Brisbane Roar certainly bared their teeth through the first 13 rounds, climbing to the summit with a seven point gap at the midpoint in the season.
Brisbane Roar certainly bared their teeth through the first 13 rounds, climbing to the summit with a seven point gap at the midpoint in the season.
They maintain the best attack in the league and had the equal best defence. However Mike Mulvey-s men experienced a shock loss to Adelaide on the weekend to suggest they are not infallible.
Like most teams in the competition they-ve had their share of adversity. The Roar having to do without star striker Besart Berisha for large chunks of the season due to injury and losing prodigious talent Kwame Yeboah to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladback.
Into the breach has stepped former Sydney FC attacker Dimitri Petratos who managed a hat-trick against his former club. Socceroo Ivan Franjic is another player who has taken his game to another level this season and seems destined for a starting berth in Brazil.
The list of stars doesn-t stop there, with the likes of Broich, Smith, McKay, Brattan, Miller and Henrique all proving highly influence at various stages. The fact that the Roar boasted an astonishing 11 goal scorers through the first 13 rounds of the competition demonstrating it has clearly been a team effort.
Brisbane produced arguably one of the most complete performances of the season when they deposed of Melbourne Victory 3-0 in their first match of the New Year. Their intricate passing game and ferocity in front of goal proving too much for one of their title rivals. The news only improved during the week with Petratos and Stefanutto both committing their futures to the club.
In fact the Roar have accounted for all of their title rivals so far this season, with their Round 3 loss to Victory being their only defeat to a side currently in the top-six. Puzzling is their record against the Jets who have done the double on the league leaders.
Equally remarkable is the fact the Roar are yet to draw a game all season. Despite their recent setback they are certainly the team to beat this season in their quest for a record third Championship.
STAR MAN: Besart Berisha
The Albanian striker reminded the competition and his coach what he is capable of when he came off the bench to score an equaliser against the Reds. A 10-man Roar side were only denied a point after an injury-time header sealed their fate.
Berisha has spent a large part of the season sidelined by hamstring problems but has shown he can be a thorn in any opposition-s side. He has still managed to net six goals this campaign to sit second in the race for the golden boot.
The fact the 28-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season will surely only add impetus to his performances in the run in to the finals. While he would be a valuable acquisition for any club, Roar will be hoping this doesn-t act as a distraction and that they can hold on to their star man.
COACHES REPORT: Mike Mulvey
Following the departure of Ange Postecoglou who led the Roar to back-to-back titles, Mike Mulvey has been the one to steady the ship in Brisbane. His no-nonsense approach has brought stability to the club and after bowing out in the semi-finals last season, his side seem destined for silverware this term.
Mulvey clearly has high expectations of his chargers as his post-match press conferences often express areas they need to improve despite empathic victories. His deadpan demeanour leaving little doubt Mulvey means business.
The Brisbane head coach was previously an assistant and interim coach at the now defunct Gold Coast United before moving to coach Victory in the Westfield W-League. Now that he is back in Queensland he has the Roar purring and his side are certainly the ones to beat in season nine.
MARK: A
