Springtime it brings on the punting, but if you truly want a good thing, then load your team with Roar players this weekend.
It may sound like simple advice but hear it comes… Get On the Roar!
This week the traveling Wanderers show comes to the hallowed turf of Suncorp Stadium for one of the most daunting away games in Hyundai A-League football.
Anyone who has been there will tell you it can be the most intimidating of stadiums; the stands feel like they encroach upon the ground as thousands of screaming Queenslanders drinking the dreaded XXXX Draught or inspired by the Bundy Bear let you know just what unkind things they think of you.
To describe the usual jibes as unkind, would be courteous, and, oh yeah, they reserve a special breed of angst for New South Wales sporting teams.
Before they step onto the ground the Wanderers will know they are up against it, and then will come the Roar, ready for war, clad in bright orange; and don-t they love to score goals, especially at Suncorp, where last year they netted 28 of their 50 goals, the year before 31 of 58 and this season, although it-s early days, five of their six goals have come in their sole home fixture.
Historically Brisbane also concede fewer goals at Suncorp and when you see them come up against a team like the Wanderers, who haven-t scored in 270 minutes, the Roar, especially their backline and keeper become a Fantasy Footballer-s gold mine.
Yep I-m declaring them good things. Get on them like your good old Scout did Alcopop in the Caulfield Cup and I promise you more success, although to be fair, who really thought Dunaden could win from that gate… but I digress.
The reason you want to load your backline with Roar players is simple – the Wanderers, for all their stern defence, do not have a clue how to find the net.
Part of it might be that Labinot Haliti seems to have forgotten where the goals are, maybe it-s that Mark Bridge only finds the net once every 4.5 games, or maybe it-s that Dino Kresinger is slow and looks about as dangerous as a blunt pair of scissors in the hands of Ralph Wiggum.
The simple fact is the Wanderers are not scoring and look unlikely to break their duck against the Roar.
Even Sydney FC, whose defence has more holes than the Costa Concordia, kept a clean sheet against them and their defenders, like Adelaide-s the week before reaped the benefits.
There is a pattern – in Round 3, Sydney FC-s defenders and goalkeeper racked up 66 points and the week before Adelaide notched up 72 between them.
So who should you consider?
The obvious choice would have been Ivan Franjic, given not only the likely clean sheet but also his propensity for pushing forward, but he has been ruled out with an abdominal strain.
That leaves Matt Jurman at $144,700, which is value, and also Matt Smith at $172.600 and given the captain will play most games he comes in at a handy price.
Midfielders also get four points for each clean sheet they have and with plenty of goal scoring and assist potential all of Erik Paartalu, Thomas Broich, Mitch Nichols, Ben Halloran and even Mass Murdocca might be worth the investment.
A big congratulations goes to Round Three-s top pointscorer Cooper, who manages a Perth Glory heavy Team Hyper, he scored 180 points for the round, but will score infinitely less if the Glory ever cop a pasting.
Now to Team of the Week, which this week was laden with Perth, Sydney and Victory players.
(Team of the Week is the cheapest team possible in a valid formation. It may not be possible to actually select this team. Formation 4-3-3).
Ivan Necevski (14 Sydney FC), Seb Ryall, (14 Sydney FC), Dean Heffernan (C) (56 Perth Glory), Mark Milligan (18 Victory), Trent McClenahan (14 Sydney FC), Marco Rojas (18 Victory), Liam Miller (24 Perth Glory), Guy Finkler (14 Victory), Billy Mehmet (16 Perth Glory), Ryan Griffiths (16 Jets) Besart Berisha (16 Brisbane Roar).
Total points = 220
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not the Hyundai A-League
