With Wellington and Western Sydney’s seasons ending, the focus now turns to the off-season for eight Isuzu UTE A-League clubs. KEEPUP analyses what went right, what went wrong and where they can look to improve next season.
While the season rolls on for another fortnight for four clubs, another eight teams’ campaigns have come to an end.
Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix became the latest teams to have their 2022/23 Isuzu UTE A-League campaign brought to a halt, joining the bottom six sides on the outside looking in when the remaining four lock horns in the Semi Finals.
Each of these teams will now look to figure out what went right, what went wrong and what lessons they can take from this season as they look to avoid another campaign without finals action.
With the help of the coaches, KEEPUP analyses all eight of the clubs’ season.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Record: 4th place, 41 points (11W, 8D, 7L) Goal difference: +16, eliminated in first week of finals to Sydney FC
Key stat: Western Sydney had the league’s best defensive record, conceding only 27 for the entire campaign, which was five less than second-best Melbourne City (32 goals).
What went right:
Despite a disappointing finals exit, there are a number of positives to take out of this season for the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Marko Rudan’s side ended a six-year wait for finals football after a tremendous regular season that saw the Wanderers finally emerge from doldrums and finish in fourth place on the standings.
Rudan overturned almost the entire playing group in the off-season window and brought in a host of top quality players to build his squad from the ground up – including the likes of Brandon Borrello, Marcelo, Calem Nieuwenhof, Milos Ninkovic and Lawrence Thomas in pre-season.
At the start of the season, Western Sydney adopted a defence first, hard to beat mantra, which put them in good stead as they went unbeaten in their first four games.
However, from January onwards, the Wanderers shifted their philosophy to playing more on the front foot and taking the game to their opposition – which translated to greater fortunes in the final third and at times, beautiful attacking football.
The arrivals of Morgan Schneiderlin and Amor Layouni in the mid-season window helped add another dimension to their team, particularly the latter who starred during the run home.
“12 months ago, the journey started,” Rudan said after their 1-0 loss to Sydney.
“I don’t really want to reflect, but I guess this is the time to do it because I haven’t properly reflected on it because my mindset was that we’d get past this game and move on to the next one.
“But I’m very proud of the players. I’m very proud of my staff. It’s been a long journey, to finish fourth, play finals football for the first time in a long time for this club.”
Among the other shining lights was the form of Borrello, who earned a recall to the Socceroos squad off the back of an incredible second-half of the season, Nieuwenhof enjoyed a breakout season, as did youngster Aidan Simmons and defensive trident Marcelo, Thomas and Tomislav Mrcela were among the best units in the competition.
Their two Sydney Derby victories – including a 4-0 drubbing in March – were the standout wins of the season.
What went wrong:
The finals exit to Sydney will sting for a little while, especially after leading at home for 30 minutes against their arch-rivals.
Western Sydney went in as enormous favourites off the back of a brilliant end to the season, but lost their way in the second-half where a finals-hardened Sydney FC snatched the victory.
It was a sour way to finish a season brimming with positivity.
“You give them a sniff and they take it. They have the impetus. Our reaction wasn’t good enough as well. We looked lethargic in the second half,” Rudan said.
“My take on that is… I know we’re up against a side that is very experienced, especially in finals football. They’ve been together for a long time. We’re a new team.
“Those moments in finals games, they’ve been there and done that. They created the moment that mattered most and we didn’t.”
Off-season to do list:
Rudan has already promised a response from his side next season, hoping to build on their green shoots.
“We played some really good football and we’re gonna continue that path next year. That’s what I can promise,” he said.
“My promise is that we’ll be better next year than we were this year and you’ll see a different type of team right from the outset, not one that was bit more rigid and in our defensive structure, we’ve built something in the last few months. Now, we want to continue that on.”
Decisions will need to be made over a host of uncontracted players including Romain Amalfitano and Yeni Ngbakoto, while Schneiderlin and Layouni’s loan deals have also come to an end.
Wellington Phoenix
Record: 6th place, 35 points (9W, 8D, 9L) Goal difference: -6, eliminated in first week of finals to Adelaide United
Key stat: Wellington dropped a whopping 24 points in games they either led or were equal in this season.
What went right:
Once again, Wellington Phoenix nailed their off-season recruitment.
The arrivals of Oskar Zawada, Bozhidar Kraev, Yan Sasse and Steven Ugarkovic all helped the ‘Nix enormously throughout the season, but none moreso than the former – who was among the premier strikers in the competition.
