Brisbane and Central Coast’s last meeting at Suncorp Stadium was a tense affair, which included an all-in push and shove right at the final whistle, but Roar coach Ange Postecoglou isn’t expecting the hostilities to get out of hand in their Grand Final rematch.
Played at a breakneck speed, the drawn major semi-final between the Roar and Mariners was largely befitting of the stakes, but matters came to a head in the 90th minute, when Pedj Bojic was sent from the field after picking up his second yellow card, for a seemingly innocuous challenge on Thomas Broich.
The situation escalated as Mariners players remonstrated with Broich for staying down, Roar players came to his defence, and finally even the goalkeepers arrived on the scene.
An alleged heated altercation in the tunnels between Bojic and injured Roar striker James Meyer added further fuel to speculation of genuine resentment between the sides.
Post-match, Mariners coach Graham Arnold suggested that Bojic should not have even conceded a free-kick for his supposed infringement, but neglected to mention that Michael McGlinchey had earlier been lucky stay on the field after a brutal, studs-up tackle on Broich in the 28th minute.
Broich, the most fouled player in the A-League, said he fully expected to be targeted physically in the Championship decider, but Ange Postecoglou downplayed the chances of a spiteful battle.
“In our game, what can constitute a bit of fire would probably be laughed at in another code. There might be a bit of push and shove, but that’s not really what we’re about and I don’t think the Mariners are about that,” he said.
“It’ll be physical, yeah, in a football sense, for sure, and it’ll be quick.”
“I use to (rush in and posture) when I was a player, and I look back at it now and it’s just too funny. I was never going to hit anyone, really. You’ve just got to get on with it.”
Postecoglou continued on to say that the real way for players to prove their mettle was by backing their skills and maximising their involvement in the pressure-cooker Grand Final arena.
“Courage in our game is more about, in the heat of the moment, when things are going so quickly, who wants the ball – that’s how you define courage in our game and I think that’s what’s going to define the game,” he said.
“In the heat, in the grand final game, when you know that every moment of that game could change the course, it’s who’s got the courage to call for the ball, and we’ve been pretty good about that.”
“If it gets a bit physical out there, what I want to see is from our players in the next phase of play looking for the ball. I don’t expect any all-ins or melees or anything like that.”
