Brisbane Roar coach Frank Farina has looked to downplay the drama of Saturday’s state derby with local rival North Queensland Fury, saying his men will be treating it as nothing more than a regular fixture.
Formerly known as the Queensland Roar before the start of the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season, the Brisbane-based side was promptly displaced as the state’s premier team in Round 1 when it went down 3-1 to newcomer Gold Coast United.
The Roar now face the prospect of being the first team in the competition to lose to North Queensland when they enter the fray at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Farina suggested the side’s focus was entirely on stopping the Fury – who hit fine form last weekend with a 3-3 draw in Adelaide.
“I don’t really care about that (the rivalry), as long as we keep climbing up the ladder – that’s what matters most to me,” he said.
“The derbies will always have a special significance and yeah we’d like to win it, but more so for the three points.”
Dutch striker Sergio van Dijk was still coming to terms with the idea of playing in a derby between two teams separated by such a vast distance.
“Townsville is over 1000 kilometers from here – you look that up in Europe that’s like from Amsterdam to almost Switzerland or something – that’s not really a derby,” van Dijk laughed.
Van Dijk did admit the match against the Fury would be a little more emotional than usual.
“Especially for the people from Queensland, it’s a special game.”
“It’s a derby, so all the players are extra motivated on both sides. It doesn’t matter who is playing, they want to give 100 percent.”
The Roar’s all-time leading goal scorer was still coming to grips about taking to the field against English legend Robbie Fowler.
“He played with the top players at Liverpool – I can remember when I was younger and playing soccer at my school, people would say ‘I’m Robbie Fowler’,” van Dijk said.
“Now you’re playing against him, so that’s kind of funny. He’s one of the best strikers I’ve ever seen.”
Farina believed Fowler was still off his best, but nonetheless one of the best players in the competition.
“He’s getting the ball and when he does have the ball at his feet he brings people into play,” he said.
“He can still finish, as we saw last weekend.”
“He’s just getting better as he’s getting fitter and match sharp.”
