Sydney FC’s loss is North Queensland’s gain and the Fury are keen to prove it at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday.
Fury assistant coach Stuart McLaren says the motivation of former Sky Blue young guns Adam Casey and Chris Payne is at an all time high as they prepare to face their former employers in the Fury’s first Hyundai A-League home game of the season.
Already they have started repaying the faith put in them Fury bosses with Payne, a hero in Sydney’s run to last season’s Hyundai A-League double, scoring the re-birthed club’s fist goal of the 2010/11 campaign.
McLaren is happy to play on the emotions of the occasion, and will continue to do so with almost half the squad heading north this season when opportunities dried up elsewhere.
“From an individuals point of view that can play a big part it your motivation,” McLaren said.
“Having a point to prove to your past club, or a particular coach… it’s a great hunger to have.”
“It’s a matter of working hard on the training pitch to polish off maybe some of those rough edges that have stopped other clubs from keeping then on board.”
While the extensive recruitment of youthful and inexperienced talent may bring to the club a tag of wooden-spoon contenders, McLaren translates that into a limitless source of drive for the Townsville-based outfit.
“It’s also about proving to their fans that just because they weren’t necessarily wanted by others that they have a lot to give this club,” McLaren said.
“There are certain reasons why we have been forced down this path, with what happened at the club in the off-season, but both Frankie (coach Franz Straka) and myself are very happy with the players that we have brought from other clubs who have not played all that often at this level.”
“From our point of view we have just got to show faith in our own ability to make a decision on whether a player is suitable.”
