.gif "Sack Attack: An A-League Webcomic")
Brisbane Roar
Semester Summary
There was a lot of promising talk prior to the season’s kick-off regarding the Roar’s positive recruitment and title credentials. We know all too well how dangerous a game it is to be casting favourites before a ball has been kicked in anger; after all, unpredictability is the beauty of our league. But Brisbane didn’t let the flattery get to their heads and delivered results to go with the flowing football that is now entrenched into the DNA of the orange shirt. Eight wins from the opening 10 matches saw the Roar comfortably head the league and also dominate the goals for and against columns. Since then, Mike Mulvey’s boys have stuttered twice at Suncorp Stadium, but still enjoy a healthy lead at the top and are consistently drawing strong crowds.
Areas of Excellence
Sometimes statistics speak for themselves and the fact that Roar have failed to score on only two out of 14 occasions highlights the forward proficiency as well as creative spark within the team. Mulvey has stuck by the 4-3-3 passing game that has brought candy to the trophy cabinet as well as the eye in the past. This fluid Oranje machine needs little oiling. It’s simple, the midfield destroys, creates and compliments a forward line that has punished every single defence this season.
Areas in need of improvement
As good as they are at banging them in the other end, the Roar still suffer from lapses in concentration in the defensive third. Sloppy play at the back has cost more than a goal this season and the worrying trend is most of the time, it’s occurring at Suncorp Stadium. A suggestion from an undisclosed insider is for players to start wearing Edgar Davids-like eyewear, so as to eliminate the reflection from the orange crowd when looking up to check their hairdo on the big screens mid-game.
Top Students
It’s hard to single names out from this tight collective, but Luke Brattan has been nothing short of spectacular as the linchpin in the midfield trio. His distribution is reliable and he rarely gives up possessin - Xattan/Braniesta for the next headline anyone? Matt McKay and Liam Miller are no ordinary off-season additions and they have added class and stability to the middle of the park. Besart Berisha is an A-League phenomenon even when he’s injured half the time, so far notching up six goals in eight games. Ivan Franjic has proven he is Soceroos material with some spectacular forays forward and goals that belong in Brazil this June. But a trusting local crowd know talent when they see it and they let 19-year-old Kwame Yeoboah settle in after a slow start. Settle in he did, as his two stunning strikes for the club also caught the attention of "Zee Germans!" from a certain town called Monchengladbach.
Class Clowns
This year it is more evident than ever that time is catching up with Jade North, whose occasional lapses in concentration at the back have been as uncharacteristic as unwelcoming. But it is only natural for one of the team’s veterans and Roar fans will be hoping Thomas Broich’s noticeable decline halts for yet another year or two.
Grade
Almost flawless, A-.
 |
The remainder of the season looks bright for the Roar, who seem to be gelling to Mike Mulvey’s philosophy more and more as the weeks go by. There is a real sense of unity among this group and there would not be many backing against a third Suncorp Stadium Grand Final in four years.