Beware the Brisbane Roar: that’s the message from those who have seen the Queenslanders in action under Michael Valkanis this pre-season.
Brisbane head into the 2025-26 season with renewed vigour after a squad overhaul and a 14-game, 13-week build-up to Round 1.
Throughout their preparations for the new term, the Valkanis-led Roar have caught attention with an attritional style of play; McBreen says word of Brisbane’s approach has spread like wildfire as teams prepare for a fight when they come up against the Roar.
On this week’s episode of Total A-Leagues, Isuzu UTE A-League greats Daniel McBreen and Tommy Oar joined host and Sydney Morning Herald journalist Vince Rugari to discuss the biggest talking points heading into Round 1 – including Brisbane’s pre-season approach which nobody has been able to ignore.
“I have been told by all and sundry that they are the Kung fu fighters of the A-League this year, from the very first minute of games,” McBreen said.
“We’ll take one in particular. They played in a preseason friendly, it was supposed to be three (lots of) 30 minutes, and from the first minute, they just started physically dominating the opposition. And after two 30 minutes, the opposition said, ‘We’ve had enough’, because it was almost a fight from the very first minute. I’ve heard that from about three or four different games they’ve played in.
“Valkanis, we’ve heard him say that they want to play good football, but they’re going to try and physically dominate teams.
“The A-League now with so many young players, if you’re going to try and dominate teams, that’s the league to do it in. Yeah, go out there and say, righto, young boys, can you stand up to us? We are going to put you under pressure physically. Now, as long as it doesn’t cross the line into bad challenges, it’s a definite ploy to get the upper hand.”
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Is this the Isuzu UTE A-League’s Jack Grealish?
There’s a lot of excitement in the Hunter Region after Newcastle Jets’ 2025 Hahn Australia Cup title triumph – and a lot of that excitement stems from the arrival of head coach Mark Milligan and the savvy recruitment spree he’s orchestrated.
Chief among the exciting off-season signings is Max Burgess, who arrived at the club after becoming the forgotten man at Sydney FC in 2024-25.
Re-energised by his off-season move, Burgess won the Mark Viduka Medal as the best player afield in the Australia Cup final and has been tipped to make a big impact in his first Isuzu UTE A-League campaign at the Jets.
WEEKEND PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 1 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
2025-26 ULTIMATE GUIDE: Fixtures, signings, kits & more
Total A-Leagues analyst Tommy Oar likened the move to that of Jack Grealish from Manchester City to Everton as he pondered what Burgess could achieve at the Jets this season.
“A good comparison is if you look at Jack Grealish at City,” Oar said. “He wasn’t given a significant role, but after joining Everton, he’s absolutely excelling. And they’re similar players. You can see the exact same thing happening here.
“He’s the kind of player you want to say ‘Go and express yourself in those areas. Go and express yourself, you have a wand of a foot. Just go and do it’.
“(The Jets) don’t put so many restrictions on him and he’s relishing it. He’s loving it.”
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Mata to start at Victory? ‘It’s a great move’
Will Juan Mata and Melbourne Victory prove to be a match made in heaven?
Last season, Mata arrived at Western Sydney Wanderers to much fanfare but the Spanish World Cup winner failed to make a big impact in Red & Black. Head coach Alen Stajcic utilised a formation without a number 10 – Mata’s best position – and as a result, the 37-year-old’s impact was stunted. He made just seven starts in 23 games, scoring one goal in 614 match minutes.
But that could all be about to change at Victory.
“I think he will be (a starter),” Oar said.
“I think I’m with you,” McBreen replied. “I think they’re going to throw him in. We all know last year there was no number 10 for Western Sydney which is his position. They play with a 10. They explicitly said he was the kind of player they wanted in that area. With him sitting in the country going, ‘I’m looking for a club guys’, he was the obvious choice.
“I think we’ll see him have a great season.”
Oar added: “With Victory, a lot of their games it’s them trying to break down a low block, which works in his favour.
“At the Wanderers, Stajcic’s team is well-known for being good in transition but he was getting the ball 70-80 metres from the opposition goal which is not where you’re going to see him at his best. I think it’s a great move for all parties.”
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Macarthur the Championship dark horse? ‘They’re stacked’
With quality all over the park, are Bulls are primed for a tilt at silverware this season?
Impressed by the Bulls’ off-season business, Oar and McBreen lauded head coach Mile Sterjovski’s side as an under-the-radar consideration for trophies as they head toward Round 1 boasting a star-studded attack, reinforced defence and an envious midfield duo.
“They’re stacked,” McBreen said.
“Damien Da Silva comes into the back line. He was immense when he was at Victory. I was really impressed with Harry Politidis over the last couple of years. I think he’s a really good up-and-coming player.
Across that front line when you talk about the foreigners that have come in: Ji Dong-won, Šime Gržan and Rafael Duran Martinez – they’ve quality in that front third.”
“We’ve seen in the ACL two, they’re starting the A-League season ready to play,” Oar added. “They’re already match fit. I think that they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
One name set aside for special commendation was new Bulls recruit and former Sydney FC and Melbourne City midfielder Anthony Caceres, who has reunited in Campbelltown with his old Sky Blues teammate Luke Brattan. Together, they’ve been tipped to raise Macarthur’s level in 2025-26.
“I think Cass has been one of the top three players in the league for the last 10 years,” McBreen said.
“I think he’s been underrated by a lot of people for a long time.”
Oar added: “Him and Bratton in the midfield, you can almost give those to the ball under any situation, and they’re going to not only keep the ball, but carve something out. There aren’t many midfield combinations in the league that can do that, and I think that they’re probably going to go into games dominating possession and trying to break down the other teams, which is not something we’ve always seen with Macarthur.”
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