The pressure of playing in the A-League Grand Final has not dented Josh Risdon’s confidence one bit.
It-s a measure of fate and talent that means the youngest and least experienced player in the Perth Glory starting line-up looks like guarding the man judged and widely regarded as the best in the Hyundai A-League.
As such, it-s a good thing Josh Risdon has shown time and time again this season he is capable of rising to the occasion, because on paper it looks like he will have the job on Brisbane-s Bavarian maestro, Thomas Broich.
The enormity of that task is one that hits Risdon with a strong surge of reality and you get the sense he knows he will have to be mature beyond his years, but that doesn-t mean he doesn-t relish the challenge with all the confidence of youth, before revealing he never thought he would be in this position at the start of the season.
“It-s a great big task (to play on Broich), he won the Johnny Warren Medal and has had a great year, I-m looking forward to the challenge, I haven-t played on him yet and hopefully I can do my best on him,” Risdon said.
“I-m pretty happy with my own form…I didn-t expect to play many games this year but I-ve been playing well week in-week out.”
Risdon-s form has risen with his club-s and while Perth have gone on a tear through the A-league since the start of 2012, they still haven-t beaten Brisbane, but Risdon believes the Roar and the 3-3 draw in Perth is what provided the spark for their run to the grand final.
“We weren-t even expected to make the finals at that stage but we had a great turn around in form and we have been on a great run since the start of the new year,” Risdon said.
“I think that draw was a big turning point in our season. When we played them the first time we got thumped 4-0 and I think to draw 3-3 was a great achievement for us, from there we had this winning mentality and went on a great roll, which got us into the top four.”
So what of Brisbane? Is Risdon convinced like it seems so many from WA are that his team can knock off the Roar come Sunday? Is the confidence infectious?
“We have a great belief that we can and have taken a lot of confidence from beating the Mariners and we will take that confidence into the game. We were underdogs in that game and it-s better for us to be underdogs again, because all the pressure is on the Roar to win,” he said.
“At the same time it-s a long trip for us from Perth and they-re great at Suncorp. They are the best team in the league, but our boys are up for it and anything can really happen on the day.”