Zawada banged in the goals for fun this season, scoring 15 and finishing only behind Jamie Maclaren and Jason Cummings in the Golden Boot standings.
The Polish striker incredibly went on a ten-game run of scoring contributions between January and March, where he fired home nine goals and tallied one assist.
Kraev and Sasse also had their moments of brilliance, combining for 10 goals and four assists, with the former scoring seven of those.
Also, young full-back Callan Elliot showed enormous growth this season, becoming a mainstay at right-back and leading the side in assists with four.
What went wrong:
Up until mid-March, Wellington were looking primed for a tilt at a home Elimination Final and potentially, the top two.
Then everything changed with six games to go.
Wellington lost four of their next five games, conceding 17 goals and tallying a point in a 2-2 draw with Brisbane Roar.
Ufuk Talay’s side fell out of top four contention as the likes of Central Coast Mariners, Adelaide United and Western Sydney began to get results and Sydney FC – who had been below them for much of the season – jumped them in the standings.
In the weeks that followed, the ‘Nix went from near-on certainties to play finals to needing to secure their place in the top six on the final day – which they did in a 1-0 win over Macarthur FC.
A number of dropped points from winning or drawing positions earlier in the season also came back to haunt them, with those fadeaways ultimately proving to be the difference between a sixth place finish and a home final.
Off-season to do list:
New coach Giancarlo Italiano has a big job on his hands.
‘Chiefy’ will take the reins from Talay after serving as his assistant and will look to build on the foundations set by the outgoing ‘Nix boss – who took Wellington to the finals in three out of four seasons at the club.
Talay, however, is confident the club are heading in the right direction.
“The club is in a fantastic spot at the moment with the team, they have got a good core group of players they are retaining for next season,” Talay said.
“That is something… to build on for next season.
“Facilities-wise and academy-wise, I think the club is in a fantastic space in developing their own. So the club is heading in the right direction.”
The ‘Nix will also be in the hunt for a new keeper after Oli Sail’s departure, along with midfield replacements as Clayton Lewis and Ugarkovic are also on the way out.
Defensive reinforcements are set to be high on the agenda after Wellington shipped 45 goals this season.
Western United
Record: 7th place, 32 points (9W, 5D, 12L) Goal difference: -13
Key stat: Western United’s Championship defence got off to a difficult start, gaining one out of a possible 15 points in their opening five games of the season.
What went right:
Despite the difficult start, Western United finished the season rather strongly to finish only three points outside the top six.
John Aloisi’s charges found themselves within touching distance of jumping into the six off the back of a solid turn in form in late February to early March, where they won three games in a row – led by a breakout month from young striker Noah Botic.
Botic scored four goals in three games during that period, and six for the entire season to take out the club’s Golden Boot.
Despite their second-half of the season improvements, a lack of consistency still plagued Western who were unable to sneak into the six, when on many occasions they needed only a win to jump in and take full control of their finals destiny.
“Finishing seventh, we’re only just outside the six, and we had a terrible start to the season, and we had a lot of injuries,” Aloisi said.
“We’ll learn from things that we could have done better, from pre-season and during the season, but… we’re a team that that can go anywhere and and play good football and win games.
“There’s a lot of positives, Noah Botic, still learning the game, very young, scoring goals and we have Dylan Pierias, still learning the game, improved a lot towards the latter part of the the season.”
Full-back Josh Risdon also put in another masterful season, winning the club’s top gong at their end of the season awards.
What went wrong:
Western United were always playing catch-up this season.
Their title defence got off to the worst possible start when they gained only a single point from their opening five games, conceding 14 goals across those contests.
This was a far cry from the hard nosed defensive edge that made Western one of the most difficult teams to beat last season.
Incredibly, it took United until their 16th game of the season last campaign to concede the same amount of goals that they did in their first five.
An uncharacteristic form dip from star defender Leo Lacroix, coupled by injuries to Tomoki Imai and Aleksandar Prijovic compounded their early season woes.
A 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix before the FIFA World Cup break helped swing the tide, but it always felt like an uphill battle for the remainder of the season for Aloisi’s charges whose Championship defence ended last Saturday.
“We only had one point from our first five games, so it’s difficult to to catch up, but what we have done, we’ve shown great character,” he said.
