Perth Glory skipper Jacob Burns believes Brisbane’s participation in the AFC Champions League in the lead-up to Sunday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final has levelled the playing field.
Perth Glory skipper Jacob Burns believes Brisbane’s participation in the AFC Champions League in the lead-up to Sunday’s Hyundai A-League Grand Final has levelled the playing field.
The Glory enter their first decider in the A-League era on the back of consecutive gruelling extra-time games – the 3-2 minor semi-final victory against Wellington and a penalty shootout win at Central Coast – but insist that won’t affect them against the Roar.
Burns said the fact Brisbane had to play Korean side Ulsan Hyundai just five days out from the Grand Final made their own fatigue a non-issue.
But the midfielder said he had been impressed with the way the Roar played on Tuesday, even though they lost 2-1.
“They didn’t get the result there so hopefully they’ll be a little bit less confident,” Burns said.
“But I thought they played pretty well, even though they didn’t get the result.
“I suppose it levels the playing field, we played 120 minutes the other night and now they’ve got some extra minutes in their legs as well.
“It’s going to take a massive performance from us but we’re well up for the challenge.”
The main talking point out of Tuesday’s game was the less-than-ideal state of the Suncorp Stadium pitch.
Its condition is likely to be worsened by Queensland hosting a Super Rugby game at the venue on Friday, but Burns said both teams should be good enough to overcome it even if conditions did not improve.
“I did have a good look at it on TV and it didn’t look the best,” he said.
“It’s unfortunate leading into the biggest game of the season for both teams. But there’s no excuses, it’s the same for both teams.”
Perth’s biggest concern entering the biggest game in their A-League history remains Brazilian winger Andrezinho, who is in doubt with a slight groin strain.
While Burns said it would be a blow to lose the crowd favourite, he said the Glory were more than capable of covering him if need be.
“If he’s any chance at all, he’ll put his hand up,” he said.
“He’s a fantastic player, he’s been fantastic for us, and we hope that he’s up for selection … but in saying that, we have huge depth so if someone had to come in we would be fully confident in their abilities also.”
Sunday’s crowd is expected to be the biggest Perth has ever played in front of, with 49,000 tickets already sold as of Tuesday morning, and Burns said the excitement within the playing group was massive.
“Words can’t explain how much it would mean to me and all the boys (to win),” he said.
