He was not the club’s highest profile signing but Rostyn Griffiths is certainly proving a hit with Central Coast Mariners’ fans.
While much of the talk pre-season was on high profile signings Patricio Perez and veteran defender Patrick Zwaanswijk, Griffiths has gone about his business steadily, slowly developing into one of the club’s most influential players.
After starting the season coming off the bench Griffiths is now well and truly entrenched as the Mariners’ holding midfielder. His slick distribution and strong defence has been a key factor in the club’s revival under coach Graham Arnold.
The former Blackburn player will be hoping his good form continues when the Mariners tackle Perth in a double-header at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” Griffiths said of his short but successful time with the Mariners.
“I’m happy with my form but I think me and the team can keep getting better. We haven’t had many matches lately so we are all looking forward to Saturday.”
Griffiths said the competition for spots in midfield was the toughest he had encountered as a professional.
“You don’t play well one week and the next week someone else could take the position,” Griffiths said.
“All successful clubs have that competition for spots. You’ve got to keep producing or someone else will.”
Griffiths admitted his performance in last week’s 2-0 loss to Brisbane was not his best and IS desperate for a big showing against Ian Ferguson’s Perth outfit.
Griffiths played under Ferguson at North Queensland last season after a very short stint with Adelaide.
“They’ll come out firing,” Griffiths said of Perth. “They’ve made a lot of changes; they’ve got real quality in the squad.”