“I said last season, it’s always easier to show what character your team’s got or the culture of the club when you’re winning, but this year we really had to dig deep and because we’re a new club, a lot of people are looking: what is their culture?
“We showed that we don’t give up, that we will keep fighting and we’ll build those foundations, because once you do that, then you can sustain success. so that’s the positive out of this season, because again, we we want to be in finals every season.
“The players never once stopped trying or believing that they could perform well and make finals. We just fell short in the end.”
Western’s woes in the back-half were never quite resolved as they ended the season with the league’s second worst defensive record with 47 goals conceded – 17 more than they copped last campaign.
Off-season to do list:
With Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Alessandro Diamanti retiring and nine players released – including Leo Lacroix, Jamie Young and Neil Kilkenny – Western are set to target reinforcements all over the pitch as they undergo a full squad rebuild only a year after Championship success.
After playing at a host of home venues throughout their first four seasons in the competition, all eyes will be on whether the club plays out of their in-construction training base in Tarneit, with members of the club hierarchy saying that’s the aim next season.
“It’s huge,” Aloisi said about a potential move to Tarneit.
“The thing is we’ve been without a home and I haven’t used it as an excuse and the players haven’t used it as an excuse, but it’s very difficult when you’re playing out of five different stadiums, as your home games. It doesn’t become an advantage for you. It’s like playing away sometimes.
“If we can get our games (there) and create a fortress… I think the stadium will be like Macedonia Park. That small, boutique stadium that will get five or six-thousand people, they’ll be on top of you, and then they’ll drive you home.
“Some of our players found it difficult to get energy from the fans when they’re not there.
“We will have our our games in our heartland and where we represent… That’s what we need and that will help us build us a football club.”
Brisbane Roar
Record: 8th place, 30 points (7W, 9D, 10L) Goal difference: -7
Key stat: Brisbane Roar only lost once in their opening ten games, but only won three of those games, scoring nine goals and conceded just seven.
What went right:
Despite missing finals for a second successive season and going through a change in coach after Warren Moon’s dismissal, Brisbane Roar came out of the season as the league’s third best defence – which for large parts was the best in the entire competition.
Under Moon, Brisbane played a lot more conservatively and were difficult to breakdown, but lacked cutting edge going back the other way, which eventually caught up with them as the season wore on.
After Moon was dismissed in February, the Roar were a lot more expressive, playing with more freedom under interim coach Nick Green.
In his tenure, Green oversaw a change in fortunes, which saw Brisbane win all bar one game at home, take it right to premiers Melbourne City and secure a hard fought point away to Wellington Phoenix.
Although Green will now depart in wake of Ross Aloisi’s appointment on Tuesday, he set some solid foundations going forward – including getting the best out of the likes of Henry Hore, Jez Lofthouse and helping Jay O’Shea rediscover his best football in playing closer to goal.
READ: Ross Aloisi appointed new Brisbane Roar boss: ‘It’s special to be back’
“I think we have done really well in the four games,” Green said.
“We had four wins, four defeats, three clean sheets and a draw. It’s not a bad record considering we were bottom of the league and teams around us have been picking up results.”
Other bright sparks was the form of young guns Kai Trewin and on-loan defender Jordan Courtney-Perkins, who took enormous strides this season.
What went wrong:
Despite their attempts to play a little bit more proactive in the latter stages of the season, Brisbane were still hamstrung in attack, scoring a league-worst 26 goals.
The Roar struggled to find an answer up-front with Charlie Austin departing only a couple of months into his two-year deal, while replacement striker Stefan Scepovic scored once in ten games.
Nine of those 26 goals came from O’Shea’s boot, who carried most of the Roar’s attacking burden all campaign. However, six of those were penalties.
Despite their actual scoring numbers being quite low, they actually underperformed their xG by -8.16, which is only second behind Melbourne Victory – showcasing that they are leaving a lot of chances on the table.
Off-season to do list:
Ross Aloisi will be looking to mould his team based off what he learned during his stay at Yokohama F Marinos as an assistant under Kevin Muscat.
“I want to play a high-intensity game, which means the training will be different,” Aloisi said.
“In Japan, the players work hard, they train and they want to get better. We need players of that same mentality, and that’s what my team will look like.”
A striker looks likely to be high on the priority list as well given their recent struggles in the number nine position.
Perth Glory
Record: 9th place, 29 points (7W, 8D, 11L) Goal difference: -10
Key stat: Perth have won only one of their last 22 games played outside Western Australia (D4 L17), with that coming in a 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners back in October.
