Adelaide snub spurred me on, says Roar cub O’Toole

Brisbane Roar youngster Connor O’Toole says being rejected by Adelaide United as a teenager helped transform him into arguably the country’s brightest left-back prospect.

The in-form O’Toole, a former Young Socceroo, was cut loose without making a senior appearance during his single season in South Australia.

The 21-year-old has since established himself as Roar’s first-choice left-sided defender with a series of impressive displays this term, having linked up with the Queensland club in 2016.

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O’Toole played the final moments of Brisbane’s 2-1 win at Coopers Stadium in December and may just get a bigger opportunity to prove a point on Friday night.

“I think at the time they just didn’t feel it was right for me,” O’Toole said of his departure from the Reds.

“That wasn’t my decision to make. I did what I could do there and obviously they had other plans.

“I would say [it’s made me stronger]. Definitely when I came up to Brisbane after that stint it made me want to get that pro contract and hopefully beat Adelaide, which we did last year!

“It was just the last few minutes [I played], but it was good.

“I think we’re in good shape to get three points [on Friday].”

Brisbane boss John Aloisi, who steered his club to a 2-0 victory against Melbourne City in Round 5, had no qualms about offering O’Toole a second chance at the Hyundai A-League.

“First of all I saw his technical ability, he’s good on the ball, he’s good going forward,” the South Australian said.

“That’s what I look for in our full-backs. He gets in good crosses.

“We believe the way we work with players that we’re going to improve them and help them develop as players.

“It’s also up to the individual and Connor is a hard worker. He’s always looking where he can improve and that helps him, and also long-term helps us.”

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