The Fury have warned all Hyundai A-League opposition that their hearts-on-the-sleeve approach to winning is the norm, not the exception.
North Queensland coach Franz Straka let his actions speak after the Fury downed Sydney FC in Townsville in Round 2, leading the club’s celebrations as the team made their way around Dairy Farmers Stadium to thank supporters.
He now expects even more of his largely unheralded squad away to the Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
“What I want now is improvement from my team,” Straka said.
“And I want to see that same heart.”
And they move forward with confidence, sitting joint top of the table after two rounds with four competitions points that have bred self-belief in the Townville-based outfit.
“If you travel to Melbourne with four points, compared to one point, the confidence is very important,” Straka said.
“It helps in trusting and believing in our game.”
Talk of going on the defensive against a Melbourne side desperate to atone for its stalled start to the campaign, sitting at the foot of the table with a solitary point, was immediately quashed.
“I don’t want to think now of one point, you do that and you are a loser,” Straka said.
“We start nil-nil and the game finishes after 90 minutes and we want to win.”
Defender Simon Storey, who last featured in Melbourne as a Victory player in the side’s history making grand final win in the inaugural A-League season, says Straka’s attitude has been embraced by the squad.
“It’s really important to have that mentality,” Storey said.
“If you focus on a draw, then you are half way to a loss already. We have got to focus on winning and putting in for the entire 90 minutes, that is the important thing because you let that slip then you can struggle, let in goals and make mistakes.”
And never has a defiant attitude been more important to a travelling team to meet the Victory, who come into the game off the back of a humbling 2-0 home loss to Perth.
“I’m not so happy with that loss result against Perth, it would have been better for us if they won that game,” Straka said.
“Melbourne are a strong team under pressure.”