What went right:
Tipped as one of the favourites to finish closer to the bottom of the table, Perth Glory upset the applecart to be one of the teams right in the mix for a finals berth in the last weekend of the season.
Off the back of imperious home form that saw Glory turn their home away from home Macedonia Park into a fortress, Perth shot up the table and into contention – only to have their finals chances scuppered due to four straight games without a win to end the season.
Despite falling short, there were many positives for Perth on the field, including the breakout season of Keegan Jelacic, the form of new arrivals Salim Khelifi, Ryan and David Williams, along with Adam Taggart, who joined the club mid-way through the season.
Coach Ruben Zadkovich, who time and again said this was the first step in a rebuild, believes this season has put in place some solid foundations for the club to move forward.
“I think we surprised a lot of people. I don’t think people expected us to be competitive in the last game of the of the season,” Zadkovich said.
“We were still mathematically a chance to play finals and I don’t think many people put us in that position.
“We’ve tried to target some real key individuals that could be the nucleus of a squad moving forward and put some processes in place that will build sustained successes for the club.
“There’s some key individuals, like your (Adam) Taggart’s and your Ryan Williams’, and people in the right age demographic and the right part of their career to really spearhead that rebuild.
“I feel like now’s the time to capitalise on the progress that we have made.”
Zadkovich also felt his side overcame a lot of adversity, having played largely away from their home ground of HBF Park and been without a recognised number nine for much of the season as both David Williams and Taggart struggled with fitness concerns.
What went wrong:
Although there were some positives, there were some big areas of concern for Perth – namely, their form away from home.
The Glory only won once away from Western Australia, taking home six points from a possible 39 which was league’s worst road record.
Zadkovich still felt there were some solid moments from his side outside Western Australia, despite their struggles, and that some of their players will get used to the increased travel loads that come with playing for Perth.
“We also had some really good performances away from home where we didn’t get the result, whether it would be from an individual mistake or moments in games that change matches,” he said.
“I feel like we should have picked up more points, even with some of our performances and so there will be some natural improvement.
“There will also be some areas, where a few of our players that probably aren’t used to that travel. I know people like Mark Beevers, he couldn’t really believe what it was like for him and and Aaron McEneff and travelling away, five hours and three hour bus trips and that type of thing, they’ve adapted to that and it’s starting starting to become the norm.”
However, the uncertainty of the club’s ownership situation continues to linger over the Glory, with Zadkovich saying the potential sale of the club has made things “difficult” in the interim.
Off-season to do list:
Perth will be hoping to resolve their ownership situation sorts itself out sooner rather than later as they go into the next season.
The arrival of Wellington keeper Oli Sail is set to bolster their defensive stocks, as Zadkovich believes the current crop has helped put the foundations in place for a side that could “challenge” next season.
After ending the season with the league’s third worst defensive record, some reinforcements in the back-half look set to be high on the agenda.
Newcastle Jets
Record: 10th place, 29 points (8W, 5D, 13L) Goal difference: -15
Key stat: After a six game unbeaten run took them within touching distance of the six, Newcastle only won once in their last nine games to end the season, including dropping four points against Perth and Melbourne City in second-half stoppage time in consecutive games.
What went right:
Looking purely at the standings, Newcastle have made some progress from year to year, according to coach Arthur Papas.
The Jets were right in the hunt up until the last weekend of the season, but a poor run of form to end the campaign, ultimately ended their chances of returning to the finals for the first time since 2018.
“I feel that, we’re closer to being a finals team clearly because up until last week, we were right in the mix,” he said.
“Overall, I can see we’ve made progress in terms of… if we’re just talking about a table, we were 18 points outside. Last year, I think we were 10. Now, we’re six… so there’s progress, but, I’ll never be satisfied with where we still finish.”
Among the solid performers were Reno Piscopo in the second-half of the season, who showed glimpses of solid form when moved centrally to play as a ten, while outgoing midfielder Angus Thurgate continued to make strides and Jaushua Sotirio settled into life in Newcastle nicely.
What went wrong:
A lack of consistency ultimately hurt the Jets significantly this season.
At their best, Newcastle beat Central Coast Mariners, Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix, while getting points off City and Western Sydney Wanderers, but the issue was backing this up on a week-to-week basis.
This is something Papas said he will look to address this off-season and the reasons behind their drop-offs.
