may not have been completely washed out to sea this week in Brisbane, indications are the tide may be turning in Roar’s favour.

The Mariners rode it out well enough for now, but teams travelling to Brisbane in coming weeks could do well to take out extra insurance at the back. Because those floodgates may just be set to burst.