Former Adelaide United stalwart Robert Cornthwaite says there’s arguably no better side in the A-League on current form than Warren Moon’s resurgent Brisbane Roar.
Speaking with Daniel Garb on the ABC Grandstand Football Podcast, Cornthwaite marvelled at the job Moon has done since his appointment as Roar boss in mid-2020, whilst heaping praise on Brisbane’s energetic attacking talisman showing a cutting edge which Cornthwaite believes goes under the radar.
Read on for all the biggest topics dissected by Garb and Cornthwaite throughout this week’s episode of the ABC Grandstand Football Podcast.
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Cornthwaite calls for more recognition of rampant Wenzel-Halls form
“If a player like Ninkovic – or someone with a bit more flair and creativity – had those sort of numbers, I feel like they’d get a lot more attention.”
The early-season form of Dylan Wenzel-Halls has been too good to be ignored.
The equal-top scorer (four goals) and equal-second goal assister (two) has ran rampant to date in the 2020/21 campaign as the Roar have notched three wins from four games.
The 23-year-old does his best work in the final third through a combination of tireless running, blistering speed and ruthlessly clinical finishing, but Cornthwaite believes his rampant form is still being undervalued when compared to the praise heaped on other more creative players gracing the league.
“It’s interesting isn’t it, because it’s almost like the way he goes about his football doesn’t get him enough attention for what he produces,” Cornthwaite said.
“He’s got four goals and two assists, he’s been involved in six of their eight goals.
“If a player like Ninkovic, or someone with a bit more flair and creativity had those sort of numbers I feel like they’d get a lot more attention.
“I feel like Wenzel-Halls doesn’t get enough… he’s been brilliant.”
The form of Brisbane’s energetic young striker has matched Brisbane’s overall performance to date this season, notching three wins from four games to sit in second spot on the A-League table.
“After the Mariners, the Roar are the surprise packets of the campaign and Warren Moon is doing a wonderful job,” Garb said.
“Surprise packets, yes,” Cornthwaite replied.
“Probably the most in-form team in the competition.”
Garb throws Deans’ name into the hat for permanent Jets management
“What more does Craig Deans need to do to have his name seriously considered for the job?”
Newcastle Jets are dead-last on the A-League table after six games, with one win, one draw and four losses on the board from six games – but you can’t tell the story of the Jets’ 2020/21 season so far with points alone.
Four one-goal defeats have accompanied a 1-1 draw and 2-1 victory as the Jets have battled valiantly throughout every contest under Craig Deans in the 2020/21 campaign.
The slender margins have suggested to Garb the Jets are willing to put it all on the line for their current-interim boss.
“What did I tell you about the Newcastle Jets?” Garb said.
“They’re fighting… I know they’re the bottom of the table, and you look at all twelve teams and there’s probably only one that you say won’t play finals this season and that is the Jets.
“But they’re making life difficult for teams at least, and they did that for the Wanderers (a 1-1 draw come-from-behind draw).
“That was a big point for them.”
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6227324255001
Garb continued: “what more does Craig Deans need to do to have his name seriously considered for the job?
“We’re hearing Gary van Egmond linked, we heard Simon Greyson applied for the job – the Englishman – what more does Craig Deans need to do?”
“They seem to be playing for him enough despite the lack of depth and quality in the squad.
“He knows that team really well, he’s been interim manager on three occasions.
“I’m not saying he definitely gets the job, but it feels as if they’re not really considering him strongly.”
D’Agostino a ‘different weapon’ in stacked Glory strike force
“We know this Perth Glory team can score goals, but I didn’t expect to see D’Agostino and Arminento with [four and three] next to their names.”
Coming into the 2020/21 season, vast attacking riches seemed the obvious strength of Richard Garcia’s Perth Glory squad.
What wasn’t obvious, however, was just how many weapons Garcia had at his disposal.
Andy Keogh, Bruno Fornaroli, Diego Castro, Chris Ikonomidis: these are the names expected on the team sheet week in, week out, pending the fitness of Perth’s star-studded strike force.
But Glory’s Nick D’Agostino (22) and Carlo Armiento (21) have so far proved the pick of Garcia’s attacking threats.
“We know this Perth Glory team can score goals, but I didn’t expect to see D’Agostino and Arminento with [four and three goals] next to their names,” Cornthwaite said.
“I thought Keogh, Castro and Fornaroli would be the ones doing the damage, but it’s a scary beast when those other guys get firing as well.”
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6227759255001
Garb continued: “D’Agostino is so interesting because now that he’s showing how dominant he is in the air, i think he adds a threat to his game which is so important for Perth, but I think makes him stand out as a promising striker.
“You look at all the options that are coming through, these young attacking players, and you go ‘hang on, there’s one here who has just got an aspect to his game which almost separates him from the rest’.
I’m not saying he’s the best young striker Australian football has or anything like that, but in the air he stands out as a real weapon.
“It’s just a different weapon for the Glory.
“When you add him into the mix with Ikonomidis who has to come back from injury, Castro obviously, Fornaroli and Keogh who didn’t even play against Melbourne City, all of a sudden that Perth attack looks as strong as anyone’s.
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