Brisbane Roar defender Jade North says team’s courageous performance in Friday night’s Hyundai A-League season opener against Melbourne Victory was dedicated to the club’s loyal supporters.
Attendance at the club’s opening home game for the 2016/17 season was an improvement on last season’s opening round crowd figure.
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North praised the 15,805-strong crowd at Suncorp Stadium and says the Roar will continue playing and looking to improve for everyone involved with the club.
“It was great to see our fans out in force and hopefully we showed them what we are capable of,” North said.
“We definitely showed that we play right to the end and never give up.
“That was for the fans, and for everyone at the club. We’ve got a great culture and a never-say-die attitude.”
After playing the final 25 minutes with a deficit in manpower and then going behind late in the match against Melbourne Victory, an inspirational comeback from the Roar concluded with an incredible last-gasp strike from defender Luke DeVere.
Following a record-breaking weekend of football in Australia, North says it’s a great time to be involved in the Hyundai A-League and reinstated the notion that there will be no easy games this season.
“There were some great games over the weekend, and we know there are no easy games,” he said.
“The great turnout across all the weekend’s games shows just how strong football is becoming in Australia and I’m pretty proud to be a part of that.”
The Roar’s next task is a trip to Hunter Stadium to face Newcastle Jets on Sunday (4pm KO Qld time), a venue which the Roar are undefeated in their last three fixtures.
As vice-captain, North is likely to captain the Roar into Sunday’s clash with the Jets with Matt McKay unavailable through suspension.
Coach John Aloisi spoke during pre-season about the great depth and competition for places within the Roar squad and North believes Sunday’s match opens opportunities for players to put their best foot forward.
“Matt [McKay] is our captain and a big part of what we do. He’ll be missed but we’ve got a lot of depth,” he said.
“Coming off the draw against the Victory, we’re going to be ready and well-placed heading into Sunday’s game.”
North has heaped praise on central defensive partner Luke DeVere whose late goal capped off a great return to the Hyundai A-League for the 26-year-old.
DeVere hadn’t played in a competitive fixture since April 2015 and scored his first Hyundai A-League goal in six years against the Victory.
“He was outstanding on the weekend,” North said.
“It was his first game back in a while but it was like he’d played just the day before.
“He’s a great talent at centre-back, it’s great to have him back and I’m just glad that he’s on my side.”
