Sydney FC’s marquee signing John Aloisi has been ruled out of Saturday’s A-League Grand Final against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium with a hamstring injury.
In a major blow for the premiers, Aloisi has torn a muscle in his left hamstring and would have been ruled out for 6-8 weeks should the season extend that far. As it stands, there is only one match left in the season – the most important – and the experienced striker is no chance of playing.
“I’m shattered,” Aloisi said. “We have worked so hard to get here and to have it taken from you is really devastating.”
“When it happened I knew something wasn’t right but you always have hope. When I got the news from the doctor it was pretty upsetting.”
The 34-year-old limped off early in Saturday’s 4-2 preliminary final win over Wellington. His departure paved the way for Chris Payne to come on the field and score two vital goals.
Aloisi scored a club record 10 goals this season after struggles with injury and form saw him fail to live up to expectation in 2008/09.
The absence of the club’s marquee signing means Sydney must win the championship without two of its most experienced players. Captain Steve Corica was forced into retirement after suffering a similar injury in the final match of the regular season against Melbourne.
The captain’s arm-band was handed to Aloisi in the finals, but now coach Vitezslav Lavicka will have to find another leader for Saturday’s big match.