“Am I pleased with the performances? Not entirely to be honest,” Papas said.
“I feel that we could play a lot better consistently over the course of the season, so I’ve got to reflect on that and understand why that hasn’t happened.
“The first person, that needs to be assessed is myself to be honest, and look at why that’s the case and whether it’s a matter of recruitment, whether it’s a matter of the process of coaching, there’s a lot of factors that contribute to performance.”
The Jets’ defensive struggles came to the fore throughout the season too, losing concentration in key moments against the likes of Perth and City which cost them four points at the business end of the season.
Their attack also failed to recapture their ‘box office’ style of a season prior, with outgoing striker Beka Mikeltadze only scoring six goals after 13 a season prior as the Jets felt the pinch of losing gun attacking midfielder and last season’s assists leader Daniel Penha.
Off-season to do list:
In the words of Papas, the most important signing will be bringing in a new owner.
The club has continued to be hamstrung in their football operations without the presence of an owner, as the side is currently owned by a consortium of A-Leagues club owners.
“I think the most important part is getting some stability into this club.
“I’ve been very clear that (I’m) very grateful and the club and the community should be very grateful towards the ownership group that are currently in charge, but it’s bordering on three years now and I think it’s not easy to sell a club and also you don’t want to lose a club.
“Of course, because that’s the threat if you don’t have ownership, you’ll, lose the whole club.
“But ultimately, I think if we’re going to look for a signing in the offseason, I think that’s the biggest signing we can make.”
Meanwhile, the Jets have already parted ways with Thurgate, Mikeltadze, Mohamed Al-Taay and Manabu Saito as the former duo look likely to join rival A-Leagues clubs – meaning Newcastle are set to be in the market for midfielders and attackers to replace the outgoing quartet.
Melbourne Victory
Record: 11th place, 28 points (8W, 4D, 14L) Goal difference: -5
Key stat: Victory had the league’s second worst attack (29 goals), but the league’s fourth best defence (34 goals conceded). Incredibly, they ranked first in the competition for underperforming their expected goals (29 goals scored to 38.03 xG).
What went right
Despite the difficult season, there have been some positive signs in the second-half of Victory’s campaign.
Tony Popovic’s side got wins against premiers Melbourne City, Central Coast Mariners and twice against Wellington Phoenix, plus a draw against Adelaide United during the run home, staying within touching distance of the top six until the final few weeks of the season.
The arrival of Damien Da Silva has helped steady their defence, while Bruno Fornaroli grew into the season, scoring seven goals and showcasing the bits of quality that has made him one of the league’s top performers.
However, their biggest issue stemmed from their lack of scoring, despite the increased “effort” in the second-half of the season.
Victory ranked first in underperforming their expected goals (-9.03) in the entire competition, showcasing their inability to put away quality chances time and again throughout the campaign.
“It’s been tough but the improvement has been clear,” Popovic said.
“The performances have been much better but you can see with all the games even when we’re dominant, Macarthur last week were dominant but we need a last minute goal because we found it hard to score.”
Also, Popovic believes the future is bright at Victory, taking note of Jordi Valadon’s late season debut and potentially more youngsters stamping their claim in the first-team.
“Jordi Valadon came through which is nice for the young kid and we’ve got some younger boys that are younger than him (in the ranks),” he said.
“Maybe the next 12-24 months, (they) can really start coming through so that’s a positive.”
What went wrong
It seems as if everything that could go wrong, went wrong for Victory this season.
“We have to do a review on everything,” Popovic said.
“I think the first half of the year, we had 11 points from 13 games, so it’s a terrible start. Many things went wrong at the start on and off the field and long term injuries, etc. But, yeah, we were playing catch up from that moment.”
Popovic’s side fell way short of pre-season expectations, with many predicting them to be right among the sides contending for silverware and building off last season’s second-place finish.
However, as eluded to by Popovic in his final press conference of the season, recruitment has been hit and miss at Victory, particularly when comparing and contrasting their off-season to mid-season signings.
Only two of their nine off-season signings were in their final round squad – starting goalkeeper Paul Izzo and Cadete – while the likes of Nani and Tomi Juric spent most of the season injured, Noah Smith has departed, and George Timotheou, Eli Adams, Nathan Konstandopoulos and back-up keeper Ahmed Taleb saw little minutes.
