Brisbane Roar are full of respect for Melbourne Victory’s master playmaker Carlos Hernandez, but they can at least take confidence in knowing that in giant defensive midfielder Erik Paartalu they have a man who specialises in shutting down offensive weapons.
Paartalu has been a revelation since arriving in Brisbane for the beginning of the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season. He has distributed brilliantly from behind the attack and his ability to pressure opposition stars has been a huge factor in the Roar’s stellar defensive record.
So far this season Paartalu has effectively nullified the likes of Sergio van Dijk and Nicky Carle, and now the Sydney-born 24-year-old is gearing up for another crack at the reigning Johnny Warren Medallist when the Roar take on the Victory at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
“I enjoyed the challenge last game down in Melbourne, it was quite physical and you’ve really got to watch him. “
“He’ll drift in and out of the game and when he gets onto the ball he’s pretty sharp, so I’ll be watching him,” Paartalu said.
Happy to play the vital role of midfield anchor in the Roar’s super-aggressive side, Paartalu is hoping to start providing some goal-scoring assistance, particularly after watching fellow defensive specialist Ivan Franjic hit the back of the net with a scud-like shot against the Mariners.
And for those wondering whether Brisbane can match their epic ‘human kayak’ goal celebration from Wednesday night, Paartalu promises there’s something in the works – providing the timing is right, of course.
“The boys had been working on that one for a couple of weeks, but it’s part and parcel of the game and it’s something fun that the boys do and it also got a few laughs so that was good,” he said.
“The boys are trying to work on one now, but we’ve got to get a few goals in front before we start thinking about that.”
“It’s a confidence thing too. You can’t do that when you’re 1-0 up and it’s five minutes into the game, so the boys obviously all respect our opponents and it was more to let the emotions out a little bit on Wednesday night being a tough week and all, it was good.”
Oblivious to the planning of the kayak, coach Ange Postecoglou says he has no problem with his men putting on a show provided they keep playing the way they have been.
“The boys came up with it themselves, the crowd enjoyed it and if our crowd are happy I’m happy.”
“If they’re scoring goals they can do whatever they like. As long as they’re playing well and doing the right things I’ll give them a bit of latitude.”
“At the same time you’ve always got to be respectful as well, and I think it was. It was well intentioned and our supporters certainly enjoyed it. As long as it’s done in the right spirit, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it,” Postecoglu said.
