He may not be quite ready to embrace the ‘No.1 goalkeeper’ tag, but all indications suggest Griffin McMaster has entrenched himself in Brisbane’s starting XI with a couple of impressive performances.
Not for the first time in McMaster’s booming A-League career, opportunity came through an injury to veteran shotstopper Liam Reddy.
The 26-year-old only made his debut in January 2008 after Reddy suffered a broken thumb and while he performed with vigour – most notably keeping a clean sheet in the first-leg of the semi-final against Sydney FC – Reddy was promptly reinstated.
It was a similar story a year later when the Gold Coast product starred in the absence of a hamstrung Reddy, only for former coach Frank Farina to yet again promote the veteran.
It proved to be a case of third time lucky for McMaster.
Reddy picked up a quad injury in the Roar’s 1-0 loss to Gold Coast United on October 11 and McMaster has since been a constant force in goals for Brisbane as they set about clambering up the table.
Last month McMaster was influential in snapping his side’s five-match winless streak, putting in a man-of-the-match performance against Adelaide United – underlined by a brilliant save to deny a Lloyd Owusu penalty.
Reddy regained full fitness but Roar coach Ange Postecoglou looked to persist with McMaster, a move that has paid dividends.
However McMaster still doesn’t believe he has nailed down a spot in Brisbane’s first-team.
“Luck is worth a fortune in football. When it goes your way, you got to really make the most of your opportunity,” McMaster said.
“I feel like I’m still in the process of trying to establish myself as a number one. I still feel like I have to prove to the gaffer (Postecoglou) that I can be a number one on a more permanent basis.”
“I just want to keep working hard and keep getting better. We’ll see.”
There is every chance it is unrelated to the rise of McMaster, but some media outlets have linked Reddy with a move to Sydney FC after he recently requested to be released from the final year of his contract.
The opportunity presenting itself to McMaster is not one lost on the confident custodian.
“There’s a possibility Liam might leave at the end of the season, if that’s the case, it’s probably no secret that I want to really try and establish myself as the number one goalkeeper at Brisbane,” he said.
“Liam’s a brilliant goalkeeper and I’ve got respect for him. He’s played over 150 games in the NSL and the A-League and it has been great to train with him.”
“I’m feeling more comfortable between the sticks, but I know I also have to improve and fix the mistakes I’m making in games and I really want to work hard and achieve that.”
“I know I can get a lot better.”
McMaster was placed under further duress last Sunday when Postecoglou opted to roll the dice against Wellington, shifting to a more attacking formation with only three at the back.
The move meant McMaster was called upon to produce a handful of quality saves in the 4-1 win over the Phoenix, but he wasn’t about to complain about the confidence shown by Postecoglou.
“I thought it was a credit to the gaffer for trying something different, it goes to show the gaffer’s not afraid to make changes and take that little gamble.”
“I thought it was really good and a back three can suit someone like myself anyway, because I am proactive in my sweeping game, so it didn’t bother me in the slightest.”
“Whatever formation we go with, I’m comfortable with it.”
McMaster has been a key part of Brisbane’s mid-season resurgence that has seen the men in orange rise from the foot of the ladder to their current seventh-place standing.
McMaster will be gunning for a clean sheet against Perth this weekend to boost his side into the top six.
“The gaffer has made it clear that the Perth game is a massive game for us.”
“If we can get a result against Perth then we’ve got two home games coming up and we can really try and get a snowball going into the latter part of the season.”
“We’re confident we can go there and get a result.”
