The Hyundai A-League pre-season is in full swing, with a few clubs using the time to visit regional communities.
John Aloisi’s troops take on the Mackay & Whitsundays Magpies Crusaders United on Thursday night at Mackay’s BB Print Stadium (7pm kick-off).
“It’s great. We’ve had a week off so to come up here and have a solid pre-season camp so early in our preparations is great for the team,” Roar skipper Matt McKay said.
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“We’re grateful to Mackay Regional Council, Football Brisbane & Football Queensland for organising this.
“I’m a Queenslander born and bred and I actually had my Under 15s State Titles in Mackay 20 years ago. It’s great to see so many junior footballers in the city this week with the Community Cup on at the same time.”
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The camp is seen as crucial preparation for Roar ahead of their FFA Cup Round of 32 clash against Melbourne City on Tuesday, August 7.
“For us, it’s about improving each week,” McKay added.
“The new additions have integrated really well and then it’s about everyone else improving and getting better. We have a long pre-season but we need to make sure that every day counts. We want to be challenging for titles.”
Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets will be hitting the road next week as they head off on their annual #JetsTour of Northern NSW.
It’s the fourth consecutive year the Jets have toured the regional area.
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“The way the Port Macquarie community came out to support the boys last year was something special,” Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna said.
“To have more than 4,000 people attend a trial game on a very cold Tuesday night was a credit to Football Mid North Coast and the entire town.
“Football Mid North Coast have been massive supporters of ours, with more than 400 fans travelling to Newcastle for last year’s RAAF Round.”