However, all six of their mid-season recruits – Da Silva, Fornaroli, Fernando Romero, Connor Chapman, Valadon and Bruce Kamau – saw minutes against Brisbane Roar, with the former two finishing first and second in the Victory Medal.
Meanwhile, long-term injuries to Nani, Jake Brimmer, Jason Geria and recently retired Matthew Sprianovic made things even more difficult, while striker Nick D’Agostino departed for Norway in January – stretching what many would think was their best XI going into the season even thinner.
In a season of inches, Victory also had an equal league-high 14 losses, along with an equal league-low draws (four).
“When you lose 14 games, you’re not going to make the playoffs,” Popovic said.
“We’ve lost too many games, we haven’t had enough draws, we haven’t found the way that when something goes wrong… that we can get a point or we can get a win. In these tight games, we keep dropping points.
“We haven’t been able to claw back that deficit and get a point, which we found a lot easier to do last year.”
Furthermore, Victory were hampered off the field, as they were hit with a number of sanctions as a result of the Melbourne Derby pitch invasion in December, which included a $550,000 fine and a suspended 10-point deduction.
Off-season to do list:
Nailing off-season recruitment looks set to be high on the agenda, as Popovic will certainly be looking to learn the lessons from last off-season.
Reinforcements across the field – from defence through to attack – are sorely needed, particularly in the middle of the park and up front.
Victory have already gotten to work on the departures front, with starting left-back Kike Lopez (Kadete), Juric, Lleyton Brooks and Matt Acton all exiting the club – while assistant coaches Fabrizio Cammarata, Luciano Trani and goalkeeper coach, Peter Zois have departed.
It will be a curious watch to see if some of the youngsters follow in Valadon’s footsteps and break into the first-team set-up after Popovic’s words of praise for the next generation.
Macarthur FC
Record: 12th place, 26 points (7W, 5D, 14L) Goal difference: -17
Key stat: Macarthur dropped 12 points from leading or equal positions in five of their last six games of the regular season. The Bulls finished nine points behind sixth place Wellington Phoenix and 12 behind fifth place Sydney FC.
What went right:
Macarthur’s campaign started on the right foot as they took home their maiden piece of silverware – the Australia Cup – before the regular season begun under new coach Dwight Yorke.
However, things slowly turned for the worse as Yorke departed in January and the results dipped in the second-half of the campaign.
Despite finishing bottom on the table for the first time in club history, Yorke’s successor, Mile Sterjovski feels as if the Bulls are still heading in the right direction.
“We’re putting good structures in place. I think the players have bought into what we want to do and how we want to play,” he said.
“I think we’re heading in the right direction, with the players coming back from injury and building, a stronger squad. I think will be fine for next year.”
A number of Macarthur players improved this season including Al Hassan Toure, who put together his best campaign since his breakout run at Adelaide United in 2019.
Midfielder Jake Hollman enjoyed a breakout season, while Daniel Arzani showed early in the season glimpses of the bucketloads of potential he possesses and Filip Kurto was brilliant between the sticks.
Matt Millar was also a bright spark at full-back, particularly going forward as he incredibly ended the year as their equal-top goalscorer alongside Bachana Arabuli.
What went wrong:
It seemed as if it was one distraction after another in the second-half of the season for Macarthur; from Yorke’s acrimonious exit, to a spate of long-term injuries, to late game fade-outs.
During the run-home, Macarthur lost the services of star midfielder Ulises Davila – who suffered a long-term knee injury – while Arzani, Danny De Silva and Lachie Rose all missed large portions of the season due to respective blows.
On the field, Macarthur’s capitulations came back to haunt them on the table, dropping a 12 points from winning or drawing positions, while only gaining nine points out of a possible 39 on the road – which was the league’s second worst away record.
“When you have a look at how many goals we conceded, I think that’s a key area,” he said.
“We need to be better with the ball and make our possession count, the chances that we do create, we need to start putting away.
“There’s a bit of work to do everywhere.I think the good thing has been that we’ve found out a lot about the characters of, people at the club, the players and staff and where they all stand.”
Off-season to do list:
After signing an extension, Sterjovski will get his first pre-season in charge as he looks to mould the squad in his image.
Reinforcements will certainly be required all across the pitch, but particularly in defence and attack, as they look to rectify a league-worst defensive record (48 goals conceded) and finally find an answer to their issues at number nine.
The Bulls have already announced the extension of Kurto’s contract after a solid campaign and the arrival of Clayton Lewis from the ‘Nix.
